1990-05-03
The President met with Lithuanian Prime Minister Kazimiera Prunskiene for approximately 45 minutes in the Oval Office this afternoon. The President was pleased to receive a firsthand account of the current conditions from Mrs. Prunskiene, a freely elected leader of the Lithuanian people. She has provided similar information in recent days during meetings with the Prime Ministers of Norway and Sweden and the Foreign Ministers of Denmark and Canada.
The President reiterated our longstanding policy of refusing to recognize the forcible incorporation of the Baltic States into the U.S.S.R. He reaffirmed our strong support for the Lithuanian people's right to self-determination. He urged all parties to enter into a good-faith dialog. He stressed our desire to see the situation in Lithuania resolved peacefully and without intimidation. He emphasized the deep commitment of the American people to freedom and democracy around the world and the further progress of reform in the Soviet Union.
The President concluded the meeting by asking Mrs. Prunskiene to take this message back to Lithuania: ``I am personally, and the United States Government is, committed to the self-determination of the people of Lithuania.''
