[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 31, Number 48 (Monday, December 4, 1995)]
[Pages 2068-2072]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With Prime Minister John Major of the 
United Kingdom in London, England

November 29, 1995

    Prime Minister Major. Can I, firstly, welcome the President here to 
London. I'm delighted he's been able to come in what is, I know, for him 
an extremely busy time. And he and Mrs. Clinton are extremely welcome 
guests here.
    The President's come to London fresh from explaining to Congress and 
the American people his plans for a very large United States 
contribution to the peace implementa- 

[[Page 2069]]

tion force in Bosnia. Bosnia is, and has been for some years, a shared 
responsibility. British troops have been there now for something over 3 
years, in numbers ranging up to 8,000 at a time. And both of our 
countries have made huge contributions to the international aid effort.
    What I think we now need to do is to carry the remarkable Dayton 
agreements through to a successful conclusion. Dayton was a very hard-
won and hugely important breakthrough by the United States and her 
Contact Group partners. And for the first time in the many discussions 
over the years that the President and I have had on Bosnia, we can look 
this morning at a realistic prospect of a real and lasting peace in 
Bosnia.
    But it is still a fragile prospect, and we need to make sure that it 
doesn't in some fashion just slip away from us. And that is why we both 
agree that it's vital to deploy a genuinely effective implementation 
force to Bosnia as soon as the peace agreements come into effect. I very 
much welcome the President's intention to contribute a large force to 
that particular cause.
    I can certainly confirm that we shall do the same. We intend to make 
a large contribution; around 13,000 troops will be the size of the 
British contribution to that force. They will find themselves working in 
the future, as so many times in the past, with their American colleagues 
in a common endeavor. And I believe it's an endeavor of immense 
importance to the future of Bosnia and for many places beyond it. And I 
look forward to the peace implementation conference in London in a 
couple of weeks' time, which will work on the very important civil 
aspects of that peace agreement.
    The President and I this morning have also had the opportunity of 
talking about Northern Ireland and about the twin-track initiative that 
I launched yesterday with the Irish Prime Minister. I am delighted that 
the President will tomorrow become the first serving United States 
President to visit Northern Ireland. I have no doubt that that will give 
a huge encouragement to the people in Northern Ireland who have been 
working for peace. And I'm sure that it will boost the very valuable 
help that George Mitchell will be giving us in his work, for he has 
generously agreed to undertake the work as chairman of the new body to 
look at the question of decommissioning.
    George Mitchell, of course, is no stranger to the situation in 
Northern Ireland and over the years has given us very great help in 
promoting investment in Northern Ireland's economy. So I think the 
chairmanship of the international body is in very good hands. And I'm 
very grateful to Senator Mitchell for undertaking it and for the 
President for permitting that.
    I had the opportunity with the President this morning of discussing 
the present situation in Northern Ireland. What I hope people will see 
with his visit there in a day or so is the changed life in Northern 
Ireland. For far too long, the world has been very familiar with the 
negative side of Northern Ireland. I think the President's visit will 
enable him and his colleagues to see how very dramatically life has 
changed there over the past 15 months. And we look forward to carrying 
that further.
    We had the opportunity of discussing a number of other matters, but 
I think in the limited time available, I won't touch upon those at the 
moment, but I will invite the President to say a few words.
    The President. Thank you very much, Prime Minister. This is my sixth 
trip to Europe as President and the latest of the many, many sessions I 
have had with Prime Minister Major. Europe and the United States have 
unbreakable ties, but the United Kingdom and the United States enjoy a 
unique and enduring relationship.
    Because of our values and the work we have done together over the 
last 50 years, the things we stand for are more and more becoming widely 
accepted all around the world. Today, we discussed our ongoing efforts 
to reinforce our partnership; to reduce the threat of weapons of mass 
destruction; to combat terrorism, international crime, and drug-
trafficking; and to advance the global march of peace. And of course, we 
mostly discussed Northern Ireland and Bosnia.
    Let me begin by just congratulating the Prime Minister on the 
important initiative that he and Prime Minister Bruton announced 
yesterday to advance the process of peace in Northern Ireland.

