Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents

Monday, March 8, 1999 Volume 35—Number 9 Pages 329–376

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Addresses and Remarks Meetings With Foreign Leaders California, Saxophone Club and Women’s Italy, Prime Minister D’Alema—365 Leadership Forum reception in Los Angeles—329 Proclamations ‘‘Dare To Compete: The Struggle of Women Death of Harry A. Blackmun—364 in Sports,’’ screening—365 Irish-American Heritage Month—334 Death of Harry A. Blackmun—360 Save Your Vision Week—336 Democratic congressional leaders, unity Women’s History Month—335 meeting—338 Interior Department, 150th anniversary—359 Statements by the President Internet accessibility in classrooms, radio remarks—333 California’s Headwaters Forest, agreement to New Jersey, reception for Senator Robert G. preserve—337 Torricelli in Newark—350 Deaths Radio address—332 Billy Jack Gaither—374 ‘‘Read Across America’’ Day, radio remarks— Harry A. Blackmun—364 333 ‘‘Education Accountability Act,’’ proposed— Communications to Congress 334 Internet accessibility in classrooms—333 Federal Labor Relations Authority, message Kennedy-Murray amendments to proposed transmitting report—337 education flexibility partnership International agreements, letter transmitting legislation—373 report—337 National Assessment of Education Progress— Iraq, letter reporting on compliance with U.N. 363 Security Council resolutions—341 Uganda, murder of tourists—364 Republic of Korea-U.S. extradition treaty with documentation, message transmitting—337 Supplementary Materials Interviews With the News Media Acts approved by the President—376 Interview with Janet Langhart Cohen of Checklist of White House press releases—375 Armed Forces Television—353 Digest of other White House News conference with Prime Minister announcements—374 D’Alema of Italy, March 5 (No. 170)—365 Nominations submitted to the Senate—375

Editor’s Note: The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is also available on the Inter- net on the GPO Access service at http://www.gpo.gov/nara/nara003.html.

WEEKLY COMPILATION OF regulations prescribed by the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, approved by the President (37 FR 23607; 1 CFR Part 10). PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS Distribution is made only by the Superintendent of Docu- ments, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Published every Monday by the Office of the Federal Reg- The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents will be ister, National Archives and Records Administration, Washing- furnished by mail to domestic subscribers for $80.00 per year ton, DC 20408, the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Docu- ($137.00 for mailing first class) and to foreign subscribers for ments contains statements, messages, and other Presidential $93.75 per year, payable to the Superintendent of Documents, materials released by the White House during the preceding Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The week. charge for a single copy is $3.00 ($3.75 for foreign mailing). The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is pub- There are no restrictions on the republication of material lished pursuant to the authority contained in the Federal Reg- appearing in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Docu- ister Act (49 Stat. 500, as amended; 44 U.S.C. Ch. 15), under ments.

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Remarks at a Saxophone Club and only has about a million people, and Califor- Women’s Leadership Forum nia has a few more. [Laughter] It has a lot Reception in Los Angeles, California of people living in small towns and in rural February 26, 1999 areas. But on this cold, rainy day, everywhere I went, there were schoolchildren standing Thank you. [Applause] Thank you. Thank out in the rain, and people standing there. you very much for the standing ovation. I hadn’t been there in a good while. They [Laughter] I want to thank Janice Griffin and normally vote for Republicans. They voted Joe Andrew for their service and their for Al Gore and me twice there, and I’m very speeches. I want to thank Trudi Loh, the grateful for that. Women’s Leadership Forum southern Cali- But the reason I was thinking about it to- fornia chair. And the Sax Club cochairs, Lara night is that when I traveled around the Brown and Paul Krekorian, thank you very country, beginning in 1991 and throughout much. I’d like to thank Kathleen Connell and 1992, I think the two places that, in some Representatives Waters and Sanchez for ways, most clearly embodied the anxiety, the being here, and Speaker Villaraigosa for difficulty, the frustration of America, were being here. And I’d like to thank Governor New Hampshire and California. Because Davis and Sharon for being here. while you were very different, both places You know, Governor Davis has decided were used to being on the cutting edge of that he will sort of cultivate this ‘‘gray’’ image. economic progress. Both places believed in [Laughter] And it is so bogus, I can’t believe hard work and opportunity, and both places it. [Laughter] We were standing up here— were pretty devastated by what was going on. you know what he said to me when I came In New Hampshire, five of the seven big- here? I said, ‘‘Gray, that was a wonderful in- gest banks had failed. I met people who had troduction, and I really appreciate it.’’ And their business loans called even though they he said, ‘‘Well good, you can give me two weren’t delinquent. I met children whose strokes the next time we play.’’ [Laughter] parents became seriously depressed, clini- Let me say to all of you, first of all, a pro- cally depressed, simply because they couldn’t found thanks. Thank you for the support of stand coming home at night to dinner not the WLF and the Saxophone Club. The Saxo- being able to work and provide for their chil- phone Club’s been going now for several dren. years, and the biggest one we have in the And I saw a lot of incredible things. But country is right here in southern California. when I came back to see New Hampshire, And I thank you. I thank the people of Cali- with one of the lowest unemployment rates fornia for being so wonderful to Hillary and in the country, and a great deal of self-con- to the Vice President and to me, all along fidence, one of the things that touched me, the way. It has been an amazing journey. because it was such a small State, is that all I’m thinking today about a trip I made al- these people said, ‘‘We want you to know, most exactly a week ago—I guess it was a Mr. President, we’re for you not only because week ago yesterday—to a place that super- we’re doing better, but because you did ex- ficially is very different from California. On actly what you said you would do when you February the 18th I went back to New ran for President.’’ And that meant a great Hampshire, on the 7th anniversary of the deal to me. New Hampshire primary in 1992. And every- So increasingly over these next 2 years, as where I went, it was cold and rainy and just I travel around America to events like this, the antithesis of today. And New Hampshire I will be here advocating the agenda that I

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intend to pursue until the last hour of my of all of them connected by the year 2000, last day in office. But I will also be reminding with over 90 percent of our children getting the American people of the ideas and the their basic immunizations for the first time ideals, which are bigger than any administra- in American history, I think we can say tion and bigger than any person, that we have America is on the right path to the future tried to bring to bear in American public life and moving in the right direction. for the last 6 years. Tonight I want you to remember basically In 1992 I came to California and I said just two things: Number one, I believe that this country needs new ideas. We can’t stand for our party and our supporters, the best inaction. But these new ideas have to be pre- politics is doing the right thing. And that mised on fulfilling the historic mission of means trying to get as much done as we can America: opportunity for everybody who is this year to take advantage of our prosperity, responsible enough to work for it; a commu- to take advantage of our confidence, and not nity of all Americans, not just some; and the to simply relax and enjoy it. leadership of the whole world for peace and California, of all places, with all the diver- freedom and prosperity. sity and all the change and people here from And we have been about that business, and everywhere else, aware of conflicts and trou- guess what—it worked. It worked. And bles and instability in other parts of the sometimes I think—and I say that in all hu- world—this State knows that we have to look mility. I don’t take full responsibility for all to the long-term challenges facing our coun- the good things that have happened—neither try. And that is why I have asked the Con- should anyone else. America has produced gress to join me now in dealing with the chal- this. This has been an American achieve- lenges that the baby boomers will present ment. as we age and solve and save Social Security But I do say this—because our administra- tion and because our people from the Vice and Medicare for the 21st century. President and the First Lady to the Cabinet, That is why I’ve asked the Congress to join to all of our people—because we believe in me now to keep this economic recovery things that clearly distinguish ourselves from going by doing three things: Number one, our friends in the other party, we have made I have proposed a new markets initiative in a difference. recognition of the fact that in Los Angeles We believe that every single person de- County, in New York City, in rural areas in serves a chance to live out his or her dreams. the Mississippi Delta and Appalachia, on Na- And we believe that none of us can be all tive American reservations all across the we would like to be unless we recognize that country, there has been no economic recov- all of us are part of one community and one ery. If we cannot, through tax incentives and family, and we have to help each other in loan guarantees, get free enterprise invest- order to make the most of our own lives. And ment into the poorest areas of America and we believe the purpose of political life is to make them part of our prosperity now, we bring out the best, not the worst, in people; will never get around to it. Now is the time to unite this country, not to divide it; to lift to bring opportunity to all Americans. people up, not hold them back. That’s what The second thing we ought to do is save we believe. about three-quarters of this surplus of ours And after 6 years, with the longest peace- for the next 15 years to fix Social Security time economic expansion in history and the and Medicare, and in the process, pay down lowest unemployment rate in peacetime the debt. If you pay down the debt—now, since 1957, the welfare rolls cut in half, this is not something any of you ever thought homeownership at an all-time high, record about—if I told you in ’92 vote for me and numbers of new businesses every year, over I’ll come back here in 6 years and tell you 200,000 new jobs in technology areas alone I’ll pay down the debt after it had quad- in the last couple of years, half in just 3 years, rupled, you would have said that man is too half of all of our classrooms connected to the unstable to be president; we can’t have him Internet, so we’re going to make that goal here. [Laughter]

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But I want the young people here to listen ment, whether it’s dealing with traffic con- to me. You don’t know what’s going to hap- gestion and green space and clean air and pen in other parts of the world. I am doing clean water or the challenge of climate my very best to stabilize the global economy, change. It means that we ought to give more to put a human face on the global economy, people the chance to serve, whether in the to avoid the kind of churning disruptions Peace Corps or AmeriCorps, here at home. we’ve had in Asia and the threats to Latin It means that we ought to make sure that America so we can continue stable growth. no person is subject to unfair discrimination, But let me tell you this: If we pay down which is why I am determined to pass the that debt, in 15 years, debt will be the small- employment nondiscrimination act this year. est percentage of our income it’s been since These are the kinds of things we need to be before we got into World War I. We’ll only pushing, that all of you need to support. be spending 2 cents of every dollar you pay And finally, let me say, in San Francisco in taxes servicing our debt. Interest rates will this morning, the place where the United Na- be lower. Business loan rates will be lower. tions was launched, I gave a speech saying Home mortgage rates, car payments, credit that the United States still had to care about card payments, student loans will all be less peace in Kosovo, in the Middle East, in expensive. There will be more investment, Northern Ireland; that the United States still more jobs, and higher incomes. If we have had to care about the proliferation of chemi- tough times around the world, America will cal and biological weapons, even if they were have it better. If we have good times, Amer- at most risk in other countries far from our ica will have it great. Help me to convince shore; that the United States still had to care the American people all to tell the Congress about poverty from Africa to the Caribbean, to secure our economy for the next 15 years. about democracy in Central America; that we A lot of you younger people, you’ve cannot say we love to get on the Internet brought young children here tonight. One and talk to people around the world, we love couple came through about to have their first to sell our products in Asia and Latin Amer- child—maybe before I finish this speech. ica, and pretend that economic globalization [Laughter] That’s not a comment on how will take care of all the problems in the long the speech is going to be. [Laughter] world. But one of the things that worries me about The inexorable logic of our growing closer the 21st century is one of the things that I together is that we are in an interdependent joy in. And that is that more and more people world. And just as we as Americans cannot are going to work, more and more people fulfill our own dreams and destinies unless are having the opportunity to work, and I we work together, we cannot fulfill the dream want that. But the most important work of and destiny of America unless we reach out any society is raising the children well. And to our friends and neighbors around the we have to find a way to do better in the world. United States in helping people balance the And so I say to you, these are the basic demands of child-rearing and work. ideas for meeting the biggest challenges the That’s why I fought so hard for the family United States faces. We’ve come a long way leave law. It’s why I think it should be ex- in the last 6 years. We’ve had a good time. panded. It’s why I have given a child care We’ve had a better time, year-in and year- initiative to the Congress that would help an- out, because there have been fewer people other million children get affordable quality subject to abject anxieties. And I want to get child care while their parents go to work. And off the stage and bring back Big Bad Voodoo it’s why we need to more vigorously enforce Daddy. And I thank them for playing. the law when it comes to equal pay for equal But if you don’t remember anything I say, work for women and for men. you remember these two things: Number I want us, in the 21st century, to live in one, the best politics is to do the right thing real community, not only with our neighbor- by the American people. That’s why we’re hoods in our State but around the world. where we are tonight, and we need to take That means we have to protect the environ- advantage; we need to take advantage of

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these good times to deal with the big long- But all too often car seats don’t protect term challenges we face. And number two, our children as well as they should. The Na- if somebody asks you why you’re a Democrat, tional Highway Transportation Safety Ad- why did you come here tonight, tell them, ministration estimates that more than 70 per- because that’s the party that believes that no cent of all children riding in car seats are matter where you come from and what your at risk of injury because their seats have not circumstances, you ought to have an equal been properly installed. Now, anyone who chance to live out your dream. That’s the has ever struggled to get a car seat to fit snug- party that believes that no matter what our ly into a backseat knows exactly what I’m differences, what unites us is more important talking about. than what divides us, and we want an Amer- Most seatbelts were not designed to hold ican family. And that’s the party that believes car seats, and not all 100 models of car seats that the purpose of our public life is to ele- can fit all 900 types of vehicles on our road vate the spirits and the vision and the heart today. For Joe Colella’s family, the con- of the American people. sequences were tragic. Five years ago Joe’s Thank you, and God bless you. 3-year-old niece, Dana Hutchinson, was NOTE: The President spoke at 7:55 p.m. in the killed in a head-on collision because her car Los Angeles Room at the Century Plaza Hotel. seat was incompatible with the seatbelts in In his remarks, he referred to Janice Griffin, na- her family’s car. Ever since, so that no other tional vice chair, Women’s Leadership Forum; Jo- family has to suffer this tragedy, Joe has seph P. Andrew, national chairman-designate, worked full-time to improve car seat safety Democratic National Committee; Lara Brown and and to alert parents to the dangers of poorly Paul Krekorian, cochairs, Saxophone Club, Los fitting car seats. Angeles chapter; State Controller Kathleen Connell; State Assembly Speaker Antonio R. A few years ago, my administration ap- Villaraigosa; and Gov. Gray Davis of California pointed Joe to a blue-ribbon panel of parents, and his wife, Sharon. This item was not received consumer groups, medical professionals, and in time for publication in the appropriate issue. auto and seat manufacturers to find ways to make car seats safer and easier to install. The President’s Radio Address Today I’m pleased to announce that their top recommendation, a simple, universal system February 27, 1999 for attaching car safety seats, will become the Good morning. One of Government’s first standard for every new car and light truck responsibilities is to keep our people safe. sold in our country. And one of the most successful Govern- By the year 2000, the Department of mental efforts to protect the public is in the Transportation will require every safety seat area of auto safety. Hundreds of thousands to have three standard attachments designed of lives have been saved, thanks to laws re- to fit three standard anchors in the backseat quiring safety features such as bumpers, seat- of every car. With this new rule, and with belts, and airbags. these three simple attachments, we can save Today I want to talk about our latest efforts lives and prevent up to 3,000 injuries a year. to make car travel even safer for our smallest But the challenge of keeping our children and most vulnerable passengers. Over the safe in our cars and on our roads is never past 20 years, child car seats have become ending. We must continue to encourage all a fact of life for millions of parents. Where drivers and passengers to buckle up, to use once small children bounced around freely booster seats and seatbelts for their older and dangerously in our cars, today the major- children. We must work to make airbags ity ride in car seats, whether for quick er- safer for children and smaller adults. And we rands to the grocery store or long cross-coun- must press forward in our fight to keep more try journeys. Those car seats have made a drunk drivers off our roads by lowering the difference. Since 1975, they’ve saved the national drunk driving standard to .08. lives of about 4,000 children in motor vehicle Together we can work to make sure more accidents. Americans traveling on our roads, especially

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more young Americans, come safely home Computers and new educational software to their families and loved ones. can make a real difference in the way teach- Thanks for listening. ers teach and a student learns. Because of our efforts, children in poorer or isolated NOTE: The address was recorded at 1:36 p.m. on areas will now have access to the same uni- February 26 in the Manager’s Office at the Grand verse of knowledge as children in the most Hyatt Hotel in San Francisco, CA, for broadcast affluent suburbs. All our children will be at 10:06 a.m. on February 27. The transcript was technologically literate and better prepared made available by the Office of the Press Sec- for the high-tech, high-wage jobs of the fu- retary on February 26 but was embargoed for re- ture. But we also must make sure that teach- lease until the broadcast. ers are as comfortable with a computer as they are with a chalkboard. That’s why Con- Radio Remarks on ‘‘Read Across gress should support my $800 million edu- America’’ Day cational technology initiative, including more than $100 million for technology training for March 1, 1999 the teachers themselves. The best and most enjoyable way for chil- By giving our children the skills they need dren to open their minds is by opening a to succeed in the jobs of the future, we’ll book. This Tuesday America will celebrate build a stronger nation for the 21st century. ‘‘Read Across America’’ Day. More than one I want to especially thank Vice President million people—from baseball star Cal Gore, who’s done so much to put the future Ripken, Jr., to the sailors of the U.S.S. at the fingertips of our children. Saipan—will share the joy of reading with NOTE: The President’s remarks were recorded at children in every part of our country. I en- approximately 1:40 p.m. on February 26 in the courage all caring adults to get involved. Manager’s Office at the Grant Hyatt Hotel in San Read to children on ‘‘Read Across America’’ Francisco, CA, for later broadcast. The remarks Day, and read to them every day. Together, were also made available on the White House we can make our children the best readers Press Radio Actuality Line. in the world. Statement on Internet Accessibility NOTE: The President’s remarks were recorded at approximately 2:55 p.m. in the Oval Office on in Classrooms February 22 for later broadcast as a public service March 1, 1999 announcement. These remarks were also made available on the White House Press Radio Actual- Vice President Gore and I have set a goal ity Line. of connecting every classroom in America to the Internet by the year 2000. Today I am pleased to announce that new Department Radio Remarks on Internet of Education data show that more than half Accessibility in Classrooms of all classrooms are connected—nearly March 1, 1999 twice as many connections as last year. And thanks to new E-rate discounts that help Vice President Gore and I have set a goal schools and libraries connect to the Internet, of connecting every classroom in America to we will reach our goal by the year 2000. the Internet. I’m pleased to announce that Computers, the Internet, and educational new Department of Education data show software can make a real difference in the that more than half of all our Nation’s class- way teachers teach and students learn. Be- rooms are now connected—nearly twice as cause of our efforts, children in the most iso- many connections as last year. And thanks lated inner city or rural town will have access to new E-rate discounts that help schools and to the same universe of knowledge as a child libraries connect to the Internet, we’ll reach in the most affluent suburb. Parents will be our goal of every classroom and library con- able to communicate more frequently with nected by the year 2000. teachers and keep up with the progress of

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their child in school. Our children will be Day, we remember with special pride our ‘‘technologically literate’’—and better pre- Irish heritage. We remember our ancestors pared for the high-tech, high-wage jobs of who stood on Ireland’s western shores, the future. But we must also make sure that yearning for the promise of America. Fleeing teachers are as comfortable with a computer famine and injustice, they longed for a new as they are with the chalkboard. That is why world of opportunities. Millions of these cou- Congress should support my $800 million rageous men and women set sail from Ire- educational technology initiative—including land, leaving behind all that they had ever more than $100 million to train teachers in known to seek the promise of America. They the latest technology. gave to their new homeland their strength By giving our children the skills they need and spirit, sinew and determination, elo- to succeed in the jobs of the future, we will quence and wit. In return, America offered build a stronger nation for the 21st century. them the opportunity for a better life, the I particularly want to thank Vice President chance to rise above poverty and discrimina- Gore, who has done so much to put the fu- tion, and a future where they could live out ture at the fingertips of our children. their dreams. The Irish who came to America endured Statement on the Proposed many hardships, but they prospered and ‘‘Education Accountability Act’’ helped to build our country with innumer- March 1, 1999 able physical and intellectual contributions. They gave us Presidents like Woodrow Today’s news of improvement in achieve- Wilson, John Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan; ment for students in high-poverty schools is patriots like John Barry and Stephen Moylan, welcome, but we must not rest until all stu- who fought fiercely for American independ- dents meet the challenging standards we set ence in the Revolutionary War; jurists like for them. That is why I urge Senators in both Justice William Brennan, who championed parties not only to support this week’s vote justice and equality; suffragists and social re- to put 100,000 new, well-prepared teachers formers like Maria McCreery; journalists, in the classroom but also to enact my ‘‘Edu- peacekeepers, artists, playwrights, labor lead- cation Accountability Act.’’ This act will help ers, and educators. These and so many other move our education system forward by en- Irish Americans seized the opportunity of suring that States and school districts end so- freedom America promised. From their cial promotion, phase out the use of unquali- grand literary tradition to their deep religious fied teachers, turn around low-performing faith, Irish Americans and their descendants schools, provide parents with report cards on have enriched every facet of American his- schools, and implement effective discipline tory. policies. While our education reform efforts But Irish-American Heritage Month is a are clearly headed in the right direction, we time to look to the future as well as to the must take these important steps to close the past. Today we rejoice at the promise of gap between students and increase the pace peace in Northern Ireland and the resolve of reform. of her people to approach their differences not with weapons, but with words. While the Proclamation 7169—Irish-American path to peace is rarely easy, it is by necessity Heritage Month, 1999 a community effort. Americans are a vital part of the process in Northern Ireland by March 1, 1999 virtue of our shared heritage and shared goal By the President of the United States of lasting peace and a better future for all of America God’s children. By lending our hearts, minds, and prayers to the work of peace, we can A Proclamation best fulfill our obligation to the generations During the month of March each year, as of Irish men and women who have given so millions of Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s much to our Nation’s life and history.

