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From @lex-luthor.ai.mit.edu:hes@REAGAN.AI.MIT.EDU Mon May 3 21:51:05 1993
Date: Mon, 3 May 1993 17:36-0400
From: The White House <75300.3115@compuserve.com>
Subject: AM Press Briefing by Dee Dee Myers 5.3.93
To: Clinton-News-Distribution@campaign92.org
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release May 3, 1993
PRESS BRIEFING
BY DEE DEE MYERS
The Briefing Room
9:52 A.M. EDT
MS. MYERS: This morning at 10:15 a.m. the President
will meet with Governor Chris Patton of Hong Kong. At 5:30 p.m.
he'll sign a proclamation declaring Asian Pacific American Heritage
Awareness Month.
Q They all came through the gate -- why? Already.
MS. MYERS: There must be some other meetings and
activities here.
A look at the rest of the week. Tomorrow morning at
10:00 a.m. --
Q The Post alludes today to a meeting on Bosnia.
MS. MYERS: The principals are meeting on Bosnia.
Q I'm sorry?
MS. MYERS: The principals are meeting. The same group
of advisors.
Q Right now --
MS. MYERS: No, they'll meet this afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
Q With the President?
Q With Congress and senators?
MS. MYERS: No, there's no meetings today scheduled with
Congress. This is just the principals, which include the usual --
Tony Lake, General Powell --
Q Why? Why today?
Q What would be the point?
MS. MYERS: To continue to evaluate the situation. I
think there's ongoing developments there. They've been in touch with
Secretary Christopher and others and they'll continue to discuss --
the President is not scheduled to participate in that meeting.
Q Who chairs that meeting?
MS. MYERS: I believe Tony Lake, but I'll have to
double-check.
Q Will Aspin come over?
MS. MYERS: Yes.
Q And Colin Powell and Gore -- will Gore also be
there?
MS. MYERS: I believe so. Those are all people who
normally attend these things, and it depends on their own schedules
but I would expect -- I don't know that Gore is going to be here.
He's scheduled to go to New Jersey.
Q Why wouldn't the President attend?
MS. MYERS: Because the principals meet -- advisors meet
often without the President.
Q What about Woolsey? Will Woolsey be there?
MS. MYERS: He's part of the group. I don't know who is
confirmed to be there, other than the general meeting has been called
and they've all been invited. It's the same group that met on
Saturday without the President.
Q Do you know when Christopher is coming back?
MS. MYERS: He's scheduled to come back Friday. But I
believe he's going to Rome as well now, so --
Q Not until Friday he doesn't get back?
MS. MYERS: Correct.
Q Not to jump too far ahead into the week ahead, but
are there any meetings scheduled with members of Congress on Bosnia?
MS. MYERS: There's a bipartisan leadership meeting
tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., which I'm sure the primary topic will be
Bosnia. And then there may be other conversations about it
throughout the week. There are no other meetings scheduled
specifically on that topic this week.
Q Have there been specific notifications of the plan
or discussions of the plan to committee leaders or any leaders yet?
MS. MYERS: Yes, there have been a number of
conversations. The President has talked with, I believe, Senator
Dole. He tried to reach Senator Mitchell, and I believe Tony Lake
ended up speaking with Senator Mitchell. The President also spoke
to, I believe to Congressman Foley. And then there have been
contacts with a number of other members of the House and Senate about
it.
Q How about foreign leaders?
MS. MYERS: The President talked with a number of
foreign leaders over the weekend including Kohl, Mitterrand, Major,
Mulroney. Who am I forgetting? Yeltsin.
Q Does everything depend now on the assembly meeting
of the Bosnians on Wednesday?
MS. MYERS: I think everything depends on the Serbs, the
Bosnian Serbs taking actions that back up their words. Obviously,
we'll watch closely what happens there in Serbia or in Bosnia on
Wednesday when the self-styled Bosnian Serbian parliament meets. As
you know, they rejected the peace plan just a week or so ago, and
they're taking it back to the table. But in the meantime, we're
looking for action.
Q What kind of action?
MS. MYERS: Well, the Serbs know what they have to do.
But, for example, they have to agree to a cease-fire, they need to
stop the siege of cities like Sarajevo, they need to let the
humanitarian deliveries through. So there's a number of steps that
they need to take on the ground to back up their words.
