[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 47 (Monday, November 29, 1999)]
[Pages 2436-2437]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With President Petar 
Stoyanov of Bulgaria in Sofia

November 22, 1999

    President Clinton. Good morning.
    Q. How are you, Mr. President?
    President Clinton. I'm fine. I'm delighted to be here, very pleased.

[[Page 2437]]

Situation in Chechnya

    Q. Mr. President, the events in Chechnya in the last 2 days, has 
that raised doubts about the Russian commitment to a political dialog?
    President Clinton. Well, I think they made clear that they were 
going to try to continue their military offensive. What we've done at 
the OSCE is, it got them to agree that the internal affairs of Russia or 
any other country is a proper subject of world discussion and world 
opinion. We got them to agree to take the OSCE mission there. I think 
it's very important to do that. And I hope that we've gotten an 
increased amount of concern for civilian casualties. So we'll have to 
see, but I think it's very important we follow up on the commitments 
made earlier at the OSCE meeting in Istanbul.
    Q. Mr. President, Bulgarian national television. Are you going to 
discuss with our President different ways for compensating Bulgaria for 
our losses during the embargo against Yugoslavia and Iraq, about $10 
billion?
    President Clinton. Well, first of all, let me say I'm very grateful 
for the support we received, the Allies received during the conflict in 
Kosovo, and for the direction taken by Bulgaria under this President and 
this Government. And we are committed to supporting Bulgaria over the 
long run--economically, politically, militarily. And I think we will be 
doing it for many years, and I'm looking forward to that.

Situation in Kosovo

    Q. Mr. President, in Kosovo tomorrow, will you urge ethnic Albanians 
to stop their reprisal attacks against Serbs?
    President Clinton. In Kosovo tomorrow I will make a very strong 
statement about the importance of everybody getting over this ethnic 
hatred and going beyond it. And we have all made a big commitment to 
Kosovo as an economic and political reconstruction. But I think it's 
very important that Kosovo, in effect, not become the mirror image of 
Serbia. It's hard not to, but it's important not to. And we'll keep 
working on it.
    But I wouldn't overreact to the stories, you know, and the facts--a 
lot of good things have happened there since the end of the war. And it 
hasn't been very long, and there is a long, long history in Kosovo and 
throughout Serbia, throughout the Balkans, that we're trying to get 
beyond.
    Again, I'd say Bulgaria is a very good example of the direction we 
ought to take, and I hope we can have a positive impact in Kosovo. I 
think we can.
    President Stoyanov. It's important that we, through the American 
people, through the eyes of the American President, the American people 
will realize that the Bulgarian people have embarked upon a new road and 
chosen a new policy, that of democracy, of respect for human rights and 
that, also, through its wonderful relations with all its neighbors and 
its excellent ethnic--the absence of ethnic problems whatsoever, 
Bulgaria will be an example of stability on this continent and will 
continue to be so.

NATO Bases in Bulgaria

    Q. Will you inform us if you discuss the issue of NATO bases in this 
country?
    President Stoyanov. We'll inform you about anything with pleasure, 
with the greatest of pleasure.
    President Clinton. Thank you.

Note: The exchange began at 11 a.m. in the Anteroom at the Presidency. A 
tape was not available for verification of the content of this exchange.