[[Page 2070]]

    The twin-track initiative will establish an international body to 
address arms decommissioning and at the same time, will initiate 
preliminary political talks in which all parties will be invited to 
participate. This is an opportunity for them to begin a dialog in which 
all views are represented and all voices are heard.
    I cannot say enough to the British people how much I appreciate and 
admire the Prime Minister in taking this kind of risk for peace. This 
was not an easy action for him to take, not an easy action for Prime 
Minister Bruton to take. Very often, people who take risks for peace are 
not appreciated for doing so. But we in the United States appreciate 
this work and hope very much that it will prove fruitful.
    Tomorrow, I will visit a Northern Ireland that is closer to true 
peace than at any time in a generation. And the risks that have been 
taken to date by the Prime Minister and by the Irish Prime Minister and 
his predecessor are a big reason why.
    The United Kingdom has also taken extraordinary risks for peace in 
Bosnia. The United States deeply appreciates all this country has done 
to end the suffering in Bosnia, your brave soldiers who risked their 
lives as part of UNPROFOR, your countless humanitarian relief efforts to 
aid the people of that war-torn land, your diplomatic and military 
strength as members of the Contact Group and NATO.
    Now the people of Bosnia have made a commitment to peace, and we 
have to do our part to help it succeed. That means participating in 
NATO's implementation force, not to fight a war in Bosnia but to help 
secure a peace. It means implementing the arms controls provisions of 
that agreement while ensuring that the Bosnian Federation has the means 
to defend itself once NATO withdraws. And it means supporting the 
reconstruction in Bosnia so that all the people there can share in the 
benefits of peace.
    If we can secure the peace in Bosnia--and I am convinced that we can 
and will--that will bring us a step closer to the goal of a free, 
peaceful, and undivided Europe.
    The Prime Minister and I discussed developments in Russia, including 
the upcoming parliamentary elections, and agreed that fuller integration 
of Russia and Europe remains a key goal that both of us share. We also 
reaffirmed our joint determination to open NATO to new membership in a 
gradual and open way.
    I also welcome the priority the United Kingdom has given to 
strengthening the Atlantic community. This weekend at the summit meeting 
between the United States and the European Union in Madrid, I hope we 
can agree on a vigorous Atlantic agenda that we can both work to 
implement.
    Let me just close by saying that we live in a time of remarkable 
opportunity for peace and prosperity, for open markets and open 
societies, for human dignity and human decency. Together the United 
States and the United Kingdom have helped to shape this hopeful moment 
in our history. We have some more work to do. We just talked about two 
of our biggest challenges. But I am confident that our people are up to 
those challenges and that that work will be done.
    Prime Minister Major. Now, the President has a speech to deliver in 
Parliament not very long ahead, but we can take just a few questions.
    Yes, the lady in the red scarf.

Bosnia

    Q. President Clinton, could you let us know if one of the things you 
discussed was arming and training the Bosnian military and how that will 
work as part of this peace process?
    The President. Yes, we discussed that, but in our roles as a part of 
the NATO mission, neither the NATO forces of the United States or the 
United Kingdom will be involved in that. There is an agreement among the 
parties that they will work for 6 months to achieve an arms control 
agreement; that they will do everything they can to agree on a fair way 
to reduce the number of arms in Bosnia; that if they fail to reach 
agreement there will be a 25-percent reduction by all the parties in the 
region, preserving roughly the ratio of arms that exist now between 
Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia but at a smaller level, and that within 
Bosnia proper, the Bosnian Federation will have a roughly 2-to-1 ratio 
of arms and that that will have to be supplied

[[Page 2071]]

in terms of equipment and training by third parties, which we are 
confident will occur.

