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NOTE: The President spoke at approximately 12 Now, a year later, look at what’s happened. noon in Room H207 of the Rayburn House Office First of all, as I told the over lunch, Building. In his remarks, he referred to Father Frank McCourt’s book, ‘‘Angela’s Ashes,’’ is Sean McManus, who gave the invocation; Prime being made into a movie. But Ireland and Bertie Ahern of Ireland; Social Demo- Limerick are doing so well economically, as cratic and Labour Party leader John Hume; Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble; Sinn Fein I had a chance to see for myself last summer, leader ; and Deputy First Minister that the producers could not find in all of Seamus Mallon, Assembly. Limerick enough dilapidated buildings to use in the film. And so in order to film in Ireland, they actually had to construct new dilapi- Remarks at a Saint Patrick’s Day dated buildings. That is true economic Ceremony With Prime Minister progress. Meanwhile, Van Morrison’s music Bertie Ahern of Ireland continues to inspire people seeking to end March 17, 1999 the violence and, of course, most impor- tantly, in the last year the negotiators did the The President. Thank you very much. job with the . The Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Happy people of Northern Ireland and the Irish Re- Saint Patrick’s Day—and what a beautiful public overwhelmingly endorsed it, and as day it is. the Taoiseach has said, enormous progress We are following the custom today, which has been made in its implementation. is, first of all, I received my shamrocks, for We are grateful for the work of the leaders which I am very grateful. And with the year in Northern Ireland, in Ireland, and in Great ahead I’d say we are very much in need of Britain for their support and their efforts in them, and we’ll make good use of them. I this regard. We are grateful, in particular, for would like to ask the Taoiseach to come up the Taoiseach, for Prime Minister Blair, for now and make his remarks, as is customary, , and all those who have taken and then I’d like to say a few words about an especially leading role. We are grateful where we are in the peace process. for the Nobel Prize winners, John Hume and Mr. Prime Minister, welcome back to the David Trimble, and all the other leaders of . the various factions in Northern Ireland. But as Bertie said, the enemies of peace Prime Minister Ahern made remarks on the [ are still rearing their head. We saw it in peace process. ] Omagh. We saw it on Monday with the mur- The President. Thank you very much, der of Rosemary Nelson. We saw it with an- Taoiseach. Thank you for the beautiful crystal other act of violence yesterday. bowl of shamrocks, its promise of spring, Now, in a few short weeks, the time will which is reflected in the weather we enjoy come to bring the new institutions to life so today, and its symbol of our shared heritage, that the people of Northern Ireland finally our shared values, and our shared hopes for can begin to take their destinies into their the future. own hands. Let me say first a few words of tribute to To fully implement the Good Friday ac- you for your leadership of the and cord, the parties simply must resolve their the success you have enjoyed. Last year was differences, and to do it, they have to have Bertie Ahern’s first Saint Patrick’s Day in the same spirit of cooperation and trust that Washington as Taoiseach. I talked then about led to the first agreement. They must lift Frank McCourt growing up in poverty in their sights above the short-term difficulties. Limerick, about Van Morrison growing up They must see that distant horizon when chil- in Belfast and hearing a new world through dren will grow up in an Ireland trouble-free, music, about a generation of children grow- and not even remember how it used to be. ing up in the shadows of The Troubles. To- You know, on Saint Patrick’s Day, we all gether on that day, the Taoiseach and I re- rejoice in being Irish; even people that aren’t affirmed that the parties in Northern Ireland Irish in America claim to be Irish. I told the had the chance to find common ground. Taoiseach at the Speaker’s lunch—we just

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came from that—I said, ‘‘You know, every the legislation now makes clear that no deci- time we have these Saint Patrick’s Day sion on deployment has been made. By put- events, the Prime Minister of Ireland and all ting the Senate on record as continuing to of the leaders of all the factions in Northern support negotiated reductions in strategic Ireland, they come here to the United States nuclear arms, the bill reaffirms that our mis- and they thank us for helping to promote the sile defense policy must take into account our peace in Ireland. But the truth is, we should arms control objectives. be thanking them because it’s the only time We are committed to meeting the growing we can be absolutely sure there will be peace danger that outlaw nations will develop and between Republicans and Democrats in the deploy long-range missiles that could deliver United States. When they come here, all the weapons of mass destruction against us and Irish Republicans and the Irish Democrats our allies. Next year we will, for the first time, in the United States and all the people who determine whether to deploy a limited na- claim to be Irish on Saint Patrick’s Day actu- tional missile defense against these threats, ally behave in a very civil and cooperative when we review the results of flight tests and way toward one another.’’ other developmental efforts, consider cost I think it’s worth remembering that when estimates, and evaluate the threat. In making Saint Patrick came from to Chris- our determination, we will also review tianize Ireland, he did it without a sword, progress in achieving our arms control objec- without the order of law. It was the only time tives, including negotiating any amendments in all history that a whole nation had con- to the ABM Treaty that may be required to verted without any force or bloodshed. He accommodate a possible NMD deployment. did it by carefully listening to the Irish peo- This week the Russian Duma took an en- ple, understanding what they needed to do, couraging step toward obtaining final ap- how they could change, how they could not, proval of START II. We want to move ahead and treating them with a profound amount on the START III framework, which I nego- of care and respect. tiated with President Yeltsin in 1997, to cut We pray now that the Irish people on op- Russian and U.S. arsenals 80 percent from posite sides of this last divided peace process cold war levels, while maintaining the ABM will heed the example of Saint Patrick and Treaty as a cornerstone of strategic stability. give us an even bigger celebration here next The changes made in the NMD bill during year. Senate debate ensure these crucial objectives Thank you very much. will be fully taken into account as we pursue our NMD program. NOTE: The President spoke at 2:10 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister and Sec- retary of State for Northern Ireland Marjorie Statement on Patients’ Rights Mowlam, United Kingdom; Social Democratic Legislation and Labour Party leader John Hume; and Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble. March 17, 1999 Today the Congress is beginning its work Statement on National Missile on patients’ rights legislation. This issue is Defense Legislation critical to assuring Americans high quality March 17, 1999 health care in the 21st century, so I am pleased that we are moving forward. I am pleased that the Senate, on a bipar- Unfortunately, the proposal by the Chair- tisan basis, included in its national missile de- man of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, fense (NMD) legislation two amendments and Pensions Committee falls far short of the that significantly change the original bill, legislation the American people deserve. Be- which I strongly opposed. By specifying that cause it applies patients’ rights only to those any NMD deployment must be subject to in self-insured plans, this proposal leaves 120 the authorization and appropriations process, million Americans in insured and individual

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