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Remarks and an Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With President Zhelyu Zhelev of Bulgaria

February 13, 1995

The President. I'd like to tell you how delighted I am to welcome President Zhelev and the representatives of his government here. The United States supports the democratic and economic transformation of his country, and we're looking forward to having this visit and then signing a declaration of principles and a common agenda together. We look forward to working together. And we're very, very pleased to have him and the Ambassador and leaders of the Government here.

Q. Is Bosnia at the top of your agenda, and the lifting of the embargo? Any move toward that?

The President. Well, I imagine we'll discuss that and a number of other things. But we just started.

Q. What is this declaration of principles? Is it just a friendship kind of thing?

The President. It sort of—it outlines the basic principles that will govern our relationship and also sets forward an agenda for how we can work together so that we can support their successes, which is something we want to do.

Q. Thank you.

Q. Life in the old corral.

The President. What did she say?

The Vice President. She said, "Life in the old corral." [Laughter]

The President. I don't know; you haven't stayed rounded up too well, Helen [Helen Thomas, United Press International]. This corral analogy has got its limits. [Laughter]

[At this point, one group of reporters left the room, and another group entered.]

The President. We are honored to have President Zhelev and the leaders of the Bulgarian Government here today, and I look forward to our conversations and to continuing the support of the United States for the democratic and economic transformations in the country. We are also going to sign a joint declaration in a few moments, setting forth the principles and the specific agenda that we will follow in working together. And I am very, very pleased that the President and the leaders of the Government are here.

NOTE: The President spoke at 5:54 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.

William J. Clinton, Remarks and an Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With President Zhelyu Zhelev of Bulgaria Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/220761

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