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Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, From the women who organized the East President of the United States of America, India Company tea boycotts before the Bos- by virtue of the authority vested in me by ton Tea Party to Deborah Sampson, who the Constitution and laws of the United fought as a soldier in the Revolutionary War; States, do hereby proclaim March 1999 as from Angelina and Sarah Grimke´, who spoke Irish-American Heritage Month. I call upon out against slavery to Harriet Tubman, who all the people of the United States to observe risked her life as a conductor on the Under- this month with appropriate ceremonies, pro- ground Railroad; from suffragist Carrie grams, and activities. Chapman Catt to sharecropper Fannie Lou In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set Hamer, who faced violence and endured in- my hand this first day of March, in the year timidation to become a leader of the Civil of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety- Rights movement; from environmentalist nine, and of the Independence of the United Rachel Carson, who changed our way of States of America the two hundred and twen- looking at the world, to physicist Chien- ty-third. Shiung Wu, who changed our way of looking at the universe, women’s history is truly William J. Clinton America’s history. That is why I was pleased to establish in July of last year the President’s [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:21 a.m., March 2, 1999] Commission on the Celebration of Women in American History, whose recommenda- NOTE: This proclamation was published in the tions will help us to better understand and Federal Register on March 3. rejoice to appreciate the role and accom- plishments of women. During Women’s History Month, we Proclamation 7170—Women’s honor the generations of women who have History Month, 1999 served our Nation as doctors and scientists, March 1, 1999 teachers and factory workers, soldiers and secretaries, athletes and mothers. We honor By the President of the United States the women who have worked the land, cared of America for children and the elderly, nurtured fami- lies and businesses, served in charitable orga- A Proclamation nizations and public office. And we remem- A little more than a century ago, an edi- ber the good friends we have so recently torial in the Pittsburgh Dispatch opposing lost—women such as Bella Abzug, Marjory women’s suffrage and criticizing women in Stoneman Douglas, and Florence Griffith- the work force so infuriated a young reader Joyner—whose achievements and example that she wrote a letter in protest. Her articu- continue to light our lives. late response prompted the newspaper’s edi- But we must do more than remember. We tor to offer her a job, and thus Elizabeth must build on the legacy of the millions of Cochrane—later known as Nellie Bly— women, whether renowned or anonymous, began her career in journalism. A pioneer who have contributed so much to the of investigative reporting, she exposed the strength and character of our Nation. We brutal conditions in the care of the mentally must ensure that women have equal access ill, reported on poor working conditions in to the education and opportunities they need factories, and wrote of the indignities suf- to excel. We must guarantee that women re- fered by women in prison. This year, as we ceive equal pay in the workplace. We must reflect on America’s past in preparation for promote policies and programs—including our celebration of the new millennium, we affordable, high-quality child care—that en- recognize that the talent, energy, intellect, able working women to succeed both on the and determination of countless women like job and in their homes. And we must work Nellie Bly have shaped our destiny and en- to ensure that women have the comfort of riched our society since our earliest days as knowing they can retire in security. Women a Nation. who have gone before us accomplished so

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much, often in the face of hardship and dis- age. Periodic dilated pupil eye examinations crimination; we can only imagine what can reveal the early signs of eye disease and women will accomplish in the future if we buy precious time for treatment. break down the remaining barriers that pre- It is equally important to protect our eyes vent them from reaching their full potential. from injury, another leading cause of vision Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, loss. Each year, more than 2.4 million eye President of the United States of America, injuries occur in the United States. By using by virtue of the authority vested in me by protective eyewear when working with ma- the Constitution and laws of the United chinery or chemicals, playing sports, or en- States, do hereby proclaim March 1999 as gaging in other recreational activities, we can Women’s History Month. I encourage all help prevent irreparable loss of sight. Americans to observe this month with appro- Taking measures to prevent vision loss in priate programs, ceremonies, and activities, our children is especially important because and to remember throughout the year the their early development and academic many heroic women whose many and varied achievement can suffer due to vision prob- contributions have enriched our lives. lems or diseases. Even before they begin In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set school, children should undergo a complete my hand this first day of March, in the year eye examination so that poor vision or eye of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety- disorders can be appropriately treated. nine, and of the Independence of the United As the 21st century fast approaches, our States of America the two hundred and twen- national investment in research to prevent, ty-third. postpone, and treat eye diseases and dis- William J. Clinton orders has produced substantial results. Laser technology, new medications, gene [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:21 a.m., March 2, 1999] mapping, innovations in diagnostic tech- niques, and other sight-saving discoveries are NOTE: This proclamation was published in the improving the lives of millions of Americans. Federal Register on March 3. These advances in medical research, com- bined with preventative eye care and in- Proclamation 7171—Save Your creased safety measures, can all work to pre- Vision Week, 1999 serve our gift of sight. To remind our citizens of the importance March 1, 1999 of safeguarding their eyesight, the Congress, By the President of the United States by join resolution approved December 30, of America 1963 (77 Stat. 629; 36 U.S.C. 169a), has au- thorized and requested the President to pro- A Proclamation claim the first week in March of each year Vision is an extraordinary blessing—one as ‘‘Save Your Vision Week.’’ that should be cherished and protected. Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, Complex and remarkable organs, the eyes President of the United States of America, work in concert with the brain to produce do hereby proclaim March 7 through March vision, allowing us to experience the beauty 13, 1999, as Save Your Vision Week. I urge and variety of the physical world around us. all Americans to participate by making eye Because blindness and vision loss are often care and eye safety an important part of their avoidable, the maintenance of good vision lives and to ensure that dilated eye examina- must be a top health priority and an integral tions are included in their regular health part of every American’s overall health care maintenance programs. I invite eye care pro- routine. Preventative eye care is particularly fessionals, the media, and all public and pri- important because there are often no warn- vate organizations dedicated to preserving ing signs or pain associated with many eye eyesight to join in activities that will raise diseases, and, by the time vision loss is identi- awareness of the measures we can take to fied, it is frequently too late to undo the dam- protect and sustain our vision.

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In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set the web of life it sustains, are now saved for my hand this first day of March, in the year all time. of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety- I thank Senator Feinstein and Governor nine, and of the Independence of the United Davis for their critical help in achieving this States of America the two hundred and twen- historic agreement. And I am truly grateful ty-third. that we are able to bestow this priceless gift William J. Clinton on generations yet to come.

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, NOTE: A portion of the President’s statement was 11:21 a.m., March 2, 1999] made available on the White House Press Office Radio Actuality Line. NOTE: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on March 3. Message to the Congress Transmitting a Report of the Federal Letter to Congressional Leaders Labor Relations Authority Transmitting a Report on March 2, 1999 International Agreements March 1, 1999 To the Congress of the United States: In accordance with section 701 of the Civil Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. Chairman:) Service Reform Act of 1978 (Public Law 95– Pursuant to subsection (b) of the Case- 454; 5 U.S.C. 7104(e)), I am pleased to trans- Zablocki Act, (1 U.S.C. 112b(b)), I hereby mit the Nineteenth Annual Report of the transmit a report prepared by the Depart- Federal Labor Relations Authority for Fiscal ment of State concerning international agree- Year 1997. ments. The report includes information on the Sincerely, cases heard and decisions rendered by the William J. Clinton Federal Labor Relations Authority, the Gen- eral Counsel of the Authority, and the Fed- NOTE: Identical letters were sent to J. Dennis eral Service Impasses Panel. Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives, William J. Clinton and Jesse Helms, chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. The White House, March 2, 1999. Statement on Reaching Agreement To Preserve California’s Headwaters Message to the Senate Transmitting Forest the Republic of Korea-United States March 2, 1999 Extradition Treaty With Documentation Three years ago we set out to preserve March 2, 1999 California’s Headwaters Forest, the world’s largest unprotected stand of old-growth red- To the Senate of the United States: woods. Late yesterday we achieved our goal. With a view to receiving the advice and We completed an agreement with the Pacific consent of the Senate to ratification, I trans- Lumber Company to put the Headwaters mit herewith the Extradition Treaty Between Forest in public hands and ensure that it will the Government of the United States of never be logged. America and the Government of the Repub- These redwoods are a natural treasure, as lic of Korea, signed at Washington on June much a part of our legacy as the world’s great 9, 1998 (hereinafter the ‘‘Treaty’’). libraries and cathedrals. Thanks to the tire- In addition, I transmit for the information less efforts of Federal and State negotiators, of the Senate, the report of the Department future generations will know the majesty and of State with respect to the Treaty. The Trea- awe of Headwaters. This ancient forest, and ty will not require implementing legislation.

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The Treaty will, upon entry into force, en- are organized, and we are united. And we hance cooperation between the law enforce- are united around an agenda for America’s ment communities of the United States and future: to meet the long-term challenges of Korea. It will provide, for the first time, a this country at the edge of a new century framework and basic protections for extra- and new millennium; to build on what we ditions between Korea and the United States, have done for the last 6 years. thereby making a significant contribution to The new agenda is rooted in the same international law enforcement efforts. ideals with which we began in 1993, to bring The provisions in this Treaty follow gen- opportunity to every American, to challenge erally the form and content of extradition every American to be a responsible citizen, treaties recently concluded by the United and to build a community of all American States. citizens. I recommend that the Senate give early When you look around at this Democratic and favorable consideration to the Treaty and caucus, the Members of the House and the give its advice and consent to ratification. Senate, as the speakers were speaking, I had William J. Clinton the opportunity to just scan both sides of this wonderful room today. You all really do look The White House, like America. You think like America, and March 2, 1999. you reflect America. As perhaps the only one of you who is term-limited, and therefore, Remarks at a Unity Meeting With faces the prospect of making the most of this Democratic Congressional Leaders next 2 years and leaving the rest to you, I March 3, 1999 felt enormously good, not just for my party but for my country, to look at all of you, to Thank you very much, ladies and gentle- know what I know about all of you, to know men. This has been a wonderful morning for about your backgrounds and your perspec- me. When I listened to Maureen Marshall tives and your experience and your commit- and Edwin Beale and Michael Saylor speak, ment, and to see how in this caucus we have I was again confirmed in my conviction that bridged every divide of America that will our principal responsibility here is to give the help us to bring our country together and American people the tools and create the go forward. And I’m very proud to be here conditions within which they can make the with you today. most of their own lives. And if we do that, Let me say that when I ran for President they will do it every time. These 3 people in 1991 and 1992, I used to say something represent more than 200 million Americans that seems almost strange today. I said one who deserve our best efforts. of the reasons that I left a job at home that I want to thank Senator Daschle and Con- I loved and undertook this campaign is that gressman Gephardt for their truly outstand- I didn’t want to see my daughter’s generation ing leadership, for their personal friendship, grow up to be the first generation of Ameri- and for their honest commitment to the cans not to do as well economically or in cause that we meet to discuss today. terms of quality of life as their parents had I thank the Vice President for being the done. Nobody worries about that anymore, best partner and friend, adviser and prodder but we did then. any President could ever have. I can’t believe And what we had before that was more he passed up a chance to remind us all today than a decade in which the leaders of the that in 1993, he cast the decisive vote on the other party talked tough but took the easy budget plan, and whenever he votes, we win. way out. We were unashamed to be compas- [Laughter] sionate, unashamed that we cared about You know the real, sort of political story those who needed a hand up in life. But we out of this meeting today may be that we were unafraid, when it came down to it, to will have to retire that famous old Will Rog- take the tough decisions that cost many of ers quip, ‘‘I don’t belong to an organized po- our fellow Democrats their seats in Congress litical party. I’m a Democrat.’’ The fact is we but gave the American economy and the

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American people a new lease on the 21st cen- schools, for giving teachers like Maureen the tury. support they need to do even better. So what we came here today to talk about Last winter, as has already been said, we builds on what has happened in the last 6 issued our call, for the first time, for 100,000 years. It builds on our way of approaching more highly trained teachers, to bring class our political responsibilities here, to put peo- size down in the early grades. And last fall ple ahead of partisanship and common sense the Republicans in Congress finally agreed ahead of ideology. Now, we’ve already talked to make a significant downpayment toward about how we turned the red ink to black— that goal. Now, in the next few days, the Sen- that that helped to produce the longest ate will vote on whether to finish the job of peacetime expansion in our history, the low- hiring 100,000 new teachers to reduce class est peacetime unemployment since 1957. size. It will be our first big chance this year We ought to point out that we did it in to prove to the American people that we are a way that looked to the future, not only re- prepared to put people over party. Let’s say ducing the deficit but doubling our invest- politics stops at the schoolhouse door. ment in education and training, putting Now, I’d also like to ask that politics stop 100,000 more police on our streets, making and that the Republican majority in Congress dramatic increases in medical research, im- stand with us in meeting the greatest chal- munizing 90 percent of our children from lenge we face, the aging of America. Life ex- basic childhood diseases for the first time pectancy is rising; the number of older Amer- icans will double by the year 2030. There ever, providing millions and millions of peo- will be only two people working for one per- ple with the benefit of the family and medical son drawing Social Security by that time. leave law, and making our environment Even before then, because people over 80 cleaner. We showed, in other words, that we are the fastest growing group of Americans could balance the budget and honor our as a percentage of our country, Medicare will common values as Americans. run out of money within 9 years. Now that, to use Senator Daschle’s phrase, Now, I particularly appreciated what America is working again, the question is: Edwin Beale said about this being an issue What shall we do? And we’re here to say facing younger, as well as older, Americans that, as proud as we are of the record of the and not only because younger Americans last 6 years, this is not a time to boast about would like to know they will have health care the past but to fulfill our solemn duty to the in retirement when they reach their retire- next generation, to meet the long-term chal- ment years, but also because the quality of lenges our Nation faces. life of the children of people on Medicare We’re for stronger families, with our child and Social Security and their ability to raise care program and our after-school learning, their grandchildren will be directly depend- for a strong, enforceable Patients’ Bill of ent upon whether they had to take needed Rights, for the bipartisan legislation to help resources away from their own family to care people with disabilities move into the work- for their parents in ways that previous gen- place, for tax relief to help families provide erations have not. This is a big issue. long-term care, for an increase in the mini- But I want to say again—and I feel this mum wage and equal pay for men and with greater conviction as I grow older by women, and more free enterprise in our the day—this is a high-class problem. We poorest inner-city and rural communities. face this challenge because we’re living We’re for 50,000 more police on the street longer. We face this challenge because of the and better technology for police, especially fruits of the medical research that the Con- in the areas where crime is still too high. We gress has funded. We should not be hand- stand together to pass the Earth on to our wringing here. We should be embracing this children with our livability initiative for less with joy. This is the inevitable result of our traffic congestion and more green space. We efforts to not only lengthen life but to im- stand together, as the Vice President has said, prove its quality. And because the Democrats for strong, modern, more accountable took the lead so many years ago, first in Social

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Security and then in Medicare, we have a another thing. That means—and again, I was special responsibility to the American people glad to hear Michael Saylor, who told that to take the lead in resolving this. astonishing story of his company starting with Now, let me restate clearly our principles $132 and winding up with 1,000 employees and where I think we are in this debate now and hundreds of millions of dollars of wealth because how we resolve these issues will that have been created. You remember what shape how we resolve the other issues in this he said? He said what they need from Gov- session of Congress. First, we should devote ernment is a responsible set of rational deci- 62 percent of the surplus for the next 15 sions that keep interest rates low and the years to saving Social Security, to guarantee economy strong. That is the most important the soundness of Social Security for the next thing. And if we do this, we will drive down 55 years, and to enable us to make further interest rates for the next 15 to 20 years. We choices, some of which will be difficult, to could actually have our country completely extend Social Security for 75 years, provide out of debt, under this policy, in 18 years. help for elderly women, too many of whom And in a world in which the economy of are in poverty, and lift the earnings limit on other countries is obviously troubled at the people on Social Security. moment and in which future events are not Second, we should devote another 15 per- predictable, we know one thing for sure: If cent of the surplus to Medicare, to secure we pay down this debt and things are trou- that vital program until the year 2020. And bled beyond our borders, we’ll do a lot better again, I believe we should go further, with and interest rates will be a lot lower than broader reforms to strengthen and improve they otherwise would have been. If things Medicare and to meet the greatest growing go well in the global economy, because of need of our seniors, affordable prescription our efforts and others, we will do even better drugs. than we otherwise would have done. If we do this, that will still leave funds for And we know that the success of the Amer- other investments or for tax reduction. I be- ican economy has reinforced the budget de- lieve we should devote over $500 billion of cisions made in 1993. We have got to keep this surplus to give working families tax relief, this going. So I say, take care of Social Secu- creating universal savings accounts, USA ac- rity; take care of Medicare; pay down the counts, that will help all Americans share in debt; keep the economy going. These things the Nation’s wealth and build nest eggs for are the most important things we can do for retirement. If we do these things—saving So- our children in the 21st century. cial Security, saving Medicare, empowering Now, let me say where I think we are now. more Americans to save for their own retire- I have, frankly, been gratified to see the Re- ment—we will fulfill our historic challenge publican leaders have quickly joined us in to meet the difficulties and the opportunities supporting the first idea, dedicating 62 per- of the aging of America in a way that provides cent of the surplus to save Social Security. a stronger economy and more stable families At least, I believe the word they used was for our children. ‘‘setting aside’’ 62 percent of the surplus, and If we use the surplus to save Social Secu- I’ll come back to that in a moment. I’ve been rity and strengthen Medicare, we will for the further encouraged to see some of the Re- next 15 years and beyond, be paying down publicans backing away from the irrespon- the national debt, if we follow the proposal sible across-the-board tax cut that is too cost- that we have made. We can reduce publicly ly, in favor of standing with us for targeted held debt to its lowest level since 1917, be- tax cuts benefiting mostly middle-class work- fore we moved into World War I. ing families. Let me say, for a Member of Congress Last week the majority leaders in Congress what that means is, 15 years from now, Con- actually placed an ad in USA Today, with gress will be allocating only 2 cents of every a nice letter promising to save Social Secu- tax dollar to pay interest on the debt, instead rity, to give our children the world’s best of the 13 cents you have to take off the top schools, to target tax relief to the middle today, before you can pass another bill to do class. That was the most welcome news I’ve

