[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 19 (Monday, May 17, 1999)]
[Pages 856-857]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the White House Strategy Meeting on Children, Violence, and 
Responsibility

May 10, 1999

Bombing of Chinese Embassy in Belgrade

    Before I make my opening remarks, I would like to begin by saying a 
word about the tragic bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. I have 
already expressed our apology and our condolences to President Jiang and 
to the Chinese people. And I have reaffirmed my commitment to strengthen 
our relationship with China.
    But I think it's very important to remember that this was an 
isolated, tragic event, while the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo, which has 
led to the killing of thousands of people and the relocation of hundreds 
of thousands, is a deliberate and systematic crime. Until NATO's simple 
conditions are met, therefore, the military campaign will continue.
    But again, I want to say to the Chinese people and to the leaders of 
China, I apologize; I regret this. But I think it is very important to 
draw a clear distinction between a tragic mistake and a deliberate act 
of ethnic cleansing. And the United States will continue to make that 
distinction.

White House Strategy Meeting

    Now, let me say as I look around this room today, I want to say on 
behalf of the Vice President and Mrs. Gore, and Hillary and myself, 
first, we appreciate all of you coming. This is a very diverse and 
distinguished group of Americans. We have leaders of Congress from both 
parties here; leaders of the faith community; we have activists among 
parents and students and educators, and people in music and people in 
the entertainment communities; people who represent the gun 
manufacturers of our country. This is a truly impressive and diverse 
array of Americans.
    Obviously, we have asked you to come here to see what we can do 
together to give our children safer childhoods. The four of us, both 
individually and together, have worked on many of the matters that will 
be discussed here today for years. We have made particular efforts to 
give our children safe streets and safe schools.
    But I think that we, and the members of the Cabinet and the 
administration who are here, like all Americans, were profoundly 
affected by the events in Littleton, Colorado, coming as they did after 
so many tragic incidents in our schools last year. And we were 
determined to see what we could do to bring the American people 
together, to get beyond the divisions that often attend many of the 
subjects here, which is not to say that we shouldn't have a serious 
discussion today, and to try to move forward on something really big 
that can make a difference.
    Now, last Friday I announced, therefore, that we would launch a 
national campaign to prevent youth violence, a grassroots effort that 
would involve all Americans, from every community and all walks of life. 
I expect the ideas and recommendations generated here today in our 
discussion to lay the groundwork, the common groundwork for that 
campaign. We are not here to place blame but to shoulder responsibility.
    In the weeks to come, I will work with Congress to pass legislation 
that makes our schools and streets safer and keeps guns out of the wrong 
hands, because that's part of our responsibility. And again I want to 
say how very much I appreciate the representatives of the gun 
manufacturers for being here today and supporting some of the specific 
legislative proposals that have already been publicized.
    Today I'm also directing the Surgeon General to prepare the first 
report in more than a decade on youth violence and its causes. This 
report will infuse our efforts with new understanding and new urgency.
    Let me just briefly say that, with representatives of the 
manufacturers of guns today, I want to say to the press and to the 
public that we have found common grounds on some common sense measures: 
banning violent juveniles from buying guns, raising the age for handgun 
ownership from 18 to 21, closing the gun show loophole, holding reckless 
parents responsible for giving children access to guns, reducing illegal 
gun trafficking by helping law enforcement trace weapons used in crimes. 
Again, I commend the gun manufacturers here today for taking that kind 
of responsibility. Others have agreed to do their part.

[[Page 857]]

    A few years ago, through the Vice President's leadership, we were 
able to put in place a voluntary rating system for television. Les 
Moonves, the head of CBS, and Bob Iger, the head of ABC, have led the 
way by putting their networks behind this effort. They are here today, 
and they went to some considerable trouble to change their schedules to 
do so, and I appreciate their presence.
    This year, half the new TV sets sold in America will contain the V-
chip, which parents can use to protect their children from violent 
programming. Today the FCC is announcing a V-Chip Task Force to make 
sure that next year every new set contains the V-chip. And the Kaiser 
Family Foundation is announcing a massive new public education campaign 
to make sure parents know about it and know how to use it. Also, 
following this meeting, Kaiser and the Ad Council, also represented 
here, will produce a campaign of antiviolent ads called ``Talking With 
Kids About Tough Issues.''
    Last week the Vice President also announced a voluntary agreement by 
95 percent of the Internet service providers to offer parents a new tool 
to assure that they are only one click away from the resources they need 
to protect their children. And I thank the representatives of the 
Internet for being here today.
    Let me also say that we know that profoundly important efforts are 
being made in our schools and our communities in efforts to involve 
parents in increasing their capacity to prevent their children from 
drifting into violence, to engage the early warning signs, to get the 
necessary counseling and mental health services. I know that Mrs. Gore 
and Hillary have both been heavily involved in a lot of these issues for 
a long time.
    And I want to say a special word of appreciation to the parents who 
are here, to the teachers who are here, and to the students who are 
here, because I believe that they may have more to say to us about what 
the rest of us should do than we can imagine.
    So to all of you, thank you for coming. Let's leave here today 
resolved to be, all of us, a part of this national campaign, and I want 
us to have a good conversation about where we go from here.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 10:43 a.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to President Jiang Zemin of China. 
The President also referred to the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS); 
and the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).