Mar. 28 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999

Remarks on the NATO Airstrikes Against Serbian Targets and an Exchange With Reporters March 28, 1999

The President. Good afternoon. All Americans them share our determination to respond strong- can be very proud of the skill and bravery of ly to Mr. Milosevic’s continuing campaign of the American servicemen involved in the rescue inhumane and violence against the Kosovar Al- operation yesterday in Kosovo. Indeed, we can banian people. That is what we intend to do. be proud of all of our men and women in uni- Thank you very much. form who are involved in the NATO mission. Q. Has the bombing made things worse, sir? From the outset, I have said to the American Q. Sir, is the allied bombing driving the atroc- people that this military operation entails real ities, sir? risks. But the continued brutality and repression The President. Absolutely not. of the Serb forces further underscores the need for NATO to persevere. I strongly support Sec- NOTE: The President spoke at 2:15 p.m. on the retary General Solana’s decision yesterday to South Lawn at the White House, prior to his de- move to a new phase in our planned air cam- parture for Camp David, MD. In his remarks, the paign, with a broader range of targets including President referred to NATO Secretary General air defenses, military and security targets, and Javier Solana; Prime Minister Tony Blair of the forces in the field. United Kingdom; President Jacques Chirac of In the last 24 hours, I have been in close France; Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of Ger- contact with key NATO Allies, including Prime many; Prime Minister Massimo D’Alema of Italy; Minister Blair, President Chirac, Chancellor and President Slobodan Milosevic of the Federal Schroeder, and Prime Minister D’Alema. All of Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro).

Remarks on the Unveiling of a Portrait of Former Secretary of State Warren M. Christopher March 30, 1999

Thank you very much, Secretary Albright, ple. We are determined to stay with our policy. Chris, Marie, other members of the Cabinet As President Chirac said yesterday, what is hap- who are here, Secretary Rubin, Secretary pening today must strengthen our resolution. Shalala. We thank very much Tunky Riley and Countries from throughout the Balkans, from Hattie Babbitt for being here. And we’re glad Greece to Turkey to Romania to Bulgaria, are that Tom and Oya are here, and past and helping us to meet the mounting humanitarian present officials of the State Department, other crisis. We are all dealing today with the same distinguished guests. horrible pattern of conduct we saw in Bosnia. I would like to begin by saying that it is We saw that conduct resume in 1998 in Kosovo, ironic but perhaps appropriate that we are un- when a quarter of a million innocent people veiling the portrait of this truly wonderful, dis- tinguished American, who did so much to bring were driven from their homes. We saw it esca- peace to Bosnia, at a time when we are engaged late in January and February of this year, as in a struggle for peace in Kosovo. I hope you’ll Serbian forces, in violation of the agreement just let me say a word about that. the President had made last October, moved The NATO military operation is continuing from village to village and atrocity to atrocity today against an expanded range of targets, in- while their leaders pretended to negotiate for cluding Serbian forces on the ground in Kosovo. peace in France. The allies are united in our outrage over Presi- Now it is clear that as the Kosovar leaders dent Milosevic’s atrocities against innocent peo- were saying yes to peace, Mr. Milosevic was

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planning a new campaign of expulsions and exe- we maintained our leadership in the world, con- cutions in Kosovo. He started carrying out that sistent with our values, our interests, and our plan as the talks ended, increasing our sense tradition, and that we remained alive to the new of urgency that the airstrikes NATO had threat- possibilities for peace and prosperity and secu- ened for some time must begin. rity that this new world brings. Now, lamentably, we have credible reports From the first days of 1993, he was a whirl- that his troops are singling out for murder the wind of activity. I like to say—I used to kid moderate Kosovar leaders who supported a him that he really weighed 250 pounds when peaceful solution. Refugees are streaming out, he became Secretary of State, and he just clearly shaken by what they have seen. Alto- worked it off. But that’s not true. He got up gether, since the conflict started last year, more every morning and went running to wake up than half a million people have been forced and get his exercise, and he never stopped run- from their homes. ning. If there was ever any doubt about what is He advanced the peace process in the Middle at stake in Kosovo, Mr. Milosevic is certainly East, from the unforgettable signing on the erasing it by his actions. They are the culmina- South Lawn in 1993 to the peace between Israel tion of more than a decade of using ethnic and and Jordan in the Wadi Araba, to the countless religious hatred as a justification for uprooting days and nights of hard work to keep the proc- and murdering completely innocent, peaceful ci- ess alive through hope and despair after the vilians to pave Mr. Milosevic’s path to absolute death of our friend Prime Minister Rabin. power. He led our efforts to secure the agreed frame- The NATO air campaign is designed to raise work with North Korea to achieve a secure the price of that policy. Today, he faces the peace on the Korean Peninsula, to make the mounting cost of his continued aggression. For Dayton agreement first a reality. He shepherded a sustained period, he will see that his military our alliances in Europe and Asia into a new will be seriously diminished, key military infra- historical era. structure destroyed, the prospect of international He tried to bring new unity to our diplomacy, support for Serbia’s claim to Kosovo increasingly between our diplomatic, our military, and our jeopardized. economic strategies, aggressively supporting We must remain steady and determined, with NAFTA and GATT. He helped us to reach out the will to see this through. to the rest of the world in new and innovative I can’t think of anyone whose life and career ways through the Asian Pacific Economic Lead- and personality those words—‘‘steady,’’ ‘‘deter- ers meeting, the Summit of the Americas, the mined,’’ ‘‘the will to see this through’’—I can’t first White House Conference on Africa. think of anyone those words apply better to He understood how important it was for us than Warren Christopher. No one worked hard- to maintain and intensify our partnership with er than he did to bring an end to the bloody Russia, and we did a lot of good things together war in Bosnia. No one worked harder than he in those 4 years. More than any other previous did to galvanize the unity in our NATO Alliance Secretary of State, he understood that protecting that has allowed us to act with resolve today the environment would become an increasingly and gave us the vision to take on new members important area of international security, requir- and new missions in the aftermath of the cold ing greater international cooperation. He put the war. environment where it belongs in the 21st cen- It took time to forge a just peace in Bosnia, tury—in the mainstream of our diplomacy. because Chris and his team were persistent and Like his successor, Chris also fought tena- prevailed. We must be as persistent today as ciously for the resources the State Department we were then in pursuit of peace. needs to do the job you do so well. He was our first post-cold-war Secretary of Now, Chris had about the lowest ratio of ego State, our first chief diplomat in over 50 years to accomplishment of any public servant I’ve who faced, as Madeleine recently said, the chal- ever worked with. And we can all say these lenge of defining our foreign policy in a world noble things about him. It’s true. He never without a single, overriding threat to our secu- thought you had to hit below the belt to get rity. But he saw that, as did I, as a great oppor- above the fold in the morning newspaper. He tunity. He was determined to make sure that was always willing to go the extra mile for peace,

