[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 25 (Monday, June 28, 1999)]
[Pages 1167-1168]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With President Kiro Gligorov of Macedonia in Skopje

June 22, 1999

    Thank you very much, Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, leaders of 
the Macedonian Government and political life, parties in Parliament who 
were freely elected last November.
    I thank the President for his statement and would like to reply by 
saying that I came here for two reasons. First, I want to thank the 
leaders and the people of Macedonia for helping a just cause to prevail 
in Kosovo, for giving shelter and hope to the Kosovar refugees, and for 
welcoming our NATO troops who came here to help those refugees.
    NATO could not have achieved its mission without you; the people of 
Kosovo would not be going home to security and autonomy without you. I 
came here, as much as anything else, to say thank you.
    Second, I came here because I believe the United States, our NATO 
Allies and, indeed, all nations of the world who support the reversal of 
ethnic cleansing and respect for human rights and minority rights have a 
responsibility to help Macedonia to overcome the economic hardships that 
the recent crisis has imposed and to return to a path to prosperity and 
even stronger democracy and freedom.
    Already, our total aid to Macedonia has more than tripled over last 
year to $72 million; and today we will provide another $12 million in 
food commodities. In the months ahead, we will do more. But we are also 
committed to the restoration of economic opportunity and jobs in 
Macedonia. Today I am delighted that an executive of the American 
company Liz Claiborne came with the First

[[Page 1168]]

Lady here to Macedonia to follow up on her trip and to announce that 
they would be reopening facilities and employing somewhere between 2,000 
and 3,000 of your people. We will encourage other American businesses 
now to look at Macedonia as a model of stability at the end of the 
conflict in Kosovo.
    Finally, Mr. President, let me reaffirm once more our belief that in 
order to build a future of freedom and prosperity, in which human rights 
and minority rights are everywhere respected, in which nations are not 
torn apart by yesterday's hatreds and violence, we must make this 
Stability Pact a success. We must create real opportunities for ordinary 
citizens throughout southeastern Europe. And the United States is 
committed to doing that.
    But the thing that is even more important, Mr. President, is that 
the Macedonian people and leaders are committed to that kind of future. 
I think it is worth noting that this country is not ethnically 
homogeneous. It has its own challenges. And yet, in spite of that, you 
were willing to take these refugees--300,000 of them; 50,000 have 
already gone home. You bore this burden at great cost and considerable 
risk so that we could together pursue a vision of southeastern Europe 
very different from what the horrible ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and 
Kosovo represent.
    We have stopped that; now it is time to build that better future. 
And I pledge to you, sir, that the United States will work with you, and 
we will do this together.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at approximately 1:48 p.m. in the President's 
Ceremonial Office at the Parliament Building. In his remarks, he 
referred to Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski of Macedonia; and Paul R. 
Charron, chairman and chief executive officer, Liz Claiborne, Inc. The 
transcript made available by the Office of the Press Secretary also 
included the remarks of President Gligorov.