    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 17 (Monday, April 28, 1997)]
    [Pages 580-581]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks Prior to Discussions With Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto of
    Japan and an Exchange With Reporters

    April 25, 1997

        The President. Everybody in? Let me say it's a great honor for me to
    host my friend Prime Minister Hashimoto here at the White House. We had
    a nice visit last night, and he was here at the time the Chemical
    Weapons Convention passed, so we shared a moment of celebration. And we
    have a busy agenda today, and of course we'll have a press conference
    later and we'll do our best to answer your questions.
        But I think it's important to reaffirm that the relationship the
    United States has with Japan is unique and comprehensive and profoundly
    important to our future and to the stability and prosperity and peace of
    the world. And we intend to keep working on it and make it better.
        Mr. Prime Minister.
        Prime Minister Hashimoto. I find myself being a very lucky man. I
    was lucky enough to be invited by Bill last night, after arriving here
    in the evening, and I could share the greatest moment with Bill for the
    wonderful passage of the splendid Convention in the Senate. The fact
    that I was able to share that wonderful moment together with the
    President, itself, makes my trip to Washington worthwhile.
        I see all the familiar and very inquisitive faces in this room, so
    there will be many questions asked of me, but even with that fact, I'm
    very happy that I was able to share the moment with the President last
    night. And last night I was very appreciative of the kindness of Bill
    because he got Mickey Kantor on the phone without any fighting between
    us. [Laughter]
        The President. He tried to get him to switch sides, but he didn't do
    it. [Laughter]

    China-Russia Relations

        Q. Mr. President, does the U.S. or Japan have any reason to be
    concerned about the treaty between China and Russia?
        The President. Well, my view is that the United States should have a
    partnership over the long run for stability in the Asia-Pacific region
    that includes our longstanding alliance with Japan and a positive
    relationship with both Russia and with China. And as long as any
    agreement they make is consistent with that kind of positive partnership
    and is not directed in any negative way toward their neighbors, I think
    that we don't have anything to worry about.
        Mr. Prime Minister?
        Prime Minister Hashimoto. I wonder if there's anything I could add
    to that wonderful statement. That was a splendid answer to the question,
    I believe. If I may add, I think that the summit between the President
    and President Yeltsin in Helsinki was a great contributor not just to
    the stability in Europe but also the stability for the entire world.
        I think the President gave a succinct answer describing the
    situation of the moment. It's very important that Russia and the
    European countries have a stable relationship. We are in the
    transitional period of great change. We are trying to engage, for
    example, China as a constructive partner in international society, and
    we're transforming the G-7 summit to the Summit of Eight. So in that
    context, I think the President gave an excellent answer to your
    question.
        Q. Thank you, Mr. President.
        The President. We'll answer the others later. We're going to have a
    press conference later.
        Q. ----Governor Weld as Ambassador to Mexico?
        The President. We're going to have a press conference later, and
    I'll answer all the questions. We have to work.

    [At this point, one group of reporters left the room, and another group
    entered.]

    [[Page 581]]

        Prime Minister Hashimoto. I guess we have to shake hands again.
    [Laughter]
        The President. Yes. Let me say very briefly, it's a great honor for
    me to have my friend Prime Minister Hashimoto here in the Oval Office.
    He made Hillary and me feel very welcome in Japan not so very long ago,
    and we're glad to have him back here.
        We just had his daughter and son-in-law and grandchild in here. We
    were playing with the baby, so we're a little late in getting our work
    started. And we had--but we had a very good visit last night, and he was
    here at the moment that the Chemical Weapons Convention passed the
    Senate, which was a happy coincidence for me and, I think, for him. And
    we have a lot of business to transact today, and I'm looking forward to
    this meeting and also to the press conference that we will have together
    after our meeting.
        Mr. Prime Minister.
        Prime Minister Hashimoto. [Inaudible]--when the Senate was just
    passing the Chemical Weapons Convention. We were able to share that joy.
    It was all the more pleasing for me to share that great moment with the
    President.
        I expressed my sympathies for the damage caused by the flooding in
    the State of North Dakota and Minnesota. Also, I expressed my gratitude
    to the--cooperation by the United States up to the solution of this
    incident in Peru. It was a wonderful moment between the two of us. And
    I'm sure that we will have very meaningful discussions in our meeting.

    Trade with Japan

        Q. Mr. President, do you think Japan should go ahead with the
    additional food aid, putting aside----
        The President. We need to discuss that.
        Q. ----Prime Minister on trade and particularly the current account,
    trade surplus, sir?
        The President. Obviously, we don't want it to go back up. We've made
    some real progress. But we'll discuss that. We'll have a press
    conference later.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:10 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. Prime Minister Hashimoto spoke in Japanese, and his remarks were
    translated by an interpreter. A tape was not available for verification
    of the content of these remarks.