Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents

Monday, October 18, 1999 Volume 35—Number 41 Pages 1991–2064 Contents

Addresses and Remarks Appointments and Nominations—Continued American Academy of Pediatrics—2006 Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Canada, Forum of Federations Conference in statement—2052 Mont-Tremblant—1991 Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, statement—2051 Senate action—2026 Democratic Leadership Council gala—2027 Forest ‘‘Roadless’’ Areas—2020 Bill Signings Illinois, U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute conference in Chicago—2000 Department of Transportation and Related Millennium Evening at the , Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000, eighth—2015 statement—2005 National on Community Food Family farmers, statement on legislation to Security, videotape remarks—2050 extend bankruptcy relief—2006 NCAA men’s and women’s basketball champions—2053 Philip Morris company admission—2020 Communications to Congress Radio address—1998 Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, U.S. Secret Service Memorial Building, message transmitting report—2015 dedication—2048 Virginia, George Washington National Cuba, message transmitting report on Forest—2020 telecommunications payments—2025 Youth violence, unveiling public service East Timor, letter transmitting report on announcements—2055 deployment of U.S. forces to provide support to the multinational force—1998 Appointments and Nominations Food Aid Convention 1999 with Defense Department documentation, message transmitting—2025 Commander in Chief, Space Naval Petroleum Reserves, message Command, and related positions, transmitting report—2004 statement—2051

(Continued on the inside of the back cover.)

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. Contents—Continued

Communications to Federal Agencies Proclamations Forest ‘‘Roadless’’ Areas, memorandum on Columbus Day—1997 protection—2023 National Forest Products Week—2063 Individual Training Accounts for Federal White Cane Safety Day—2062 Workers, memorandum—2053 Statements by the President School-Based Health Insurance Outreach for See also Appointments and Nominations; Bill Children, memorandum—2013 Signings White House Council on Youth Violence, Death of former President Julius Nyerere of memorandum—2059 Tanzania—2052 Hate crimes legislation—2024 Interviews With the News Media Independent Counsel’s investigation of Exchange with reporters outside the Oval Interior Secretary Babbitt—2024 Office—2026 Mexico, floods and mudslides—2024 News conference, October 14 (No. 182)— Pakistan, military coup d’etat—2025 2035 World population growth—2015 Supplementary Materials Joint Statements Acts approved by the President—2064 Joint United States-Norway Statement—2060 Checklist of White House press releases— Meetings With Foreign Leaders 2064 Digest of other White House Canada, Prime Minister Chretien—1991 announcements—2063 Norway, Prime Minister Bondevik—2060 Nominations submitted to the Senate—2064 Week Ending Friday, October 15, 1999

Remarks to the Forum of nership you have built between people of di- Federations Conference verse backgrounds and governments at all in Mont-Tremblant, Canada level is what this conference is about and, October 8, 1999 ultimately, what democracy must be about, as people all over the world move around Thank you. Thank you so much. Prime more, mix with each other more, live in close Minister Chretien; to the Prime Minister of proximity more. Saint Kitts and Nevis, Denzil Douglas; Pre- Today I would like to talk briefly about mier Bouchard; cochairs of this conference, the ways we in the United States are working Bob Rae and Henning Voscherau; to distin- to renew and redefine federalism for the 21st guished visitors; Governors—I think the century; then, how I see the whole concept Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota, of federalism emerging internationally; and Carole Hillard, is here—and to all of you: finally, how we—how I think, anyway—we I think it is quite an interesting thing that should judge the competing claims of fed- we have this impressive array of people to eralism and independence in different con- come to a conference on federalism, a topic texts around the world. that probably 10 or 20 years ago would have First let me say we are 84 days, now, from been viewed as a substitute for a sleeping a new century and a new millennium. The pill. [Laughter] currents of change in how we work and live But in the aftermath of the conflicts in the and relate to each other, and relate to people former Yugoslavia; the interesting debates— far across the world, are changing very rap- at least I can say this from the point of view idly. as your neighbor—that has gone on in Que- President Franklin Roosevelt once said bec; the deepening, troubling efforts to rec- that new conditions impose new require- oncile different tribes who occupy nations ments upon government and those who con- with boundaries they did not draw in Africa; duct government. We know this to be the and any number of other issues, this topic case not only in the United States and Can- of federalism has become very, very impor- ada, Great Britain and Germany, Italy and tant. France, Mexico and Brazil, but indeed, in It is fitting that the first global conference all the countries of the world. But in all these would be held here in North America, be- places there is a federalist system of some cause federalism began here—a founding form or another. We look for ways to imbue principle forged in the crucible of revolution, old values with new life and old institutions enshrined in the Constitution of the United with new meaning. States, shared today by all three nations on In 1992, when I ran for President, there our continent, as I’m sure President Zedillo was a growing sense in the United States that said. the compact between the people and their It is also especially fitting that this con- Government, and between the States and the ference be held in Canada. A land larger than Federal Government, was in severe dis- China, spanning 5 times zones and 10 distinct repair. This was driven largely by the fact provinces, it has shown the world how people that our Federal Government had quad- of different cultures and languages can live rupled the national debt in 12 years, and that in peace, prosperity, and mutual respect. had led to enormous interest rates, slow In the United States, we have valued our growth, and grave difficulties on all the States relationship with a strong and united Canada. of our land which they were powerless to We look to you; we learn from you. The part- overcome. 