Bill Clinton

I want to thank President Yeltsin and his entire team for hosting us and for making these days so productive.

We will act with other countries to strengthen the potential of the UN to support and establish peace.

They will take coordinated steps to increase the effectiveness of the activities of international organizations and mechanisms in order to improve human rights practices everywhere.

We reaffirm our countries' commitment to the conclusion as soon as possible of an international treaty to achieve a comprehensive ban on nuclear test explosions.

I think our relationships in that sense have been quite correct all along.

The commitment of Ukraine to proceed to eliminate strategic nuclear weapons is very positive.

The reduction of the risk of theft or diversion of nuclear materials is a high priority.

Let me say one final thing: The willingness of President Yeltsin to continue on the path of economic reform, I think, will be met positively by the international financial institutions.

President Yeltsin unequivocally committed Russia to join the Partnership For Peace.

I am completely comfortable with the agreements that we have made and with the understandings between both Russia and Ukraine about how it will be handled.

The United States has no interest in charting Russia's future; that's for Russia to do.

We've had three different conversations, of course, and this will be the fourth. And each of them--although leaders can characterize them for themselves--but I have been very pleased so far.

I am pleased to name these hardworking individuals to serve as Regional and Deputy Regional Representatives for the Department of Education.

We will be discussing the specific things we can do to keep the economic reform going in Russia.

Each has demonstrated their commitment to improving education and will serve our country's schools and students well.

I am delighted to see you again and deeply honored to be in this magnificent hall.

Throughout her career, Shirley Wilcher has dedicated her efforts to preventing discrimination in America's workplace and educational institutions.

I am pleased she has agreed to accept this important position.

That issue has not been resolved, so since it was not discussed one way or the other, I suppose it is theoretically possible. NATO is a security alliance in which all the members undertake to assume certain responsibilities for the welfare…

I don't want to say that. What I'm trying to tell you is that that's why I said it was not an exact analogy. What I'm saying is that any time an executive makes a deal in any country in the world with a legislative branch, there are going…

No, we have not had this discussion. But last August when all this came up, the Russians knew that what we were doing was taking a position with regard to the use of air power that was clearly tied to behavior by the Bosnian Serbs. And at…

But I believe, based on what several of them said to me privately, they are more prepared to deal with this than they were in August. That is, Secretary General Woerner and I both said, ``Let us not put this language back in unless we mean…

I believe the United States must make clear to all of you first that we are committed to helping you continue your work of reform and renewal in peace.

Of course, there are always concerns that in the future, the darker past might be recreated.

Let me just—I disagree that they're being treated as second cousins.