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read in USA Today, in terms of progress, the rest—about how much should go to edu- since the NBA strike ended. [Laughter] And cation; how much should go to defense; how I was encouraged by it. much should go to medical research. But the But I want to make it clear, there are still first and most important things are save So- strong differences in our approach, and we cial Security, save Medicare, pay down the must resolve them in a way that benefits the debt, secure the future of our children. American people, in the Vice President’s Now, we stand today unified. We stand words, that benefit Republicans and inde- today well aware of the challenges before us. pendents and Democrats alike. We have to But we stand today beleaguered by beepers do what’s right for the country. and message machines. [Laughter] This is my First, while the Republicans are joining me last line I want to say about this. Will Rogers in talking about setting aside a substantial also used to say something that we do not part of the surplus for debt reduction and, have to disregard. He used to say, and I presumably, for Social Security—and we wel- quote, ‘‘You’ve got to be an optimist to be come that—they still have said nothing about a Democrat, and you’ve got to be humorous how they would extend the life of Social Se- to stay one.’’ [Laughter] curity and whether they would dedicate all Well, I urge you, let’s bring a new energy 62 percent of this surplus for that purpose. to this session of Congress. When we get And that is very important. really frustrated by what seems to be exces- Second, I ask the Republican majority to sive partisanship, let’s remember these three join us in devoting a portion—15 percent— fine American citizens who talked to us today of the surplus to save Medicare. Now, this and the stories they told and the hundreds is very important. They have not done that of millions of people they represent. Let’s so far. And as you see from the difficulties keep our optimism, our good cheer, our re- of others who have struggled with these solve, and our unity, to give them the 21st issues and the fact that health care costs are century they deserve. beginning to rise again, we cannot secure Thank you, and God bless you. Medicare as a guarantee for our seniors with any reasonable set of reforms and keep it a NOTE: The President spoke at 11:35 a.m. in the recognizable, universal program, unless we Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress. also invest some more money in the program. In his remarks, he referred to Maureen Marshall, You can talk to any hospital that’s admin- special education teacher, Springfield Estate Ele- istering programs that have Medicare pa- mentary School, Springfield, VA; Edwin Beale, graduate student, Tuskegee University; and Mi- tients. You can talk to any doctor. You can chael J. Saylor, founder, president, and chief exec- talk to anybody who’s dealt with this pro- utive officer, MicroStrategy, Inc. The transcript gram. We must have more money. So I ask made available by the Office of the Press Sec- those—especially those who still maintain retary also included the remarks of Vice President that somehow, out of the surplus, they can Al Gore, Senator Thomas A. Daschle, and Rep- afford a very large across-the-board tax cut— resentative Richard A. Gephardt. where will they find the resources to extend the life of Medicare? I am not opposed to responsible reforms Letter to Congressional Leaders that enable us to secure Medicare for an even Reporting on Iraq’s Compliance longer period and to begin to add this pre- With United Nations Security scription drug benefit so that we can really Council Resolutions help people who need it. But I’m telling you, March 3, 1999 we cannot deal with the Medicare problem without a greater investment of money. Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:) So, let’s say, use the budget surplus to save Consistent with the Authorization for Use Social Security, to save Medicare, to pay of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution down the debt. Then we can have an honest (Public Law 102–1) and as part of my effort and principled disagreement about how to keep the Congress fully informed, I am much and what kind of tax cut we need with reporting on the status of efforts to obtain

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Iraq’s compliance with the resolutions adopt- Subsequently, Iraq agreed in writing in let- ed by the United Nations Security Council ters to the U.N. Secretary General to rescind (UNSC). My last report, consistent with Pub- its August 5 and October 31 decisions and lic Law 102–1, was transmitted on December to resume full cooperation with UNSCOM 18, 1998. and the IAEA in accordance with Security Council resolutions. Iraq informed the Secu- Overview rity Council on November 14 that it was the ‘‘clear and unconditional decision of the Iraqi As stated in my December 18 report, on government to resume cooperation with December 16, United States and British UNSCOM and the IAEA.’’ forces launched military strikes on Iraq (Op- On November 15, the Security Council eration Desert Fox) to degrade Iraq’s capac- issued a statement in which it stressed that ity to develop and deliver weapons of mass Iraq’s commitment ‘‘needs to be established destruction (WMD) and to degrade its ability by unconditional and sustained cooperation to threaten its neighbors. The decision to use with the Special Commission and the IAEA force was made after U.N. Special Commis- in exercising the full range of their activities sion (UNSCOM) Executive Chairman Rich- provided for in their mandates.’’ ard Butler reported to the U.N. Secretary UNSCOM and the IAEA resumed their General on December 14, that Iraq was not full range of activities on November 17, but cooperating fully with the Commission and Iraq repeatedly violated its commitment of that it was ‘‘not able to conduct the sub- cooperation. As Chairman Butler’s report of stantive disarmament work mandated to it by December 14 details, Iraq has, over the the Security Council.’’ course of the last 8 years, refused to provide The build-up to the current crisis began the key documents and critical explanations on August 5 when the Iraqi government sus- about its prohibited weapons programs in re- pended cooperation with UNSCOM and the sponse to UNSCOM’s outstanding requests. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), It refused to allow removal of missile engine except on a limited-range of monitoring ac- components, denied access to missile test tivities. On October 31, Iraq announced that data, restricted photography of bombs, and it was ceasing all cooperation with endangered the safety of inspectors by ag- UNSCOM. In response to this decision, the gressively maneuvering a helicopter near Security Council on November 5 unani- them. Iraq failed to provide requested access mously adopted Resolution 1205, which con- to archives and effectively blocked demned Iraq’s decision as a ‘‘flagrant viola- UNSCOM from visiting a site on November tion’’ of the Gulf War cease-fire Resolution 25. 687 and other relevant resolutions. Resolu- On December 4 and again on December tion 1205 also demanded that Iraq imme- 11, Iraq further restricted UNSCOM’s activi- diately rescind both its October 31 decision ties by asserting that certain teams could not and its decision of August 5. This came after inspect on Fridays, the Muslim sabbath, de- the passage on March 3, 1998, of Resolution spite 7 years of doing so and the fact that 1154, warning Iraq that the ‘‘severest con- other inspection teams’ activities were not re- sequences’’ would result from Iraq’s failure stricted on Fridays. Iraq blocked access to to cooperate with the implementation of Res- offices of the ruling Ba’ath Party on Decem- olution 687. ber 9, which UNSCOM held ‘‘solid evi- Iraq ignored the Security Council’s de- dence’’ contained prohibited materials. Iraq mands until November 14, when U.S. and routinely removed documents from facilities British forces prepared to launch air strikes prior to inspection, and initiated new forms on Iraq. Baghdad initially tried to impose un- of restrictions on UNSCOM’s work. We also acceptable conditions on its offer of resump- have information that Iraq ordered the mili- tion of cooperation; however, the United tary to destroy WMD-related documents in States and Great Britain insisted on strict anticipation of the UNSCOM inspections. compliance with all relevant Security Council Iraq’s actions were a material breach of resolutions. the Gulf War cease-fire resolution (UNSC

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Resolution 687), the February 23, 1998, As long as Saddam Hussein remains in Annan-Aziz Memorandum of Understand- power, he represents a threat to the well- ing, and Iraq’s November 14 commitment to being of his people, the peace of the region, the Security Council. The threat to the re- and the security of the world. We will con- gion posed by Iraq’s refusal to cooperate un- tinue to contain the threat he poses, but over conditionally with UNSCOM, and the con- the long term the best way to address that sequent inability of UNSCOM to carry out threat is through a new government in Bagh- the responsibilities the Security Council en- dad. To that end, we—working with the Con- trusted to it, could not be tolerated. These gress—are deepening our engagement with circumstances led the United States and the the forces for change in Iraq to help make United Kingdom to use military force to de- the opposition a more effective voice for the grade Iraq’s capacity to threaten its neigh- aspirations of the Iraqi people. Our efforts bors through the development of WMD and are discussed in more detail below. long-range delivery systems. During Desert U.S. and Coalition Force Levels in the Fox, key WMD sites and the facilities of the Gulf Region organizations that conceal them, as well as important missile repair facilities and sur- Saddam’s record of aggressive behavior face-to-air missile sites, were attacked. Oper- compels us to retain a highly capable force ation Desert Fox degraded Saddam’s ability in the region in order to deter Iraq and deal to threaten his neighbors militarily. with any threat it might pose to its neighbors, UNSCOM and IAEA inspectors withdrew the reconstitution of its WMD program, or from Iraq on December 15 when Chairman movement against the Kurds in northern Butler reported that inspectors were not able Iraq. We demonstrated our resolve in mid- December when forces in the region carried to conduct the substantive disarmament work out Operation Desert Fox to degrade Iraq’s required of UNSCOM by the Security Coun- ability to develop and deliver weapons of cil. The United States continues to support mass destruction and its ability to threaten UNSCOM and the IAEA as the agreed its neighbors. We will continue to maintain mechanisms for Iraq to demonstrate its com- a robust posture and have established a rapid pliance with UNSC resolutions concerning reinforcement capability to supplement our disarmament. forces in the Gulf, if needed. Since December 18, the Security Council Our forces in the region include land and has discussed next steps on Iraq. It decided carrier-based aircraft, surface warships, a on January 30 to establish three assessment Marine Expeditionary unit, a Patriot missile panels to address disarmament issues, hu- battalion, a mechanized battalion task force, manitarian issues, and Kuwait-related issues. and a mix of special operations forces de- The panels, under the chairmanship of the ployed in support of U.S. Central Command. Brazilian Ambassador to the United Nations, To enhance force protection throughout the are due to complete their reviews by April region, additional military security personnel 15. are also deployed. Because of the increased The United States also continues to sup- air-defense threat to coalition aircraft, we port the international community’s efforts to have also added a robust personnel recovery provide for the humanitarian needs of the capability. Iraqi people through the ‘‘oil-for-food’’ pro- gram. On November 24, 1998, the Security Operation Northern Watch and Council unanimously adopted Resolution Operation Southern Watch 1210 establishing a new 6-month phase The United States and coalition partners (phase five) of the oil-for-food program continue to enforce the no-fly zones over (phase four ended November 25). In Janu- Iraq through Operation Northern Watch and ary, the United States announced its support Operation Southern Watch. Since December for lifting the ceiling on oil sales under the 23, following the conclusion of Desert Fox, oil-for-food program so that Iraqi civilian hu- we have seen a significant increase in the fre- manitarian needs can better be met. quency, intensity, and coordination of the

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Iraqi air defense system to counter enforce- odic surge operations in the far northern ment of the no-fly zones. Since that date, Gulf near the major Iraqi waterways. These U.S. and coalition aircraft enforcing the no- operations disrupted smuggling in the region. fly zones have been subject to multiple anti- Kuwait and the UAE have stepped up their aircraft artillery (AAA) firings, radar illumina- own enforcement efforts. Although partially tions, and over 20 surface-to-air missile at- repaired and back on line, damage to the tacks. Subsequent to Desert Fox, Iraq signifi- Basra refinery inflicted during Desert Fox cantly increased its air defense presence in had a significant impact on Iraq’s gas and both the north and south, but it has since oil smuggling operations in the Gulf. returned to pre-Desert Fox levels. Despite In December 1998, Iraq relocated surface- the decrease, however, Iraq has not ceased to-surface missile batteries to the coastal area threatening coalition aircraft. of the Al Faw Peninsula. The missiles in In response to Iraq’s increased and re- question, with a range of nearly 60 nautical peated no-fly zone violations, and in coordi- miles, could reach far into the North Arabian nation with the Secretary of Defense’s ad- Gulf and posed a serious threat to the MIF. vice, our aircrews have been authorized by The deployment of these missiles to a posi- me to respond to the increased Iraqi threat. tion from which they could engage coalition United States and coalition forces can defend naval forces was carried out in concert with themselves against any Iraqi threat in carry- the increased attempts to shoot down aircraft ing out their no-fly zone enforcement mis- enforcing the no-fly zones and constituted an sion. On over 50 occasions since December, enhancement of Iraq’s military capability in U.S. and coalition forces have engaged the southern Iraq. Coalition aircraft responded Iraqi integrated air defense system. As a con- with air strikes to the threat posed by these sequence, the Iraqi air defense system has missiles and are authorized to continue to been degraded substantially further since do so as necessary. December. Chemical Weapons The Maritime Interception Force After Iraq’s November 15, 1998, pledge The multinational Maritime Interception of unconditional cooperation with weapons Force (MIF), operating in accordance with inspectors, UNSCOM began to test the Iraqi Resolution 665 and other relevant resolu- promise. In a November 25 letter, Iraq con- tions, enforces U.N. sanctions in the Gulf. tinued to deny that it ever weaponized VX The U.S. Navy is the single largest compo- nerve agent or produced stabilized VX, de- nent of the MIF, but it is frequently aug- spite UNSCOM’s publicly stated confidence mented by ships, aircraft, and other support in the Edgewood Arsenal Laboratory finding from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Kuwait, of stabilized VX components in fragments of The Netherlands, New Zealand, the UAE, Iraqi SCUD missile warheads. Iraq alleges and the United Kingdom. Member states of that the presence of VX was a deliberate act the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) pro- of tampering with the samples examined in vide logistical support and shipriders to the the United States. MIF and accept vessels diverted for violating On November 26, Iraq agreed to cooper- U.N. sanctions against Iraq. Kuwait was es- ate with UNSCOM efforts to determine the pecially helpful providing significant naval disposition of 155mm shells filled with mus- and coast guard assistance. Additionally, they tard chemical agent, and UNSCOM agreed accepted over 15 diverted sanctions violators. to proceed with such an effort when Although refined petroleum products leav- logistically possible. Iraq also agreed to co- ing Iraq comprise most of the prohibited traf- operate in verifying the tail assemblies of R– fic, the MIF has intercepted a growing num- 400 bombs, and in determining the precise ber of ships smuggling prohibited items into locations of pits that had been used for the Iraq in violation of U.N. sanctions and out- field storage of special warheads at Fallujah side the parameters of the humanitarian oil- Forest and the Tigris Canal. for-food program. In early December, the On November 30, the Iraqis failed to meet MIF conducted the latest in a series of peri- a deadline to provide various documents

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Chairman Butler requested pertaining to discovered; these items are subject to dec- Iraq’s chemical weapons program. Included larations by Iraq and biological monitoring. in this request was the Iraqi Air Force file On November 18 and 20, Chairman Butler of documents found previously by UNSCOM again asked Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister for inspectors that details chemical weapons ex- information concerning Iraq’s biological pended during the Iran-Iraq war. We under- weapons programs. Iraq has supplied none stand that UNSCOM believes the file indi- of the information requested. cates that Iraq’s official declarations to In the January 25, 1999, report to the U.N. UNSCOM have greatly overstated the quan- Security Council President, UNSCOM iden- tities of chemical weapons expended, which tified as a priority biological weapons disar- means that at least 6,000 chemical weapons mament issue Iraq’s incomplete declarations are unaccounted. on ‘‘the whole scope of the BW program.’’ In a January 25, 1999, report to the U.N. The declarations are important because ‘‘Iraq Security Council President, UNSCOM iden- possesses an industrial capability and knowl- tified as a priority chemical weapons disar- edge base, through which biological warfare mament issues: VX, the 155mm mustard agents could be produced quickly and in vol- shells; the Iraqi Air Force file of chemical ume.’’ The report also identified the impor- weapons documents; R–400 bombs filled tance of monitoring dual-use biological with CBW (field inspections needed); and items, equipment, facilities, research, and ac- chemical weapons production equipment quisition at 250 listed sites. The effectiveness (field verification is needed for 18 of 20 ship- of monitoring is ‘‘proportional to Iraq’s co- ping containers UNSCOM knows were operation and transparency, to the number moved together). On monitoring, the report of monitored sites, and to the number of in- identified as priorities the ability to verify spectors.’’ Iraqi compliance at listed facilities and to de- Long-Range Missiles tect construction of new dual-use facilities. Iraq’s past practices of (1) refusing to dis- cuss further its system for concealment of Biological Weapons longer range missiles and their components, Iraq has failed to provide a credible expla- (2) refusing to provide credible evidence of nation for UNSCOM tests that found anthrax its disposition of large quantities of the in fragments of seven SCUD missile war- unique fuel required for the long-range heads. Iraq has been claiming since 1995 that SCUD missile, and (3) continuing to test it put anthrax in only five such warheads, and modifications to SA–2 VOLGA surface-to-air had previously denied weaponizing anthrax missile components appear intended to en- at all. Iraq’s explanations to date are far from hance Iraq’s capability to produce a surface- satisfactory, although it now acknowledges to-surface missile of range greater than its putting both anthrax and botulinum toxin permitted range of 150 km. into some number of warheads. While UNSCOM believes it can account Iraq’s biological weapons (BW) program— for 817 of 819 imported Soviet-made SCUD including SCUD missile BW warheads, R– missiles, Iraq has refused to give UNSCOM 400 BW bombs, drop-tanks to be filled with a credible accounting of the indigenous pro- BW, spray devices for BW, production of BW gram that produced complete SCUD missiles agents (anthrax, botulinum toxin, aflatoxin, that were both successfully test-flown and and wheat cover smut), and BW agent delivered to the Iraqi Army. growth media—remains the ‘‘black hole’’ de- In its January 25, 1999, report to the U.N. scribed by Chairman Butler. Iraq has consist- Security Council President, UNSCOM iden- ently failed to provide a credible account of tified the following as priority missile disar- its efforts to produce and weaponize its BW mament issues: 50 unaccounted SCUD con- agents. ventional warheads; 500 tons of SCUD pro- During the period November 17 to De- pellants, the destruction of which has not cember 2, 1998, an undeclared Class II Bio- been verified; 7 Iraqi-produced SCUDs safety Cabinet and some filter presses were given to the army, the destruction of which

