December 5, 1995
Web posted at: 5:45 p.m. EST (2245 GMT)
From Senior White House Correspondent Wolf Blitzer
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Clinton won new backing for his Bosnia policy Tuesday as he sought to justify the risky international peace-keeping mission as a way to "prevent further suffering."
With public support low and congressional skepticism high, the president began a new week of speeches and events designed to portray the Bosnia mission as the only humane alternative to executions, ethnic cleansing, rapes and "the endless lines of despair and refugees." And he repeated his contention the potentially dangerous mission could be accomplished within one year. (162K AIFF sound or 162K WAV sound)
The White House welcomed support for Clinton's Bosnia policy on two fronts. Former President George Bush urged Congress to support the deployment of U.S. troops even though Bush said he had questions about "what our troops are expected to accomplish, and about when they can get out and come home." In a statement issued by his office in Houston, Texas, Bush said, "What is clear, however, is that it is in our national interest to maintain the integrity of the United States' credibility in the world."
White House press secretary Mike McCurry said Clinton understands that Bush has some concerns about the deployment, but "the president is grateful that his predecessor has issued a statement expressing support for our troops and for American efforts in Bosnia."
Also on Tuesday, a bipartisan group of U.S. foreign policy experts announced its support for the U.S. deployment. The group included Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security adviser to Democratic President Jimmy Carter; Alexander Haig, secretary of state under Republican President Ronald Reagan; and Frank Carlucci, who served as Reagan's defense secretary.
Clinton used an appearance with three Bosnian refugee families, including three children, to say: "We cannot bring back the war's victims -- so many of them were little children. We cannot erase its horrors. But because the parties have said they will turn from war to peace, we can now prevent further suffering. We can now shine the light of justice in Bosnia. We can now help its people build a future of hope."
He made the remarks after an administration briefing for private organizations and companies involved in providing humanitarian relief to the Bosnian people.
Clinton, who had just met in the Oval Office with the refugee families, said medicine and food are needed, as are new roads, hospitals and schools. War criminals must be brought to justice, he added. "For peace to endure, the people of Bosnia must obtain the tangible benefits of peace," he said. (238K AIFF sound or 238K WAV sound)
Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced Tuesday it has created a Web site to provide the public and news media with updated information on Bosnia and the peace-keeping mission "Joint Endeavour."
BosniaLINK contains maps, fact sheets, transcripts of briefings, speeches and testimony, news releases, and biographies of key commanders and leaders involved in the mission.
(Copyright 1995 Cable News Network Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. AP and Reuters contributed to this report.)
Copyright © 1995 Cable News Network, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive