[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 24 (Monday, June 21, 1993)]
[Pages 1090-1091]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With President Sam Nujoma 
of Namibia

 June 16, 1993

Economic Program

    Q. Mr. President, there are indications that the Senate Finance 
Committee may not hit your $500 billion target. They may fall short 
because of this problem on the gasoline tax. Would you accept less than 
$500 billion, which is one of your main principles?
    President Clinton. Well, let's see what they do. I think the--and I 
think ultimately the conference report will--I think the bill that the 
Congress ultimately votes on will hit the $500 billion.
    Q. If they come out under $500 billion--usually in conference they 
cut things in half--it would mean that you would get less than $500 
billion out of the final product.
    President Clinton. I'm not--let's see what they do.

Space Station and Super Collider

    Q. Are you going to have a space station decision today--super 
collider?
    President Clinton. There is a deadline sometime in the next 3 days. 
I don't know exactly when it is, but there's a congressional deadline, 
and we're working on a statement right now.

Democracy in Namibia

    Q. Do you think Namibia can be a model for South Africa, Mr. 
President?
    President Clinton. I absolutely do. I think it's a model for all of 
Africa. The reason I asked President Nujoma to come here and be the 
first African leader at the White House is because of the remarkable 
success that he and his country have made in promoting democracy and 
market economies, and they've done it in a multiethnic society with 
great complications. But they've managed to do it. And I think they're a 
real shining example for emerging democracies in Africa and on other 
continents as well. I'm very excited to have him here today.

Somalia

    Q. President Nujoma, are you concerned about the American role in 
Somalia, Mr. President?
    President Nujoma. We are grateful. In fact, I have come to express 
our gratitude to President Clinton, although the original initial send-
up of U.S. troops to Somalia was under the Bush administration--
Americans--American President who did that--and when he won in the 
elections, continued supporting the U.N. action in Somalia, while we 
were sitting there, while thousands of

[[Page 1091]]

Somalis were dying every day. And I'm glad that U.S. Government and the 
President Bush saw the need to quickly move the U.S. troops there to 
stop the starvation of thousands of Somalis and--the distribution of 
food to the people who were in need. And that today the Somalis seem 
like anybody else. And we all see how to us, before the U.S. troops in 
Somalia, it was terrible. So we certainly hope that other situations, 
President Clinton and the people of the United States were not to be 
tired of not making the great efforts either directly or through the 
auspices of the United Nations to ensure that this--instability 
throughout the world.
    Q. Do you think Aideed, the warlord, should be arrested?
    President Nujoma. If he is, he has a hand in committing a crime to 
ambush and to kill the United Nations peacekeepers, certainly he should 
be punished for that.

Note: The President spoke at 8:40 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of this 
exchange.