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CNN Live At Daybreak
President Bush Visits U.S. Troops in Kosovo
Aired July 24, 2001 - 08:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush has visited the troops who are stationed at Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo Province.
John, this had to be quite a nice little morale boost for the 5,000 or so troops that are there.
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Certainly it was, Colleen.
When a U.S. president visits the troops overseas, there is always a pep rally atmosphere. And that certainly was the case here at Camp Bondsteel today -- this camp home of most of the 6,000 U.S. troops taking part in the peacekeeping operation here in Kosovo.
But also a sense of urgency and uncertainty as well. Mr. Bush's visit here included a briefing from United Nations officials and the commanders of the KFOR troops here, not only about the peacekeeping operation in Kosovo, but about the instability in neighboring Macedonia right now.
Some U.S. troops and other allied troops have helped the government of Macedonia there in its effort to put down an insurgency by the ethnic Albanian minority. A NATO-brokered cease-fire there is on the verge, in the eyes of many, of total collapse. And there was the prospect on the table of perhaps a greater role for the KFOR troops, including the U.S. troops, in Macedonia.
So as Mr. Bush was briefed on that operation and the prospects in the days and weeks ahead, he delivered a pep talk to the troops here. But he also told them that two years after the Kosovo conflict, even though some rebuilding has been accomplished, much work still needs to be done.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thanks to you and the service of our forces throughout the Balkans, the region is growing closer to the rest of Europe. But there is still a lot of work to do.
Civil institutions must be put in place and made stronger. Organized crime must be brought under control. War criminals must face justice. And Kosovo must not be a safe haven for insurgencies elsewhere. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Now, the troops gave the president a warm welcome here, although many in private conversations did voice some concern with the prospect of an additional deployment in Macedonia -- 6,000 U.S. troops here in Kosovo, 3,300 still in Bosnia as part of the peacekeeping operation there.
Mr. Bush tried to lighten the moment by signing a piece of legislation here that grants members of the military a pay raise and some additional health and retirement benefits.
But there was one question that the troops would love to have answered that the president could not answer: When will they come home? Remember, as a candidate, Mr. Bush promised he would lean on the Europeans to pick up the peacekeeping operation and that he would bring the U.S. troops home as soon as possible.
But under pressure from the European allies, the president told the troops directly today, those U.S. troops came in with the allies, and they will leave with the allies. And nobody has the answer just yet, because of the rebuilding still under way here as to when that might be -- Colleen.
MCEDWARDS: John, one thing for the European allies to state their position and to put pressure on Mr. Bush too to keep the force intact, but how much political pressure is he under at home to reduce or get U.S. forces out of the Balkans?
KING: Well, they have reduced the level in Bosnia. And additional reductions are expected in the weeks ahead. Here in Kosovo, there are not political and civil institutions in place to pick up the slack if you will if the peacekeepers leave. There is a majority of support for continuation of this operation in the United States Congress. Certainly some don't want the U.S. military stretched thin, in their words, in peacekeeping operations that some in the U.S. Congress believe should be picked up by Kosovo's European neighbors.
But the president has support for this operation back home -- enough support to keep it alive, certainly. There is more money for it in that legislation -- the supplemental defense appropriations bill he just signed -- so another year or two.
If you look around it, this camp, this was not built as a temporary camp. The people who built this camp knew these troops were going to be here for a while -- Colleen.
MCEDWARDS: Understood. CNN's John King, thanks very much.
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