Article 4423 of alt.politics.clinton: Path: bilver!tous!peora!masscomp!usenet.coe.montana.edu!caen!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!news.acns.nwu.edu!uicvm.uic.edu!u45301 Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago Date: Monday, 17 Aug 1992 22:35:42 CDT From: Mary Jacobs Message-ID: <92230.223542U45301@uicvm.uic.edu> Newsgroups: alt.politics.clinton Subject: CLINTON STATEMENT: YELTSIN MEETING Lines: 92 SEND COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS INFORMATION TO THE CLINTON/GORE CAMPAIGN AT 75300.3115@COMPUSERVE.COM (This information is posted for public education purposes. It does not necessarily represent the views of The University.) ======================================================================== PRESS AVAILABILITY GOVERNOR BILL CLINTON ON MEETING WITH BORIS YELTSIN WASHINGTON, D.C. JUNE 18, 1992 I just had a very good meeting with President Yeltsin in which we reviewed his trip. I told him I thought his address to the Congress yesterday was magnificent and I hoped that it would help to make the case to pass the support package in Congress. As you know, I have been a consistent and strong supporter of the aid package. I think that he has made an incredible effort here to reach out to the United States. The arms control agreement is very, very good for this country and was embraced at some risk to him and his country and I think that after he goes to Kansas today and speaks to the American heartland and then leaves our country, we should join ranks across party lines to pass this package. It is very much in the interest of the United States to do that. I think this man represents a fundamental departure from anything we have ever seen in Russia -- a spirit of real democracy, real change, a real grass-roots commitment to market economics. And I think we have a very great interest in seeing that that experiment succeeds and becomes permanent and irreversible. I don't think that is the case today and I think we need to support the effort. So, that is what we discussed. It was a very lively and energetic discussion. There was, I can tell you, there was no discussion of American domestic politics in any way. So, I felt good about it. QUESTION AND ANSWER GOVERNOR CLINTON ON MEETING WITH BORIS YELTSIN WASHINGTON, D.C. JUNE 18, 1992 HOW WOULD YOU ADDRESS THE DIFFERENCE FROM GEORGE BUSH'S PROPOSAL? Well, as you know, the foreign policy speech I gave in New York several weeks ago recommended an aid package very much like the one he proposed to the Congress. While President Yeltsin is here, I think I should say that there is no substantial difference on my support for the arms control agreement or my support for the aid package. There is only one aid package in the Congress now and I think we should just all support it -- get it out there as quick we can. DO YOU THINK THERE WAS A LINK TO AID AND THE LINK TOWARD THE REFUGEES AND THE POW'S THAT PRESIDENT YELTSIN HAS RAISED HERE? I do not because we have no reason to believe that he will not proceed in complete good faith on that. We would not even know about that issue had he not raised it. So, I agree with what Senator McCain said yesterday after hearing President Yeltsin. I think the package should proceed. Thank you very much.