    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [June 1, 2000]
    [Pages 1059-1061]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the American Embassy Community in Lisbon
    June 1, 2000

        Thank you very much. First, I'm delighted to see you. I'm sorry we
    had to delay this a little bit, but we had the meeting with Prime
    Minister Barak. I want to thank, first,
    Gerry and Susan,
    my longtime friends. We went to college together. You can tell by
    looking at us, it was a very long time ago. [Laughter] Susan worked for
    me many years in the White House, and I miss her terribly, but I'm glad
    that they're here together. And I'm glad--we've got this whole McGowan
    bunch of kids here, proving that this is a pro-family administration.
    [Laughter]
        I've been told that the people in our Embassy have produced 20
    children in the last couple of years, so I want to thank you for that.
    I'll use that as an exhibit as I go around the world.
        Obviously, I'm grateful to Secretary Albright and to Secretary Daley and to
    National Security Adviser Berger and our
    whole group. We had a wonderful time here, and I want to say more about
    it in a minute. But I would like to say just a few words about the
    meeting I had with Prime Minister Barak this
    morning, because it is very important, and it's still early in America.
    So if I say it to you, they'll all hear it today. [Laughter]
        First of all, he reaffirmed his intense
    commitment to reach an historic and complete agreement with the
    Palestinians, which I think is very important to settling all the issues
    and ending the conflict. I know from my own discussions with Chairman
    Arafat that he also shares this commitment and
    that he recognizes the real urgency of this moment to actually get back
    on the timetable and complete the work that has to be done.
        I'm sending Secretary Albright to
    the Middle East next week to work with both leaders on narrowing the
    gaps that still remain between them. And I will soon meet with Chairman
    Arafat in Washington--I'll do it as quickly as

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    I can--finish my trip here and meet my other obligations.
        Both leaders know
    from me, and they know from their own experience, that they now have to
    be prepared to make an intense effort and to do things that they have
    not done in the past, with real courage and vision, if we're going to
    actually get a framework agreement that deals with the outstanding
    issues.
        And I can only tell you that I'm still convinced that they have the courage, the
    vision, and the ability to do this, and the United States will do
    everything we can to help them pass this milestone. And I know that your
    thoughts and prayers will be with them. This is tough work. If it were
    easy, somebody would have done it a long time ago. But actually, it is
    within view now. They could do and, I believe, they will do it. And I'm
    going to do my best to help them do it.
        Let me also now just thank all of you. I have had a wonderful time
    here. I had a good meeting with Prime Minister Guterres, in both his capacity as Prime Minister of this
    country and in Portugal's presidency of the European Union. I had a good
    meeting and a good dinner with the Portuguese President, Mr.
    Sampaio.
        Hillary was here 3 years ago, and
    she came home raving about everything about Portugal--literally raving
    about it. It was a couple of days before she sort of hit the ground.
    [Laughter] And the one thing she said is, ``You've got to go to this
    restaurant where they make sea bass in salt''--[laughter]--``but there's
    no salt taste on the sea bass.'' I heard about this over and over again.
    I thought it was a joke, you know.
        So last night, Gerry took us all. We
    had a huge contingent. We went to the Porta Santa Maria--is that
    right?--restaurant. It was too dark to see the ocean but not too dark to
    see the sea bass in the salt. [Laughter] So I can now go home and give a
    report that my wife did not exaggerate at all. It was the most
    interesting thing I ever did, I think.
        And then something is happening--as I move toward the end of my
    term, my staff has relaxed its requirement that I actually suffer a
    physical breakdown on every trip from work, and I actually got to go
    play golf yesterday. And I will never forget that. It was wonderful. So
    we got a lot of work done; we had a good time; and I'm very grateful to
    you for all you have done.
        I also heard at the state dinner that wonderful Portuguese music
    called fado. And I may never get over that. I've been asking everybody I
    can find to send me CD's. I'm going to promote fado music all over the
    world. [Laughter] I have been sort of the single-handed ambassador for
    music coming out of northeast Brazil, but I think fado now has become my
    major passion in life. [Laughter] So I'll do what I can to help.
        I want to say just a few serious words to you. The people who
    represent the United States around the world, both the people of our
    Foreign Service, our Commerce Department, our military, the others who
    are associated with our missions, and the foreign nationals who work
    with us, almost never get any publicity. And usually--once in a rare
    blue moon when they do get any publicity, it's because something bad
    happened. And all the rest of the time you never get the credit you
    deserve, day-in and day-out, for making the United States a good
    partner, a good friend, a good neighbor, for doing all the work that has
    to be done.
        The relationship we have with this nation is strong, thanks in no
    small measure to the work you do, day-in and day-out, that too often
    goes unrecognized. And in the 7\1/2\ years I have been privileged to
    serve as President, every time I have gone to a foreign nation--and I've
    been to more, apparently, than any other President, and
    Hillary, I think, has been to more
    nations than any other First Lady. I've been told that it's unfair for
    me to say that because, given the breakup of the Soviet Union, we have
    more options than any previous First Couple has ever had--[laughter]--
    so, doubtless, my record will be broken some time by someone who likes
    to travel even more than I do and becomes President.
        But I thought it was important for me to travel the world and for us
    to try to make a better future out of the post-Communist, post-cold-war
    world. So I've had the opportunity to see many things. And I just want
    you to know that I am profoundly grateful to you for what you do and
    that I have done what I could, both in ceremonies like this and in
    speeches back home, to make sure that the American people know that they
    are getting more than their money's worth--far more than their money's
    worth--out of our diplomatic mission.
        I have done what I could at every budget debate of the United States
    Congress to argue that a lot of our national security and our national
    interests are advanced by the diplomatic investments we make, by the
    investments we

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    make in our AID programs, by the investments we make in the Peace Corps,
    by the investments we make in our commerce missions. It's not just a
    matter of military investments. If we want to advance the national
    security interests of America, we have to be good neighbors, good
    friends, and good partners. And you represent all of that, and I am
    very, very, very grateful to you.
        I also want to say that I'm grateful for the things you do here in
    this country that kind of are above and beyond the call of duty. The
    work you do with Portuguese families and Portuguese citizens, the things
    that you share with them, are very, very important to me.
        So let me say, I also have been told that there are three people who
    have been working here for over 40 years, and I think I should recognize
    them. Even if my Portuguese is not very good, I'll do my best. Graca,
    Santos. All I can say is, if you've been working here 43 years, you were
    obviously too young to go to work when you started. [Laughter] And
    Joao and Teresa Venancio, who have been tending your garden all these years.
    Where are they? I'm glad you're here.
        So I say to you, to you three and to all of you, and to your family
    and your children, obrigado.  Thank you for what you have done for the
    United States. And I know you'll be very glad when we're all gone.
    [Laughter] Have a good wheels-up party.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:10 p.m. in the Ballroom at the Dom Pedro
    Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Ehud Barak of
    Israel; U.S. Ambassador Gerald S. McGowan and his wife, Susan; Chairman
    Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority; and Prime Minister Antonio
    Guterres and President Jorge Sampaio of Portugal.