1991 1992 Oct. 8 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999

So when the Vice President and I ran for charge of, made an attempt to redefine the national office, we had no debate from peo- mission of the Federal Government. And we ple who said, ‘‘Look, this is a national priority told the people of the United States that we and you have to deal with it.’’ But we talked actually thought the Federal Government a lot to Governors and others about the ne- was too large in size, that it should be smaller cessity to create again what our Founding but more active, and that we should do more Fathers called the laboratories of democracy. in partnerships with State and local govern- We, frankly, admitted that no one knew all ments and the private sector, with the ulti- the answers to America’s large welfare case- mate goal of empowering the American peo- load, to America’s enormous crime rate, to ple to solve their own problems in whatever America’s incredible diversity of children and unit was most appropriate, whether it was challenges in our schools. And so we said we an individual citizen, the family, the commu- would try to give new direction to the Nation nity, the State, or the Nation. and deal with plainly national problems, but And we have worked at that quite steadily. we would also try to build a new partnership Like Canada, we turned our deficit around that would make all of our States feel more and produced a surplus. We also shrank the a part of our union and more empowered size of the Federal Government. The size of in determining their own destiny. the United States Federal Government today Now, people develop this federalist system is the same as it was in 1962, when John for different reasons. It came naturally to the Kennedy was President, and our country was United States because Great Britain set up much, much smaller. colonies here as separate entities. And the In the economic expansion we have been States of our country actually created the Na- enjoying since 1993, the overwhelming ma- tional Government. So we always had a sense jority of the jobs that were created were cre- that there were some things the States were ated in the private sector. It’s the largest per- supposed to do and some things the Federal centage of private sector job creation of any Government were supposed to do. economic expansion in America since the Our Founding Fathers gave us some indi- end of World War II. cation in the Constitution, but the history of Meanwhile, many of our State and local the United States Supreme Court is full of governments have continued to grow in size, cases trying to resolve the whole question of to meet the day-to-day demands of a lot of what is the role and the power of the States the domestic issues that we face in our coun- as opposed to what is the role and the power try. And I think that is a good thing. of the National Government in ever new cir- In addition to shrinking the size of Gov- cumstances. ernment, we’ve tried to empower the States There are different examples elsewhere. to make more of their own decisions. For For example, in the former Yugoslavia when example, the Department of Education has it existed before, federalism was at least set gotten rid of two-thirds of the rules that it up to give the appearance that all the dif- imposed on States and school districts when ferent ethnic groups could be fairly treated I became President. Instead, we say, ‘‘Here and could have their voices heard. are our national objectives; here is the money So in 1992 it appeared that the major crisis you can have; you have to make a report on in federalism was that the States had been the progress at meeting these national objec- disempowered from doing their jobs because tives, but we’re not going to tell you how the national economy was so weak and the to do it anymore.’’ And it’s amazing what you fabric of the national society was fraying in can do if you get people to buy into national America. But underneath that I knew that objectives with which they agree, and you once we began to build things again we stop trying to micromanage every instance would have to resolve some very substantial of their lives and their daily activities. So we questions, some of which may be present in found some good success there. your countries, as well. We’ve also tried to give the States just As we set about to work, the Vice Presi- blanket freedom to try more new ideas in dent and I, in an effort that I put him in areas where we think we don’t have all the Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999 / Oct. 8 1993 answers now, from health policy to welfare of college in America, because we found in reform, to education to fighting crime. a census that no matter where you come We have always felt—this has been easy from in the United States, people with at in the United States, though, compared to least 2 years of education after high school a lot of places