[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 44 (Monday, November 8, 1993)]
[Pages 2255-2256]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message to the Congress Transmitting NAFTA Supplemental Agreements

 November 4, 1993

To the Congress of the United States:

    By separate message, I have transmitted to the Congress a bill to 
approve and implement the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). 
In fulfillment of legal requirements of our trade laws, that message 
also transmitted a statement of administrative action, the NAFTA itself, 
and certain supporting information required by law.
    Beyond the legally required documents conveyed with that message, I 
want to provide you with the following important documents:
<bullet>    The supplemental agreements on labor, the environment, and 
            import surges;
<bullet>    Agreements concluded with Mexico relating to citrus products 
            and to sugar and sweeteners;
<bullet>    The border funding agreement with Mexico;
<bullet>    Letters agreeing to further negotiations to accelerate duty 
            reductions;
<bullet>    An environmental report on the NAFTA and side agreements;

[[Page 2256]]

<bullet>    A list of more technical letters related to NAFTA that have 
            previously been provided to the Congress and that are 
            already on file with relevant congressional committees.
    These additional documents are not subject to formal congressional 
approval under fast-track procedures. However, the additional agreements 
provide significant benefits for the United States that will be obtained 
only if the Congress approves the NAFTA. In that sense, these additional 
agreements, as well as the other documents conveyed, warrant the careful 
consideration of each Member of Congress. The documents I have 
transmitted in these two messages constitute the entire NAFTA package.
    I strongly believe that the NAFTA and the other agreements will mark 
a significant step forward for our country, our economy, our 
environment, and our relations with our neighbors on this continent. I 
urge the Congress to seize this historic opportunity by approving the 
legislation I have transmitted.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
November 4, 1993.