[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
[September 14, 1999]
[Pages 1534-1535]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit and an Exchange 
With Reporters in Auckland
September 14, 1999

    The President. Good morning. I believe we've had a very successful 
meeting here with our Asia-Pacific partners. I want to begin by thanking 
Prime Minister Shipley and the people of 
Auckland and New Zealand for giving us quite a wonderful visit to a 
place that most of us have never been before.
    Our 19 APEC members pledged to strengthen the world economy and 
advance our common prosperity. We also came together on East Timor. We 
unanimously resolved to strengthen the world trading system by opening 
more markets and agriculture services and industrial products. In 
November we'll go to Seattle to launch a new world trade round, 
determined to make this APEC agenda the world's agenda.
    We can make trade even more beneficial if China joins the WTO on 
commercially viable terms. I had a good meeting here with President 
Jiang, resuming progress in our relationship on 
issues from the WTO to security matters like preventing the spread of 
weapons of mass destruction. Our negotiators have now resumed 
substantive WTO talks.
    APEC's members also reaffirmed the importance of continuing reforms 
in the global financial system. Asia's recovery is clearly underway. We 
want to keep it going, and to do so, we have to keep up the pace of 
reform.
    At the same time, we stood together against the violence in East 
Timor. Indonesia's leaders agreed to reverse course. Now we and our 
partners are working rapidly to deploy an effective international 
security force to protect the people as they make their transition to 
independence. Again, let me say how grateful I am for the leadership of 
Australia and New Zealand in this endeavor.
    This will be overwhelmingly an Asian force. But the United States is 
ready to provide airlift, communications, intelligence, and related 
capabilities. We are working out the details in consultation with 
Congress.
    I hope the force can be ready to deploy within days. We are working 
with the U.N. today to bring that about. Until the international 
peacekeeping force deploys, it is essential that Indonesia works to 
prevent further violence. It must facilitate efforts to quickly bring 
humanitarian assistance to the people who have suffered so very greatly. 
The United Nations is ready to deliver food and medical supplies.
    Let me say, finally, this week we made progress on another crucial 
security issue, building peace and reconciliation on the Korean 
Peninsula. Following talks in Berlin, we understand and expect that 
North Korea will refrain from testing long-range missiles of any kind, 
while our discussions continue. It's an important initial step in 
addressing our concerns about North Korea's missile program.
    We're, in turn, considering measures to ease sanctions and move 
toward normalizing economic relations with North Korea. The work we've 
done in the past few days will help to build a more secure, more 
prosperous, more integrated Asia-Pacific region. It will give our 
citizens, all our citizens, all the way from New Zealand back to 
Washington, better lives in the 21st century.
    Thank you very much.

Congressional Support for a Mission to East Timor

    Q. [Inaudible]

[[Page 1535]]

    The President. Well, I have only made about 10 calls, but of course, 
Secretary Cohen and Mr. Podesta have been back there, and they've been talking to 
more. My sense is that the Congress, even though we are heavily 
committed in the Balkans and elsewhere, will support a mission if we are 
there in a clearly supportive capacity, if we're talking about a few 
hundred people, not thousands of people on the ground, and the work 
we've been asked to do is actually work that a mission like this would 
need America to do the airlift, some of the internal transportation, the 
communications, the intelligence, some of the engineering work. These 
are things that, because of the size of our military, we are uniquely 
positioned to do.
    And I stopped off in Hawaii, talked to Admiral Blair, our commander in chief in the Pacific, and he had been 
having very detailed conversations with the Australians. That's what we 
understand they're asking for. It would be a matter of a few hundred 
people, and I think we could do that.

Indonesian Response to United Nations

    Q.  Mr. President, how much trouble are the Indonesians making for 
the Security Council about the Australians leading--[inaudible]?
    The President. Well, I know there was a statement yesterday by an 
Indonesian official, but we do not understand that to be the official 
position. So, so far, no trouble has been made. I hope that there won't 
be any. I think that we have tried to make it clear that we would 
welcome the cooperation with the Indonesian forces if they would work 
with us; they would be in a position to do some things there to help 
facilitate this mission. But I do not believe they should be able to 
dictate the composition of it once having acknowledged that the United 
Nations should come in.

Australian Leadership in East Timor

    Q.  Is Australia's leadership nonnegotiable--[inaudible]?
    The President. Well, that's, of course, for the U.N. to decide, but 
as far as I'm concerned, I'm quite comfortable with it and strongly 
supportive of it. Keep in mind, they are willing to provide what, in all 
probability, will be more than half of the total force needed.
    We have a high regard for their abilities. We train with them. We 
work with them. We know that they can do this job, and in so doing, they 
make it possible for large numbers of other nations to participate who 
can make only more modest contributions. It's easier for New Zealand, 
for Malaysia, for the Philippines, for Korea, for any number of other 
countries to send in troops according to their ability to do it, knowing 
that there will be a large and very well-trained and led anchor force 
there. So the Australian commitment makes possible the effective 
commitments of a lot of other countries, just as our airlift capacity 
does.
    So I would hope we can stick with it, and I think we will. I feel 
good about it.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 7:55 a.m. at the Stamford Plaza Hotel prior 
to departure from Auckland, New Zealand. In his remarks, he referred to 
Prime Minister Jennifer Shipley of New Zealand; and President Jiang 
Zemin of China.