[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
[May 6, 2000]
[Pages 856-857]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the Northern Ireland Peace Process and an Exchange With 
Reporters
May 6, 2000

    The President.  I would just like to make a brief statement about 
the acceptance by the IRA of the proposals by Prime Ministers 
Blair and Ahern. This is 
a very good day for the people of Northern Ireland. It is a truly 
historic step. For the first time, the IRA is clearly committed to 
decommissioning and a process to get there. I applaud that. I want to 
thank the Prime Ministers and Gerry Adams and 
everyone else who was involved in this. But this is a very good day.
    Q.  Do you think it will stick?
    The President.  Well, I do. Of course, the Unionists still have to 
formally accept it, but this idea of storing the weapons and having the 
storage site monitored, I think, is a way for both of them to achieve 
their previously stated objectives, both sides. So it's a very, very 
good day.
    Q.  Weren't we at this point once before, sir?
    The President.  No, we never got this far on the details of the 
implementation. We always knew, I think, that the sequencing of 
decommissioning and the full implementation of the accords by both sides 
and by the British Government would be a problem. And that's really what 
this last year-plus has been about. For all of us who've worked on it, 
this is a very happy.
    But I really appreciate the work done by Prime Minister Blair and Prime Minister Ahern and 
the fact that the IRA has accepted it, and the Sinn Fein has obviously 
had a role in that. So this is a big step. And they've reached out to 
the Unionists now. Of course, I hope it will be fully accepted by all 
parties, and we can get the Government back up and go on.

[[Page 857]]

Opposition to Enrique Moreno Nomination

    Q.  Why do you think the two Texas Senators--did they reject your 
nominee because he's Hispanic, Mexican-American?
    The President.  There are only two conceivable alternatives, I 
think. That or they just don't want to confirm any judges unless they're 
rightwing ideologs. I mean, this man had unbelievable academic 
credentials. He was endorsed by every conceivable professional 
association. He was consistent with the judges I've appointed for over 7 
years now, highly qualified and clearly in the mainstream of the 
American judiciary.
    But you know, they like judges that are more results oriented, and 
it may be that they just want to use this opportunity to try to seize 
control of the judiciary again. For them, it's all too often a political 
arm of the Government. But to do this to a Hispanic judge from Texas, 
who has made himself into an excellent lawyer and a superbly qualified 
person is just unconscionable. I mean, it's unbelievable.
    If their committee didn't find this man qualified, I'd certainly be 
interested in knowing what the criteria of their committee is.
    Q.  But you're not charging that two U.S. Senators are prejudiced 
against Hispanics, are you?
    The President.  No, I'm saying that--you have to ask them, and 
people can draw their own conclusions. They may or may not be. But since 
he's clearly well-qualified and everybody virtually in the world with an 
opinion has endorsed him, if it's not that, it's that they want somebody 
who's more politically malleable.
    As I said, all you have to do is look at the way so many of their 
judges perform. They're highly results oriented when they appoint 
judges. I just try to appoint people I thought would be fair and 
interpret the law and be balanced and represent this country. So it 
might be politics and ideology. But it's a terrible, terrible day for 
the Hispanic community and for the idea of fairness in the judiciary.
    Q.  What's this going to do--[inaudible]--election, Mr. President?
    The President.  I don't know. I don't have a comment on that. I'd 
rather--to me this is--I made this appointment; this man was qualified 
on the merits, superbly qualified. And he's from a State with a huge 
Hispanic population and a big caseload, and he deserved a hearing, and 
he deserved to be confirmed. I think it's just disgraceful.
    Thank you.

 Note:  The President spoke at approximately 12:15 p.m. on the South 
Lawn at the White House, prior to his departure for Fayetteville, AR. In 
his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United 
Kingdom; Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of Ireland; Sinn Fein leader Gerry 
Adams; and Enrique Moreno, nominee for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge for 
the Fifth Circuit. A tape was not available for verification of the 
content of these remarks.