Bill Clinton: “I believe we have. First of all, we still have an Alliance that, if anything, is more unified than ever, after we met in…”

“I believe we have. First of all, we still have an Alliance that, if anything, is more unified than ever, after we met in Washington. I was yesterday in Brussels to get a report from General Naumann and General Clark on the progress of the campaign. I'm convinced that we are making good progress, that we are coming closer to our objectives. I think that Mr. Milosevic's military and economic apparatus of control in Yugoslavia has been weakened. I believe we're coming closer on the diplomatic front. I met for a long time with Mr. Chernomyrdin, and he met for several more hours with Vice President Gore in Washington this week. Russia had previously accepted the political terms of the agreement in Rambouillet that there ought to be security and autonomy for the people of Kosovo. So we're not there yet, but I think it's important, too, for the world community, and especially for the people of Europe, to have some perspective here. The campaign that Mr. Milosevic has carried out in Kosovo was meticulously planned many months in advance. It was almost implemented in October last year. He decided not to do it then in the face of the NATO threats, but he had 40,000 troops on the ground and almost 300 tanks. So he could have done what he did at any time. What we have to do is to reverse the ethnic cleansing, and I believe it can be done. I am absolutely confident that as long as we all stay together, which we seem determined to do--I certainly am, and I feel very good about where the other European leaders are--this will prevail. It will happen. And it's just a question of our being patient and persistent and understanding what we're up against and what we have to do. Responsibility for Ethnic Cleansing”