[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 26 (Monday, July 5, 1993)]
[Pages 1214-1215]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks and an Exchange With Reporters in the Oval Office

 July 1, 1993

    The President. Hello, everybody. Those of you who travel with me 
regularly will, I think, recognize the young man on my right, Mr. Doug 
Luffborough. He was the student speaker at Northeastern University in 
Boston the other day. This is his mother, whom I introduced from the 
audience; got a big

[[Page 1215]]

hand. He's here with President John Curry of Northeastern, and Senator 
John Kerry, his Senator. I invited him and his mother to come visit me 
in the Oval Office, so they didn't wait long to take me up on the 
invitation. [Laughter] I'm glad to see them here today.
    You may remember also that he brought the house down. He not only 
gave a great speech, but he sang at the beginning of his speech. I 
thought to myself, if I could sing like that I wouldn't be giving 
speeches today. [Laughter]
    Mr. Doug Luffborough. Well, it was a wonderful opportunity for me 
and a wonderful opportunity for my family and especially for my mother. 
I've been waiting for an opportunity like this, and I'm just really 
thrilled. And I'm really glad that Northeastern was the place you 
decided to come. It's been a pleasure and an honor to be here today. 
Thank you.
    Q. Mr. President, what was it about Doug that impressed you so much?
    The President. First of all, that he had come from such humble 
circumstances to go to college and to stay in college and that he had 
made the most of it. He obviously never felt sorry for himself. He 
obviously had a mother who helped him to believe in himself, as many 
others do. And the fact that his fellow students picked him to be the 
spokesperson for their class showed that they identified with the values 
and the inner strength and drive that took him to the success that he 
enjoys. I was very impressed. And I just thought it would be neat if 
they could come down here and see me.

International Loans to Vietnam

    Q. Sir, what signal do you hope to send by lifting U.S. opposition 
to international loans to Vietnam?
    The President. I haven't made an announcement on that. When I do, 
I'll be glad to discuss it.

Iraq

    Q. Mr. President, Tariq Aziz seems this afternoon to be holding out 
some type of an olive branch, saying that Iraq will not avenge the 
attack the other day and also that he hopes for better relations with 
your administration. What response do you have, if any?
    The President. I don't know. I need to be briefed on what he said. 
But of course, they shouldn't act in revenge. We have evidence that what 
was done was wrong, and the United States had to respond.

Note: The President spoke at 5:03 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of this 
exchange.