Text of report by Banja Luka radio on 22nd December

President of the Serb Republic Biljana Plavsic held talks in Sarajevo today with the president of the USA, Bill Clinton, who is on a one-day visit to Bosnia-Hercegovina. Upon her return to Banja Luka today at 1500 [1400 gmt] President Plavsic made the following statement for the press at Banja Luka airport:

[Plavsic] They want to know how the implementation of the Dayton Agreement is proceeding. It is their creation. Clinton is fighting to get approval - and he has already succeeded in getting it - for the troops to remain here after June 1998.

I believe this visit is to a large extent connected to this. It is very important that the president has strong public support for all his activities. He has managed to obtain the support of the Congress, but with this visit he wants to show the public the importance of such support. The Dayton Agreement is after all in its initial stages of implementation and some success has been achieved.

I told him that nothing can be implemented quickly after a war. People in the European states have had time to assess the advantages of creating a union of European states. It was their natural commitment; there was no war.

Of course, if we ask ourselves why other European states have achieved this so smoothly, we must tell them that there is a great difference. Firstly, we had a war here. Secondly, it cannot be achieved in a short time. Some vital commitments and emotions are at stake. I believe he had a lot of understanding for this.

We asked him for patience. Slowly, the results may come but some things cannot be implemented quickly.

I also told him that all this implies economic revival, a certain standard of living when people will start thinking in the same way Europeans do. He agreed and I believe aid for the Serb Republic will be forthcoming.

Source: Bosnian Serb radio, Banja Luka, in Serbo-Croat 1500 gmt 22 Dec 97

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