[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
[September 16, 1997]
[Pages 1171-1172]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Proposed Fast-Track Trade Authority Legislation and an 
Exchange With Reporters
September 16, 1997

    The President. Good afternoon. Today I am taking the next step in 
our strategy to extend our prosperity into the next century. I have 
submitted legislation to the Congress that will renew the traditional 
authority granted to Presidents of both parties since 1974 to negotiate 
new trade agreements to open foreign markets to goods and services made 
by American workers.
    We are at a moment of hard-earned optimism and great hope for our 
future, with 13 million new jobs, unemployment below 5 percent. Our 1993 
economic plan, which cut the deficit by 80 percent, created the base 
conditions for this growth. The bipartisan balanced budget I have just 
signed, with its unprecedented investment in education, sets the stage 
for further prosperity into the next century.
    But we must also recognize that a critical element of America's 
success has been our leadership in the global economy. More than a third 
of our growth in the past 4 years has come from expanded trade. Today, 
12 million American jobs are supported by exports. Today, at the 
pinnacle of that strength, America must choose whether to advance or to 
retreat. I believe the only way we can continue to grow and create good 
jobs in the future is to embrace global growth and expand American 
exports.
    The legislation I submitted today extends for 4 years the authority 
every American President has had for decades, to negotiate new 
agreements that tear down foreign barriers to our goods and our 
services, everything from computer equipment to chemicals. It will 
enable the United States to sell in the world's fastest growing markets, 
regions where our competitors

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will step in if we retreat. It will help to create the high-wage jobs 
that come from exports, and it will do this while allowing us to advance 
protections for workers' rights and the environment, critical goals for 
us at home and for America abroad.
    The Vice President and I are now going to Capitol Hill to meet with 
the Democratic Members of Congress to spell out why this legislation is 
in the national interest. The legislation reflects the values of both 
parties and reflects the abiding partnership between the President and 
Congress. It is a bipartisan partnership that has helped to produce 
strong prosperity and a partnership that must continue in the interest 
of the American people and our future.

Landmines

    Q. Mr. President, are you changing your policy on landmines?
    The President. No, I'm not changing my policy on landmines. I have 
been working very hard to try to reach agreement with the parties in 
Oslo.
    But I would like to remind everybody here of a few facts. I believe 
that I was the first world leader to call for an end to the landmines 
that are killing so many innocent people around the world. The United 
States does not produce, sell, or deploy these mines, and we are 
destroying them. With the single exception of Korea--everyone in the 
world recognizes that Korea is a special problem because of the number 
of North Korean troops that are very close to Seoul. And we have been 
working with the people in Oslo to try to get an extended period of time 
to deal with that.
    Now, there is another issue that relates to our antitank mines, 
which are slightly different from other countries, which also involve 
destruction devices that automatically go dead within a matter of hours 
or days. We're trying to work through these things.
    But the United States has done more than any other country to bring 
an end to landmines. We have spent $150 million in the last 4 years in 
demining work. We are missing an airplane off the coast of Africa that 
deposited a demining team in Africa to continue this work. So we have 
not taken a back seat to anyone. But we have to make sure that our 
fundamental responsibilities through the United Nations for Korea, and 
to our own troops in terms of antitank mines, which are legal under this 
treaty, can be maintained.
    And we're working on it. I don't want to discuss the state of play 
because I'm not quite sure what it is. But we have another day or so to 
try to work through this. The United States would like to be a signatory 
to this agreement, but I have to be sure that we can fulfill our 
responsibilities and protect our troops.
    Q. Sir, how much of a fast track----

Proposed Tobacco Legislation

    Q. Do you support an increase in the price of cigarettes of $1.50? 
Is that one of the proposals tomorrow on tobacco?
    The President. I will announce tomorrow what I think we should do on 
tobacco. And we're going to come out for some clear principles that will 
further this debate, which we started a long time ago now it seems, with 
the action proposed by the FDA. Again, I will say I want to do what is 
necessary to protect children's health, particularly, and the public 
health in general. And I will be, I think, quite vigorous and clear 
tomorrow when I make that announcement.
    Q. Sir, is the tobacco agreement dead? How much of a fast track is 
it going to be on after tomorrow?
    The President. No, I don't think it's dead. You know, Members of 
Congress have made comments about whether it could be done or not this 
year. We ought do this as--we ought to get this legislation through 
Congress as quickly as we can. I would hope that we can get all the 
parties to the lawsuit involved to agree to it. But we have to do it 
right. So I will do it as quickly as possible, working with the 
leadership in Congress, but I want to do it right.
    Q. Will you offer legislation on your own, sir?
    The President. What did you say?
    Q. Will you offer your own legislation?
    The President. Well, tomorrow--let me just say this--tomorrow we're 
going to talk about general principles, and then we'll do some 
consulting to see what the most productive way to get legislation in the 
hopper is.

Note: The President spoke at 3:55 p.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House, prior to departing for meeting with the House Democratic Caucus 
on Capitol Hill.