USA: CLINTON & ALBRIGHT KOSOVO CRISIS PRESS CONFERENCE скачать в хорошем качестве

USA: CLINTON & ALBRIGHT KOSOVO CRISIS PRESS CONFERENCE

(4 Feb 1999) English/Nat U-S President, Bill Clinton, says he is considering sending troops into Kosovo, but only if the violence stops. He said they could go in as part of a peacekeeping mission, but they would have to be part of a well defined NATO mission with a clear exit strategy. His Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright backed up his comments saying America has a clear national interests at stake in a peaceful resolution of this conflict. But they both stressed the warring factions must reach a "strong" peace agreement before they would consider sending in any troops. President Clinton outlined the possible strategy for sending in troops, after days of hearings about the U-S's possible involvement in Kosovo, But, Clinton said first the warring factions must reach a "strong" peace agreement. SOUNDBITE: (English) "The time to stop this conflict in Kosovo is now, before it spreads and when it can be contained at an acceptable cost. We have agreed with our allies on a strategy that we believe can bring peace and to back that strategy with the force of NATO. If a settlement, and it is a big "if", if a settlement is reached, a NATO presence on the ground in Kosovo could prove to be essential in giving both sides the confidence they need to pull back from their fights. If that happens we are seriously considering the possibility of our participation in such a force. We are discussing it right now with Congress and our allies No decision has been reached." SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, U-S President The need for an effective peace agreement was backed up by his Secretary of State. SOUNDBITE: (English) "America has clear national interests at stake in a peaceful resolution of this conflict which create compelling reasons for us to consider seriously American participation. However, our willingness to participate will depend on achieving a strong and effective agreement to which the parties show that they are genuinely committed. The force must be able to operate in a permissive environment, including the withdrawal of a sufficient number of Serb security forces and an agreement restricting paramilitary weapons and operations." SUPER CAPTION: U-S Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright Albright said it was extremely difficult to say how long any mission would be there . SOUNDBITE: (English) "On the exit strategy, we have learned a very important lesson out of Bosnia and that is setting deadlines or dates is often not productive and therefore what we want to do here is to be more concerned about benchmarks, whether certain benchmarks have been achieved." SUPER CAPTION: U-S Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright Both Clinton and Albright said the Balkans were an explosive area, and the U-S and its allies must do what they could to contain and defuse ethnic hatreds in the region before they spread. SOUNDBITE: (English) "We must never forget that there is no natural boundary to violence in Southern Europe. Spreading conflict could reignite fighting in neighboring Albania and destabilise fragile Macedonia. It could affect our NATO allies Greece and Turkey, and it could flood the region with refugees and create a haven for international terrorists, drug traffickers, and criminals. Regional conflict would undermine NATO's credibility as the guarantor of peace and stability in Europe. This would pose a threat that America could not ignore. SUPER CAPTION: U-S Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright But the idea of a peacekeeping force is not welcomed by Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav assembly has made a declaration sharply criticising NATO, the Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...