US First Lady Promotes Women’s Rights in Eastern Europe

Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Bulgarian business women today as part of a four-day trip to promote women’s rights in Eastern Europe. The first lady acknowledged the women’s efforts at reform, and showed support for those women who are recreating the country’s business culture.

“We’re very impressed by the reform effort and the difficult decisions that your government is making on behalf of the future,” Mrs. Clinton said.

The meeting, at a Sofia bakery, also allowed Mrs. Clinton to discuss the obstacles women face in running a business in Bulgaria.

Mrs. Clinton later met with some 500 students at the American College of Sofia, which was closed by the communists in 1948 and then reopened in 1992. She contributed 100 volumes of the Library of America to the college, which embodies great works of famous American writers, historians, and philosophers.

The students presented Mrs. Clinton with a book entitled “Heroines of History” that includes a chapter about her.

Media Resources: Associated Press - October 12, 1998

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