[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
[January 23, 1997]
[Pages 69-71]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Following Discussions With United Nations Secretary-General Kofi 
Annan and an Exchange With Reporters
January 23, 1997

    The President. Good afternoon. Secretary-General and your 
distinguished staff, Mr. Vice President, Madam Secretary.
    The President of the United States must exercise the leadership of 
our country for peace and freedom, for security and prosperity in the 
world. When we must, we will act alone. But when we can, we must work 
with others to spread the cost and the risks of engagement and to make 
our own leadership more effective.
    The United Nations is critical in advancing the progress and peace 
of the world. It vaccinates children against disease, helps refugees to 
stay safe and go home, teaches farmers how to grow good crops, guards 
against the spread of nuclear weapons. And from Angola to the Middle 
East, U.N. peacekeepers are giving diplomacy a chance to work and peace 
a chance to take hold.
    That is the kind of burden-sharing we need to seize the promise and 
meet the perils of a world growing ever closer together. That's why last 
year I believed so strongly that the United Nations needed new 
leadership, a Secretary-General who could rebuild the institution to 
take on the challenges of the future. I am very pleased that the U.N. 
chose Kofi Annan for the job. He is a man who shares that vision and is 
clearly prepared to act, an experienced diplomat, a proven reformer, a 
man committed

[[Page 70]]

to a revitalized United Nations, one that upholds its timeless mission 
but that adapts to new times.
    We had a good discussion. We talked about the need to put the U.N. 
back on sound financial footing. That will demand far-reaching reform, 
the elimination of waste, streamlining staff, wiping out overlap and 
abuse. The Secretary-General and I agree that the U.N. must pursue this 
course of reform. It's clear to me that he is prepared and determined to 
get the job done.
    As the U.N. moves to reform, it must know also that the United 
States is prepared to pay its way. In the weeks ahead, I will be working 
with Congress to reach an agreement through which America can pay our 
arrears to the U.N., meet our obligations, and continue to spur real 
progress. We cannot expect to lead through the United Nations unless we 
are prepared to pay our own way and to pay what we owe as they do what 
they should along the path of reform. As long as the United States does 
its part--as long as the United Nations does its part, we simply have to 
be prepared to pay our debts and to pay our dues.
    Today we are proud as Americans to stand as the indispensable 
nation, the world's leading force for peace and freedom and security and 
prosperity. But we cannot sustain our leadership or, more importantly, 
our goals for a better world, alone. And we cannot sustain it by words 
alone. Our well-being at home depends upon our engagement around the 
world. We have to have the resources to meet that challenge and to 
assume the responsibilities of leadership. Meeting our commitment to the 
United Nations is a crucial part of that task, and I might say also, on 
Secretary Albright's first day in office, adequately funding our foreign 
policy operations through the State Department and our other diplomatic 
missions is also a critical part of that task.
    I'm very encouraged that the Secretary-General will be meeting with 
congressional leaders during his visit here to Washington. I look 
forward to working with the Congress and with the Secretary-General to 
renew the United Nations for the century ahead, and I'm very glad that 
he is the first leader that I have met with after my Inauguration.
    Mr. Secretary-General, would you like to say a few words? Welcome to 
Washington.

[At this point, Secretary-General Annan made brief remarks.]

    The President. Thank you very much.

U.S. Debt to the United Nations

    Q. Mr. President, why did you wait so long to want to pay back your 
debts? And is it conditional on reforms?
    The President. First of all, I wanted to pay it back all along. Our 
budget will actually have a plan to pay it back and to pay it back in a 
prompt fashion. As a practical matter, I know from consulting with the 
Members of Congress that we won't be able to secure support in the 
Congress for paying the arrears unless they're convinced that reform is 
going forward.
    But you know, the United States has been, I think, very fortunate to 
have hosted the United Nations since its creation, to have supported it 
and worked with it in ways large and small. And we have been immensely 
benefited by the burden-sharing and humanitarian work that the United 
Nations has done. So I am determined to see that we pay our way. And I 
think it's a part of--I'll say again, it's a part of having the proper 
attitude toward our foreign policy operations in general.
    I'm gratified that Secretary Albright and Secretary Cohen were 
confirmed yesterday. I hope that Bill Richardson and Tony Lake will be 
promptly confirmed so we can put our whole foreign policy team on the 
field and go to work. But we have to recognize that our diplomacy and 
our leadership cannot be through the defense budget alone. We also have 
to have an adequate diplomatic budget to do the work that has to be 
done. And that is--a part of that is paying our U.N. way.
    Q. Mr. President, what do you think about----
    Q. Mr. President, if you put the U.N. on a scale of 1 to 10, where 
would you place it?
    The President. Rising rapidly. [Laughter]

Canada-Cuba Trade Agreement

    Q. What do you think about Canada's trade deal with Cuba?
    The President. Excuse me?
    Q. Canada's trade deal with Cuba?
    The President. What about it?
    Q. What is your reaction to it? Do you have any?

[[Page 71]]

    The President. Well, my reaction is I'm gratified that the 
Canadians, along with the Europeans, are now talking more to the Cubans 
about human rights and democratic reforms. I'm skeptical, frankly, that 
it will--that the recent discussions between the Canadians and the 
Cubans will lead to advances. I believe that our policy is the proper 
one, but I'm glad that the Canadians are trying to make something good 
happen in Cuba.

U.S. Debt to the United Nations

    Q. Gentlemen, would the two of you like to have a common strategy 
about how to get a reluctant Congress to give up this money?
    The President. Well, I think we have common interests there. I've 
already told you that I'm utterly convinced that the Secretary-General 
has a chance to genuinely reform the United Nations for the 21st century 
because he is committed to do it and because he and his team have the 
capacity to do it. And I think all that remains is for him to establish 
an appropriate relationship with our Congress. And I think he'll do it 
and do quite well with it. And we don't need to coordinate a strategy 
for that. No secret here, we've told you everything we've just said in 
there.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 1:21 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House.