




			   THE WHITE HOUSE

		    Office of the Press Secretary

_____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                  April 12, 1994

	     
		       REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
		     IN JOINT LEADERSHIP MEETING
	     
			   The Cabinet Room


10:45 A.M. EDT

	     
	     THE PRESIDENT:  Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of 
the press.  This is our first bipartisan leadership meeting on the 
resumption of the Congress and we have a lot of things to discuss 
today.
	     
	     I want to begin with a discussion of the crime bill and 
the importance of proceeding deliberately and quickly to pass it; to 
reiterate my commitment yesterday that we will do whatever we can to 
get the first 20,000 police officers on the streets this year if the 
crime bill is passed in an expeditious fashion.  Then we'll move onto 
some other issues where I hope we can have a good bipartisan 
discussion in support of domestic issues like the budget and health 
care; and also we'll talk a little about Bosnia today and some other 
foreign policy issues.
	     
	     Q    Mr. President, do you have some concern -- there's 
more shelling today.  I mean, there's some suspicion that the Muslims 
may be trying to provoke the Serbs.   Have we started something with 
air strikes that will make matters worse rather than better?
	     
	     THE PRESIDENT:  We certainly haven't started anything.  
We have done exactly what we said we would do under the U.N. policy 
-- that if the U.N. forces there were put at risk, as they were in 
the shelling of Gorazde, we would offer close air support if the 
General asked, and the civilian authorities agreed.  We went through 
all the procedural requirements, and we did exactly what I think we 
should have done.
	     
	     Q    Well, the Serbian --
	     
	     Q    What about --
	     
	     THE PRESIDENT:  We have talked -- let me answer Andrea's 
question -- we have cautioned the Bosnian government forces not to 
try to take advantage of this in violation of the understandings 
themselves.  And General Rose has been very firm on that this 
morning.
	     
	     Q    Are you considering expanding this to other safe 
havens if the Serbs persist and don't get the message?
	     
	     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I wouldn't rule anything out.  
We're working very closely with General Rose, and he's got a very 
aggressive view of his role there, which I think is good --
	     
	     Q    The Serbian leader has threatened against the U.N. 
forces.  They've kidnapped some, they're holding some in house 
arrest.  They've escalated the military action. 
	     
	     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, every time we have been firm, 
though, in the end it's been a winner for the peace process.  And I 
think it will be here.  And I'm very encouraged by the position taken 
by the Russians, that they want the Serbs to withdraw from the safe 
area in Gorazde, and they want to return to the negotiating table. 
	     
	     Before this last incident, I thought we were getting 
pretty close to -- not just to a cease-fire, but to an absolute 
cessation of hostilities and a real serious bargaining position.  So 
we could get back there in a hurry, and I wish the Russians well in 
working with the Serbs.  I've assured President Yeltsin that we have 
no interest in using NATO's air power to affect the outcome of the 
war.  But we do want to protect the U.N. mandate.  And we do want a 
negotiation, and I think we're going to get one.
	     
	     Q    Have you seen or heard anything from the Serbs that 
would indicate a response to the air strike, sir?
	     
	     THE PRESIDENT:  I don't know how to answer that, Peter.  
The Russians -- Mr. Churkin is over there now, and we're working on 
trying to get this think back on track and I hope we can do it.  But 
we have to be firm in our reaction to the plane violations of the 
United Nations resolutions and in what we set our policy to do.  
	     
	     The good thing that we've seen since the terrible 
incident in Sarajevo in the market is that both the U.N. and NATO 
have been able to follow what they said their policy would be all 
along, and that was -- and I think that's what we have to do.  We 
have to be firm in pursuing the policy that we say we have.  It's our 
only chance of success --
	     
	     Q    Will it be more difficult to -- your domestic 
agenda with George Mitchell nominated to the -- will it be harder, 
once he's nominated?

	     Q    Do you have the name of a Supreme Court justice on 
your left?
		  
	     THE PRESIDENT:  You think the next Supreme Court justice 
should be to my left, Helen?  (Laughter) --
	     
	     Q    I said is he.
	     
	     Q    Unless you're considering Mr. Foley.
	     
	     THE PRESIDENT:  He'd be a good one.  (Laughter.)
	     
	     Q    Does that make you nervous?  (Laughter.)

	     
				 END10:50 A.M. EDT