because we’ve had this history tended to get jobs where their incomes grew of believing from the time of our Founders and they did better. People with less than that the National Government would never that tended to get jobs where their incomes have all the answers, and that the States stayed level or declined in the global econ- should be seen as our friends and our part- omy. ners because they could be laboratories of Now, we’ve also tried to make dealing with democracy. They could always be out there Washington less of a problem. We’ve ended pushing the envelope of change. And certain something that was very controversial, at things would be possible politically in some least prospectively, called unfunded man- places that would not be possible in others. dates, where the Federal Government would And we have been very well served by that. tell the States they had to do something and It has encouraged a lot of innovation and ex- give them about 5 percent of the money it perimentation. Here is the problem we have cost to do it. That, I think, is a problem in with the basic business of government and every national Federal system. We continue federalism today. In the 21st century world, to give the States greater freedom and flexi- when we find an answer to a problem, very bility. And this summer I signed a new Exec- often we don’t have time to wait for every utive order on federalism which would reaf- State to agree that that’s the answer. So we firm in very specific ways how we would work try to jumpstart the federalist experience by in partnership and greater consultation with looking for ideas that are working and then State and local officials. embodying them in Federal legislation and Federalism is not a fixed system; it, by def- giving all the States the funds and other sup- port they need to do it. inition, has to be an evolving system. For Why do we do this? Well, let me give you more than 200 years, the pendulum of pow- one example. In 1787, in the United States, ers have swung back and forth one way or the Founding Fathers declared that all the the other. And I do want to say—for those new territories would have to set aside land of you who may be looking outside in, think- for public schools, and then gave the respon- ing the Americans could never understand sibility for public education to the States. our problems, they don’t have any problems Now, then, in the next few years, a handful like this—it is true that, by and large, in our of States mandated education. But it took State units we don’t have people who are of more than 100 years for all of our States to just one racial or ethnic or religious groups. mandate free public education for all of our But to be sure, we have some of that. I’ll children. That was 19th century pace of give you one example that we’re dealing with change. It’s inadequate in the 21st century. today. So I have tried to do what I did as a Gov- The United States Supreme Court has to ernor. If something is working in a State, I decide a case from the State of Hawaii in try to steal it, put it into Federal law, and which the State has given native Hawaiians, at least give all the States the opportunity Pacific Islanders, the right to vote in a certain and the money necessary to implement the kind of election—and only native Hawaiians. same change. But it’s very, very important. And someone in Hawaii has sued them, say- Since our Ambassador is a native of Geor- ing that violates the equal protection clause gia, I’ll give you one example. One of my of the United States Constitution. We dis- goals is to make universal access to colleges agree because of the purpose of the election. and universities in America, and we now have But you can see this is a federalist issue. something called the HOPE scholarship, We basically said the National Government modeled on Ambassador Giffin’s home State would give that to the States, the States want program, which gives all students enough of to do it this way; then a citizen says, ‘‘No, a tax subsidy to at least afford the first 2 years you can’t do that under national law.’’ 1994 Oct. 8 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999

Another example that causes us a lot of rate in 26 years. But there was a genuine problems in the West—what happens when federalism dispute. the Federal Government actually owns a lot Now we’re having the same dispute over of the land and the resources of a State? The teachers. We have the largest number of chil- National Government is most unpopular in dren in our schools in history; lots of evi- America in States like Wyoming or Idaho, dence that smaller classes in the early grades where there aren’t very many people; there’s yield permanent learning gains to children. a lot of natural resources. Cattlemen, ranch- So I said, now let’s put 100,000 teachers out ers have to use land that belongs to the Fed- there. And they say I’m trying to impose this eral Government, and we feel that we have terrible burden on State and local govern- to protect the land for multiple uses, includ- ments, sticking my nose in where it doesn’t ing environmental preservation as well as belong. grazing or mining or whatever. And so it’s On the other hand, in the whole history an impossible situation. of the country, personal injury law, including It’s very funny—in these States, when we economic injuries, commercial law has al- started, the Federal Government was most ways been the province of State and local popular in the areas where we own most of government except for things like securities, the land, because we built dams and chan- stocks, bonds, things that required a national neled rivers and provided land for people to securities market. But many people in the graze their cattle. And within 50 years, the Republican Party believe that since there is