Q. Mr. President, you are regarded as a hero in Bosnia; you are the person who brought peace over there. Yet, we do have some renewed fighting between Muslims and Croats. Are you going to be meeting with any local leaders and addressing the issue?
The President. Well, I know I'm going to see President Izetbegovic, and I'm going to hopefully see President Tudjman. And we may be able to see some others, as well; I don't think that it's been finalized, all the people I will speak with. But I will do what I can while I'm there to help to encourage the parties to follow the letter and the spirit of the Dayton agreement and the Paris peace accord.
Q. NATO bombed the Bosnian Serbs, we know that, and these people are terrified. What do we tell them now that NATO is back in Bosnia?
The President. You should tell them that NATO is back in Bosnia only because the leaders of all the groups asked NATO to come in, as a strictly neutral partner. If you look at the United States, we have agreed to work in an area of Bosnia where we will be working with the Russians who are more sympathetic with the Serbs. We and the Russians are working together in the hope that we can convince all the parties, the Serbs, the Croats, and the Muslims, that we have no ill will toward anyone, we wish to hurt no one, we are there only to help them implement the peace agreement their own leaders have made.
Q. Thank you.
The President. Thank you.
Q. Good luck.
The President. Thank you.
NOTE: The interview began at approximately 10:15 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, and it was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on January 12. In his remarks, the President referred to President Alija Izetbegovic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and President Franjo Tudjman of Croatia. A tape was not available for verification of the content of this interview.
William J. Clinton, Interview on Bosnia With the Voice of America Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/223181
