Administration of William J. Clinton, 1998 / May 17 Thank you. Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United King- dom; President Boris Yeltsin of Russia; and Min- NOTE: The President spoke at 1:21 p.m. outside ister of Foreign Affairs Gohar Ayub Khan and the Hyatt Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan. Birmingham Group of Eight Summit Statement May 17, 1998 Northern Ireland opening a dialogue which addresses the aspira- We warmly welcome the Belfast Agreement tions of the Indonesian people and by intro- reached on 10 April. We commend all those ducing the necessary reforms. involved in achieving an outcome which reflects the fundamental aspirations of both parts of the FRY/Kosovo community in Northern Ireland and secures The continuing violence in Kosovo has revived their rights. We recognise that the Agreement fears of a new Balkans war. The region has must win the support of the people in Northern already seen too much bloodshed. A political Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. While ac- solution to the problem of Kosovo is vital for knowledging that it presents challenges to all the peace and well-being of all the people of parties, we hope it will achieve the widest pos- the region. We consider the meeting on 15 May sible support, not only as a basis for political between President Milosevic and Dr Rugova to stability and peace but also as an opportunity be a positive first step. It is particularly impor- for economic development and prosperity for tant that President Milosevic has assumed per- all Northern Ireland's people. We pledge our sonal responsibility in the search for a resolution countries' support for this process. of the problems of Kosovo, including its future status. We urge both sides to ensure that the Indonesia dialogue now begun leads rapidly to the adop- We are deeply concerned at the situation in tion of concrete measures to lower tensions and Indonesia, especially the recent upsurge of vio- stop violence. Resolving the issue of Kosovo's lence and the loss of life. We deplore the status will be difficult but is essential for the killings and urge the authorities to show max- good of all those living in the Federal Republic imum restraint, to refrain from the use of lethal of Yugoslavia. force and to respect individual rights. We call Peace and stability in Europe rest on the prin- on the public to express their views peacefully. ciples that borders are inviolable and that polit- It is essential to avoid an escalation of violence. ical change must come about through peaceful We recognise the hardship the economic crisis means. We reject terrorism and violence from has caused. We believe the economic reform any side to achieve political goals or to stifle programme agreed with and supported by the dissent. The states of the region should them- international financial institutions is the only way selves contribute to a non-violent solution to to restore confidence and growth, and fully sup- the crisis. All states should cooperate in address- port the government in implementing it. But ing the problem of refugees and displaced per- successful economic reform and international sons. support for it will require sufficient political and We underline the importance of cooperation social stability. We will continue to work, to- with the Gonzalez mission. We stand ready to gether with the international financial institu- promote a clear and achievable path towards tions, to support reform and alleviate hardship. the FRY's full integration into the international The current social unrest indicates that, to community. But if Belgrade fails to build on resolve the crisis, political as well as economic recent progress and a genuine political process reform is necessary. The need for political re- does not get underway, its isolation will deepen. form is widely acknowledged in Indonesia. We The elections in Montenegro on 31 May must encourage the authorities to respond rapidly, by be free, fair and in keeping with democratic 783 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 15:13 Jul 12, 2000 Jkt 010199 PO 00001 Frm 00783 Fmt 1240 Sfmt 1240 E:\PUBPAP\PAP_TXT txed01 PsN: txed01 May 17 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1998 standards and their results must be respected Indian Nuclear Tests by all. We condemn the nuclear tests which were Bosnia and Herzegovina carried out by India on 11 and 13 May. Such action runs counter to the will expressed by We welcome the progress that has recently 149 signatories to the CTBT to cease nuclear been made on peace implementation in Bosnia testing, to efforts to strengthen the global non- and Herzegovina and support the High Rep- resentative's active role in promoting the peace proliferation regime and to steps to enhance process. This is a critical year for consolidating regional and international peace and security. peace in Bosnia, especially for refugee returns It has been met by immediate international con- and democratic development, with nationwide cern and opposition, from governments and elections scheduled for September. While the more widely. We underline our full commitment people of Bosnia have accomplished a great deal to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and to the Com- under very difficult circumstances, we look to prehensive Test Ban Treaty as the cornerstones Bosnia's leaders to work harder to create a sta- of the global non-proliferation regime and the ble and prosperous future for all the country's essential foundations for the pursuit of nuclear citizens. disarmament. We express our grave concern about the increased risk of nuclear and missile Middle East Peace Process proliferation in South Asia and elsewhere. We We are deeply concerned at the continuing urge India and other states in the region to stalemate in the peace process, with concluded refrain from further tests and the deployment agreements not yet being implemented. We en- of nuclear weapons or ballistic missiles. We call courage all efforts to help revive the peace proc- upon India to rejoin the mainstream of inter- ess. We strongly support the efforts to gain the national opinion, to adhere unconditionally to agreement of the parties to a package of con- the NPT and the CTBT and to enter into nego- structive and realistic ideas which have already tiations on a global treaty to stop the production been presented by the United States, including of fissile material for nuclear weapons. India's a second Israeli redeployment. We welcome Pal- relationship with each of us has been affected estinian agreement in principle to these ideas by these developments. We are making this which, if accepted by all sides, would lead to clear in our own direct exchanges and dealings the resumption of final status talks. We call on with the Indian Government and we call upon Israeli and Palestinian leaders to refrain from other states similarly to address their concerns unilateral acts which pre-determine the final sta- to India. We call upon and encourage Pakistan tus negotiations and undermine confidence. We to exercise maximum restraint in the face of remain determined to work with all the par- these tests and to adhere to international non- tiesÐIsrael, the Palestinians, Syria, LebanonÐ proliferation norms. for a comprehensive peace. A resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations would build con- fidence in the region and help to restore mo- NOTE: This statement was made available by the mentum to the peace process as a whole. A Office of the Press Secretary on May 17 but was continuing blockage on the other hand could not issued as a White House press release. An have grave consequences for security throughout original was not available for verification of the the region. content of this statement. Group of Eight Birmingham Summit Communique May 17, 1998 Introduction in Birmingham to discuss issues affecting people 1. We, the Heads of State or Government in our own and other countries. In a world of eight major industrialised democracies and of increasing globalisation we are ever more the President of the European Commission, met interdependent. Our challenge is to build on 784 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 15:13 Jul 12, 2000 Jkt 010199 PO 00001 Frm 00784 Fmt 1240 Sfmt 1240 E:\PUBPAP\PAP_TXT txed01 PsN: txed01.