[ALBSA-Info] Voice of America

[Agron Alibali]

[01] CLINTON-BALKANS (L-ONLY) BY DAVID GOLLUST (LOS
ANGELES)
DATE=8/14/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-265464
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: 
INTRO: President Clinton - speaking in Los Angeles in
advance of his Democratic convention address -
defended his administration's record on foreign policy
including his decision to send U-S troops to Bosnia
and Kosovo. VOA's David Gollust has details from Los
Angeles. 

TEXT: The administration's Balkans policy has been an
early campaign issue, with Republicans including
Presidential nominee George W. Bush criticizing Mr.
Clinton and by extension Vice President Gore for
making open-ended commitments of U-S troops without a
clear exit strategy. In an address here to the
National Democratic Institute - a party-affiliated
policy study group -- Mr. Clinton said the alternative
to allied action would have been wider ethnic chaos in
Central Europe: 

///CLINTON ACTUALITY///
If the cause of freedom had been lost in those
countries and the principle of ethnic cleansing had
been upheld, we would be paying for it along with free
people across the world for a very, very long time
(applause). 
///END ACT///
Mr. Clinton said that with Kosovo holding its first
free elections later this year, the only vestige of
the Balkans undemocratic past is Serbia. There, he
said the United States is encouraging opposition
elements to mount a unified challenge to Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic despite the evident
shortcomings of the election process in that country: 
///CLINTON ACT TWO///
Even if he steals the coming Presidential election -
he undoubtedly will try to do that - he will lose what
legitimacy he has left with the Serbian people. But
whatever may happen, he has utterly failed to build a
greater Serbia based on ethnic cleansing and
exclusion. 
///END ACT///
In an address that mentioned neither the Vice
President or Mr. Bush by name, Mr. Clinton said he
hoped his successor - whoever he is - will continue
effort to battle poverty and AIDS in Africa. Mr.
Clinton - who visits Nigeria next week - cast that
country and its transition to democracy as a key to
broader peace and economic development on the
continent: 
///CLINTON ACT THREE///
If democracy takes root in Nigeria, it will lift up an
entire region. So we'll do our part to help with trade
and investment, support for Nigeria's peacekeepers,
and its efforts to insure that the vast wealth it has
accumulated and squandered in the past finally
benefits its people. 
///END ACT///
The President said he was grateful for bipartisan
support in Congress on emergency aid to Colombia -
which he also visits later this month -- as well as
for permanent normal trade relations with China, and
measures to lower trade barriers to goods from
impoverished states in Africa and the Caribbean.
(Signed) 
NEB/DAG/KBK 14-Aug-2000 21:14 PM EDT (15-Aug-2000 0114
UTC) 
NNNN 
Source: Voice of America 
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