U.S. Department of State
96/06/02 Press Briefing to Wire Services, Geneva, Switzerland
Office of the Spokesman


                      U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 
                       Office of the Spokesman 
 
                           (Berlin, Germany) 
____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                   June 3, 1996 
 
 
 
           BRIEFING BY SECRETARY OF STATE WARREN CHRISTOPHER 
                          TO THE WIRE SERVICES 
 
                         Intercontinental Hotel 
                           Geneva, Switzerland 
                              June 2, 1996 
 
 
QUESTION:  When you called Netanyahu, what did he tell you? 
 
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER:  He assured me that he wanted to continue to 
pursue the peace process and said he was moving to put together his 
government.  They hope to do so in rather a brief time, but he could not 
tell because all was not certain.  He was looking forward to coming to 
the United States.  He wanted to assure me that there would be a 
continuing desire to move forward in the peace process.  I told him we 
had a good deal of background, as he well knew, and that we felt 
obligated to let him know as much about the process as he wants to. 
 
QUESTION:  Will you have to make shifts in U.S. policy to accommodate 
his views?  Policy may be too strong -- shifts in strategy? 
 
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER:  Well we have to find out what his views are.  He 
has not put together a government, he has not indicated any of his 
views.  He will be, I think, formulating his views as he goes along.  
Until we see what they are, we ca not develop any change in our policy.  
 
QUESTION:  Do you have any idea, or have you been told, that Milosevic 
will give you a letter today signifying that Karadzic would resign?  If 
you got such a letter, would that be enough for you, or would you have 
to see some other steps? 
 
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER:  I have not yet had my private meeting with 
Milosevic so I do not know whether he is going to be bringing a letter 
or not.  What we want to see is tangible action. Letters have 
significance, but actually being out of the office and not exercising 
the power of the office or influencing it is what is vital to us. 
 
QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, you are going to be in Berlin.  Are the 
Europeans trying to cut the United States out of NATO with this new 
command structure? 
 
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER:  Not at all.  This is something that has been 
long in development, with the full coordination of the United States. 
ESDI has been one of the ideas that we put forward.  I look forward to a 
harmonious meeting. The real significance of the meeting -- the historic 
significance -- is France coming closer to NATO, drawing into NATO and 
participating much more fully in NATO than they ever have in the past.  
 
QUESTION:  Mr. de Charette just said that the French would not come back 
into the NATO structure fully if the Europeans do not get a permanent 
defense identity within NATO.  What is your reaction to that? 
 
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER:  I have not seen that statement, but I will look 
at that more fully.  I would not think that France will at this meeting 
come completely into NATO but, as I said, I think they are drawing 
considerably closer and I think that is a move of historic dimensions.