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cannot be verified; truckloads of major com- graph 34 of that plan.’’ The IAEA states that ponents for SCUD production that are miss- the three areas where questions on Iraq’s nu- ing; the concealment of BW warheads; and clear disarmament remain (lack of technical the lack of accounting for VX-filled war- documentation, lack of information on exter- heads. The report identified as priorities the nal assistance to Iraq’s clandestine nuclear capability to monitor declared activities, weapons program, and lack of information leaps in missile technology, and changes to on Iraq’s abandonment of its nuclear weap- declared operational missiles. There are 80 ons program) would not prevent the full im- listed missile sites. plementation of its OMV plan. The IAEA continues to plan for long-term Nuclear Weapons monitoring and verification under Resolution After Iraq unconditionally rescinded its 715. In its February 8 report, the IAEA re- declarations of noncooperation on November stated that monitoring must be ‘‘intrusive’’ 15, the IAEA began to test the Iraqi pledge and estimated annual monitoring costs would of full cooperation. The IAEA Director Gen- total nearly $10 million. eral Mohammed El-Baradei’s December 14 report on Iraqi cooperation stated: ‘‘The Dual-Use Imports Iraqi counterpart has provided the necessary Resolution 1051 established a joint level of cooperation to enable the above-enu- UNSCOM/IAEA unit to monitor Iraq’s im- merated activities [ongoing monitoring] to be ports of allowed dual-use items. Iraq must completed efficiently and effectively.’’ In its notify the unit before it imports specific 6-month report to the Security Council on items that can be used in both weapons of October 7, the IAEA stated that it had a mass destruction and civilian applications. ‘‘technically coherent’’ view of the Iraqi nu- Similarly, U.N. members must provide time- clear program. At that time, the IAEA also ly notification of exports to Iraq of such dual- stated its remaining questions about Iraq’s use items. Following the withdrawal of nuclear program can be dealt with within UNSCOM and IAEA monitors, there is no IAEA’s ongoing monitoring and verification monitoring of dual-use items inside Iraq. (OMV) effort. In the IAEA’s February 8 re- This factor has presented new challenges for port to the U.N. Security Council it reiter- the U.N. Sanctions Committee and is taken ated this position. into consideration in the approval process. Nonetheless, Iraq has not yet supplied in- formation in response to the Security Coun- The U.N.’s ‘‘Oil-for-Food’’ Program cil’s May 14 Presidential Statement. This We continue to support the international statement noted that the IAEA continues to community’s efforts to provide for the hu- have questions and concerns regarding for- manitarian needs of the Iraqi people through eign assistance, abandonment of the pro- the oil-for-food program. Transition from gram, and the extent of Iraqi progress in phase four to phase five (authorized by U.N. weapons design. Iraq has also not passed Security Council Resolution 1210) was penal legislation prohibiting nuclear-related smooth. As in phase four, Iraq is again au- activities contrary to Resolution 687. thorized to sell up to $5.2 billion worth of In a February 8, 1999, report to the U.N. oil every 180 days. However, because of a Secretary Council President, IAEA Director drop in world oil prices, Iraq was only able General Mohammed El-Baradei summarized to pump and sell approximately $3.1 billion previous IAEA assessments of Iraq’s compli- worth of oil during phase four. Since the first ance with its nuclear disarmament and mon- deliveries under oil-for-food began in March itoring obligations. The report restates that 1997, food worth $2.75 billion, and over $497 ‘‘Iraq has not fulfilled its obligation to adopt million worth of medicine and health sup- measures and enact penal laws, to implement plies have been delivered to Iraq. and enforce compliance with Iraq’s obliga- As of January 19, under phase four of the tions under Resolutions 687 and 707, other oil-for-food program, contracts for the pur- relevant Security Council resolutions and the chase of over $2.3 billion worth of humani- IAEA OMV plan, as required under para- tarian goods for the Iraqi people have been

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presented to the U.N. Office of the Iraq Pro- The separate northern program was estab- gram for review by the Sanctions Committee; lished because of the Baghdad regime’s prov- of these, contracts worth over $1.6 billion en disregard for the humanitarian needs of have been approved; most of the remaining the Kurdish, Assyrian, and Turkomen mi- contracts are being processed by the Office norities of northern Iraq, and its readiness of the Iraq Program. As of February 4, the to apply the most brutal forms of repression United States had approved 584 contracts in against them. In northern Iraq, where Bagh- phase four and had placed 28 on hold pend- dad does not exercise control, the oil-for-food ing clarification of questions about the pro- program has been able to operate relatively posed contracts. effectively. The Kurdish factions are setting With regard to funds set aside for imports aside their differences to work together so of parts and equipment to increase oil ex- that Resolution 1210 is implemented as effi- ports, as of February 4, 333 contracts with ciently as possible. a total value of nearly $178 million have been The United Nations is required to monitor approved; 94 contracts are on hold. In Janu- carefully implementation of all aspects of the ary, the United States released a number of oil-for-food program. The current phase holds on oil spare parts contracts. Up to $300 marked by Resolution 1210 anticipates infra- million had been set aside in phase four of structure repairs in areas such as oil export the oil-for-food program to pay for spare capacity, generation of electricity, and water parts and equipment to increase Iraqi oil ex- purification. The U.N. monitoring regime is ports and thus increase available humani- presented with increasing challenges, as tarian funding. The United States had re- UNSCOM monitors are no longer in Iraq. quested holds on contracts that did not di- Humanitarian programs such as oil-for- rectly boost oil exports. As the current phase food have steadily improved the life of the of oil-for-food again sets aside $300 million average Iraqi living under sanctions (who, for for this purpose, the United States decided example, now receives a ration basket provid- to remove holds on lower priority contracts. ing over 2,000 calories per day, a significant The Security Council met in January to improvement in nutrition since the program discuss the humanitarian situation in Iraq. began) while denying Saddam Hussein con- The United States supported an examination trol over oil revenues. We will continue to of the current situation and exploration of work with the U.N. Secretariat, the Security ways to improve the humanitarian situation, Council, and others in the international com- particularly with regard to vulnerable groups munity to ensure that the humanitarian such as children under age five, and pregnant needs of the Iraqi people are met while deny- and nursing women. The United States has ing any political or economic benefits to the expressed its support for lifting the cap on Baghdad regime. Iraqi oil exports under the oil-for-food pro- gram, and has suggested some streamlining Northern Iraq: Kurdish Reconciliation of approval of food and medicine contracts Since their ground-breaking meeting with in the U.N. Sanctions Committee. Secretary Albright in September, Massoud Three assessment panels are being formed Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Demo- to look at Iraqi disarmament, the humani- cratic Party (KDP), and Jalal Talabani, Chair- tarian situation in Iraq, and Iraq’s obligations man of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan regarding Kuwait. The panels are expected (PUK), have met three times to continue to complete their work by the middle of their work towards full reconciliation. Both April. parties have condemned internal fighting, Resolution 1210 maintains a separate oil- pledged to refrain from violence in settling for-food program for northern Iraq, adminis- their differences, and resolved to eliminate tered directly by the United Nations in con- terrorism by establishing stronger safeguards sultation with the local population. This pro- for Iraq’s borders. Our deep concern for the gram, which the United States strongly sup- safety, security, and economic well-being of ports, receives 13 to 15 percent of the funds Iraqi Kurds, Shias, Sunnis, and others who generated under the oil-for-food program. have been subject to brutal attacks by the

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Baghdad regime remains a primary focus of the Iraqi opposition that 150 persons had our Iraq policy. been executed at Amara, with three bodies On November 4, the Governments of Tur- left hanging on the city’s main bridge over key and the United Kingdom joined us in the Tigris River as a warning to those who recognizing and welcoming the cooperative oppose the regime. An additional 172 per- achievement of Mr. Barzani and Mr. sons, some detained since 1991, were re- Talabani. The three states reiterated the im- ported to have been summarily executed in portance of preserving the unity and terri- Abu Gharaib and Radwaniya prisons; as in torial integrity of Iraq and noted, with pleas- prior waives of summary prison killings, bod- ure, the prominence the KDP and PUK have ies showing clear signs of torture were re- accorded this principle. We also welcomed portedly returned to their families. Reports the commitment by the KDP and PUK to reached us in December that a mass grave deny sanctuary to the Kurdistan Workers containing at least 25 bodies was found near Party (PKK), to eliminate all PKK bases from the Khoraisan River in Diyala province, east the region, and to safeguard the Turkish bor- of Baghdad. der. The parties believe that key decisions The Iraqi government continues to work on Iraq’s future should be made by all the toward the destruction of the Marsh Arabs’ Iraqi people together at an appropriate time way of life and the unique ecology of the and in a regular political process. Their work southern marshes. In the past 2 months, 7 to achieve the principles embodied in the more villages were reportedly destroyed on Ankara Statements are thus meant to imple- the margins of the marshes, with irrigation ment a framework of regional administration water cut off and the vegetation cut down until a united, pluralistic, and democratic and burned. Those who could not flee to the Iraq is achieved. interior of the marshes—particularly the old, On January 8, the two leaders met without infirm, women, and children—were said to recourse to U.S., U.K., or Turkish interlocu- have been taken hostage by regime forces. tors, in Salahidin in northern Iraq. They reit- erated their determination to implement the On February 19, the Shia Grand Ayatollah September agreement, made concrete Mohammed al-Sadr was murdered in Iraq progress on key issues of revenue sharing and along with several of his relatives. Opposition closing down PKK bases, and agreed to stay sources indicate this murder was the work in close contact. of the Saddam regime. The regime also vio- The United States is committed to ensur- lently suppressed demonstrations that fol- ing that international aid continues to reach lowed in Baghdad and other cities opposing the north, that the human rights of the Kurds the murder. and northern Iraq minority groups, such as In the north, outside the Kirdish-con- the Turkomen, Assyrians, Yezedis, and others trolled areas, the government continues the are respected, and that the no-fly-zone en- forced expulsion of ethnic Kurds and forced by Operation Northern Watch is ob- Turkomen from Kirkuk and other cities. In served. The United States will decide how recent months, hundreds of families have re- and when to respond should Baghdad’s ac- portedly been expelled from Kirkuk with tions pose an increased threat to Iraq’s neigh- seven new Arab settlements created on land bors, to regional security, to vital U.S. inter- seized from the Kurds. Reports from the ests, and to the Iraqi people, including those Kurdish-controlled areas where the displaced in the north. persons are received indicate that they are forced to leave behind almost all of their per- The Human Rights Situation in Iraq sonal property. Due to a shortage of housing, The human rights situation throughout they are still living in temporary shelters. Iraq continues to be a cause for grave con- A conference on the research and treat- cern. As I reported November 5, the Iraqi ment of victims of chemical and biological army has stepped up repressive operations weapons attacks in northern Iraq, organized against the Shia in the south. In mid-Novem- by the Washington Kurdish Institute and ber, we received unconfirmed reports from sponsored by the Department of State was

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held on November 18–19, 1998. The con- of additional groups that may qualify for as- ference focused on the long-range effects of sistance under the Act is progressing. Also the Iraqi chemical attack on the village of on October 31, Radio Free Iraq began oper- Halabja, where nearly 5,000 persons were ations. Its broadcasts are being heard in Iraq killed in 1988. According to panelists, the and its message profoundly displeases the re- hideous combination of mustard gas, tabun, gime. sarin, VX, tear gas, and possibly aflatoxin that On November 17, Assistant Secretary of the Iraqi military used in the attack has re- State for Near Eastern Affairs, Martin Indyk, sulted in dramatically increased rates of can- met with 17 London-based representatives of cer, respiratory problems, heart failure, infer- the Iraqi opposition. He heard the full range tility, miscarriages, and possibly genetic dam- of views of the parties present, and outlined age in the surviving population. the new U.S. policy toward the opposition. On December 1, the London-based IN- Indyk urged them to work together toward DICT organization announced that 12 senior the common purpose of a new government Iraqi officials—including Saddam Hussein, in Baghdad; the United States will help, but his sons Uday and Qusay, his half-brother the opposition itself must take the lead. He Barzan al-Tikriti, Vice President Taha Yasin urged them to do all they could to get a mes- Ramadan, and Deputy Prime Minister Tariq sage to the people of Iraq that there is an Aziz—would be the focus of its campaign for alternative to Saddam Hussein, adding that prosecution by an international tribunal. the United States will support the campaign The Iraqi government continues to stall to indict Saddam as a war criminal. and obfuscate attempts to account for more Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Adnan than 600 Kuwaitis and third-country nation- Pachachi outlined a number of agreed points als who disappeared at the hands of Iraqi au- to Indyk. The group: 1) welcomed the new thorities during or after the occupation of U.S. policy toward the opposition; 2) will Kuwait, despite a Security Council resolution work to create a democratic government in requiring it to do so. Baghdad still refuses Iraq; 3) will redouble efforts to get all groups to allow independent human rights monitors to work together; 4) wants the opposition to to enter Iraq, despite repeated requests by serve as an interlocutor for the Iraqi people U.N. Special Rapporteur for Iraq, Max Van with the international community; and 5) ex- der Stoel. The U.N. Human Rights Commis- pressed thanks for the U.S. role in the recent sion has issued a strong condemnation of the Kurdish reconciliation. ‘‘all-pervasive repression and oppression’’ of On January 21, Secretary of State Albright the Iraqi government. announced the appointment of Frank Ricciardone as Special Representative for The Iraqi Opposition Transition in Iraq (SRTI). He will abbreviate We are deepening our engagement with his current tour as Deputy Chief of Mission the forces of change in Iraq, helping Iraqis in Ankara, and take up his new responsibil- inside and outside Iraq become a more effec- ities in early March. He traveled with the tive voice for the aspirations of the people. Secretary of State to London, Riyadh, and We will work toward the day when Iraq has Cairo in late January to discuss U.S. policy a government worthy of its people—a gov- on this issue. He outlined U.S. intentions to ernment prepared to live in peace with its help Iraq resume its rightful place in the re- neighbors, a government that respects the gion—a goal the United States believes can rights of its citizens, rather than represses only be achieved under new Iraqi leadership. them. On October 31, I signed into law the He emphasized U.S. desire to work with Iraq Liberation Act of 1998. It provides sig- Iraqis—who alone can make this happen— nificant new discretionary authorities to assist inside Iraq and outside Iraq, as well as with the opposition in its struggle against the re- Iraq’s neighbors who share the same objec- gime. On January 19, I submitted to the Con- tives. gress a notification of my intent to designate There are, of course, other important ele- certain groups under the Act; I designated ments of U.S. policy. These include the those groups on February 4. The assessment maintenance of Security Council support for

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efforts to eliminate Iraq’s prohibited weap- Congress informed about this important ons and missile programs, and economic issue. sanctions that continue to deny the regime Sincerely, the means to reconstitute those threats to William J. Clinton international peace and security. United States support for the Iraqi opposition will NOTE: Identical letters were sent to J. Dennis be carried out consistent with those policy Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives, objectives as well. Similarly, U.S. support and Strom Thurmond, President pro tempore of the Senate. must be attuned to what Iraqis can effectively make use of as it develops over time. Remarks at a Reception for The United Nations Compensation Senator Robert G. Torricelli Commission in Newark, New Jersey The United Nations Compensation Com- March 3, 1999 mission (UNCC), established pursuant to Thank you for the wonderful, wonderful Resolutions 687, 692, and 1210, continues to welcome, and I want to congratulate every- resolve claims against Iraq arising from Iraq’s one who had anything to do with building unlawful invasion and occupation of Kuwait. this magnificent Performing Arts Center. It’s The UNCC has issued over 1.3 million a fabulous place. awards worth approximately $7 billion. Thirty I would like to thank the people whose percent of the proceeds from the oil sales presence brightened our night tonight. I permitted by Security Council resolutions thank Cissy Houston and my friend Kevin have been allocated to the Compensation Spacey. I thank Gloria Gaynor. I was—when Fund to pay awards and to finance operations she was singing her songs, we were all back of the UNCC. Pursuant to decisions of the there singing offstage. And they said, now— UNCC Governing Council, certain small they made me stand way back so no one claims are to receive initial payments of could possibly take an embarrassing picture $2,500 toward the amounts approved on of me pretending that I was young again, and those claims before large claims of individ- off key. And I was trying to decide whether uals and claims of corporations and govern- I was—it was more appropriate for me to ments may share in the funds available for sing ‘‘I Will Survive,’’ or —[laughter]—actu- claims payments. As money from Iraqi oil ally, I sort of like ‘‘I’m Never Going To Say sales is deposited in the Compensation Fund Good-bye’’ better. [Laughter.] the UNCC makes these initial $2,500 pay- I say that because the people of New Jer- ments on eligible claims in the order in which sey have been wonderful to me, and I am those claims were approved by the UNCC. profoundly grateful. I remember so well my To date, the United States Government has first big political event here—Bob received funds from the UNCC for initial in- Janiszewski had me there—and thank you, stallment payments on approximately 1435 Bob, and all the people from that magnificent claims of U.S. claimants. county Democratic organization. And I had lost my voice that night, and they stuck with me anyway, which I really appreciate. Conclusion I’d like to thank Congressman Payne, Con- Iraq remains a serious threat to inter- gressman Pallone, Congressman Holt, and national peace and security. I remain deter- Congressman Rothman for flying up on Air mined to see Iraq comply fully with all of Force One with me tonight and for doing its obligations under Security Council resolu- New Jersey proud every day in the United tions. The United States looks forward to the States Congress. And I want to thank Mayor day when Iraq rejoins the family of nations Sharpe James and the other mayors and State as a responsible and law-abiding member. I assembly people who met me at the airport. appreciate the support of the Congress for And I thank Charles Kushner and Steve Ross our efforts and shall continue to keep the for doing a great job on this event tonight.

