FOR THE RECORD: Clinton letter to Helsinki Commission (04/27/97)

FOR THE RECORD: Clinton letter to Helsinki Commission

Following is the text of President Bill Clinton's April 4 letter to Rep. Christopher Smith, co-chairman of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission). It is a response to a March 12 letter that was sent by Rep. Smith and Sen. Alfonse D-Amato, chairman of the CSCE, to the president on the eve of his Helsinki summit meeting with President Boris Yeltsin of Russia. (The full text of the Marcy 12 congressional letter appeared in the March 16 issue of The Weekly.)

Dear Rep. Smith:

Thank you for your letter regarding my summit meeting with Russian President Yeltsin. I appreciate your support for my administration's policy of NATO enlargement.

One of the key achievements of the Helsinki summit was a joint statement on European security. In that document, President Yeltsin and I committed, despite our disagreement over enlargement, to work to develop a cooperative relationship between NATO and Russia. It is in America's interest to create the opportunity for a democratic Russia to play a constructive role in European security.

At the same time, I have made clear that enlargement will proceed on schedule. Russia has no veto over the enlargement process or over the relationship that the alliance may develop with other countries that are not invited in July to begin accession talks. I believe that the Russians understand this.

Our progress in Helsinki toward a secure and undivided Europe will also benefit Ukraine. Russia's commitment to establish a cooperative relationship with NATO will create a climate conducive to closer ties between Ukraine and NATO. Ukraine's opening round of negotiations with NATO on March 20 resulted in concrete progress toward a NATO-Ukraine agreement. With regard to the territorial integrity of Ukraine, I want to affirm that our policy has been and remains clear - the United States supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its current boundaries. We have stated this publicly and have rejected any resolutions or statements that would suggest otherwise.

Sincerely,
Bill Clinton

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