Highlights of Press Conference

Here are highlights from President Bush’s Tuesday morning press conference:

Bush: Well, events in the Soviet Union continue to deeply concern the whole world. The unconstitutional seizure of power is an affront to the goals and aspirations that the Soviet peoples have been nurturing over the past years. This action also puts the Soviet Union at odds with the world community and undermines the positive steps that had been undertaken to make the Soviet Union an integral and positive force in world affairs.

I have this morning spoken with Boris Yeltsin, the freely elected leader of the Russian Republic, and I assured Mr. Yeltsin of continued U.S. support for his goal of the restoration of Mr. (Mikhail S.) Gorbachev as the constitutionally chosen leader. And I also shared with him the support that other world leaders voiced in my several conversations yesterday, conversations I had with those leaders in Eastern Europe and leaders in Western Europe as well, and (Japanese) Prime Minister (Toshiki) Kaifu. And I gave him that reassurance.

Mr. Yeltsin is encouraged by the support of the Soviet people and their determination in the face of these trying circumstances. He expressed our gratitude--his gratitude for our support of him and President Gorbachev. The situation concerning President Gorbachev’s status is still unclear, and I have twice tried to reach him by phone, including within the last hour, but have so far been unsuccessful.

We continue to closely monitor this situation. Our new, and I might add very able Ambassador to the Soviet Union, Robert Strauss, just sworn in, will be departing immediately for Moscow to take charge of our embassy and to report to me on the situation that he finds in the Soviet Union. So I’m asking him to go over there, get the lay of the land, establish what will be strong leadership at the embassy--we’ve got a good team in place, but this man is in charge of this important mission--and then to return within the next several days to give me a full personal report on what he sees there. He will not be presenting his credentials on this trip. It’s going to be a short trip. And I have said that this group assumed power extra-constitutionally.

In conclusion, I want to emphasize that we are going to monitor the situation closely and consider its ramifications throughout the entire world. And I’ve emphasized in my conversation with the Eastern European leaders that the democratic processes in their country cannot be reversed. And, of course, the Secretary (of State James A. Baker III) and I will be in close touch with the Western European leaders and others around the globe.

Because this is an ongoing process of consultations, we intend to maintain a more formal work schedule during the remainder of my stay in Maine. There will be a number of meetings with government officials and private sector experts related to the events in the Soviet Union.

These difficult events in the Soviet Union, I believe, demonstrate the wisdom of our strong and continuous support for the process of reform and restructuring. We’ll continue to support the democratic processes that have been set in motion in the Soviet Union.

So, I’d like now to turn this podium over to Ambassador Strauss for a comment, and then Secretary Baker and I will be glad to take questions, or the ambassador, and I have here, of course, our top national security team, and I--(Defense) Secretary (Dick) Cheney and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs (Gen. Colin L. Powell) is here, the vice president, and if you want to direct questions to any of them, why, that would be fine, too.

Bob?

Strauss: Thank you, Mr. President. Let me just very briefly say that the circumstances have changed rather dramatically since I accepted this assignment. It’s a different world. Nevertheless, although the circumstances have changed, as I’ve said, it seems to me that my mission remains basically the same, and that is to go to Moscow, speak very clearly, speak very plainly and, if necessary, with undiplomatic candor from time to time, to speak for you, Mr. President, you, Mr. Secretary, and for the American people, and to speak for the principles of freedom and democracy and rule of law, and that, I intend to do.

Bush: Well, I’d be glad to entertain a few questions. Rita?

Question: Has there been any evidence--do you have any evidence that the--that this coup might be on shaky ground, in line with what you mentioned yesterday about sometimes coups fail and that possibly the opposition that’s rallying around Yeltsin has any possibilities to turn it around and what kind of support are you able--or will you give them other than verbal?

Answer: Well, I am--I said yesterday that some coups fail. The likelihood of this, it’s hard to evaluate, in this circumstance. However, there appears to be very strong support from the people in the Soviet Union for constitutional government, for democratic reform. And when you see the numbers turn out, President Yeltsin told me that he anticipated there were--he thought there were 100,000 people near his building when I talked to him a few minutes ago. He thinks that there will be strong support from labor to his request that labor go out and do not--don’t produce until this matter is resolved.