    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [October 18, 1996]
    [Pages 1864-1866]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to Discussions With Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri of
    Lebanon and an Exchange With Reporters
    October 18, 1996

        The President. Let me say first that I'm delighted to have the Prime
    Minister here today. The United States is strongly committed to the
    independence, the sovereignty, the territorial integrity of Lebanon. We
    look forward to supporting a comprehensive and lasting peace in the
    Middle East that preserves that integrity, and a Lebanon that is free of
    foreign forces. We're also committed to supporting the reconstruction
    efforts that are so important in Lebanon after the difficulties of the
    last year. And I look forward to this conversation.
        I should also say in front of the American press that the United
    States is very blessed by the contributions of large numbers of
    Lebanese-Americans, including members of our administration: Donna
    Shalala, the Secretary of Health and Human Services; former Senator
    George Mitchell, who is now back in Northern Ireland or on his way back;
    and General George Joulwan, who is the commander of our forces in
    Europe. So we have a lot of ties with Lebanon, and we're looking forward
    to this meeting.

    Campaign Financing

        Q. Mr. President, speaking of contributions, what is your reaction
    today to Senator Dole's charge that when it comes to some of these
    foreign political cash contributions made to the DNC, that you
    personally haven't learned the lesson of that national nightmare called
    Watergate?
        The President. Well, let me say two things. One--first is, Mr.
    Panetta and I have asked the DNC to review all the contributions, as we
    should have, as we've said, to make sure they were appropriate. And
    we'll have other opportunities to discuss this. This is not the
    appropriate forum for that.

    U.S. Military Aid to Lebanon

        Q. Mr. President, the Lebanese Government has asked the United
    States for various pieces of military equipment, including tanks--excuse
    me--helicopters or personnel carriers' aircraft. Do you view their
    request sympathetically, and if so, what would you expect to give them?
        The President. Well, the Prime Minister and I haven't had our
    meeting yet, and the Secretary of State and he have discussed this.
    We'll review these things and see what is appropriate and make the
    appropriate decision. But we have been and continue to be very
    supportive of Lebanon and of the work that the Prime Minister is doing
    to strengthen his country and to give it a brighter future.

    [[Page 1865]]

        Q. Do they need more hardware to guarantee their territorial
    integrity?
        The President. I don't have any other comment at this time.

    1996 Election

        Q. Are you going to let Senator Dole take California?
        The President. The people of California will determine that.
        Q. What was going to be your first answer? [Laughter]
        The President. It belongs to them.

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

    Meeting With Prime Minister Hariri

        The President. First of all, let me say that it is a great honor to
    welcome the Prime Minister back to the United States and especially to
    have him here at the White House. The United States strongly supports
    the independence, the sovereignty, the territorial integrity of Lebanon.
    And we look forward to working with the Prime Minister to build a future
    in the Middle East with a comprehensive, lasting peace and Lebanon free
    of foreign forces. We also want to be supportive of the reconstruction
    efforts in Lebanon, and I'm looking forward to having a discussion with
    the Prime Minister about that.
        The other thing I feel I should say to the people of Lebanon is how
    deeply indebted the United States is for the contributions of Lebanese-
    Americans. My administration is especially indebted because of the
    presence of Donna Shalala in our Cabinet as Secretary of Health and
    Human Services, and former Senator George Mitchell, who is our envoy to
    the peace talks in Northern Ireland and who is leading them now, and
    General George Joulwan, who is the commander of all of our forces in
    Europe. So we have a lot of ties with Lebanon. We want to be as
    supportive of this Prime Minister in his vision for Lebanon's future,
    and I look forward to our discussions.
        Mr. Prime Minister, do you want to say anything?
        Prime Minister Hariri. Thank you very much, Mr. President. I am
    really honored and pleased to be here and to meet with President Clinton
    and Mr. Christopher. And I'm confident that President Clinton will help
    Lebanon in the next future to--and assist them to regain its
    independence and also will help them in the reconstruction effort.

    U.S. Sanctions on Lebanon

        Q. Mr. President, can we expect any change in the----
        Q. [Inaudible]--is there any way--[inaudible]----
        Q. ----status of the travel ban on Lebanon anytime soon?
        The President. Well, we're going to--I'm going to discuss that with
    the Prime Minister. As you know, we do have numerous people from this
    country coming to Lebanon, and our concerns relate to the security. And
    we may be able to work together on that, and we're going to discuss
    that.
        Q. Mr. President, is there any way you can separate between those
    restrictions imposed on Lebanon--the safety of Americans who wish to
    travel to Lebanon and those who are cut out, hurting the Lebanese
    economy and the efforts of the families to rebuild the country?
        The President. We're going to talk about that. We want to be
    supportive of the Prime Minister's efforts. And we believe that there is
    a special need for people who support freedom and independence in the
    future of Lebanon all over the world to help in the reconstruction
    efforts.
        Q. Elections are next month----

    Middle East Peace Process

        Q. Mr. President, what can be done to make sure that there is no
    repetition of aggression on the Lebanese villages now that the
    humanitarian group found that Israel was really the aggressor?
        The President. Well, I think the first and most important thing is
    to make sure that Lebanon is a genuine partner in the ongoing process of
    peace discussions in the Middle East and to get the reconstruction
    efforts going. If we do it in the right way, I think there will not be a
    repetition.
        Q. Mr. President----
        The President. One more, one more.
        Q. Yes, Mr. President, about the Syria-Israeli negotiations and the
    Palestinian negotiations, they have been stalled for a long time. What
    is the United States prepared to do to move these negotiations ahead?
    And--we can do that with the Israeli position on the commitments that
    they already made to the Palestinians?

    [[Page 1866]]

        The President. Well, let me say, I think that, as a practical
    matter, the whole peace process needs to show some movement again before
    you can expect much to happen on the Lebanese front. There have been
    discussions; the Secretary of State has been to the region many, many
    times, and the United States is always concerned about the position of
    Lebanon. And let me say, I'm somewhat encouraged by the progress of the
    recent talks, the current ongoing talks with the Palestinians and the
    Israelis. If we can get the whole thing moving again, that's the best
    thing for Lebanon. We're working on it.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:40 p.m. in the Residence at the White
    House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these
    remarks.