Federal Government has become the most essentially a national economy and an inter- unpopular thing imaginable. Now, I used to national economic environment, that we go to Wyoming on vacation just to listen to should take away from the States all their people tell me how terrible the job I had States’ rights when it comes to determining was. [Laughter] But it’s a problem we have the rules under which people can sue busi- to face. nesses. And they really believe it. And let me say one other thing I think And I have agreed with them as it applies might be interesting to you is that the Demo- to securities litigation because we need a na- cratic Party and the Republican Party in the tional securities market. But I have disagreed United States tend to have different ideas with them as it applies to other areas of tort about federalism depending on what the reform where they think it’s a bad thing that issue is, which is why it’s always good to have there is State rights. a dynamic system. And I say this not to attack the other party, For example, we Democrats, once we find but only to illustrate to all of you that in what- something working at the local level that ad- ever context you operate, there will always vances our social policy, or our economic pol- be differences of opinion about what should icy, we want to at least make it a national be done nationally and what should be done option, if not a national mandate. When I at the State level. That cannot be eliminated. became President, crime was going up, but The purpose of federalism, it seems to me, there were cities where crime was going is to, number one, take account of the genu- down. I went there and found out why it was inely local feelings which may be, in the going down. And it was obvious to me we United States, a result of economic activities didn’t have enough police officers preventing and ties to the land and history; or it may crime in the first place, so I said we’re going be in another country the result of the gen- to create 100,000 police at the national level eral segregation of people of various racial, and give them to the cities. ethnic, or religious groups into the provinces The conservatives were against that. They in the Federal system. said, ‘‘You’re interfering with State and local So the first process is to give people a rights, telling them how to fight crime.’’ Of sense of their identity and autonomy. And course, I wasn’t; I was giving them police. then you have to really try to make good deci- They didn’t have to take them if they didn’t sions so that the system works. I mean, in want them. [Laughter] And it turned out they the end, all these systems only have integrity liked it quite well; we have the lowest crime if the allocation of decisionmaking authority Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999 / Oct. 8 1995 really produces results that people like living So one of the reasons you have all these with, so they feel that they can go forward. people clamoring for the independence of Now, let me just discuss a minute what ever smaller groups is that they had a kind is sort of the underlying tension here that of phony federalism imposed from the top you see all across the world, which is, what down. So the first lesson I draw from this is the answer to the fact that on the edge is every federalist system in the world of a new millennium—where we would pre- today—a world in which information is wide- fer to talk about the Internet, and the decod- ly shared, economic possibilities are at ing of the human gene, and the discovery least—always, to some extent, based on glob- of billions of new galaxies in outer space— al forces, certainly in terms of how much those of us in politics have to spend so much money you can get into a country—the fed- time talking about the most primitive slaugh- eralism must be real. There must be some ter of people based on their ethnic or racial real sense of shared authority. And people or religious differences. must know they have some real range of au- The great irony of the turning of the mil- tonomy for decisions. And it must more or lennium is that we have more modern op- less correspond to what they perceive they tions for technology and economic advance need to accomplish. than ever before, but our major threat is the On the other hand, it seems to me that most primitive human failing: the fear of the the suggestion that a people of a given ethnic group or tribal group or religious group can other and the sense that we can only breathe only have a meaningful communal existence and function and matter if we are somehow if they are an independent nation—not if free of the necessity to associate with and there is no oppression, not if they have gen- deal with, and maybe even under certain cir- uine autonomy, but they must be actually cumstances subordinate our own opinions to, independent—is a questionable assertion in the feelings of them—people who are dif- a global economy where cooperation pays ferent from us, a different race, a different greater benefits in every area of life than de- religion, a different tribe. structive competition. And there is no answer to this that is easy. Consider, for example, the most autono- But let me just ask you to look in the context mous societies on Earth, arguably, the tribes of the former Yugoslavia, where we are trying still living in the rainforests on the island of to preserve a Bosnian State—Prime Minister New Guinea. There are 6,000 languages still Chretien and I and our friends—which existent in the world today, and 1,000 of serves Croatians and Muslims, after 4 years them can be found in Papua New Guinea, of horrible slaughter, until we stopped it in and Irian Jaya, where tribes living 10, 20 1995. Or in Kosovo, where we’re exploring miles from one another have