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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release February 13, 1995

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

President Clinton called President Yeltsin today at 1:00 p.m. to express strong U.S. support for the continuation of reform in Russia. The two leaders talked for about twenty minutes. Their discussion centered on the conflict in Chechnya. President Clinton reiterated the importance of an end to the bloodshed and the start of a process leading to a peaceful settlement of the dispute. He stated once again that Chechnya is part of Russia but noted the legitimate international concern over the humanitarian toll the fighting has taken. He encouraged President Yeltsin to continue to work with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to alleviate the suffering in Chechnya and move to a political settlement there in accord with international standards.

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