THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Recent Bombings in Russia

On behalf of the American people, I want to extend our deepest condolences to the families of victims of recent bombings in Russia. Our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of the nearly 300 people whose lives were tragically lost.

The American people share the world's outrage over these cowardly acts. These attacks were aimed not just at innocent people across Russia. They also targeted fundamental human rights and democratic values, which are cherished by Russia and other members of the international community. We must not allow terrorists to achieve their underlying objective, which is to undermine democratic institutions and individual freedoms.

People across Russia who have been affected by these attacks are now beginning the hard task of rebuilding their lives. Their courage and resilience sets an example for all of us. President Yeltsin and Prime Minister Putin have also made important appeals to their countrymen that these attacks should not lead to new incidents of intolerance or bigotry and that the public should remain calm and unified in response.

In the days and weeks ahead, we will intensify our cooperation with Russian authorities to help prevent terrorist acts. The struggle against terrorism is a long and difficult road, but we must not lose our resolve. America stands ready to work with Russia to protect our citizens from this common threat.

# # #