Ireland

    Q. Mr. President, do you accept the British Government's position 
that there must be some giving up of arms by the paramilitaries, and 
especially by Sinn Fein IRA, before all party talks can begin?
    The President. I accept the British Government's position announced 
yesterday in the twin tracks. That is, I believe the agreement 
represented--or reflected in what Prime Minister Bruton and Prime 
Minister Major announced yesterday has set forth a framework within 
which these differences of opinion can be resolved. And I hope the 
framework will be accepted by all the parties.
    My answer to you, sir, is that the United States, whether it's in 
the Middle East or Bosnia or in Northern Ireland, has tried to support a 
reasonable peace process, not to dictate the terms or make the 
decisions. The twin-track process is a reasonable peace process. And it 
is not for us to get into the details of the judgment that the countries 
and the parties will have to make.
    Prime Minister Major. Yes, Helen [Helen Thomas, United Press 
International].
    Q. What broke the camel's back on this? You were arguing for so long 
on this one issue. Was there one thing that turned the tide, one 
catalyst?
    Prime Minister Major. Well, there were a whole range of points we've 
been discussing over the last few days. It wasn't just the 
decommissioning issue. There were a range of other issues as well. And I 
think time wore away the difference--time and patience on both sides.
    I think the number of meetings that there have been over the last 
few weeks, the numbers of discussions I've had with John Bruton--I've 
absolutely no doubt both our telephone bills will be astronomical, but 
we think it's worthwhile. It was simply that we saw that a deal needed 
to be reached if we were to regain the momentum and carry this process 
forward.
    We can't deliver peace, John Bruton and I. We can't do that. What we 
can do is facilitate peace. And what we are putting in place is a 
process that will help to carry that capacity for peace forward. Now, 
that can be achieved if the politicians in the North are able to reach 
themselves an agreement that this conflict is over. And what we were 
seeking was a mechanism of carrying this forward so that that work would 
continue.
    But I emphasize the point, peace isn't in my gift or in John 
Bruton's gift. It is in the gift of all the people who at present have 
caused the conflict. We must bring them together. Constant examining of 
the detailed problems found a way through.
    Q. Did the President's trip have anything to do with it?
    Prime Minister Major. I think the fact that the President's trip--
the President was coming concentrated the mind.
    Q. Now that you have agreement, are you prepared to accompany the 
President to Belfast on any part of his trip? And like the President, 
are you prepared to meet all the party leaders in Northern Ireland now?
    Prime Minister Major. Well, I've met most of the party leaders in 
Northern Ireland. In due course I will meet them all. I won't be meeting 
them all quite yet. And I think the President is being accompanied by 
the Secretary of State to Northern Ireland. I will be answering 
questions in Parliament.
    Q. Mr. President, is your message to the IRA that they should start 
surrendering their weapons and explosives now, immediately?
    The President. My message is that the twin-tracks process has 
provided a mechanism for all of the parties honorably now to bring their 
concerns to the table and to be heard and that, in the end, peace means 
peace, and we're all going to have to support that.
    But the message I should give in public is the same message I would 
give in private: I think the framework set out by Prime Minister Major 
and Prime Minister Bruton is the best opportunity I have seen to resolve 
all of these issues, and I think it should be embraced and I hope it 
will be.
    Prime Minister Major. Have we time for one more? Yes, gentleman 
there.
    Q. Mr. Prime Minister, do you think Mr. President--the President has 
been too accommodating to Mr. Adams, or do you think it's now--his 
efforts have been worthwhile?

[[Page 2072]]

    Prime Minister Major. I don't think it's a question of being 
accommodating at all. American support in this process has always been 
immensely helpful, and the President has always taken a very great 
interest in that process. There is a communal interest in achieving a 
satisfactory settlement in Northern Ireland. It's very much in the 
interest of everybody in Northern Ireland, very close to my heart and 
something very close to the President's heart as well. And I welcome the 
tremendous support he's been, both publicly and privately. I think that 
has been very helpful, and I'm very pleased to have the opportunity of 
thanking him for it in public. Thank you very much, indeed.
    The President. Thank you.

Note: The President's 106th news conference began at 11:20 a.m., at 10 
Downing Street. A reporter referred to Gerry Adams, leader of Sinn Fein. 
A tape was not available for verification of the content of this news 
conference.