Political Quotes

“That was something again I'd rather not discuss in detail, but all of us are trying to think if there's something that we can do that will result in full compliance with the U.N. resolutions. And certainly that's true of Mr. Gorbachev. He has a lot of experts on that area in the government in the Soviet Union, and so you can assume that he was thinking innovatively. But again, I don't want to go into any more detail. Thank you all very much. Note: The exchange began at 12:10 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White House. In his remarks, President Bush referred to Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu of Japan; Secretary of Labor- designate Lynn M. Martin; Bob Martinez, Director-designate of National Drug Control Policy; U.S. Trade Representative Carla A. Hills; Aleksandr Bessmertnykh, Soviet Ambassador to the United States; Prime Minister John Major of the United Kingdom; President Francois Mitterrand of France; Prime Minister Brian Mulroney of Canada; and President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. President Bush also referred to the following statement on the situation in the Soviet Union and the Baltic States which Press Secretary Fitzwater had read during his press briefing on January 8: The United States is monitoring carefully the Soviet Government's decision to send additional military forces to Moldavia, the Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, and the three Baltic States--Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. This action represents a serious step toward an escalation of tension within the U.S.S.R. and makes the peaceful evolution of relations among the people of the Soviet Union more difficult. The United States is especially concerned that the Soviet decision to send military units into the Baltic States, which we view as provocative and counterproductive, could damage the prospects for peaceful and constructive negotiations on the future of those States. The United States urges the U.S.S.R. to cease attempts at intimidation and turn back to negotiations that are conducted free of pressure and the use of force. The United States, which has never recognized the forcible incorporation of the Baltic States into the Soviet Union, supports the aspirations of the Baltic people to control and determine their own future.”