May 27, 1998

PRESS BRIEFING BY MIKE MCCURRY

	     

                           THE WHITE HOUSE

                    Office of the Press Secretary

_____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                    May 27, 1998


                           PRESS BRIEFING
                           BY MIKE MCCURRY


                          The Briefing Room


2:24 P.M. EDT



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	     Q	  Mike, in an interview the other day, Primakov 
called for de-linking the Russia summit from START II passage.  Is 
the administration giving any thought --

	     MR. MCCURRY:  We have not directly linked them.  We have 
said very simply as follows: the work that President Clinton wants to 
do and the work that President Clinton and President Yeltsin agreed 
to do at their next full summit, going back to when they met in 
Helsinki, would focus in large part on what follows on after START II 
in the arms control agenda that we pursue with them.  They have even 
set out some of the initial parameters that would guide a START III 
round.

	     That presupposes ratification of START II by the Duma.  
The work that President Clinton wants to do clearly will proceed in a 
much more fruitful environment if START II has been ratified.  That's 
not ruling out the prospect of the two of them meeting without 
ratification.  There are, in fact, a broad range of things that need 
to be done.  But it clearly is a much better meeting, much more 
useful meeting if the Duma has proceeded with ratification of START 
II.

	     And with respect to that, the President is encouraged 
that President Yeltsin and Prime Minister Kiriyenko have moved very 
directly to encourage swift action by the Duma. 

	     Q	  They might meet in July then? 

	     MR. MCCURRY:  I haven't heard any further discussion of 
a date.  I know the Russians are interested in a date, but I haven't 
heard any decision making on our end with respect to a final date. 

	     Q	  Well, the President normally goes on vacation in 
August; is that correct -- along with the Congress and all that? 

	     MR. MCCURRY:  He enjoyed taking a nice, long, extended 
August vacation last year. 

	     Q	  I'm not begrudging him -- I'm trying to get the 
time interval here. 

	     MR. MCCURRY:  Well, August follows July, and then 
September follows August. 

	     Q	  Yes, but between the end of the Beijing trip and 
the August vacation there's about three weeks.  During that 
three-week period, unless we go in September, is when he would go to 
Moscow. 


	     MR. MCCURRY:  I haven't heard anything that heads us to 
Moscow in July. 


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