[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 8 (Monday, February 26, 1996)]
[Page 344]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Balkan Peace Process

February 20, 1996

    This afternoon I met with my senior national security team to review 
the situation in Bosnia. I received a report on this weekend's meeting 
in Rome with the Presidents of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia.
    I am pleased that in Rome, the Balkan leaders recommitted themselves 
to keeping peace on track. The parties pledged to resume contacts with 
the NATO-led Implementation Force, to reunify Sarajevo on schedule, to 
release all remaining war prisoners, to remove any remaining foreign 
forces, to cooperate in the investigation and prosecution of war crimes, 
and to strengthen the Bosnian-Croat Federation and reunify Mostar.
    I have instructed my foreign policy team to continue efforts to 
convince all the parties that their Rome commitments must be implemented 
faithfully and without delay. The road to peace is a hard road, but it 
is the right road. We are proud to be part of the NATO force, and I am 
pleased to be meeting with NATO Secretary General Solana today.
    While serious problems remain, it is important to keep the situation 
in Bosnia in perspective. After nearly 4 years of war, peace will not 
take hold overnight. We should not lose sight of the remarkable progress 
that has been made since Dayton. The cease-fire is holding. The zones of 
separation are in place. And in Sarajevo, once a dying city haunted by 
snipers and shells, the markets are filled. People are back on the 
streets. Builders are repairing shops and small businesses in the center 
of town. Sarajevo has come back to life, with a future for all of its 
people.
    These are the kinds of tangible benefits that will help give all the 
people of Bosnia a greater stake in peace than in war. Tomorrow, I am 
sending to Capitol Hill a supplemental appropriations request for $820 
million to support IFOR and its mission. This includes $200 million to 
assist the essential process of civilian implementation--specifically, 
economic reconstruction and reform, deployment of international police 
monitors, and demining. I will work with Congress to secure these funds 
as quickly as possible. The sooner the Bosnian people recover the 
blessings of a normal life, the surer the chances for a peace that 
endures.
    I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the 
enormous dedication of Assistant Secretary Holbrooke, who has 
spearheaded the peace effort for us since last August. As Ambassador 
Holbrooke steps down, I want to thank him for his service to our Nation. 
The people of Bosnia and American people owe him a tremendous debt of 
gratitude. My new Special Adviser for Implementation of the Dayton 
accords, Ambassador Robert Gallucci, one of our most experienced and 
successful diplomats, joined our meeting today and will continue our 
mission of moving the peace process forward.