    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [April 30, 1997]
    [Pages 512-514]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to Discussions With President Jose Aznar of Spain and an
    Exchange With Reporters
    April 30, 1997

        President Clinton. Well, let me begin by welcoming President Aznar
    and his group of leaders from Spain. Spain has set an example for the
    world now for quite a few years in its transition to a remarkable and
    healthy and vibrant democracy, which produced your recent election, and
    has been a very valuable ally and partner of the United States in Bosnia
    and now in Guatemala and, of course, is going to be the host of our
    summit on NATO in July. So we're looking very much forward to being
    there. And we appreciate you very much.
        Yes, we have our fingers crossed. [Laughter]

    Budget Agreement

        Q. Have you got a budget deal, Mr. President? And why did Chelsea
    pick Stanford? [Laughter]

    [[Page 513]]

        President Clinton. Not yet, but if you look at the economic news
    this morning, it is one more clear example that we did the right thing
    in '93 and that the right strategy is to bring the deficit down, expand
    trade, and invest in education and training and science and technology.
    And so, if we can get an agreement that does all that--that is, balances
    the budget but also continues to invest in the areas that our people
    need to grow the economy--then I will support it. And we're working
    hard. We worked hard yesterday. And perhaps it will happen.
        Q. Before you go to Mexico?
        President Clinton. Oh, I don't know about that.

    Chelsea Clinton's College Selection

        Q. Tell us about why Chelsea chose Stanford--why you think she did?
        President Clinton. I don't know. She looked at all these schools,
    she had wonderful choices, and she made her own decision. And her mother
    and I are proud of her, and we support her.
        You know, the great thing about America is that there are literally
    a few hundred world-class educational institutions in this country. And
    she didn't have a bad choice; she just picked the decision she though
    was best for her.
        Q. How do you feel about her going so far away?
        President Clinton. Well, the planes run out there, and the phones
    work out there. [Laughter] And the E-mail works out there. So we'll be
    all right.
        Q. What was your role, sir, in the decision?
        President Clinton. None, except I listened, asked questions, and
    attempted to have no influence whatever.

    Hong Kong

        Q. Mr. President, did you get any assurances from the Foreign
    Minister of Hong Kong that Hong Kong would enjoy greater autonomy under
    Chinese rule? Did you get any assurances?
        President Clinton. Well, we had a good discussion about Hong Kong,
    and he assured me that China intended to observe the terms of the
    agreement of 1984 that they made with Great Britain and that the United
    States supported back then. I was quite satisfied with what he said. And
    I certainly hope that it will reflect Chinese policy.
        The Vice President. Thank you. Muchas gracias.

    Extraterritorial Impact of Sanctions

        Q. Do you consider the conflict on Helms-Burton completely finished,
    sir?
        President Clinton. I hope so.

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

    Visit of President Aznar

        President Clinton. Is everybody in?
        Let me begin by welcoming President Aznar here to visit us. We have
    had a wonderful partnership with Spain for many years and have admired
    the vibrant democracy that the Spanish people enjoy, and have
    appreciated the partnership we have had with Spain in NATO, working
    together in Bosnia, most recently in Guatemala.
        And I want to say a special word of appreciation, obviously, to the
    President for hosting the NATO summit in Madrid this July. I'm looking
    forward to that and hoping I can come a day or two early and look around
    Spain again, for the first time in 30 years.
        President Aznar. You're invited; you know that. I hope to see you
    there.

    [At this point, President Aznar continued his remarks in Spanish, and a
    translation was not provided.]

    Role of Spain in NATO

        Q. Mr. President, what do you expect from Spain with the new role
    that NATO has to play?
        President Clinton. Well, first of all, I expect an important
    leadership role. We want Spain integrated fully into the NATO command
    structure. We're very fortunate in having a Secretary-General of NATO
    from Spain. And having Madrid be the site of this historic summit when
    we will vote for the first time to take in new members and hopefully be
    in a position to celebrate a new arrangement with Russia--we're working
    on that now; we hope we can achieve that--I think symbolizes the role
    that Spain will play in the years ahead in NATO.
        Also, we look to the Spanish to lead in NATO, to be willing to do
    what has to be done, to have a say in situations which may not be
    immediately popular but which are profoundly important.

    [[Page 514]]

        Again, let me say, I'm very grateful to the support we've received
    in Bosnia, to the work we're doing in Guatemala. The influence that
    Spain has in Latin America is something that's especially important to
    the United States because we seek to integrate ourselves more closely
    into Latin America and in partnership with Spain. So we're very hopeful
    there.
        Q. [Inaudible]--petition for--taking a bigger role, more important
    role in the NATO?
        President Clinton. Well, the details of all that have to be worked
    out by the command structure. But we want Spain integrated into the
    structure, yes.

    President's Upcoming Visit to Spain

        Q. [Inaudible]--will you come next?
        President Clinton. I don't know. Since I've been President, I've
    only been really to Madrid, and for brief periods. But 30 years ago--28
    years ago this month, I had a vacation as a very young man in Spain. And
    I've always wanted to go back, and I've always wanted to have a chance
    to see it with Hillary. My daughter was able to come to Spain for an
    extended period a couple of years ago. So we're hoping that we can take
    just a couple of days off before the summit to see some more things in
    Spain. I'll follow the President's lead; I won't sketch out my itinerary
    here because I don't really have one. [Laughter]

    Note: The President spoke at 12:45 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, the President referred to Minister of Foreign
    Affairs Qian Qichen of China; and Javier Solana, Secretary-General of
    the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A tape was not available for
    verification of the content of these remarks.