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and is now the most traveled Secretary of State who possessed the stamina and the steel to ac- in our history—though Madeleine seems deter- complish things that were truly extraordinary. mined to overtake him. [Laughter] He has all those qualities. All that is true. But just remember one thing: And I can tell you, every day I remain grate- People ask me all the time, ‘‘How did you ever ful that somehow, someway, a few years ago decide to make Warren Christopher your first our paths crossed. We became friends and allies. Secretary of State?’’ And I said, ‘‘You know, I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone with quite I don’t know; it just sort of came to me in the degree of selfless devotion to public service the transition process’’—which Warren Chris- and aggressive pursuit of the Nation’s interest topher ran. [Laughter] It is a great mistake to put into one compact, brilliant person that I underestimate this man. [Laughter] have seen in Warren Christopher. Near the end of his book, ‘‘In the Stream I am honored by his service and by his friend- of History,’’ Chris reveals that he is not fond ship. And I thank you all for being here today of emotional goodbyes. I have tried with some to unveil his portrait. difficulty to honor his preference. But I’d like Thank you very much. to just mention a couple of things from the book because they particularly touched me. He confesses his admiration in the book for George NOTE: The President spoke at 1:47 p.m. in the Marshall and Dean Acheson, two World War Benjamin Franklin Room at the State Depart- II generation public servants who defeated for- ment. In his remarks, he referred to Secretary midable foes but had the foresight to commit Christopher’s wife, Marie, son, Tom, and daugh- America to continued leadership in a new world. ter-in-law, Oya; Secretary of Education Richard In his farewell address to the State Department, W. Riley’s wife, Ann (Tunky); President Slobodan he summoned their memory. I suspect that his Milosevic of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia admiration stems from the fact that they were (Serbia and Montenegro); and President Jacques Americans who put the needs of their country Chirac of France. The transcript released by the above their own, who were modest when they Office of the Press Secretary also included the could be but forceful when they had to be, remarks of former Secretary Christopher.

Remarks on Receiving the Report of the Social Security and Medicare Trustees and an Exchange With Reporters March 30, 1999

The President. Thank you very much. Please discipline with the bipartisan balanced budget be seated. I welcome all of our guests here, agreement. It took important steps to improve as well as the members of the administration. Medicare, saving tens of billions of dollars in And I thank those who have joined me here costs while expanding benefits for recipients and on the platform for this important announce- choices. ment. Today we have new evidence that those deter- Twice in the last 6 years we have strength- mined actions were the right ones. I have just ened our Nation’s future in the 21st century been briefed by our four Social Security and by addressing serious, great fiscal challenges to Medicare trustees for the administration—Secre- America. In 1993 we met the threat of mounting taries Rubin, Shalala, Herman, Social Security deficits and a stagnant economy with an eco- Commissioner Apfel—who are here with me nomic plan of fiscal discipline, expanded trade, today. The trustees have issued their annual re- and investment in our people. Thanks to that port on the future financial health of these vital action, the red ink of the Federal budget has programs. The trustees’ report shows that the turned to black, and we are enjoying the longest strength of our economy has led to modest but peacetime expansion in our Nation’s history. In real improvements in the outlook for Social Se- 1997 we reaffirmed our commitment to fiscal curity. They project that economic growth today

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