Q Do you expect them to stop the shelling prior to
the Wednesday vote?
MS. MYERS: We're anxious for them to stop the shelling.
I don't know what they'll do.
Q You can say they've already gone back on their word
by lobbing shells at Sarajevo, just a couple of hours after they
signed an agreement violate the word already.
MS. MYERS: I think that's exactly why we're looking for
concrete action on the ground, not just a signature on a piece of
paper. As you know, the shelling is ongoing and sometimes I think
when agreements like this are signed or a cease-fire approaches,
sometimes activity actually intensifies. But we are looking for
actions to back up their words, and in the meantime we'll continue to
move forward with consultations with our allies.
Q Are we willing to implement the peace treaty with
ground troops?
MS. MYERS: Our position hasn't changed on that. We've
said that if all sides agree to a plan, then we will work with our
allies in a multilateral fashion to implement and enforce it. We
haven't said specifically what form that will take. NATO continues
to move forward in the development of an implementation plan. We'll
continue in our discussions with them, but no specific decisions have
been made.
Q On Saturday, Christopher said the U.S. wouldn't
make any large number of U.S. ground troops. And I thought he said
that they would participate in --
MS. MYERS: No, what he said was that ground troops,
period, have not been contemplated in any form, except for the
implementation. But we haven't committed to ground troops, even in
implementation, although it's the only area in which it's even been
contemplated.
Q Implementation and monitoring are two different
things. What's your definition of implementation when you say that
we would be willing to do that?
MS. MYERS: We've said all along that we would work to
implement, and I think again that's something that's going to have to
be worked at in the process of exactly what peace plan people agree
to, what form it takes, and what NATO and our allies work out in
terms of how to implement it. But, again, that's something that's
too soon to say exactly what form that would take.
Q Dee Dee, since the signing of the peace accord on
Sunday there have been a lot of incidents by the Bosnian Serbs, a lot
of bloodshed, and there's been no condemnation or overt criticism
from the White House. Can you say to us that you are displeased with
what's happened since --
MS. MYERS: I think we have been very direct in our
comments about it, and it's consistent with what we've said all
along. The Serbians have to stop their aggression, they have to stop
their campaign of ethnic cleansing. Their signature on a piece of
paper is not enough. We expect deeds to back up their words. That
has not happened yet, and I think we've been very, very clear about
that.
Q Dee Dee, what you haven't done is taken a step
further and say the deeds since the piece of paper belie their words.
And I'm wondering whether you're prepared to say that or not.
MS. MYERS: I think that's a given. That's why we've
insisted on action and not just a signature. It is not enough for
them to say that they intend to comply with the terms of the Vance-
Owen agreement; they must demonstrate that by stopping the shelling,
by letting the humanitarian assistance pass, by signing onto a cease-
fire and honoring it. And I think that until we see those kinds of
actions, we're going to continue to move forward in consultations
with our allies toward further action.
Q Do you have any kind of rough timetable for how
things happen, supposing the Bosnian Parliament, Serbian Parliament
on Wednesday approves this? How fast would U.S. troops be involved
in any peacekeeping effort? What happens after that?
MS. MYERS: That's a triple hypothetical. But what
we're doing now is, NATO is in the process of developing some plans
for implementation of an agreement, should that happen. Obviously
we'll consult with our allies should the Bosnian Serb parliament
ratify the peace agreement. We'll have to wait and see what happens.
But there are conversations ongoing as to how that might unfold.
Just no final decisions.
Q Are we talking days or weeks or --
MS. MYERS: No final decisions.
Q Dee Dee, what kind of read has the White House
gotten on Christopher's meeting with the Brits? After the meeting
Sunday the Brits sounded cold to any kind of military intervention,
and as of this morning they appear to be at least a little lukewarm.
What do you know about it?
MS. MYERS: Well, I think that it was a good meeting,
productive meeting; that we are committed to working with them to
come up with some kind of joint act we can take. I think everybody
is waiting -- perhaps waiting to see what happens on Wednesday. But
we are committed to moving forward and continuing our consultations
with our allies to reach some kind of mutually agreed upon action.
Q Did the Brits say that they wouldn't sign on on any
plan until they see what happens Wednesday -- is that what
Christopher was doing?
MS. MYERS: I don't know that that was exactly what they
said. I think the consultations are ongoing throughout this week
anyway.
