[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book II)]
[October 22, 1995]
[Pages 1657-1658]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Prior to Discussions With President Nelson Mandela of South 
Africa and an Exchange With Reporters in New York City
October 22, 1995

    President Clinton. Hello. Is everyone in?
    President Mandela. They're the only people who can order the 
President of a superpower around. [Laughter]
    President Clinton. Let me just begin by saying that it's a great 
honor for me to have a chance to meet with my friend President Mandela 
again. He is a symbol of the best of what has occurred in the world in 
the last 50 years, since the United Nations has been in existence. And 
we honor the progress South Africa has made and is making. We value our 
partnership and look forward to doing more together.
    I want to thank again the President for making it possible to 
establish the Gore-Mbeki commission so that we'll have a very high-level 
way of working together systematically over the long run. And we are 
very excited about it, and I'm looking forward to our meeting.
    President Mandela. [Inaudible]--is in power in South Africa, it is 
the duty of the new government to solve the problems facing the country 
and not to be pointing the finger--fingers--at what happened before we 
came into power. But for the purpose of appreciating what the United 
States of America has done to facilitate the transformation that has 
taken place in our country and the trend of democracy, we must start 
from the point that we faced one of the brutal systems of racial 
oppression in our country. And the fact that in our anti-apartheid fight 
we had the support of a country like the United States of America 
strengthened the democratic forces in our country and enabled us to win. 
It is in that spirit that I always look forward to meeting the President 
of the United States of America. And it is in that spirit that I'm going 
to have discussions with him.
    Thank you.

[At this point, one group of reporters left the room, and another group 
entered.]

    President Clinton. Let me begin by saying it is a great honor for me 
to welcome my friend President Mandela back to the United States. He is 
a hero to so many people in our country because of his long fight for 
freedom and democracy and justice in South Africa. And on this 50th 
anniversary of the United Nations, I think we can fairly say that the 
example that he and his country have set really embodies the best of 
what the United Nations is trying to do throughout the world.
    Vice President Gore and Mr. Mbeki have established a remarkable 
commission where we're going to have a high-level, ongoing, significant 
partnership with South Africa. And I believe that this relationship is 
in good shape. And I look forward to making it better.

[[Page 1658]]

    And I'm delighted to welcome you here, Mr. President. Would you like 
to say anything before we let them ask a question or two?
    President Mandela. Thank you. We have had very good relations with 
the United States of America. I must point out that the first head of 
state to congratulate me when I came out of prison was the President of 
the United States of America at the time. And he invited me to this 
country.
    Our relations have deepened considerably since President Clinton 
took over power. He has helped us to ensure that democracy in our 
country is deeply entrenched. And it is always in that spirit that we 
think of him. And it is in that spirit that I'm here today to have these 
discussions with the President.
    I look forward to reaching agreement on a wide variety of issues. 
This has been my experience before in having discussions with him. And I 
have no reason to doubt whatsoever that from this short meeting that 
we're going to have, we'll come out stronger and more close to one 
another as never before.
    Thank you.

United Nations Funding

    Q. Mr. President, what makes you think the Republican Congress will 
be in any mood to give you the money to make up the back payments the 
U.S. owes the U.N.?
    President Mandela. Can you just repeat that?
    President Clinton. Excuse me.
    President Mandela. He was talking to you. I'm so sorry. Very sorry. 
I am very sorry.
    President Clinton. I wish you would answer that question. [Laughter]
    Q. Do you think they might--the money until----
    President Clinton. Well, the Secretary of State and Ambassador 
Albright are working on that in the Congress now. There are some 
supporters of the United Nations in the Congress and the Republican 
Party. And again I say--you know, we're having this argument on another 
subject--I just believe America ought to be a good citizen. I think we 
ought to pay our bills.
    Now, we have made it clear that our contribution should be more 
commensurate with our share of the world's wealth, and it will be. We 
have made it clear that there have to be reforms in the United Nations, 
and we're working hard on that. But I don't think the United States 
wants to be known as the biggest deadbeat in the U.N. That's not the 
kind of reputation I think we should cultivate. And we are still the 
largest contributor to the United Nations, but we ought to pay our 
obligations. I was raised to believe we should pay our obligations. I 
was raised to believe the United States set a standard for the world in 
honoring its obligations. And I do not believe that we should depart 
from that now. I worked hard to get our arrears paid back in a 
disciplined, regular way, and the Secretary of State and Ambassador 
Albright will be working with Congress to see if we can do that.

Cuba

    Q. Mr. President, if President Mandela was able to speak to the 
apartheid government when he came out of prison, why is it the United 
States can't talk to Cuba's Fidel Castro?
    President Clinton. He was speaking to his own country and his own 
country trying to change his own country.
    We have a Cuban Democracy Act which sets the framework of our 
relationship. And we have a mechanism within which we have dealt with 
the Cubans on matters of common concern for some years now. And that 
mechanism has operated since I've been President. And the Cuban 
Democracy Act provides for a measured improvement of our relationships 
in direct response to measured steps by the Cubans moving toward greater 
freedom and openness and democracy. And we have taken some steps in the 
last few days, as you know, to try to open contacts and to try to 
facilitate travel by Cuban-Americans to go see their families. So we're 
moving in a direction that we can continue to move in if Cuba continues 
to move in that direction.
    I think the Cuban Democracy Act and its framework sets a good way of 
seeing this relationship mature when there are changes in Cuba that 
warrant it.

Note: The President spoke at 12:20 p.m. at the United States Mission to 
the United Nations. In his remarks, he referred to Executive Deputy 
President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa. A tape was not available for 
verification of the content of these remarks.