[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 21 (Monday, May 31, 1999)]
[Pages 992-993]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Radio Address to the People of Kosovo

May 27, 1999

    On behalf of all Americans, Hillary and I send a message of hope and 
solidarity to the Kosovar people. Over the last few months, you have 
been forced from your homes. You have seen terrible violence. Many of 
you are still searching for friends and family members. I met with 
Kosovar refugees in Germany last month. My wife recently met with 
another group in Macedonia. Your stories filled us with sorrow, stories 
of decent people whose lives have been violently uprooted by scenes we 
thought we would never again see in Europe, stories of innocent people 
beaten and brutalized for no reason but their ethnicity and faith, 
people rounded up in the middle of the night, forced to board trains for 
unknown destinations, separated from their families, stories of people 
arriving in refugee camps with nothing but a fierce determination to 
find their loved ones and return to their villages with their culture 
intact.
    But you have not been defeated. You have not given in to despair. 
And you have not allowed the horror you have seen to harden your hearts 
or destroy your faith in a better life in the land of your birth. You 
left Kosovo with one goal, to return in safety. The United States and 
its NATO Allies are working for the same goal. It will take time. But 
with your strength and our determination, there is no doubt what the 
outcome will be. The campaign of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo will end. 
You will return.
    Our military campaign is daily increasing the pressure on the 
Serbian leadership and on Serbian forces in Kosovo. They know we will 
persevere until the Serbian forces leave, and you are allowed to return 
home, with NATO there to prevent a return to violence. In the meantime, 
nations across the world have come together to bring aid to you and your 
families. The United States has just finished building a new facility in 
Albania called

[[Page 993]]

Camp Hope, which will house up to 20,000 people. Our Congress has just 
approved more than $700 million in humanitarian assistance to make sure 
we can meet your needs both now and when you go home.
    We are grateful to the people of Albania and Macedonia for accepting 
refugees into their countries and their homes. It is not easy for any 
nation to absorb huge numbers of people, and it is certainly not easy 
for two nations still struggling to meet the needs of their people. We 
recognize your sacrifices, and we are committed to help by easing your 
burden and helping you build security, prosperity, and democracy at home 
and in your neighborhood.
    A great challenge can draw people together. The 19 NATO nations are 
not alike. But we hold the same essential values in common. And on the 
eve of a new century, we refuse to be intimidated by a dictator who is 
trying to revive the worst memories of the century we are leaving. Thank 
you for your strength, and remember that no matter what has happened to 
you, you are not alone. The United States and NATO are with you, and we 
will stay with you long after you return home.

Note: The President's remarks were recorded at 5:30 p.m. on May 26 in 
the Map Room at the White House for broadcast on the Voice of America 
and Radio Free Europe. This transcript was made available by the Office 
of the Press Secretary on May 26 but was embargoed for release until 12 
a.m. on May 27. A tape was not available for verification of the content 
of this address.