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I thank your State Democratic chairman, grateful to have had the chance to participate Tom Giblin, and your assembly leader, Joe in what we have done together as a nation. Doria, who tells me we have a chance to win But I want to say to you in more pointed the assembly this year. And I want you to and more specific terms what Bob just said. do that. This country has been through a lot in the And most of all, I want to thank Bob last 10, 15 years. We’ve had a lot of triumph. Torricelli for many things, for being a great We’ve overcome a lot of economic and social advocate. He is a ferocious advocate for New trauma. And the easy thing to do when things Jersey, for America, for democracy and are going well is to relax, maybe even go back human rights throughout the world; now, for to the old ways, go back to the stand patter. the proposition that it’s high time the Demo- And I have to tell you that I think that would crats took back the Senate, and he’s leading be a terrible mistake. our campaign committee. And he has been I am encouraged that the American people my friend, in good times and bad. And I will agree. In 1998, when our party picked up never forget it. I’m honored to be here to- seats in the House of Representatives for the night. first time in the 6th year of a Presidency since Bob was up here talking, and I thought: 1822—including Russ Holt—it happened be- Shoot, he’s giving my speech; I won’t have cause we had the national agenda. We didn’t anything to say when I get out there. [Laugh- stand back and say, ‘‘Vote for us because ter] Let me just say to all of you, again, I we’ve got a surplus. Vote for us because am profoundly grateful that the people of we’ve got a good economy.’’ We said, ‘‘Vote New Jersey twice voted to give their electoral for us because we have a chance to meet votes to the Vice President and to me. I am the big challenges still facing this country. grateful that Hillary and I and all of us in Vote for us, and we will save Social Security. our administration had the chance to serve We will modernize our schools. We will pass these last 6 years, to work to create the condi- the Patients’ Bill of Rights. We will keep the tions and give the American people the tools American economy going in the right direc- that brought us to this day. How different tion. We have an agenda.’’ this is than America was 6 years ago. And so I say tonight, the thing I like most And I am grateful for that. I don’t for a about Bob Torricelli is if you didn’t want to moment claim all the credit for every good be a Senator to have the honor of the title, thing that has happened in this country, but he wanted to be a Senator to get up every I do believe when I came to the people of day and get something done to help the lives New Jersey in 1992 and said we needed to of ordinary people in New Jersey, in the change the direction of this country; we need United States, and throughout the world. to go back to a commitment to give oppor- And I can say to you—so many of you tunity to every responsible citizen; and we came through the line and said something need to remind the American people that specific to me about the peace process in the we’re all one community across all the lines Middle East or democracy in Asia or in our that divide us; and that we can only do well own hemisphere or some specific domestic individually if we’re committed to giving program, when we were visiting earlier, those every American and every American family of you who came through and talked to me— and every American community the chance I think it is important that if the Democratic to be a part of the future we dream for our Party wishes to be the majority party over own children. the long run, in the Congress and in the And I’m glad and grateful that we have White House, that we continue to be both the lowest peacetime unemployment rate the conscience and the engine of America’s since 1957 and the longest peacetime eco- civic life. nomic expansion in history and the lowest We have big challenges. If I haven’t crime rate in 30 years and welfare rolls cut learned anything in the last 6 years, it is how in half and 90 percent of our kids immunized quickly things are changing within and be- for the first time ever and the doors of col- yond our borders and what a terrible mistake lege open to all Americans. I am simply it is to believe that, just because things are

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good today, they’ll be just fine tomorrow if ness loans will be lower; college loans will you don’t do anything else. That would be be lower; consumer credit will be lower; a significant mistake. home mortgages will be lower. There will be So I just want to say three or four things. more jobs, higher income, and more prosper- I ask for your support, for your Members ity. of Congress and for your Senator. And I ask Now, the easy thing to do is to say, ‘‘We’ve you to fight for these things in the coming got this surplus. We’ve waited 30 years. Let’s years when you have the election this year give it away. Let’s give it back to the Amer- in New Jersey, next year for the Senate and ican people in a tax cut because it’s your the Congress races and in the Presidency. money anyway.’’ Well, it is your money, any- Number one, we have got to face the fact way, but you would be better off with a that like every advanced country in the world, strong, healthy American economy and pre- we are getting older as a nation. There will serving our obligations for the 21st century, be twice as many people over 65 in 30 years saving Social Security and Medicare. And as there are now. There will only be two peo- that is what we ought to do. ple working for every one person retired and We can do that and still have a sizable tax drawing Social Security. The present system cut and invest more in education and meet cannot be sustained unless we do something our national security needs. But we ought to about it. And I do not think what we should put first things first. And we will rue the day do about it is forget about it, because half that we missed the opportunity to meet our the people in America today over 65 are out obligations to the next generation of elderly of poverty only because, in addition to their and to lift from their children and grand- other income, they draw Social Security. children the burden of knowing that they So I have said the first thing we’ve got to have to care for their parents more than they do is deal with the challenge of the aging of America, which means we have to save should and their incomes will be eroded. Social Security; we have to save Medicare We can make the 21st century more se- for the 21st century. And the right way to cure, more vital, and economically stronger. do it—the right way to do it is to realize that That is the first and most important mission it is also an enormous opportunity if we do we have. We have to do more for the children it properly. and families of the 21st century. We’re a long I want to set aside a little over three-quar- way from guaranteeing excellence in edu- ters of this surplus that we think will come cation for every child. I have loved going into out in the next 15 years until we save Social the schools of New Jersey. I have loved see- Security and Medicare. Since we don’t need ing the proliferation of computer technology the money right away, in the ensuing 15 years for poor students and immigrant families, as we can buy in the debt. And if we pay down well as for those of middle class and upper- the public debt for 15 years with this surplus, income children and their families. But we let me tell you what will happen. Fifteen have a long way to go, and we have to do years from now our country will have the better. smallest debt it’s had since 1917, before we We have a long way to go before we can went into World War I. Fifteen years from honestly say that we have made it possible now, when your Members of Congress go for every working family in this country to to vote on the budget, instead of taking 13 succeed both at work and in raising their chil- cents of every dollar you pay in taxes off the dren. That’s why we have a major child care top to pay interest on the debt, it will be initiative. I cannot tell you how many million down to 2 cents. And they will be putting families every day are confronted with nag- the money into Social Security, into Medi- ging worries—even in this prosperous econ- care, into education, into medical research, omy—about whether they can meet their ob- into protecting the environment, into grow- ligations at work and still afford quality child ing the economy, into building America. care for their kids. And I will not rest until And in the meanwhile, because we’ll be I believe every American family can do both doing that, interest rates will be lower; busi- and take care of their children and their job.

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I am proud that the air is cleaner and the we’re trying to do in Kosovo to head off an- water is cleaner and there are fewer toxic other bloodshed, what I’d still like to do on waste dumps and the environment is making the Indian subcontinent and other places in progress. And I am proud of the fact that the world, what we’ve tried to do in helping the Democrats proved that you could grow to end tribal wars in Africa, you think about the economy and improve the environment it. Here we are, on the verge of a new millen- at the same time, something our friends in nium in this high-tech age, and what are we the other party always denied. That is not worried about? We’re worried about people true. You can grow the economy and improve getting hold of high-technology information the environment at the same time. But we and weapons to pursue ancient hatreds or now have a $2 billion livability agenda before age-old greed, whether they’re organized the Congress that’s terribly important to me. criminals or drug traffickers or people fight- Why? Because it will help communities deal ing these awful religious and racial wars all with everything from traffic congestion to the across the world. need for more green space, it will help us If you want America to do good in the 21st to set aside precious lands in urban areas and century, America first must be good at home. remote wilderness, and we ought to do it to We must be a country of all Americans under continue our work. the law. And I have said this before, but I And let me just say one last thing that you, have tried to make the Democratic Party and here in New Jersey, know is true. Not every our administration faithful to the traditions neighborhood in every city or every small not only of Jefferson and Jackson and Frank- town or every rural area has participated in lin Roosevelt but also to those of Abraham this recovery. And I have asked the Congress Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. We have to pass a comprehensive plan to create new embraced the best of America’s past, to pre- markets for American business and new jobs pare for America’s best days in the 21st cen- right here at home, by giving the same kind tury. And I can’t think of any Member of of incentives to people to invest and create Congress who can do more to give us the private sector jobs in poor urban and rural kind of America that all our children deserve and small town neighborhoods that we al- than Bob Torricelli. ready give people to invest overseas. If it Thank you, and God bless you. works there, it will work here, and we should support it. NOTE: The President spoke at 8:04 p.m. in Pru- Finally, let me make one other point. dential Hall at the New Jersey Performing Arts We’ve had a wonderful night, and I don’t Center. In his remarks, he referred to entertainers have to give my State of the Union Address Cissy Houston, Kevin Spacey, and Gloria Gaynor; to you again. But if you asked me today what Hudson County Executive Bob Janiszewski; is the distinguishing characteristic of what it Mayor Sharpe James of Newark; event cochairs Charles Kushner and Steve Moses; and State As- is we have tried to do, Senator Torricelli and sembly Minority Leader Joseph V. Doria, Jr. I and our allies over the last 6 years, and what is the difference between what you have tried to do and what those who have opposed Interview With Janet Langhart you have tried to do, I would say it is this: Cohen of the Armed Forces Number one, we believe that we have an ob- Television Network ligation to give every single American the ability to live out his or her dream. And num- February 25, 1999 ber two, we believe that with all that divides us, by race, by region, by culture, by religion, President’s Impression of Personnel by lifestyle, by whatever, we still have to Mrs. Cohen. Mr. President, thanks very make one family. much for this interview. I want to talk about When some of you were going through the your impressions of our military. You get a line tonight saying thank you for what you’ve chance to travel all over the world and see done in the Middle East, thank you for what our men and women in uniform. What is you’ve tried to do in Northern Ireland, what your impression of them?

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The President. Well, first of all, I do have I ask direct questions, and I always feel I’m a unique opportunity to see them, in all kinds getting direct answers. of settings—formal settings in my tour of Korea last December; going to the launching Rigors of Military Life of the U.S.S. Harry Truman. But I have Mrs. Cohen. What do you think the been, just in the last couple of years, in the American citizen should know and under- last 2 years, on 30 different occasions with stand about the military? Because when you our men and women in uniform, and I see and I were coming up, there was always them doing national security work overseas; somebody in the family who was in the mili- I see them in training operations here and tary, or somebody in the neighborhood. overseas; I see them dealing with disaster sit- Nowadays, we don’t see them on the street. uations. I will see some of them in Central The President. Well, I think most Ameri- America in the next few weeks when I go cans do know and admire the fact that we down there, dealing with the aftermath of have the best military in the world. They Hurricane Mitch. And the overwhelming im- know that we have the most high-tech equip- pression that you get is that they’re not only ment. They know that our people are well- superb at what they do but that they’re really trained. I think most Americans know they’re good people and good citizens. That kind of good people, fine men and women. What I teamwork that is required to pull off a mili- don’t think most Americans know is how hard tary mission is something that they bring to they work all the time. I don’t think Ameri- all their work in life. cans who aren’t involved in the military have I remember, I talked to a command ser- any idea how rigorous most of the training geant major in Korea who can still run under schedules are and what is involved. That’s a 6-minute mile; he’s in his late forties. And the first thing. he’s been in the Army 29 years, and he’s re- The second thing is, I don’t think most tiring. I said, ‘‘What are you going to do when Americans know how diverse the operations you get out?’’ He said, ‘‘I’m going home to are. And the third thing, maybe the most im- portant thing in terms of this budget we’re Kentucky to teach school, because I think trying to push on Capitol Hill, I don’t think I can do some good for those young people.’’ most Americans know how tough it can be So I see this. And I always try, when I today on the families. I don’t think they’re am with our men and women in uniform, aware of how—with a smaller military and not only to get briefed in a formal way on fewer big engagements but a lot more small what their mission is on a particular day but ones—how much deployment is involved. I also to find out a little bit about their lives, don’t think they understand how quickly how their families are doing, how many times these people have to come in from being that they’ve been deployed, how are they overseas or come in from being on a ship dealing with that. And whenever possible, I or being in a foreign land and then turn always try to take a meal with them, so that around and go back again. enables me to connect with a lot of them Mrs. Cohen. And the stress on their fami- individually and get a real feel for what’s lies. going on. The President. Yes. I don’t think—the Mrs. Cohen. How do you feel they con- family stress thing bothers me as much as nect with you? What impression are you get- anything right now, about where we are with ting when they talk to you and answer your the military. questions? The President. Well, I find them very Military Budget Proposal confident, self-confident, and very forthcom- Mrs. Cohen. What are some of the things ing, very candid. that you took into account, the factors, the Mrs. Cohen. Are they open with you? decisions you made on pay raise, The President. Yes, I think they are. I retirement—— think they are, I guess as open as you could The President. Well, they were sending ever be with someone who is in my position. us a signal. We’ve got a lot of people retiring,

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and we’re having trouble meeting some of lies, in their quality of life, but they wouldn’t our recruitment quotas. Now, part of that is like it if, in so doing, we made it impossible a high-class problem; it’s a result of the suc- for them to fulfill the mission they joined the cess of the American economy. And with the military to perform in the first place. So that’s unemployment rate under 4.5 percent, wages the real conflict. rising at twice the rate of inflation now for the last couple of years, there are so many Postsecondary Education compelling opportunities for young people Mrs. Cohen. Sir, what I was thinking is outside the military that it’s harder to recruit the mid-life, the mid-career recruits that we and retain. We see it in Air Force pilots, but have—they’re thinking: Well, I’ve been in we also see it in enlistees in the Navy and half my adult life; I have children; I may have the Army. We see it across the board. So to educate them in college. On their pay, it’s obvious to me that we need to raise pay, they can’t afford to educate their children. and we needed to fix that so-called retire- Can there be a GI bill for—— ment redux problem, you know, that I be- The President. One of the things we lieve the Congress will go along with fixing helped a little at—I should point that out, this year. I haven’t mentioned it—the Defense De- Mrs. Cohen. Sir, with all due respect, you partment is also working on changing the pay offered the highest budget proposal in a long scales, so that the rewards will ramp up more time—ever. But is it enough when you talk for people who stay in longer as they reach about the things we’re asking of them to do? different levels of achievement and service. They’re at the tip of the sword. I don’t know And keep in mind now, the children of how much money anybody could pay me to military personnel are eligible for all the fi- get me, at a moment’s notice, to go to Bosnia nancial benefits that we put out there for and stay there and leave my family. middle class families generally. I mean, now, The President. Well, I think the real for example, in the first 2 years of college, question is—this is what we’re working out virtually all American families can get a with the Congress now—there is sentiment $1,500 tax credit—and if you’re in the 28 per- in the Congress to have an entire pay in- cent tax bracket, that’s like $6,000 worth of crease, and I think that, from the Secretary tuition—plus a dramatic increase in the of Defense, the Joint Chiefs to the White scholarships, and a lowering of the cost of House, we would all support that. But we the student loans, and tax credits for all other have to operate within a given budget ceiling, higher education. so we have to measure what we need to do So I think that we need to make sure our for our troops and their families off against military families know about all these bene- the absolute imperative of being able to pay fits and make sure they can take advantage for training, which is more and more expen- of them, but I think on that score they’ll be sive—the more sophisticated the equipment all right. I’m more worried about just wheth- is, the more expensive it is to train on it, er the pay itself and the retirement are suffi- which is why we developed so many com- cient to allow good people to feel they can puter simulations and programs—and the stay in, take care of their children, and know need to continue to modernize the equip- they’ll be all right when they get out. ment. You don’t want a bunch of equipment out there that you can’t run because you Recruitment don’t have spare parts, you haven’t kept up- Mrs. Cohen. Do you think it’s enough for graded to high safety conditions. recruitment? While it may be enough for re- So in the best of all worlds, is it enough? tention because they’re already invested, can No, I don’t think so. I’d like to do more. we do more on recruitment? But if we’re going to do more, then we need The President. I don’t know; we’ll see. to work it out with Congress so we’re not You and I were talking before we started the robbing Peter to pay Paul. I mean, most of interview about this new innovative program our men and women in uniform would like the Navy is doing, and I hope that the higher it if we invested more in them, in their fami- pay, plus the better retirement benefits, will

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make a difference in recruitment this year. world and without a dominant military oppo- We’ll just have to see. But I think that we nent, like the Soviet Union; that for 10 years all have to be honest: On the recruitment now, we’ve been trying to work out how we side, the biggest problem is the rest of the can fairly fulfill our responsibilities to pro- economy is doing so well, and the young peo- mote peace and freedom and prosperity, con- ple we’ve been getting in the military—we’ve sistent with our ability to afford it and the got fairly high standards for who can get in need for our allies to assume their fair share in the first place. of responsibility. And our military people have been on the Benefits of a Military Career cutting edge of this sea change. In the whole Mrs. Cohen. If you were to do a pitch history of America, there has never been a right now for those we already have, what period like this, ever. We’ve either gone into would you say as to why they should stay? isolationism as soon as a war was over, or Because they’re certainly not in it for the we got thrown into the cold war for the last money. 50 years, before the end of the cold war. And The President. I would say, first of all, I would hope that they would be very proud if you stay until you’ve got enough time in of that, the idea that other nations would to retire, you’ll still be young; you’ll still have trust the United States, for example, to come a whole other career you can work. We’re into Bosnia, to deal with this crisis in Kosovo, going to do our best to get our budget on to stand guard on the border with the U.N. a plane where we’ll be paying you better. troops in Macedonia, to stay in Korea dec- We’re going to accelerate the maintenance ades after the end of the Korean war, be- of quality of life, improvement of those bene- cause they know we have no territorial ambi- fits. We’re going to improve the retirement tions, because they know we don’t seek to system for those for whom it was a problem. impose our will on other countries. They And the work you’re doing is profoundly im- really know we’re there for peace and secu- portant to the country. We need good people rity. to do it. And the skills you acquire in doing And it’s sometimes dangerous, sometimes it will make you even more marketable when boring, sometimes disruptive because of the you leave. rapid number of deployments that we have. I see people all the time getting out of But all of them should understand that the service. Maybe it’s just my perspective they’re part of a profound historic trans- since I’m not young anymore, but you can formation in the world. And if we do this do—a lot of these people doing 25, 26, 27 right, when we get through, the United years, and they’re still not 50 years old yet. States will share responsibilities for security So they’ve got another 20 years or more to with other democracies in a balanced and fair do something else with their lives. So I would way and will be doing it in a way that is quite hope that if we can make the quality of their effective. life situation better for them, that more will I mean, one of the things that our people choose to stay. ought to be proud of is how effective they are in Bosnia, for example; how effective they Importance of the Mission are in the aftermath of the hurricane in Cen- Mrs. Cohen. What would you say, sir, to tral America. the men and women serving in our hotspots, Mrs. Cohen. Give me some examples, from Bosnia to the Persian Gulf to Korea, human stories, in Bosnia and then Central even those who are down in Central America America. helping with relief—what would you say to The President. Oh, I got lots of letters them, why their missions are important, why from Bosnia, people who—I got wonderful it is important to those of us here at home? letters from service people in Bosnia, men The President. Well, first I would say that and women who went over there having they’re really the first generation of Amer- questions about why they were going, was ican troops to serve a United States that is it worth it, was it going to be dangerous. both the dominant military power in the Then they got involved with people in the

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communities nearby, with children. They un- fend ourselves, just as we’ve had in Bosnia. derstood—they saw the incredible tragedy of And the more vigorous our right to defend the carnage that existed before we went ourselves, the less likely it is we’ll ever have there. And these soldiers who write me these to do it. letters, or when I go over there—the second But anyway, to go back to the first ques- time I went over there, telling me how tion, the difference in this and Bosnia is that they—how proud they were; it was the right this movement reflects the continued devel- thing to do. opment within Europe of security capacity I never will forget one prominent officer and the idea that the Europeans have that who went to Haiti, who told me—he said, they should take the lead for their own secu- ‘‘You know, when you sent us down there, rity. So this time, all we have been asked I just didn’t know about that, but I’m glad to do within NATO is to put up 14 percent we gave those people a chance to save their of the troops. But it’s a critical 14 percent country.’’ because it bolsters the confidence in our I think that of all ranks and all walks of NATO allies that there really is a European life, our military people, they get caught up alliance, number one; and number two, the in actually seeing what they can do. The mili- Kosovar Albanians want us there, which is tary is the most well-organized operation in interesting. Most Americans didn’t know a our society, so you can only imagine the con- thing about Kosovo or Albania until this trast between going into a war zone or a soci- whole thing started. But those folks knew ety that is totally dissolved over racial or eth- about America. They knew about the Amer- nic or religious hatreds. To a little child who ican military, and they trust them to keep is used to living in chaos, seeing the United their word and do what they say they’re going States as a symbol of both order and good- to do. So that’s an enormous thing. ness, both things, is astonishing. And what So we’ll go in there if, in fact, it happens— I mostly hear back from the members of the and I hope it does—with only 14 percent of Armed Services is when they see that and the force in the NATO command, working they see the human reaction it evokes and with perhaps other countries as well, like we they see what it does for the image of the work alongside Russians in Bosnia. That’s United States in those areas, most of them one of the reasons that the mission has been are very proud to have done what they have a success. But this one reflects the continuing done. maturity and strength of the European ca- pacity for self-defense. And I think it’s going Kosovo about the way we want. We think that they Mrs. Cohen. You talked about Kosovo. It’s should do more for themselves, but we also very timely right now. What are we going want to maintain our tie to the Europeans. to do? Are we going in on the ground? Are we going to be just that 10 percent of NATO, Accomplishments Past and Present or are we going to be the dominant force? Mrs. Cohen. Sir, this is my last question. Who is going to command people who go Everyone lately has been talking about ‘‘The in on the ground? Greatest Generation,’’ from Tom Brokaw on The President. Well, first of all, unless down to ‘‘Saving Private Ryan.’’ I think this there is an agreement between both parties, is one of the greatest generations, the men we will not go in on the ground, because we and women serving now. What would you didn’t go in on the ground in Bosnia until say to them? Because I remember the day we had an agreement—everybody had to that we went to Normandy in 1994, and that agree—because we were a peacekeeping had to be—time for you. What would you force, not a war force designed to win a vic- say to the people serving now, if we look back tory and then enforce the peace. 50 years from now, as to their contribution? Mrs. Cohen. But we will defend our- The President. Well, I would say that ob- selves. viously what they’re doing may not be as dra- The President. Absolutely. We’ll have vig- matic as landing on Omaha Beach, and I cer- orous rules of engagement if necessary to de- tainly hope it won’t be as dangerous, ever.

