Albright Interview on October 6 NBC Today Show
U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
October 6, 2000
INTERVIEW OF SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT BY NBC TODAY
SHOW
Washington, D.C.
October 6, 2000
INTERVIEWER [KATIE COURIC]: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is
in Washington this morning. Madame Secretary, good morning to you.
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Good morning, Katie.
Q: Do you have any idea where Slobodan Milosevic is this morning?
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: No, it is unclear where he is. As you pointed out
in that report, there are rumors that he is all over the place. The
main point, though, is he is finished. And nobody could say it better
than some of the quotes you had from the Serb people. And they have
spoken. President Kostunica is the victor, and he should be supported
widely for having been the victor.
Q: Is there any indication that there are any elements of the army
still loyal to Milosevic?
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Well, that is one of the things that is unclear,
and we are going to be following that very closely all day. I think
this celebration is wonderful. And you have just been at the Olympics,
and they have just won the Decathlon of Democracy. So I think that the
celebrations are great, but we still have to watch it very carefully,
exactly because we don't know where Milosevic is or what some of the
elements around him are. But the trip of Ivanov, Foreign Minister
Ivanov, is very important. The Russians need to be on the side of the
Serb people who have voted for Kostunica.
Q: That, of course, is the Russian Foreign Minister. He has arrived in
country to try to ease the situation. Have you spoken with him yet?
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: I spoke to him yesterday or the day before. I've
lost track of time. But he has left a message that he will talk to me
when he comes out.
Q: But has Russia indicated in any way, shape or form that it might
provide a place of exile for Milosevic?
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: We have not had that discussion.
Q: Would you stand in the way of that, or would the United States
stand in the way of that?
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: We have made our position very clear about
Milosevic and his fate, and I think the important thing is he has to
step down and get out of the way of the democratic tide in Yugoslavia.
The people have spoken. I think it's important that the new Yugoslavia
be a country that follows the rule of law, that is well integrated
into the democratic structure of Europe, and that we want to do
everything we can to help it be a normal country.
Q: He, of course -- Milosevic, that is -- is an indicted war criminal.
Will the U.S. pursue him? Or, if he leaves Yugoslavia and, say, takes
up residency in Russia, will that satisfy us?
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: We have made very clear what we want, and we
support the War Crimes Tribunal. We have said that it is very
important. But I think at this moment what is very important is to
support the people of Serbia, support Mr. Kostunica, and make sure
that this is a total victory.
Q: You have been Secretary of State for nearly four years now. If you
could help us put this into context, how important is this development
in terms of your tenure as Secretary of State? Where does it rank?
SECRETARY ALBRIGHT: Well, I have been following through on something
that President Clinton wanted, which is to have a Balkans be able to
be integrated into a Europe so that we have really a Europe that is
fully free and united. This has been a difficult struggle, obviously,
and Slobodan Milosevic has been the cause of the instability in the
Balkans. So to have him gone and to have the Serb people free is
something that I have worked for very hard, that is an American
priority.
And we just have to make sure that the job is finished, not to have
premature celebrations. But this is a very high moment, and most of
all it is what the Serb people deserve. I spent time in Serbia as a
child. I lived not far from the parliament that's on fire. This means
a great deal. It's not a personal issue; it's an issue for democracy,
and this is a huge moment. But we have to make sure it succeeds. It's
not totally over, Katie.
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