Summit leaders turn up heat on Bosnia
Clinton opens eight-way talks in Denver
June 21, 1997
Web posted at: 2:08 p.m. EDT (1808 GMT)DENVER (CNN) -- Leaders of the newly expanded group of eight world leaders ratcheted up pressure on the leaders of Croatia and Serbia and some Bosnian officials on Saturday, threatening an aid cutoff if they don't commit to peace.
Clinton also emphasized the importance of education, cooperation and an interdependent world economy as he formally opened the summit of the seven major industrial powers and Russia.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin joined Clinton and leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, a group that had been known as the G-7, or Group of Seven. But with Russia's participation, Clinton renamed it the Summit of the Eight.
Over the next two days, the leaders were also expected to discuss terrorism, the problems of aging workers, drug smuggling, global warming, international crime and the stalemate in Mideast peacemaking.
"We meet at a moment of remarkable possibilities for our nations and for the world," Clinton said, standing alongside his summit partners at the Denver Public Library where the talks are being held.
"Powerful forces are drawing our nations closer together, delivering the promise of prosperity and security to more people than ever," the president said. "Our citizens must have the skills they need to succeed in a fast-changing economy."
"As barriers fall, problems that start in one country can spread quickly to another, whether they are currency crises, organized crime or outbreaks of deadly diseases."
Clinton said the group of eight would continue "efforts to bring new partners from Africa and elsewhere into the community of market democracies."
"And we'll strengthen our growing cooperation to meet threats to our common security, such as our rapid response network to fight nuclear smuggling, common endeavors to combat terrorism and initiatives to stem infectious disease, including the search for an AIDS vaccine."
'Long-term engagement' in Bosnia
Clinton did not mention Bosnia by name in his welcoming remarks, but in a strong statement drafted by the United States, with support from Germany, the eight leaders said "there must be justice in Bosnia and Herzegovina if peace is to endure."
Warning they would not relent, the leaders said "the international community will maintain a long-term engagement" in the war-damaged country and the Balkans as a whole.
It was another hint from Clinton that he might keep 8,500 American troops there beyond his projected pullout next June.
At a opening banquet on Friday night the president said the focus should be on making the 1995 Dayton peace accords work and not on when U.S. peacekeepers would be withdrawn.
The Bosnia statement threatens a cutoff of Western assistance if refugees are not permitted to return to their homes or if other provisions of the Dayton accords, largely a product of American mediation, are not implemented.
The statement targeted the leaders of Croatia and Serbia, but did not spare Bosnia's government itself. "The authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina must uphold fully the right of redress and displaced persons to return to their homes in a peaceful and orderly manner," it said.
"Some elected officials are harmfully blocking key aspects of economic reconstruction, delaying international assistance," the statement said.
Correspondent Eileen O'Connor contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Russian leader basks at summit's head table - June 20, 1997
- World leaders use summit for political recharge - June 20, 1997
- G7 set to tackle the world - June 20, 1997
- Attending Summit, Clinton Touts U.S. Economy - June 19, 1997
- Yeltsin upbeat as world leaders convene economic summit - June 19, 1997
- World leaders descend on Denver - June 19, 1997
- Destination: Denver, Colorado - June 18, 1997
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