Q And did you get a sense that the Brits necessarily
wouldn't sign on to a plan but wouldn't stand in the way of any kind
of plan?
MS. MYERS: I think we will continue to work with them
to develop a plan that is mutually acceptable.
Q To what extent is the White House working with
Vance and Owen themselves in moving this process forward?
MS. MYERS: Well, as you know, Reg Bartholomew was in
Athens over the weekend. He's not joined the Christopher delegation.
There's been conversations, obviously, between Bartholomew and Vance
and Owen in Athens. I don't know what the exact form ongoing
communications will take, but we have throughout this process been in
touch with them.
Q Is it the White House sense that the threat of
military steps against the Bosnian Serbs induced Karadzic to sign the
treaty?
MS. MYERS: We hope so. I mean, the campaign of ethnic
cleansing, the violence has to stop. The U.S. is prepared to take
additional action to see that that happens. And if that has some
other results, then all the better.
Q Is this delaying Vance's departure? Wasn't he
supposed to leave and is there another special envoy that you're
looking at?
MS. MYERS: I don't know the answer to that; I'll have
to check.
Q I think I missed something. What's the President's
view about the use of American ground forces in a force that would
implement any peace agreement?
MS. MYERS: What we have said is that we've ruled out
U.S. ground troops under any circumstance except perhaps in
implementation of a mutually agreed upon treaty. We haven't agreed
to or decided on any particular course of action should all the sides
agree to the Vance-Owen process or Vance-Owen agreement, but that's a
decision that will have to be ongoing. So in other words, the only
area in which ground forces would be contemplated at all would be to
implement a peace treaty.
Q Can you explain to us how U.S. troops would be used
under that type of scenario? What do you mean?
MS. MYERS: That's something that's being worked out
now.
Q Like guarding convoys and that kind of stuff?
MS. MYERS: It's too soon to say. NATO is now working
on a variety of scenarios, how to implement the plan should the sides
agree. We'll continue to work with them as they develop that.
Q Would that be part of a NATO-U.N. or a NATO or a
U.N. -- who would be the commander of that kind of implementing
peacekeeping force?
MS. MYERS: It's something that NATO is working on under
the auspices of the U.N. Exactly how it's to be structured is, I
think, unclear.
Q This would be the first time the United States
would be part of the U.N. type of peacekeeping?
MS. MYERS: In Somalia. This is happening in Somalia
right now.
Q Are we willing to place troops in Bosnia under the
command of a foreign general?
MS. MYERS: Exactly how that is structured is something
that's currently under discussion. So no final decisions have been
made.
Q So you're open to that possibility?
MS. MYERS: I don't want to rule it in or out. The
discussions are ongoing right now. We'll see what happens.
Q But you're talking about a NATO force really, not a
-- I mean, this would be like a joint force?
MS. MYERS: Well, what the U.N. has said is that they
don't have the resources to lead such a force and that NATO would
actually organize it but it would be under the broader auspices of
the U.N.
Q This is something that NATO has wanted to do.
MS. MYERS: Yes.
Q How long does U.S. patience hold out waiting for
some action instead of just words or signature on a --
MS. MYERS: I don't think we're waiting at all.
Consultations are ongoing this week. The President made clear on
Saturday that he's decided to take further action. We'll consult
with our allies, we'll consult with Congress. But we're moving
forward --
Q Presumably he wouldn't do that during this week
while Christopher is gone and while you're waiting for that
parliament to take some action.
MS. MYERS: The consultations are ongoing. We won't
finish the consultation process this week under any circumstances, so
--
Q Is there some time period in the President's mind
beyond that? He is the one who said, look, they've stalled before.
Couldn't this just be stalling again?
MS. MYERS: Absolutely, which is why we've made clear
that we're moving forward with this process. The consultation
process, as you know, will last through this week, and then we'll see
what the results are, including what the Bosnian Serbian parliament
decides on Wednesday. So we're moving forward on our schedule. It
hasn't been altered by events in Athens. We'll see what happens this
week.
Q Is that the weekend? Would the President be --
MS. MYERS: I don't want to -- there's no particular
timetable, other than to say we're moving quickly on this. The
President wants to move forward now, which is what we're doing.
Q So some sort of follow-up announcement would then
come this weekend?
MS. MYERS: I can't speak to the timing yet. We'll see
what happens.