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But what we know about World War II, look- And if people in my position, the decision- ing back, is that even though after World War makers, if we don’t mess it up, then the mili- II there was this long twilight struggle of the tary will know that they were part of literally cold war, it may be that World War II was building the world different from any in all the last war of mass slaughter of nation- previous history. And that’s—I think that’s states, certainly in Europe, because we stood a legacy to be proud of. up against the totalitarian dictatorships of Mrs. Cohen. It’s one you should be proud Nazi Germany and their allies. of, too. Thank you very much for this inter- So it was of historic significance because, view. Thank you, sir. in the aftermath of World War I, we hope f at least that it nailed the coffin, at least in the West and other more well-developed Opportunities for Women and Minorities countries, on mass warfare by nations. And huge—millions and millions and millions of Mrs. Cohen. The recent mission that we people died. had was Desert Fox. And we were fortunate Then the cold war, we hope, brought an at Christmas to be on the ‘‘Big E,’’ on the end to the world being divided between com- U.S.S. Enterprise, and we met a lot of the munism and freedom. But what these people Navy pilots, and some of them were women. are doing, and what 50 years from now their Could you talk about that? The President. Yes. You know, we’ve had children and their grandchildren will be able now, for a few years, women in combat pilot to look back and see, is that they are erecting roles, and they’ve performed very well. And a defense for the 21st century. They are deal- I think, to me, the most important thing is ing with a hundred little problems, each of that this was done in Desert Fox without a which could become a big problem and could lot of fanfare. The military did it without a swallow the world up. They are making the lot of fanfare, and the women pilots them- world safe for genuine self-determination, for selves did it without a lot of fanfare. They freedom, for free commerce, for free ex- worked for a long time; they trained for a change of ideas, in a way that no generation long time; they waited for a long time. And has ever tried to do or had to do before, be- when their chance came to do their job, they cause the world is so interconnected and one did their job without making a big deal of of these little problems can become a forest it, and they did it very, very well. fire and spread around. So I like the fact that it was done and the So they really—I think 50 years from now, way it was done. I think since I’ve been Presi- when they look back, they will see that they dent we’ve opened something like 250,000 didn’t bring an end to an era of slaughter duty positions to women that were not open the way the World War II generation did, previously. And it’s making a big difference. with heroism and great sacrifice, but they did And there all these disputed areas of training, put America’s military might to work in deployment areas, but I think that the dis- building a new world, which is something putes should not be allowed to obscure the that I think their children and grandchildren underlying reality that the military has dealt will be very, very proud of. And there is no with the gender difference in the same way doubt that the United States could not have it dealt over time with racial differences, to done it by economic power alone. Without open up a maximum number of roles and our military alliances, without the expansion give people the maximum opportunity to live of NATO, without the deployment in Bosnia, up to their own ability. without our ability to continue to try to stop We were talking before about the pardon bad things from happening and weapons of I gave posthumously to Henry Flipper, who mass destruction in the Middle East, without was the first African-American graduate of our willingness to stay on the Korean Penin- West Point, remarkable engineer, good sol- sula to try to stabilize situations there and dier, unfairly discharged. He was cleared of work through the other tensions in Asia, we his dishonorable discharge over 20 years ago would not have been able to do this. but never given a pardon, I think because

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we had never given a posthumous pardon be- So, in a funny way, most southerners were fore. But the Defense Department and I very at a—most white southerners were at a dis- much wanted to do it. advantage in dealing with the civil rights rev- We gave the fourth star to Benjamin O. olution because they were raised with more Davis not very long ago in tribute to the explicit racial prejudice. But some of us were Tuskegee Airmen. I think that looking back- actually at an advantage because we had ward is really a way of—in this context—is more human contact with African-Americans a way of ensuring you’ll continue to go for- before others did, and if we were lucky ward. It’s a way of reminding us how far enough to have parents or grandparents that we’ve come and what we missed when we taught us differently, I think it made a dif- deny any group of people who wanted to con- ference. tribute to our military the chance to do so. So I think those two things, you know, and And I hope that this forward movement will just in my family—we always had sympathy continue. for the underdog, too. We never believed it I mean, there will always be controversies was right to keep anybody down. And we around the edges, rules to be worked out, were all raised, all of us, never to build our- difficulties to be dealt with, but when you selves up because there was somebody else give patriotic Americans who want to serve we could look down on. and who can serve well, the chance to do And I think that’s—if you think about it, it, you win. if you generalize that, really that psycho- logical problem is at the bottom of a lot of Mrs. Cohen. Sir, if I may I ask you a per- this racial and ethnic hatred around the sonal question, you have been a champion world. A lot of these groups themselves are of diversity, you have always defended and deprived of opportunity. They’ve had eco- stood up for the underdog, whether it’s gen- nomic adversity, had all kinds of diversity, der, whether it’s race, whether it’s age, and a lot of them, frankly are taught as whether even it’s orientation. Where does groups that what gives meaning to their lives that come from? is that they’re not a member of this other The President. I think two things in my group; at least they’ve got somebody to look long-ago past. First of all, with regard to down on. And I just thank the Lord nearly women, my mother was widowed when I was every day that I was—it didn’t have anything born, and she was off studying to be a nurse. to do with me—I was lucky enough to have My grandparents raised me until I was 4. My grandparents and a mother, a family situation grandmother worked, as well as my grand- where I was taught differently. father; my grandmother was a nurse. So I Mrs. Cohen. Well, we’re lucky that we had always been around women who had to have a President who feels that way. work to make a contribution to their family’s The President. Thank you. Thank you, welfare. And so I think from early childhood Janet. I always was particularly sensitive to any kind of discrimination against women or just de- NOTE: The interview began at 11:10 a.m. on Feb- nial of opportunity. And I was always sort ruary 25 aboard Air Force One en route to Tuc- of rooting for them because of my mother son, AZ, but was released by the Office of the and my grandmother. Press Secretary on March 4. A tape was not avail- able for verification of the content of this inter- And on the race thing, I think it was be- view. cause of my grandfather and the fact that when I was a child he had a little grocery store in a predominantly black area of this Remarks on the 150th Anniversary of little town we lived in. Most of the customers the Department of the Interior were black. And most of what I learned about March 4, 1999 people and human nature and treating every- body the same and also discrimination, I Thank you very much. Ladies and gentle- learned as a little boy just listening and men, it’s wonderful to be here today. I want watching and observing and being taught. to thank the Great American Indian Dancers.

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I got to watch on the screen, off the stage, Hillary and I were deeply privileged to and I thought they were wonderful. And I know Justice Blackmun and his wonderful want to thank Dagmar and Mark for their wife of 58 years, Dottie, for quite a long presentations and for the employees they while. I saw up close Harry Blackmun’s in- represent. tense passion—his passion for the welfare of Mark, that was a pretty shameless pander the American people, for defending our lib- to Bruce Babbitt, though. [Laughter] If that erties and our institutions, for moving us for- doesn’t get you a raise, nothing will. [Laugh- ward together. We send our respect and our ter] prayers to Dottie and to his three daughters. And I would like to say Secretary Babbitt To the millions of Americans whose voices has spent a lot of his time putting out fires, he heard and whose rights he defended, to both figuratively and literally, some of which the countless numbers of us who knew and I lit. [Laughter] And I thank him for that loved him, Harry Blackmun’s life embodied and for his remarkable loyalty to this depart- the admonition of the prophet, Micah: He ment. I got kind of tickled when he said that did justice, and he loved mercy. And now, talking to one of you reminded him of drink- he walks humbly with his God. Thank you ing water from a fire hydrant. Sometimes I very much. feel like the fire hydrant looking at a pack of dogs. [Laughter] 150th Anniversary For 6 years I have declined to tell these kinds of jokes because I have been told re- Now, let me say that I’ve been wanting peatedly it is not Presidential. [Laughter] But to come over here to thank you for a long I feel kind of outdoorsy today, you know. time. I don’t know that there has ever been [Laughter] a President who has benefited more, in per- I would like to also say to all of you, I sonal ways at important times of his life, from really appreciated the Secretary both featur- the Department of the Interior. I was raised ing these two fine employees and talking in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, the about the other appointees. I know we have first city in America to contain a national some previous administration appointees park. I spent my first 18 years in a state that who have left to go on to other things here is more than half-covered with pine and in the audience. I thank all of you who have hardwood forests, which is why Mike served by my appointment and all of you who Gauldin had a little trouble appreciating Ari- serve by choice in this department. zona. [Laughter] When I finished law school, I went home Death of Justice Harry A. Blackmun to the hills of northwest Arkansas and spent I have some remarks to make, but I hope some of the happiest days of my life on the that you will forgive me if I mention a few Buffalo River, the very first river set aside words about a great American citizen who under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers deeply loved the natural beauty of his native Act. Minnesota. Justice Harry Blackmun died this Today, my family and I have the great morning, at the age of 90. In 24 years on honor of living in the most beautiful home the Supreme Court, he served with compas- under the care of the National Park System. sion, distinction, and honor. Every decision Sometimes it feels more like a zoo than a and every dissent was firmly grounded in the park, but I love it. Now, my lease is up in Constitution he revered, and his uncanny feel one year, 10 months, and 16 days—[laugh- for the human element that lies just beneath ter]—but who’s counting? [Laughter] the surface of all serious legal argument. Perhaps more than any other department You can see his mind and heart at work of the Federal Government, the Interior De- in the landmark decision he wrote protecting partment really does embody the history of women’s rights to reproductive freedom, and our country: The story of manifest destiny in his decisions to make the promise of civil and the great western expansion; the story rights actually come alive in the daily exist- of fertile fields rising from arid desert; of ence of the American people. people rising from the depths of the Great

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Depression; or the nation marshaling the re- of redwoods—and I have—who have seen sources to win two World Wars; a story of the tangle of ferns at your feet and the living scientific discovery and relentless explo- canopy reaching high overhead, knows that ration; a story of our country’s struggles to these ancient forests are as much a part of recognize the dignity and independence and our legacy, as I said, as the world’s great ca- sovereignty, and expand the opportunity of thedrals. Thank you for making them safe for our first citizens, our Native Americans; a all time. story of the efforts of this country to expand We should also be proud that over the last the horizons and make real the promise of 6 years we’ve set aside vast unspoiled areas America for all Americans, as Secretary Har- of the Mojave Desert, designating three new old Ickes did when he invited the incom- national parks. We put a stop to a massive parable Marian Anderson to sing from the mining operation that threatened Yellow- steps of the Lincoln Memorial 60 years ago, stone, the world’s first national park. To pro- in 1939. Most of all, as Secretary Babbitt has tect Utah’s stunning red rock canyons, we proved every day, it is the story of our inten- created the Grand Staircase-Escalante Na- sifying determination as a people to conserve tional Monument and completed the largest and restore our precious natural resources. land exchange in the continental United In 1849, when this Department was States. launched, with a headquarter staff of 10, and And I have to tell you, I just returned from a budget of $14,200, it lacked a unifying pur- Utah, where the rest of my family went ski- pose—hard to imagine you could do much ing, and I thought about it. [Laughter] And more than one thing with that kind of money. I was so pleased that any number of people, [Laughter] Today, with a much larger staff after all the flak we took—any number of and a considerably larger budget, the con- people came up to me, just on the street, trast is remarkable. and said, ‘‘Mr. President, you might have Under Bruce Babbitt’s leadership, every- been right about that. I think this is going thing this department does is guided by the to work out fine, and I’m glad we saved that unifying purpose of stewardship. As wise and land.’’ dedicated stewards, you act in the recogni- tion that all of us are but brief visitors on And in a project that has been particularly this small planet. You understand that every- close to my heart because I have also been thing we want for our children depends on there, we are restoring the Florida Ever- protecting the forests, the streams, the glades, the largest restoration project ever deserts that were here so very long before undertaken in our Nation’s history. we came along. Today, the ‘‘Department of That is quite a legacy. But we have much, Everything Else,’’ as it was once called, is much more to do. This year, the last of this and forever will be the ‘‘Department of Stew- century, we must dedicate ourselves not to ardship.’’ And for that, I thank you all. resting on these accomplishments but to Using a skillful touch, but not a heavy building on them. hand, you have achieved remarkable things. First, we must preserve more precious Many have been mentioned today, but be- lands. I will soon send the Congress a plan cause they’re so important to me, I want to to bestow the highest level of wilderness pro- thank you personally for them. Three years tection on more than 5 million acres of back- ago, we set out on a mission to preserve Cali- country lands within Yellowstone, Glacier, fornia’s Headwaters Forest, the world’s larg- and other national parks. In these vast re- est unprotected stand of old-growth red- gions, the roar of bulldozers and chainsaws woods. Three days ago, you did it. We did never again will drown out the call of the it. And aren’t we glad? wild. Thanks to the tireless efforts of so many I’m also proposing an unprecedented $1 people here and at your sister agency, billion Lands Legacy Initiative, which Sec- NOAA, not one of the magnificent trees of retary Babbitt mentioned, on which many of Headwaters Forest will ever be logged. Any- you worked. It will allow us to continue your one who has ever strolled through a grove efforts to protect natural and historic lands

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across our Nation, such as Civil War battle- hear it. I call on Congress to fully fund my fields, remote stretches of the historic Lewis clean water action plan and to reauthorize and Clark trail, and an additional 450,000 and strengthen the Clean Water Act. acres in and around Mojave and Joshua Tree Fourth, we must do more to meet our National Parks. most profound, common global environ- It will also allow us to meet the steward- mental challenge, the challenge of global ship challenges of a new century. It is no warming. I have proposed a clean air partner- longer enough for our Nation to preserve its ship fund to help communities reduce both grandest natural wonders. As communities greenhouse pollution and smog, as well as grow and expand, it has become every bit tax and research incentives to spur clean en- as important to preserve the small but sacred ergy technologies. I want to work with Mem- green and open space closer to home. So my bers of Congress in both parties to reward Lands Legacy Initiative will also help com- companies that take early, voluntary action munities protect meadows and seashores, to reduce greenhouse gases. where children play; streams where sports- Let me say just one thing here that’s not men and women can fish; farmlands that in the script. A lot of you clapped, and a lot produce the fresh harvest we often take for of you were smiling when I said I’d been granted. to Utah, and people came up to me and said, We believe this Lands Legacy Initiative this Grand Staircase idea wasn’t such a bad must be a permanent legacy. So today I idea, after all. And you nodded your head promise to work with Congress to create for because you knew it all along. One of the the very first time a guaranteed fund for pro- biggest impediments to human progress in tecting and restoring priceless land all across any free society is the persistence, buried America. deep in the brains of the people at large or There are many good legislative ideas for people in decisionmaking positions, of old achieving this goal. We think any solution ideas that aren’t right any longer. The biggest must provide at least $1 billion annually, with impediment we have to dealing with the at least half dedicated to helping commu- challenge of climate change is not cheap oil. nities protect local green spaces. It also must It is the old idea that we simply cannot have recognize the unique environmental chal- economic growth without industrial age pat- lenges of coastal States, without creating any terns of energy use. new incentives for offshore oil drilling. Work- And I see it all over the world. I see it ing together, we can ensure that not only our here in the United States. I see it in the generation, but each generation to come, will United States Congress, where one sub- have the resources to leave an even better committee forced us to spend hundreds of land for those who follow. thousands of dollars last year trying to defend Second, as we help preserve more open our climate change plan, which had no new spaces, we have a great opportunity to help taxes, no big new regulations, was solely de- create more livable communities, healthy voted to tax incentives, and new research and communities where people don’t have to development for new technologies. waste a gallon of gasoline driving to get a Now, the fact is that things we do today gallon of milk, where employers have no to reduce greenhouse gas pollution—with trouble recruiting workers interested in a available technologies, not to mention those high quality of life. The Vice President and that are just ahead and almost within our I have proposed record funding for public reach—will lower greenhouse gas emissions, transit and Better American bonds to help will reduce the threat of global warming, and communities grow in ways that ensure a will create more jobs at higher incomes. The clean environment and strong, sustainable old idea is wrong. I ask the employees of economic development. the Interior Department to help the Amer- Third, we must clean up the 40 percent ican people get rid of an old, wrong idea, of our waterways that still are too polluted so that we can do this. for fishing and swimming. Most Americans These are the things that we have to do: don’t know that, and many are surprised to setting aside more lands; making more livable

