USA: BILL CLINTON RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE FOLLOWING KNEE SURGERY скачать в хорошем качестве

USA: BILL CLINTON RETURNS TO WHITE HOUSE FOLLOWING KNEE SURGERY

(16 Mar 1997) English/Nat U-S President Bill Clinton returned to the White House Sunday following surgery to repair an injured knee. Doctors have said it could be several weeks before the president can walk without crutches and months before he can go jogging or get out on the golf course. In the meantime, Vice President Al Gore will pick up many of the president's duties at the White House. President Clinton traded his limousine for a van to make the short trip from Bethesda Naval Hospital to the White House. He was helped from the van by White House staff while his wife Hillary waited to greet him before leaving on her African tour. Clinton said he feels good. SOUNDBITE: "I feel fine today. I was a little sore yesterday, you know, the first day after the operation when the pain started to wear off--I mean the anaesthesia. I feel fine today, I've done two days of physical therapy, you know, learned to use my crutches. Hillary wanted me to come home before she left for Africa--she and Chelsea wanted to know I was well settled, so that's what I'm doing." Q: Is that going to be difficult for you, to use crutches for a few months? "Well, I just want to do it well. It will be an interesting experience. I just want to be careful and not make any mistakes and do it well, but I think I'll be perfectly mobile and perfectly fine." SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, U-S President The president delayed a U-S-Russian summit in Helsinki by a day in order to spend another day resting. He also put off a trip to Denmark until July, but said he would go ahead with a planned meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Primakov on Monday. Clinton said that the decision to delay the U-S-Russian summit by a day and forgo his visit to Denmark until July was not forced upon him by his staff. SOUNDBITE: "No, because I can go back to Copenhagen and do that probably when we do the NATO meeting." Q: "Does it hurt every time you move?" "No, I just have to learn to use a few different muscles. But it's quite interesting, I mean it will be a learning experience. It's like going back to school and learning some new things." Q: "Think this will get you any sympathy votes in Congress?" "I don't know, but if it does I'll take them any way I can get them. I'd be very grateful if it did (laughs)." SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, U-S President Doctors say President Clinton will only be taking mild pain killers with few side effects, and that his physical therapy is proceeding well. Despite the injury and subsequent mobility problems, Clinton is eager to meet with his Russian counterpart, White House aides say. SOUNDBITE: "He's anticipating it with a fair amount of relish--he wants to see President Yeltsin, there are a number of very important issues on the bilateral agenda we have with the Russian federation, especially with respect to the future of NATO." SUPER CAPTION: Mike McCurry, White House Press Secretary Although the summit is characterized as a fairly routine working meeting, aides say Clinton does not want to delay the summit any longer because of gatherings later this year of the Group of 7 and NATO. 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...