Q So you say you're on schedule, but we need to know
-- we're asking when is the -- when would the schedule call for
either action by the U.S. -- for the U.S. to follow up on its threats
or --
MS. MYERS: There's no specific timetable, other than,
as you know, Secretary Christopher is in Europe. He's planning to
return Friday or perhaps Saturday. He will meet with the President
at that time -- I don't know what the exact meeting schedule is, but
we'll see. But this is the schedule that we adopted on Saturday
before the Bosnian Serbs sign on the peace accord and we've moving
forward as planned.
Q When was he supposed to take his action, whatever
his action is?
MS. MYERS: It depends on what comes out of our
consultations with our allies.
Q Dee Dee, can you give us the schedule for the rest
of the week?
MS. MYERS: Sure. Tomorrow, again, 10:00 a.m. he meets
with the congressional bipartisan leadership here. Tomorrow night he
will attend the DCCC-DSCC dinner.
Q The what?
MS. MYERS: It's the Democratic congressional dinner.
Q What time?
MS. MYERS: That's at 7:45 p.m. I don't know where it
is. I think it is that the Hilton. It's their annual dinner.
Wednesday morning --
Q Does he speak at that? Is it open?
MS. MYERS: I believe so. I believe it is open, but
I'll have to double-check on that. It might be pooled. Would you
guys -- anyone know?
Okay, then Wednesday morning he will welcome home U.S.
troops from Somalia. It's a small group, probably about 40 or 50,
and they will probably come here to the White House. The final
details are still being worked out. Then at noon, he'll have a
health care lunch to discuss health care with a group of Democratic
senators. On Wednesday evening he'll attend the Fulbright Dinner
honoring Senator Fulbright. On Thursday --
Q Do you know what time that is?
MS. MYERS: I don't.
Q Do you know what time Somalia and the dinner is?
MS. MYERS: Early. The Somalia event is at 8:30 a.m.
tomorrow morning.
Q Wednesday morning.
MS. MYERS: I'm sorry, Wednesday morning. And the
Fulbright dinner is on his schedule from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Q Remarks for the morning at 8:30 a.m.?
MS. MYERS: Sure, yes. It will be outside either --
weather permitting, either in the Rose Garden -- probably in the Rose
Garden, if it's here.
Q But the Fulbright dinner is at a hotel?
MS. MYERS: Yes.
Q Is he giving a speech at the Fulbright dinner?
MS. MYERS: I'm sure he is.
Q Are these substantive or just remarks or what?
MS. MYERS: No, the Fulbright speech will about Senator
Fulbright. He is obviously someone who has had great impact on
President Clinton and someone he admires.
Q What about tomorrow?
MS. MYERS: Tomorrow, I think he's making brief remarks.
I don't know exactly what the topic will be.
Q How many Democratic senators will be at the lunch,
Dee Dee?
MS. MYERS: I don't know.
Q Thursday?
MS. MYERS: Wednesday we have the welcome home event,
the health care lunch with Democratic senators, the Fulbright Dinner.
Thursday --
Q Will Mrs. Clinton participate in that luncheon,
also, on health care?
MS. MYERS: I don't know.
Q Will that be here?
MS. MYERS: Yes, it's here. Thursday in the morning
he'll attend an Export-Import Bank conference. I don't know where.
At noon he'll have the Republicans in for a congressional health care
lunch. And I believe that's both House and Senate. And then Friday
he will meet with Jacques Delors from the EC, and that's it,
confirmed, for the moment.
Saturday, the radio address. Sunday, probably no
schedule.
Q What is he doing all afternoon? He's got a big gap
between the 10:00 a.m. and the 5:00 p.m.
MS. MYERS: Office time and meetings.
Q Dee Dee, no travel into the next weekend?
MS. MYERS: No travel scheduled this week.
Q On Bosnia again. Should it be a working assumption
of the Serbs that your time line would be such that nothing is
happening while Christopher is out of town, but then the possibility
of action starts as soon as he gets back? Do you want to leave them
the impression that there is no timetable for action?
MS. MYERS: I think that what we've said is that our
process is moving forward exactly as we outlined on Saturday. The
President made a decision to take further action and we're now
consulting with our European allies, with members of Congress. The
Secretary of State will return at the end of the week, and we're
moving forward.
Q Dee Dee, you've said that there is no -- that
nothing is going to happen this week.
