Bill Clinton: “Let me say, this year our commitment was to have Russia be a complete member of the Group of the Eight and to have the…”

“Let me say, this year our commitment was to have Russia be a complete member of the Group of the Eight and to have the old G-7 meet only on issues that we had unique responsibility for because of our present financial standing. So I think it's fair that all of us look forward to the day when we don't even have to do that. But, just for example, we've got this project going on to help Ukraine deal with Chernobyl, and Russia is not responsible for what we committed to do before, nor would it be fair to ask Russia to bear any responsibility for that. So we had to meet and discuss it, and we did. There was nothing secret or esoteric about it; we just had to do what we were required to do, and we did that. But I think you will see continuing integration of Russia into full partnership. The next thing I want to see is Russia into the WTO, and we're working on that. So we'll just keep working at it, and as long as Russia keeps moving as it is under President Yeltsin, and those reformers and the people of Russia keep supporting the direction they have, I think that you'll see more and more good things ahead. This gentleman has been here a long time, and then this gentleman, and then we'll move over here.”