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communities; cleaning up our waterways; play of light and stone and realize how it hap- dealing with the challenge of climate change. pened over the ages. I never got over it. I We can do it. I say to the Members of Con- think about it all the time, now, nearly 30 gress in both parties, please join this crusade. years later. I say to the majority party, the preservation That kind of moment can’t be captured of our natural resources, the stewardship of in the words I have shared with you, or even this great land, should not be a partisan issue. photographed, because the important thing This country never had a better conserva- is the interaction of human nature with na- tion President than Theodore Roosevelt. For ture. But we’ve all felt it. And we all know 12 years, I was a Governor. The first Gov- that part of our essential humanity is paying ernors’ Conference in history was called by respect to what God gave us and what will Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 to talk about be here a long time after we’re gone. conservation of our resources. That is what the Interior Department When I was out in Utah, I was looking means to me. And after 150 years, it’s what through Roosevelt’s four-volume history of the American West, and thinking to myself, it means to all of America’s past, and to why don’t we have two parties equally com- America’s great future. mitted to fulfilling his vision? So I implore Thank you, and God bless you. the Congress: Let us not waste precious time battling over these bad antienvironmental NOTE: The President spoke at 2:50 p.m. in the riders, which I am going to veto anyway; in- Sidney B. Yates Auditorium at the Department stead, let’s go on with the work of America. of Interior. In his remarks, he referred to Interior Let me say in closing one very personal Department employees Dagmar C. Fertl and thing. As I have already explained, I am as Mark Oliver, winners of the Unsung Hero Award. deeply indebted to the work of the Depart- ment of the Interior as any President could possibly be—to the visionaries like John Wesley Powell and Harold Ickes and Rachel Carson, to the park rangers that I’ve seen Statement on the National in Yellowstone and Grand Teton and other Assessment of Education Progress parks, to the people that were kind to me as a boy when I roamed the trails and the March 4, 1999 mountains of the national park which was my Today’s release of State-by-State National home. Assessment of Education Progress scores is In one way or the other, almost all of us evidence that our efforts to raise academic have come to see nature as a precious but fragile gift and an important part of the fabric standards have begun to pay off. Many States of our lives. Probably every one of us could have shown significant improvement in read- cite one particular example where that came ing in the last 4 years, and some States that home to us as never before. I remember once had scores well below the national average in 1971, when I was driving to California to have made the greatest gains. But much re- visit Hillary—we had just started seeing each mains to be done to ensure that every child other—and I stopped at the Grand Canyon. in America is mastering the basics. That is And I crawled out on a ledge, about an hour- why I urge the Senate to vote this week to and-a-half or two before sunset, and I just continue funding for 100,000 new, well-pre- sat there for 2 hours, and I watched the sun pared teachers to reduce class size in the set on Grand Canyon. If you’ve never done early grades. Parents and teachers across the it, you ought to do it. And because of the country know that smaller classes lead to im- way the rocks are layered over millions of proved student performance in reading and years, it’s like a kaleidoscope. And the colors other basic skills. We should grasp this op- change over and over and over again, layer portunity to build on the gains we have made, by layer by layer as the sun goes down. It so that every child in America is prepared is a stunning, stunning thing to see the inter- to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

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Statement on the Murder Hillary and I were deeply privileged to of Tourists in Uganda know Justice Blackmun and his wonderful wife of 58 years, Dottie, for quite a long March 4, 1999 while. I saw up close Harry Blackmun’s in- I was deeply saddened to learn of the bru- tense passion—his passion for the welfare of tal violence that erupted Monday morning the American people, for defending our lib- in a nature preserve in southwestern Uganda. erties and our institutions, for moving us for- ward together. We send our respect and our Hillary and I have extended our profound prayers to Dottie and to his three daughters. condolences to the families of the victims. To the millions of Americans whose voices Eight innocent tourists from the United he heard and whose rights he defended, to States, Great Britain, and New Zealand were the countless numbers of us who knew and killed. All of the victims were there because loved him, Harry Blackmun’s life embodied they loved Africa. It was a senseless and cow- the admonition of the prophet Micah: He did ardly murder, apparently committed by those justice, and he loved mercy. And now, he who perpetrated the Rwandan genocide in walks humbly with his God. 1994. If this attack was intended as a warning to our Nation to stop supporting those in the region seeking reconciliation and justice, Proclamation 7172—Death of Harry those who committed it should understand A. Blackmun that we will not be deterred in any way. March 4, 1999 We will not forget these crimes, nor rest until those who committed them are brought By the President of the United States to justice. Already, a team of FBI experts is of America on the ground, working with Ugandan au- A Proclamation thorities to gather the relevant evidence so indictments of the perpetrators can be made. As a mark of respect for the memory of Let me also underscore our commitment Harry A. Blackmun, retired Associate Justice to breaking the cycle of violence and impu- of the Supreme Court of the United States, nity that has gripped the Great Lakes region, I hereby order, by the authority vested in so that all who live in and visit the region me as President by the Constitution and the can do so without fear. laws of the United States of America, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff on the day of his interment. On such day the flag shall be flown at half-staff Statement on the Death of Harry A. until sunset upon all public buildings and Blackmun grounds, at all military posts and naval sta- March 4, 1999 tions, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and Justice Harry Blackmun, who died this throughout the United States and its Terri- morning, was a great American citizen. In tories and possessions; and at all U.S. embas- 24 years on the Supreme Court, Justice sies, legations, consular offices, and other fa- Harry Blackmun served with compassion, cilities abroad, including all military facilities distinction, and honor. Every decision and and naval vessels and stations. every dissent was firmly grounded in the In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set Constitution he revered and his uncanny feel my hand this fourth day of March, in the for the human element that lies just beneath year of our Lord nineteen hundred and nine- the surface of all serious legal argument. ty-nine, and of the Independence of the You can see his mind and heart at work United States of America the two hundred in the landmark decision he wrote protecting and twenty-third. women’s rights to reproductive freedom and William J. Clinton in his decisions to make the promise of civil rights actually come alive in the daily exist- [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, ence of the American people. 8:45 a.m., March 8, 1999]

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NOTE: This proclamation was published in the sports. This is about the fundamental right Federal Register on March 9. of every human being to dream and work and strive and the obligation never to quit, never to give in, never to be limited, never Remarks at the Screening of ‘‘Dare to be defined. And our obligation to see that To Compete: The Struggle of Women all those who come behind us have that right in Sports’’ to jump and soar in athletics, in music, in March 4, 1999 every endeavor—even some day, someone of a different gender will be standing here giv- Thank you. I hate to risk spoiling the mo- ing a speech like this, and I hope it won’t ment. I’d like to ask you all to join me in be too long. thanking Jeff and HBO for this magnificent So we thank you for the gifts you have gift to our country. [Applause.] Thank you. given us. We thank you for the gifts you have As I watched this film I had many given our daughters. We hope our grand- thoughts. Hillary and I have been privileged daughters will think this is a quaint remem- to know some of the athletes that were fea- brance, because all of them will have, without tured. I missed Flo-Jo again. I knew I would question, the right to live their dreams. never have a golf swing like Babe Zaharias. Thank you, and God bless you. [Laughter] I knew I would never dunk the ball like you. [Laughter] I remembered how NOTE: The President spoke at approximately 8 desperately I wanted Billie Jean to win that p.m. in the East Room at the White House. In tennis match—[laughter]—for the sake of his remarks, he referred to Jeffrey L. Bewkes, my mother, my then-girlfriend. chairman and chief executive officer, Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO); and former tennis star Billie I remembered all the times as a private Jean King. The President also referred to Title citizen—when I’m upstairs at the White IX—Prohibition of Sex Discrimination, part of House now I can indulge my obsession with Public Law 92–318, the Education Amendments sports by watching women athletes as well of 1972. as men, across a whole range of endeavors. All the joy, all the elation—all because the pioneers in this room and on this film dared The President’s News Conference to compete. And we owe all of you who are With Prime Minister Massimo here and all of those who are featured, all D’Alema of Italy those living, and all those gone, a profound March 5, 1999 debt of gratitude. I also remembered again, looking at Sen- The President. Good afternoon. I very ator Bayh, the importance of what we do much enjoyed my first meeting with Prime here—to give the American people the right Minister D’Alema. I am proud of our alliance to live out their dreams without regard to and our friendship with Italy. whatever particular conditions define them. I have to begin this press conference by Where would we be without title IX? There stating again our great sorrow over what oc- were only 300,000 girls all over America in curred at Cavalese. When I called former high school sports then; today, there are well Prime Minister Prodi immediately after that over 2 million. The law makes a difference, terrible event, I made it clear that we would too, and we will do our best here to be faith- take strong measures to assure that some- ful to it. thing like that would not occur again. We But finally, let me say, as the grandson and have taken such measures to enhance safety; son of two women who worked and did their we will continue to do so. best to make their way in life; as the husband The Prime Minister and I today agreed of a remarkable woman who has made her that our Secretary of Defense and their Min- way; as the father of a daughter I hope will ister of Defense will review these operational always be free to make hers—what Billie and safety measures together to assess their Jean said about the tennis match is true of adequacy and to determine whether addi- this whole subject. This is about more than tional measures should be taken to ensure

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the highest levels of safety. They will report It is in their strong interest, and it is also to the Prime Minister and me as soon as pos- in Serbia’s interest. Serbia must accept the sible. agreement and a NATO-led force in Kosovo, I know you will understand that I cannot which is essential for peace to take hold. And comment on any particular case, in part be- NATO remains ready to act if Serbia instead cause legal proceedings are still pending, but continues the violent repression of Kosovo’s let me say that our objective has been, and people. remains, to determine responsibility and ac- The Prime Minister recently wrote, ‘‘the countability in an open and fair process. As turmoil and uncertainly in southeast Europe I said when this happened, the United States has made Italy a frontline state.’’ How true. is responsible for this terrible tragedy. Again It is terribly important that we, therefore, I want to say to the people of Italy, on behalf move together to strengthen stability across of the American people, we are profoundly this region. NATO has been working closely regretful and apologetic for what has oc- with some of southeast Europe’s emerging curred, to the families and to all the people democracies to do that. of Italy. Two weeks ago, when President Chirac Now, we must remember that we have was here, I announced a new initiative to ex- been strong partners and good friends, espe- pand security cooperation with these nations, cially in working for our common security. to coordinate security assistance from NATO Today we discussed the coming 50th Anni- countries to them, and to improve coopera- versary NATO Summit. It will be here in tion and economic development across the April. We will admit new members. We will region. I hope and believe Italy will play a plan to meet new challenges. We will address key role in this effort. our European allies’ initiative, which I fully The Prime Minister and I also talked about support, to enhance their defense capabilities our common efforts and our common inter- and assume a greater role in our common est in spurring global economic growth, defense. bringing greater stability to the world’s finan- NATO’s efforts have been aimed at help- cial system, and putting a human face on the ing the Eastern half of Europe enjoy the global economy by supporting working fami- freedom and stability the Western half has built over the last half century. The end of lies and aiding the most vulnerable citizens, the cold war made this a possibility but not communities, and countries. a certainty. We have learned that if we do Today I am grateful to know that our econ- not contain conflict in Europe, it will spread, omy reached a milestone of 18 million new and we will pay a far higher price to deal jobs last month, since 1993. But the United with it down the road. That is why we and States cannot grow over the long run unless our allies acted to stop the war in Bosnia and prosperity is increasing for our friends and start it on the path toward reconciliation and partners in Europe, Latin America, Asia, and democracy and why we are seeking to end Africa. I want to work with the Prime Min- the conflict in Kosovo. If we don’t and it in- ister to address growth, the stability of the tensifies, there will be a major refugee crisis financial system, and the human needs of the in the center of Europe, something that Italy 21st century economy. And I must say I’m knows all too well. quite optimistic about our prospects, based Almost certainly it will draw in nearby na- on our first meeting today. tions, including the bordering states of Alba- Again Mr. Prime Minister, welcome. The nia and Macedonia, which today are engaged podium is yours. in the fragile process of building their own Prime Minister D’Alema. Thank you, Mr. democracies. But the next round of talks, set President, for your words, and thank you for to begin in 10 days, now—I very much hope our talks which, for me, have been very inter- the Kosovar Albanians will follow through on esting, indeed. their statement at Rambouillet, and sign the I conveyed to the President of the United agreement to end the fighting and restore States that I was personally shocked, and so self-government. is Italian public opinion, owing to a verdict

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which gave the impression that the tragic ac- public and Serbian Republic, which have a cident at Cavalese could find no effective an- duty to respect the rights of Kosovar Alba- swer in terms of determination and punish- nians. And for them the peace accord means ment of those responsible for it. putting an end to guerrilla activities and en- I thanked the President of the United suring respect for the territorial integrity of States for the sorrow he decided to express Yugoslavia. in remembering that tragedy. It is a sincere We are ready to take upon ourselves our sorrow and a feeling we have great apprecia- responsibilities, as we did in Bosnia and Alba- tion for. The President of the United States nia, together with our allies. We are ready repeated here that he believes that accident to deploy our forces to ensure peace and se- concerns the responsibility of the United curity in that war-torn area. States. I also understand that at this moment We also talked about Russia, the very seri- we cannot and must not interfere with the ous problems in Russia, the need for a com- specific judicial proceeding which is not yet mon strategy between Europe and the over which will include new trials and new United States to help Russia to embark upon verdicts. the path of a more solid democracy, an open I just wish to stress one point. That event and functioning market economy. certainly cannot be considered an ordinary I also expressed to the President of the occurrence. It is not normal for a military United States my own personal gratitude for aircraft to fly in a valley, 300 feet from the his commitment to peace in the Middle East. ground. It is neither normal nor acceptable And I repeated to him our commitment to that this leads to the consequences it did lead support and encourage that peace process. to. We expect that at the end of the process It was very interesting for me to have a it is made clear who was responsible for this dialog on the major problems of the economy accident and that these people are punished and of societies, making a comparison be- for it. tween the experiences and problems of Eu- At the same time, as President Clinton rope and the United States of America. We said, we gave a mandate to the Defense Sec- admire the American economic dynamism, retaries of the United States and Italy to the American capability for innovation, for jointly reexamine all measures concerning job creation and creation of wealth. At the the functioning of military bases, concerning same time, we are very fond of the social the military exercises around such bases, all rights and social solidarity which is one of the safety measures that will reassure citizens the assets of Europe. This is, indeed, a major that such accidents can never again occur. issue for a shared dialog and effort at finding I must say, I appreciated the human sen- new ways between Europe and the United sitivity and the serious way in which Presi- States. dent Clinton reminded us all of his commit- How do we combine together strong, eco- ments to Prime Minister Prodi and his will nomic dynamism with the values of social sol- that justice is done in a clear way. idarity? We have opened a dialog on this Our talks have shown that the friendship issue, on this major issue, which President and cooperation between the United States Clinton so many times has been actively en- and Italy is very strong, both in the prepara- gaged upon. And I suggested to him that tion for the NATO summit and in the prepa- after the forum that was held in New York ration of the G–7/G–8 meeting, as well as with Prime Minister Prodi, with Tony Blair, in confronting the most acute and delicate with President Clinton, himself, I suggested international crises. to him that after that dialog we could have We both want the Rambouillet peace ac- a similar dialog, including European and cord to be signed. We ask this with great American intellectuals and political leaders. determination—we ask this of Albanians, And President Clinton told me he will Kosovar Albanians, for whom this peace think about this idea, namely, about the pos- agreement means autonomy, safety, and rec- sibility for a new dialog of this nature, and ognition of their rights. And we ask the same, we would be very pleased to host it in our with great determination, of the Yugoslav Re- country, organize it. It is very important for

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me that, as well as having a loyal and active And the third thing is to do everything we alliance at a military and political level, we can to have a just disposition of the cases can develop a common dialog and rethink that are now going through. And I’m commit- it together. The world is confronting us with ted to all three things. I will do the best I major challenges, and we must and can can. I also think it’s very important. I don’t search for the answer to these challenges to- know that my words could ever ease the pain gether. of someone who lost a child or a parent or Thank you. a sibling or a spouse in that terrible accident. The President. Thank you. Now we will But at least it’s important for the people of alternate questions between the American Italy and for those families to know that the and Italian press. United States is not trying to duck its respon- Terry [Terence Hunt, Associated Press]? sibility and that we are heartbroken and hor- rified by what happened. And we’re going U.S. Aircraft Incident in the Italian Alps to do our best to make sure that nothing like Q. Mr. President, the Prime Minister said that ever happens again. yesterday that he was baffled by the acquittal Prime Minister D’Alema. I think Presi- of the Marine pilot, and that he felt that the dent Clinton spoke very clearly. We are not accident was a massacre. What do you say asking for a scapegoat. I do not know who to Italians who feel that justice has not been was responsible for what happened. It is up done, and that if the pilot is not guilty, then to the justice system to determine who was someone else is? responsible and who is guilty. But we expect And to the Prime Minister, sir, could you that at the end of this process it is clear and say, do the President’s remarks today about it is determined who is responsible, and those this, do you think that they will calm the who are found responsible are punished anger in Italy? How far will they go? through a fair trial. We are confident that The President. Well, let me answer. First this will happen. of all, because there are at least two further Q. Prime Minister D’Alema, you touched court-martial proceedings to go forward, I upon something that we Italian journalists have to be quite careful in not making any have very much at heart, the Cavalese events. comments that have any kind of impact on But I ask you to make an effort, could you those one way or the other. please very sincerely say to us, are you satis- To me, the important thing now is that fied with the answer given by President Clin- the United States must clearly and unambig- ton on this specific point, on the Cavalese uously shoulder the responsibility for what tragedy? happened. Our presence in Italy, our air op- And I’d like to ask President Clinton, were erations, our training operations were the you expecting a verdict of acquittal on this context, the environment in which this hor- case? rible thing occurred. I think the things that Thank you. we can do are: First of all, to work closely Prime Minister D’Alema. Let me repeat, with the Italians, as I’ve said, to make sure I appreciated President Clinton’s words very that we have done everything we can to re- much and the commitment he has taken. I duce the prospect to zero that something like consider them to be serious commitment. this will occur again and that our Italian We shall say we are satisfied when whoever counterparts agree with that and agree with is responsible for what happened is found the changes. guilty and punished. With so many casualties, Secondly, that we do what is appropriate with so many deaths, you can hardly ever say by the families. And there was a modest cash you are satisfied. It is a word I cannot use. settlement given to each of the victims’ fami- Let me say very clearly that I have appre- lies shortly after the accident to deal with ciated very much, and I think we should ap- immediate expenses. And under Italian law, preciate, the great human sincerity with they file claims, adjudged by the Italians, and which President Clinton has shared this trag- then we pay 75 percent of those claims under edy, with no arrogance, with no sense of de- our agreement. tachment.

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The President. Sir, let me say again, be- next 3 years. That’s quite an astonishing cause the person involved in that court-mar- achievement. tial is facing another action and because And so my perception is quite the reverse. there is yet another action against another I think we were facing a humanitarian disas- person who was in the plane, another trial ter in Kosovo last summer. We came in with pending, I cannot comment on what my reac- the threat of force, and it worked, and we tion to the verdict was, because anything I averted it. And we didn’t have to use force say, under our law, that goes across the air- because we averted the tragedy; we got what waves, could be inferred one way or the other we wanted. Were there violations of the to have an impact on a pending proceeding, cease-fire? Yes, but they were violations from in ways that would be disastrous for what I both sides. think we all want, which is an orderly and And there were problems there. But that’s just process. why we started this new process with the new Helen [Helen Thomas, United Press NATO action order. It became clear we had International]? to do more because, particularly, of the ter- rible killings in one village in Kosovo, that Kosovo/Missile Defense System were precipitated by the Serbs. Now, I do not believe that, at least at the Q. Mr. President, I have a couple of for- present point, Mr. Milosevic could be under eign policy questions. Do you expect a break- any illusion, based on what happened in Bos- through on Kosovo, especially in view of— nia that—from the point of the view of the the policy seems to be attacking or threaten- United States, anyway, and what NATO has ing Serbia and then retreating. It’s constant. said—that we will keep our word. And I think And my other question is, how can you justify we did the right thing to give both parties chipping away at the ABM Treaty, which the time they asked for at Rambouillet to try helped keep the peace during the cold war to figure out how to get to ‘‘yes.’’ The most and pour billions and billions into a Star Wars important thing here is how to get to ‘‘yes.’’ defense against the possibility that starving It’s a good agreement. It will save lives. It North Korea might fire a missile at us? will stabilize Kosovo. It will move us toward The President. Well, first of all—[laugh- genuine autonomy, which was working there, ter]—you know, she’s been doing this for I might add, before it was taken away a dec- quite a long time. [Laughter] And it’s not ade ago. a fair fight. She’s better at it than I am. Now, on the ABM Treaty, let me say, Let me, first of all, say about Kosovo, I doing the research on a missile defense sys- don’t think it’s fair to say that NATO threat- tem, which is not a violation of the ABM ens and backs away. We took military action treaty—it is theoretically possible that we in Bosnia, which led directly to the peace. could develop a missile defense system that, So I don’t think Mr. Milosevic is under any either by its nature or by where it was de- illusion that if NATO has an action order out- ployed, would be a violation of the ABM standing, that we won’t activate it. And I Treaty. I, personally, have told the Russians would be astonished to believe that our allies over and over again I have no intention of would back away from a commitment we had abrogating the ABM Treaty. Anything we do, made. we will do together. I think what happened at Rambouillet was But the only threat we have—excuse me— quite important and justified the request, not the threat that the United States is likely to of Serbia but of both parties—both parties— face 10 or 20 years from now from missiles for some more time to try to sell this agree- coming in is by no means—not just from ment, to ruminate on it, to decide how to North Korea. It is a fact that many countries respond to it. The Kosovars themselves want- with whom we have serious differences now ed that. Finally we have an agreement, not are making vigorous efforts either to build in every single point but in large measure, or to buy missiles with increasing ranges, that between the Serbs and the Kosovars on what go distances far beyond anything that would the nature of autonomy would be over the be necessary to protect their own territory.