MS. MYERS: Right. But I have said I don't have any
specific time line, but our process is moving forward exactly as we
outlined.
Q Not to belabor this point, but we've known all
along that when the President ruled out ground troops, he did not
rule out U.S. ground force operating in conjunction with allies to,
whatever you call it, enforce, monitor a peace agreement. Today, you
used the term "implement."
MS. MYERS: We've always said implement and enforce.
Q You're not signaling any change in our position on
that?
MS. MYERS: No, absolutely not. This has always been
our position.
Q Does the plan that Christopher is carrying with him
call for participation of personnel by other countries as well as the
United States?
MS. MYERS: I can't speak to the specifics of that.
Q Apart from what they're going to do, is it broader
than simply, this is United States' action, we want to consult with
you to get your acquiescence?
MS. MYERS: It's always been our intention that this
would be multilateral. This is what the President would like to do.
It's the President's decision to move forward.
Q In implementation as well as general agreement on
the principles?
MS. MYERS: Yes, this is a specific plan of action that
the President wants to receive input from -- I'm not sure I
understand the question.
Q I'm talking about personnel from other countries
participating in whatever military action might ultimately be taken.
Is what Christopher is talking about -- does it go beyond simply
saying this is what we want to do, we'd like your acquiescence and
support, to saying, x-troops will come from Germany, et cetera?
MS. MYERS: We've always envisioned -- I don't know how
specific it is and I don't want to get into the details of it, but
we've always envisioned that this would be a multilateral plan, not a
unilateral plan.
Q But that's the definition of multilateral, is that
they would also participate in the military action?
MS. MYERS: Right. There will be some form of
participation, as well as agreement on principles by our allies.
Q You said a few minutes ago that sometimes at points
like these, the fighting intensifies. Do you see a concerted
strategy by the Serbs to gobble up as much territory as they can get,
and to wreak as much havoc as they can?
MS. MYERS: I think that's been their concerted strategy
for sometime now.
Q Do you see them taking advantage of this particular
period to get as much territory as they can before --
MS. MYERS: I think it's something that we're concerned
about and will be watching closely.
Q Dee Dee, is the President contemplating any sort of
address to the nation in the near future?
MS. MYERS: No specific plans. But it will depend on
the results of this week.
Q You said he's got office time and meetings today.
Who is the meeting with?
MS. MYERS: Mostly inter-office stuff -- stuff -- very
specific topic. I think he may have a meeting on health care. He's
meeting with other members of the staff on a variety of different
things.
Q Nothing Bosnia?
MS. MYERS: Nothing Bosnia, although obviously he has
his daily security and intelligence briefings. He's meeting with
Tony Lake.
Q Are you still shooting for May 17th for the health
care plan?
MS. MYERS: The health care task force will finish its
work in May, and we're moving forward on that time line.
Q Is a Supreme Court nominee imminent?
MS. MYERS: There's no timetable for it.
Q Has he talked to Christopher today?
MS. MYERS: Not that I know of.
Q Dee Dee, your reaction to the media coverage after
the first 100 days that you've been assessing?
MS. MYERS: Hopefully it will stop now.
Q Completely?
MS. MYERS: The media coverage of the 100 days? No, no.
Hundred days.
Q And are you regrouping internally to try to, as
some analysts have said, refocus your attention on the key issues?
MS. MYERS: I think that the desire to remain focused on
the most important issues is something that is ongoing. I think that
the 100 days was more of a snapshot of a 10-day period than it was,
in many ways, an evaluation of the overall 100-day period. But I
think we've learned --
Q Which 10 days would that be?
MS. MYERS: Just pick them. The worst 10 days out of
the entire 100.
Q set that marker?
Q Campaign finance reform this week?
MS. MYERS: No, I don't think so.
Q Have some regrets about it?
MS. MYERS: Just keep moving forward. I think everybody
will be glad to move on to other topics other than analysis of the
first 100 days.
Q I thought campaign finance reform -- we did,
according to our little guidebook last week. Are we going to do that
this week?
MS. MYERS: I think that there is a good chance it will
happen this week.
Q What day?
Q Hasn't it already happened? I thought it happened
last Tuesday. (Laughter.)
MS. MYERS: Did you guys miss that? Unbelievable.
If it happens, it will be -- right, later in the week.
Thank you.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
END10:15 A.M. EDT
