    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
    [November 18, 1993]
    [Page 2008]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 2008]]

    Remarks on Departure for Seattle, Washington
    November 18, 1993

        Thank you very much. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, Mr.
    Vice President.
        Let me just say that I have never been involved in an effort in
    which there were so many diverse people working so hard with so little
    concern for who got the credit after the battle was over.
        I thank all those who were mentioned last night and were mentioned
    today by the Vice President. I will say again that I believe that his
    stunning performance in the debate on the Larry King show played a major
    role in our victory.
        Now that the House has voted for the North American Free Trade
    Agreement, voted for America to continue to compete and win in the
    global economy, I want to say again how grateful I am to the Members who
    voted with us and how deeply I respect the opinions and convictions of
    those who did not and those who supported them.
        It is for us now to make sure that this agreement is speedily passed
    by the United States Senate and then implemented as it was intended to
    be implemented, with the cooperation of both labor and management to
    make sure that it works to the benefit of the United States and to all
    the working people of our country. It is also our responsibility to
    press on until we have the kind of education and training programs we
    need.
        And finally, it is our responsibility to make sure that we make the
    most of this effort in terms of our relationships with our neighbor to
    the south, Mexico, the rest of Latin America, and hopefully with nations
    all across the world who are committed to open and free trade, to
    lowering the barriers that they have to our products and services and to
    working together for more global opportunity, jobs, and growth.
        Last night I called President Salinas, and I told him that the Vice
    President and Chief of Staff McLarty would be available to go to Mexico
    City when NAFTA is ratified by both nations, to meet with him and his
    government for indepth discussions about how best to launch this great
    new era in North American relations. The President gracefully welcomed
    this suggestion and invited the Vice President to travel to Mexico as
    soon as NAFTA is approved by the United States Senate and by the Mexican
    Senate, which is expected to be this Tuesday.
        Now I am leaving for the first ever Asian and Pacific Economic
    Cooperation forum in Seattle with the strength in hand to fight for open
    markets throughout the world. The 15 Asian-Pacific economic partners
    that I will meet are dynamic and powerful traders and competitors. From
    the creative tension between their nations and ours can come an economic
    expansion that will sustain us for years to come. The fastest growing
    part of the world economy is in Asia.
        One thing is clear, by taking the courageous step of opening trade
    in our own hemisphere we have the economic, the political, and the moral
    standing to make the case that that ought to be done throughout the
    world, that America is serious about lowering trade barriers and
    promoting growth in our country and throughout the globe.
        I look forward to this trip and to continuing the fight. I will
    remind you again, as I have said so many times in the past, there is
    simply no evidence that the United States or any other wealthy country
    can grow jobs and increase incomes unless the world economy is growing
    and unless we have more customers for our goods and services. We took a
    long step in the right direction last night, and I intend to take more
    steps on that course in the next few days in the Pacific Northwest.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:28 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White
    House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these
    remarks.