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General Shelton has said that this missile It is a way to reconcile this with the safety defense is tough; it’s like trying to hit a bullet of our citizens. We shall discuss this. I don’t with a bullet. That’s what missile defense is. know what you meant by legal status or posi- I think if we believe that the technology tion. Legally speaking, the United States has might be there, we owe it to ourselves and asked to abide by the convention, to imple- to all of our allies, not just our old allies but ment the convention according to which mili- some of our post-cold-war allies, to try to de- tary personnel working in military bases velop that, along with an adequate warning abroad, in case of charges, should be tried system, to try to prevent countries that are by the country of origin. This convention ap- desperately trying to get missiles, that they plies to all countries. It is not an American could not possibly need to defend their own privilege. For example, when the Italian pi- territory, from ever taking offensive action lots were charged for the Ramstadt accident, against us or anyone else. they were tried in Italy. We required that But I have no intention of supporting or the 1952 convention be applied, exactly like initiating a unilateral abrogation of the ABM the United States has asked to apply the 1952 Treaty. I will not do that. We have been very convention for the Cavalese accident. candid with the Russians. We have talked to Naturally, the convention must be re- them about what we are going. We have spected and complied with, because it exists. talked about what kinds of information we But we will be much happier to comply with might share in the future. But I have never it if our citizens and our public opinions are advocated, initiated, encouraged, sanctioned, reassured that by adopting these procedures, or blinked at the possibility that we could justice is done. unilaterally abrogate the ABM Treaty. I per- sonally would be very opposed to that. The President. I’m not sure I have a great deal to add to what the Prime Minister said. I agree with what he said. Status of NATO Bases in Italy If the question that many Italian officials Q. Prime Minister D’Alema, next Wednes- are asking is, shouldn’t there be an agreed- day you will have to answer the questions upon set of changes in the procedures for by the Members of Parliament. Can you say the movements and training of American as of today that your government will not military personnel to make them safer for the have to revise the legal status of NATO people of Italy, I agree with that. If the ques- bases? And I have a question for President tion is, should our very presence there be Clinton. What is your answer to the many reexamined, and the agreement under which Members of the Italian Parliament who are Americans charged with offenses should be asking for a revision of the status of the tried in American jurisdiction, my answer is NATO bases? just what the Prime Minister said. Prime Minister D’Alema. We very clearly I believe it serves both our interests; for stated that we intend to revise the rules and example, when we were establishing our very seriously go through and check all the presence in Bosnia, I flew into Aviano, into rules relating to military actions, exercises, training, movements, flights, in order to en- our base there. And I took a C–17, one of sure high and certain standards of safety for our supply planes and flew into Bosnia. I also the civilian population. So to some extent, flew up to Hungary from there, the place this does not concern the legal status of the where we had our base, from which we military personnel, which is, as you know, moved our people in there. And it seemed regulated by a 1952 convention. It should be to me that our presence there, in that way, revised by all the countries that signed it if furthered Italy’s interest, Europe’s interest, it is to be revised. But this is a way to respond NATO’s interest, and not simply American to the need to reconcile the function of these interest. That, of course, is a judgment that military bases, which are not a concession to every country and all the decisionmakers someone else; they are a tool to defend our make, in a way, on an annual basis. They de- own security and our common security. cide. They continue to support these things.

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But I believe that the larger partnership And I don’t wish anyone ill who was caught has served the United States and Italy very up in this. And she paid quite a high price well. for a long time, and I feel badly for that. Larry [Larry McQuillan, Reuters]. So I just hope it works out all right. Prime Minister D’Alema. I think that at Monica Lewinsky/Italian Investigation of present we should follow with attention and Alps Incident respect the proceedings and the judicial Q. Mr. President, more than 70 million process which is envisaged in the United Americans watched Monica Lewinsky’s re- States. As President Clinton mentioned, two cent television interview, and a number of more trials have to be held concerning these people are buying a book that she’s put out. events at Cavalese. When this process is over, I’m just wondering, do you have any thoughts when we have a complete picture of respon- on it that you can share with us that perhaps sibilities and punishment for the events, then might bring closure to this? And do you have we shall evaluate what to do, once it is made any problem with the idea that she’s actually clear who is responsible and these people are making money off that relationship? punished. But at this time, I don’t think it And Prime Minister, some of your coun- would be right to examine other possibilities trymen are suggesting that NATO ought to and put forward new ideas that do not seem conduct a review, an investigation of this ac- well-founded as yet. cident. Do you support that idea, to just en- sure a sense of impartiality? Domestic Economies/Trade Issues/U.N. The President. Well, let me answer your Security Council question. First of all, I did not see the inter- view, so I can’t really comment on that. What Q. Prime Minister, you talked about I hope is that she will be permitted to go American, European, and Italian values. on with her life, and I hope it will be a good There are some criticisms toward American life. And I hope that the efforts that I have values. These American values have created made and that I continue to make every 18 million new jobs in the last years. How day—at home and at work—will bear fruit. many of these are you willing to learn to cre- And I hope that all the people who have been ate new jobs in Italy and in Europe, if any? hurt by this, including totally innocent people Mr. President, the problem with Italian who have massive legal bills, will get the help public opinion is a little bit more widespread they need. And I’m determined to do what than just the crisis, the accident, that hap- I can to help them. pened yesterday. We have a crisis on trade, But the important thing is that the Amer- and Italy somehow feels to be a target within ican people are virtually screaming at us to the U.S. So what can you say to reassure get on with their lives and their business and Italians, and what actions are you going to to do their business. And I’m going to do take? Because the public opinion is rather my best to do that, as well as I possibly can. upset, not just for that, but for the fact that But you know, this was a pretty tough thing Italian products are constantly, constantly, for everybody involved, and I wish her well. whenever there is a trade war, on target. And I hope it works out all right for her. on other issues like the Security Council, the Q. So the money is okay? U.S. is against the Italian position, while Italy The President. You know, that’s not a de- seems to be having a position very much in cision for me to make. I think that my—I sync on G–8 and NATO position with the can only—one of the things I’ve learned, that U.S. What do you say to that? What do you I’ve had to relearn all over again in this last say to the public opinion? What will you do? 4-year episode, is that all I can control in Prime Minister D’Alema. It is not the life is what I do and what I say. And if I first time that I have expressed great interest do and say the right things, then that’s the for the dynamic nature of the American soci- thing that’s best for me and my family and ety and economy. I think that when exchang- for the American people. And that’s what I’m ing views and ideas and suggestions it is cer- concentrating on doing. tainly useful for Europe to learn some lessons

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from—some important lessons—from the ex- will be job-creating if you can figure out how perience of the United States. to multiply them. And more specifically, I think that one of And what we are trying to do in America, the features that impressed me most is their now—by strengthening our family leave law, speed in terms of innovation, the ability to by strengthening our child care support sys- innovate, and the amount of investment in tem, by moving people from welfare to work, education. Last night I was talking about this but making sure they keep the health care with the Secretary of Education of the for their children—is to get the benefits of United States. And I think that, undoubtedly, having a social contract that recognizes the this is a strategic issue. The speed of innova- need for families and communities to get tion, the investment in human capital cer- support, and the benefits of the dynamic tainly are strategic options. And these are economy. some of the things—there are other things, You’re coming at it from a different direc- as well—that we are interested in, in the tion. What you need to do is to keep as many American experience. And Europe, which of the benefits of the social contract as you has a more rigid, heavier, less dynamic sys- can but to make the economy as dynamic tem—and so does Italy—must learn from as possible, because you know that you have them. a country full of intelligent, innovative people The President. If I might just say I will who could generate more jobs than they’re answer the question you asked me, but I generating. would like to also comment on the question But understand that this is the dilemma you asked the Prime Minister. The great that every single country is facing from some struggle every serious country faces is how perspective or another. And no one has all to reap the benefits of the astonishing revolu- the answers. And what I would hope that the tion in technology and the globalization of people of Italy will give the Prime Minister the economy, and to minimize the disrup- the ability to do is to try some new ideas tions so that you can have some sort of stable to support him in admitting that no one has family and community life. solved this problem perfectly, and that we Now, what we had to do when I took office should want responsible leaders to have seri- was to get rid of this terrible deficit we had, ous thoughts about new ideas and to try them which kept interest rates high for us and too out without having someone try to derail high for you and was taking too much money every effort that they make. I think he de- out of the global economy, and to focus on serves some support in addressing this issue, some areas where we really needed to do because for any of us to pretend that we ei- better with our own economy. And it is true ther shouldn’t address it or have all the an- that we are blessed in this country with a swers, I think both approaches would be very dynamic system. Of the 18.1 million new quite wrong. jobs we’ve had, almost 17 million of them Now, let me just say a word on the trade were created in the private sector; they were issue. First of all, the specific issue you men- non-governmental jobs. An enormous per- tioned must feel strange to Italy, since the centage of them were created in small busi- Italians have not really been at the forefront nesses. of this decade-long dispute between the EU But I wouldn’t say that you have nothing and the United States over the banana issue. to look to within Italy. I told the Prime Min- It’s not really about bananas; it’s about rules. ister, when I was a Governor, I came to Italy I’m trying now—right now—to get the 10 years ago to study the economic organiza- United States, through the authority of the tions of small businesses in Northern Italy Congress, to take the lead in further market- that grew out of the medieval artisans’ guilds. opening measures. I have done my best to And I think—and they are quite flexible; they keep our markets open during this very dif- have individual businessowners working to- ficult period for the Asian economy and for gether to market their products, to develop much of the Latin American economy. We new products, to advertise their products. had a record trade deficit last year. I thought There are all kinds of exciting options which that, except for where I thought our laws

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were being violated, like in steel—where we been for an expansion in the size of the Secu- were having steel dumped—I felt that we rity Council, generally, to guarantee certain should try to do that, that that should be our continents and regions a permanent position. contribution, because we were doing well, The position we have taken should not be and we ought to try to help these countries viewed as an anti-Italian position. We’ve tried as much as we could. to calculate how many people can you have But we cannot maintain an open trading on the Security Council and still have it func- system, which I am convinced is essential for tion. That’s basically where we’ve been. I’m global prosperity, unless we also have rules not obsessed with any—there is no magic that are abided by. Twice—just twice since number. But what we’re trying to do is not I’ve been President, we’ve won this case in to hold back anyone but to keep the Security the EU. I think we’ve won it 4 times over Council as a functioning body. But I doubt the last 10 years. It has gone on—somehow very seriously that there’s another leader of the rules have to work. That’s what this is any other country in the world that has a about. higher opinion of the international respon- And since it’s the EU—I had nothing to sibility and capacity of the Italian Govern- do, by the way, with drawing up the details ment and the Italian people than I do, after of what would be in the package of counter- having observed it for 6 years. vailing tariffs or duties. But I think our Trade Thank you very much. Ambassador’s office must have felt that since it was an EU dispute, there had to be some— NOTE: The President’s 170th news conference we couldn’t just pick out countries and play began at 5:15 p.m. in the East Room at the White favorites in that way. House. In his remarks, the President referred to But I regret this very much. And we still former Prime Minister Romano Prodi and Min- have time to fix this. We can still fix this and ister of Defense Carlo Scognamiglio of Italy; it can be avoided, and I hope very much we President Jacques Chiraq of France; President will, in the next few weeks, get a resolution Slobodan Milosevic of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro); and Monica of this. But it’s been going on 10 years. And Lewinsky, subject of Independent Counsel Ken- we lose cases in the WTO all the time, and neth Starr’s expanded investigation. He also re- we just take a deep breath and face the fact ferred to the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. that we lost. It happens. Now, so I would Prime Minister D’Alema spoke in Italian, and his say to the people of Italy, don’t—it’s not a remarks were translated by an interpreter. In his unilateral issue. remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Tony Blair Now, on the—you asked me about the of the United Kingdom. United Nations. Let me just say—I can’t— there are very few countries in the world, in the years that I’ve been President, who Statement on the Kennedy-Murray have shown more consistent leadership, even Amendments to Proposed Education through a successive change of governments, Flexibility Partnership Legislation than Italy. For us, it’s a critical country in March 5, 1999 so many ways. And I was delighted that the Prime Minister would come here today. I I strongly support the efforts of Senators would do anything I could to increase the Murray and Kennedy to offer a class size responsibility and reach of Italy. amendment to the ed-flex bill. We must The United States has had a long-standing make a long-term commitment now to hire policy in favor of expanding the Security 100,000 new, well-prepared teachers to re- Council to include Japan and Germany, duce class size in the early grades. The Re- largely because of the size of their economies publican leadership is wrong to try to shut and their influence and their importance for down debate on this bill before a class size that reason. And we have been—we have amendment can be voted on. I urge them recognized that there are countries in the de- to allow an up-or-down vote on this amend- veloping world that believe they should have ment, and I urge every Senator to vote for more permanent membership. So we have it.

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Statement on the Death of Billy Jack Digest of Other Gaither White House Announcements March 5, 1999 The following list includes the President’s public I share with many Americans a sense of schedule and other items of general interest an- grief and outrage at the tragic and violent nounced by the Office of Press Secretary and not death of Billy Jack Gaither in Alabama. This included elsewhere in this issue. heinous and cowardly crime touches the con- science of our country, just as the terrible February 27 murders of James Byrd in Texas and Mat- In the afternoon, the President traveled to thew Shepard in Wyoming did last year. Park City, UT. In times like this, the American people pull together and speak with one voice, be- March 1 cause the acts of hatred that led to the deaths In the afternoon, the President returned to Washington, DC, arriving in the evening. of such innocent men are also acts of defi- ance against the values our society holds most March 3 dear. In the afternoon, the President traveled to That is why I will continue to work for Newark, NJ, and in the evening, he returned passage of the ‘‘Hate Crimes Prevention to Washington, DC. Act,’’ which can empower the Federal Gov- The President announced his intention to ernment, working with local authorities, to nominate David B. Sandalow to be Assistant do even more to deter, investigate, and help Secretary of State for Oceans and Inter- prosecute crimes of hatred. The legislation national Environment and Scientific Affairs would remove needless jurisdictional re- at the State Department. quirements and give the Department of Jus- The President announced his intention to tice the power to prosecute hate crimes com- nominate John D. Holum to be Under Sec- mitted because of the victim’s sexual orienta- retary for Arms Control and International Se- tion, gender, or disability. curity at the State Department. The President announced his intention to Laws represent values that we as a society nominate Richard M. McGahey to be Assist- cherish, and among those values is a belief ant Secretary for the Pension and Welfare that intolerance is un-American. And intoler- Benefits Administration at the Labor Depart- ance, left unchallenged, can inspire evil ment. deeds that threaten the very fabric of this great country. All Americans deserve protec- March 4 tion from hate. Nothing is more important The President announced his intention to to our country’s future than our standing to- nominate Kelly H. Carnes to be Assistant gether against intolerance, prejudice, and Secretary for Technology Policy at the Com- violent bigotry. Congress can give power to merce Department. such shared values by passing the ‘‘Hate The President announced his intention to Crimes Prevention Act.’’ In so doing, all appoint Kenneth H. (Buddy) MacKay as Spe- Americans can be made more safe and se- cial Envoy of the President and Secretary of cure. State for the Americas. Hillary and I offer our prayers for the fam- March 5 ily and friends of Mr. Gaither, and our hope The President announced his intention to that their love for him, together with God’s nominate Bill Lann Lee to be Assistant Attor- grace, will carry them through these trying ney General for the Civil Rights Division at times. the Justice Department.

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Nominations Checklist Submitted to the Senate of White House Press Releases

The following list does not include promotions of members of the Uniformed Services, nominations The following list contains releases of the Office to the Service Academies, or nominations of For- of the Press Secretary that are neither printed as eign Service officers. items nor covered by entries in the Digest of Other White House Announcements.

Submitted March 2 Released March 1 Lawrence J. Delaney, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of Statement by the Press Secretary: Nigeria: the Air Force, vice Arthur L. Money. Presidential Election Results Lawrence Harrington, Released March 2 of Tennessee, to be U.S. Executive Director of the Inter-American Development Bank Transcript of a press briefing by Deputy for a term of 3 years, vice L. Ronald Press Secretary Barry Toiv and NSC Spokes- Scheman, resigned. man David Leavy Richard M. McGahey, Released March 3 of the District of Columbia, to be an Assist- ant Secretary of Labor, vice Olena Berg, re- Transcript of a press briefing by Deputy signed. Press Secretary Barry Toiv and NSC Spokes- man David Leavy Submitted March 5

Kelly H. Carnes, Released March 4 of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Transcript of a press briefing by Press Sec- Secretary of Commerce for Technology Pol- retary Joe Lockhart icy, vice Graham R. Mitchell, resigned. Transcript of a press briefing by National Se- John David Holum, curity Adviser Samuel Berger, Deputy Chief of Maryland, to be Under Secretary for Arms of Staff Maria Echaveste, USIA Adminis- Control and International Security, Depart- trator Brian Atwood, and Acting Assistant ment of State (new position). Secretary of State Peter Romero on the President’s upcoming visit to Central Amer- Bill Lann Lee, ica of California, to be an Assistant Attorney General, vice Deval L. Patrick, resigned. Released March 5 Beth Nolan, Transcript of a press briefing by National of New York, to be an Assistant Attorney Economic Council Director Gene Sperling General, vice Walter Dellinger. and Council of Economic Advisers Chair Janet Yellen on the unemployment rate and David B. Sandalow, the economy of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and Inter- Statement by the Press Secretary: Funds for national Environmental and Scientific Af- the District of Columbia to Upgrade Com- fairs, vice Eileen B. Claussen, resigned. puters for Year 2000

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Acts Approved by the President

NOTE: No acts approved by the President were received by the Office of the Federal Register during the period covered by this issue.

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