compete self- whether Kosovo can continue to be an auton- determination. Would you like that? omous part of Serbia, notwithstanding the On the other hand, consider the terrible fact that the Serbs ran all of them out of problems of so many African peoples where the country and we had to take them back. they’re saddled with national borders drawn Why did all this happen? Partly because for them at the Conference of Berlin in 1885, it was an artificially imposed federalism. Mar- that took no reasonable account of the alloca- shal Tito was a very smart man who basically tion of the tribes on certain lands and the said, ‘‘I’m going to create federalism out of history of their grazing, their farming, their my own head. I’m going to mandate the par- moving. ticipation of all these groups in government. So how to work it out? There is no answer. And I’m going to forbid my government from We have to provide a framework in which talking about ethnic superiority, or oppres- people can work it out. But the only point sion, or problems.’’ He wouldn’t even let I want to make to you today—I don’t want them discuss the kind of ethnic tensions that to beat this to death, because we could stay are just part of the daily life in most societies here for a week discussing this—is that at in this world. And it all worked until he died. the end of World War I, the European pow- And then it slowly began to unravel. ers I think—and America sort of withdrew, 1996 Oct. 8 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999 so we have to share part of the blame—but Area of the Americas—we’ll be looking for our record is not exactly spotless in how we ways to integrate our operations for mutual went about carving up, for example, the interest, without giving up our sovereignty. aftermath of the Ottoman Empire. And so And where there are dissatisfied groups in we have spent much of the 20th century try- sections of countries, we should be looking ing to reconcile President Woodrow Wilson’s for ways to satisfy anxieties and legitimate belief that different nations had the right to complaints without disintegration, I believe. be free—nations being people with a com- That’s not to say that East Timor was mon consciousness—had a right to be a wrong. If you look at what the people in East State. Timor had been through, if you look at the And the practical knowledge that we all colonial heritage there, if you look at the fact have that if every racial and ethnic and reli- that the Indonesians offered them a vote, gious group that occupies a significant piece they took it, and nearly 80 percent of them of land not occupied by others became a sep- voted for independence—it seems that was arate nation—we might have 800 countries the right decision there. in the world and have a very difficult time But let us never be under the illusion that having a functioning economy or a func- those people are going to have an easy path. tioning global polity. Maybe we would have Assuming that those of us that are trying to 8,000; how low can you go? support them help them; assuming we can So that doesn’t answer any specific ques- stop all the pro-integrationist militias from tions. It just means that I think when a peo- oppressing the people, and we can get all ple thinks it should be independent in order the East Timorese back home, and they’ll all to have a meaningful political existence, seri- be safe—there will still be less than a million ous questions should be asked: Is there an of them, with a per capita income among the abuse of human rights? Is there a way people poorest in the world, struggling to make a can get along if they come from different her- itages? Are minority rights, as well as major- living for their children in an environment ity rights, respected? What is in the long- that is not exactly hospitable. term economic and security interests of our Now, does that mean they were wrong? people? How are we going to cooperate with No. Under the circumstances they faced, our neighbors? Will it be better or worse if they probably made the only decision they we are independent, or if we have a federalist could have. But wouldn’t it have been better system? if they could have found their religious, their I personally believe that you will see more cultural, their ethnic and their economic federalism rather than less in the years footing—and genuine self-government—in ahead, and I offer, as exhibit A, the European the framework of a larger entity which would Union. It’s really a new form of federalism, also have supported them economically? And where the States—in this case, the nations reinforced their security instead of under- of Europe—are far more important and pow- mined it? It didn’t happen; it’s too bad. erful than the federal government, but they But I say this because I don’t think there are giving enough functions over to the fed- are any general rules, but I think that, at the eral government to sort of reinforce their end of World War I, when President Wilson mutual interest in an integrated economy and spoke, there was a general assumption, be- in some integrated political circumstances. cause we were seeing empires break up— In a way, we’ve become more of a fed- the Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian eralist world when the United Nations takes Empire; there was the memory of the Rus- a more active role in stopping genocide in sian Empire; British colonialism was still places in which it was not involved, and we alive in Africa, and so was French colo- recognize mutual responsibilities to con- nialism—at that time, we all assumed, and tribute and pay for those things. the rhetoric of the time imposed the idea So I believe we will be looking for ways, that the only way for people to feel any sov- over and over and over again—the Prime ereignty or meaning was if they were inde- Minister and I have endorsed the Free Trade pendent. Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999 / Oct. 8 1997

And I think we’ve spent a lot of the 20th Proclamation 7239—Columbus Day, century minimizing the prospects of fed- 1999 eralism. We all have recoiled, now, so much October 8, 1999 at the abuse of people because of their tribal, racial, and religious characteristics, that we By the President of the United States tend immediately to think that the only an- of America swer is independence. But we must think of how we will live after A Proclamation the shooting stops, after the smoke clears, Although Christopher Columbus’ first voy- over the long run. And I can only say this, age to the New World took place more than in closing: I think the United States and Can- 500 years ago, the momentous changes it ada are among the most fortunate countries brought about still resonate today. His jour- in the world because we have such diversity; ney triggered a historic encounter between sometimes concentrated, like the Inuits in Europe and the native peoples of the New the north; sometimes widely dispersed within World; helped open new continents to explo- a certain area, like the diversity of Vancouver. ration, trade, and development; established We are fortunate because life is more inter- a reliable route to the Americas; and was a esting and fun when there are different peo- major milestone in the inexorable trend to- ple who look differently and think differently ward expansion and globalization. and find their way to God differently. It’s Columbus could not have imagined the an interesting time. And because we all have full impact of his arrival in 1492 or how his to grow and learn when we confront people journey would shape human history. The zeal who are different than we are, and instead for trade that motivated the Spanish crown to fund Columbus’ voyages still exists today of looking at them in fear and hatred and as we work to strengthen our commercial ties dehumanization, we look at them and see a with other nations and to compete in an in- mirror of ourselves and our common human- creasingly global economy. Columbus’ own ity. passion for adventure survives as an integral I think if we will keep this in mind—what part of our national character and heritage, is most likely to advance our common hu- reflected in our explorations of the oceans’ manity in a smaller world; and what is the depths and the outer reaches of our solar sys- arrangement of government most likely to tem. A son of Italy, Columbus opened the give us the best of all worlds—the integrity door to the New World for millions of people we need, the self-government we need, the from across the globe who have followed self-advancement we need—without pre- their dreams to America. Today, Americans tending that we can cut all the cords that of Italian and Spanish descent can take spe- bind us to the rest of humanity—I think cial pride, not only in Columbus’ historic more and more and more people will say, achievements, but also in their own immeas- ‘‘This federalism, it’s not such a bad idea.’’ urable contributions to our national life. Thank you very much. From business to the arts, from government to academia, they have played an important part in advancing the peace and prosperity NOTE: The President spoke at 2:25 p.m. in the our country enjoys today. Chateau Mont-Tremblant. In his remarks, he re- ferred to Prime Minister Jean Chretien of Canada; We are about to embark on our own jour- Premier Lucien Bouchard of Quebec; President ney into a new millennium of unknown chal- Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico; and U.S. Ambassador lenges and possibilities. As we ponder that to Canada Gordon Giffin. The President also re- future, Columbus’ courage and daring still ferred to Executive Order 13132—Federalism, capture the American imagination, inspiring published in the Federal Register on August 10, us to look to the horizon, as he did, and see, 1999. This item was not received in time for publi- not a daunting boundary, but a new world cation in the appropriate issue. full of opportunity. 1998 Oct. 8 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999

In tribute to Columbus’ many achieve- scribed in Security Council Resolution 1264. ments, the Congress, by joint resolution of United States support to the multinational April 30, 1934 (48 Stat. 657), and an Act of force has thus far been limited to commu- June 28, 1968 (82 Stat. 250), has requested nications, intelligence, logistics, planning as- the President to proclaim the second Mon- sistance, and transportation. day in October of each year as ‘‘Columbus Recently, I authorized the deployment of Day.’’ the amphibious ship, USS BELLEAU Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, WOOD (LHA 3), and her embarked heli- President of the United States of America, copters, to the East Timor region, including do hereby proclaim October 11, 1999, as Co- Indonesian waters, to provide helicopter air- lumbus Day. I call upon the people of the lift and search and rescue support to the mul- United States to observe this day with appro- tinational operation. Also, embarked in BEL- priate ceremonies and activities. I also direct LEAU WOOD is a portion of her assigned that the flag of the United States be displayed complement of personnel from the 31st Ma- on all public buildings on the appointed day rine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations in honor of Christopher Columbus. Capable) (MEU (SOC)). At this time, I do In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set not anticipate that the embarked Marines my hand this eighth day of October, in the will be deployed ashore, with the exception year of our Lord nineteen hundred and nine- of the