    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 37 (Monday, September 20, 1999)]
    [Pages 1739-1741]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks on Departure From Auckland and an Exchange With Reporters

    September 14, 1999

    APEC Summit

        The President. Good morning. I believe we've had a very successful
    meeting here with our Asia-Pacific partners. I want to begin by thanking
    Prime Minister Shipley and the people of Auckland and New Zealand for
    giving us quite a wonderful visit to a place that most of us have never
    been before.
        Our 19 APEC members pledged to strengthen the world economy and
    advance our common prosperity. We also came together on East Timor. We
    unanimously resolved to strengthen the world trading system by opening
    more markets and agriculture services and industrial products. In
    November we'll go to Seattle to launch a new world

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    trade round, determined to make this APEC agenda the world's agenda.
        We can make trade even more beneficial if China joins the WTO on
    commercially viable terms. I had a good meeting here with President
    Jiang, resuming progress in our relationship on issues from the WTO to
    security matters like preventing the spread of weapons of mass
    destruction. Our negotiators have now resumed substantive WTO talks.
        APEC's members also reaffirmed the importance of continuing reforms
    in the global financial system. Asia's recovery is clearly underway. We
    want to keep it going, and to do so, we have to keep up the pace of
    reform.
        At the same time, we stood together against the violence in East
    Timor. Indonesia's leaders agreed to reverse course. Now we and our
    partners are working rapidly to deploy an effective international
    security force to protect the people as they make their transition to
    independence. Again, let me say how grateful I am for the leadership of
    Australia and New Zealand in this endeavor.
        This will be overwhelmingly an Asian force. But the United States is
    ready to provide airlift, communications, intelligence, and related
    capabilities. We are working out the details in consultation with
    Congress.
        I hope the force can be ready to deploy within days. We are working
    with the U.N. today to bring that about. Until the international
    peacekeeping force deploys, it is essential that Indonesia works to
    prevent further violence. It must facilitate efforts to quickly bring
    humanitarian assistance to the people who have suffered so very greatly.
    The United Nations is ready to deliver food and medical supplies.
        Let me say, finally, this week we made progress on another crucial
    security issue, building peace and reconciliation on the Korean
    Peninsula. Following talks in Berlin, we understand and expect that
    North Korea will refrain from testing long-range missiles of any kind,
    while our discussions continue. It's an important initial step in
    addressing our concerns about North Korea's missile program.
        We're, in turn, considering measures to ease sanctions and move
    toward normalizing economic relations with North Korea. The work we've
    done in the past few days will help to build a more secure, more
    prosperous, more integrated Asia-Pacific region. It will give our
    citizens, all our citizens, all the way from New Zealand back to
    Washington, better lives in the 21st century.
        Thank you very much.

    Congressional Support for East Timor

        Q. [Inaudible]
        The President. Well, I have only made about 10 calls, but of course,
    Secretary Cohen and Mr. Podesta have been back there, and they've been
    talking to more. My sense is that the Congress, even though we are
    heavily committed in the Balkans and elsewhere, will support a mission
    if we are there in a clearly supportive capacity, if we're talking about
    a few hundred people, not thousands of people on the ground, and the
    work we've been asked to do is actually work that a mission like this
    would need America to do--the airlift, some of the internal
    transportation, the communications, the intelligence, some of the
    engineering work. These are things that, because of the size of our
    military, we are uniquely positioned to do.
        And I stopped off in Hawaii, talked to Admiral Blair, our commander
    in chief in the Pacific, and he had been having very detailed
    conversations with the Australians. That's what we understand they're
    asking for. It would be a matter of a few hundred people. And I think we
    could do that.

    Indonesian Response to United Nations

        Q.  Mr. President, how much trouble are the Indonesians making for
    the Security Council about the Australians leading--[inaudible]?
        The President. Well, I know there was a statement yesterday by an
    Indonesian official, but we do not understand that to be the official
    position. So, so far, no trouble has been made. I hope that there won't
    be any. I think that we have tried to make it clear that we would
    welcome the cooperation with the Indonesian forces if they would work
    with us--they would be in a position to do some things there to help
    facilitate this mission. But I do not believe they should be

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    able to dictate the composition of it once having acknowledged that the
    United Nations should come in.

    Australian Leadership in East Timor

        Q.  Is Australia's leadership nonnegotiable--[inaudible]?
        The President. Well, that's, of course, for the U.N. to decide, but
    as far as I'm concerned, I'm quite comfortable with it and strongly
    supportive of it. Keep in mind, they are willing to provide what, in all
    probability, will be more than half of the total force needed.
        We have a high regard for their abilities. We train with them. We
    work with them. We know that they can do this job, and in so doing, they
    make it possible for large numbers of other nations to participate who
    can make only more modest contributions. It's easier for New Zealand,
    for Malaysia, for the Philippines, for Korea, for any number of other
    countries to send in troops according to their ability to do it, knowing
    that there will be a large and very well-trained and led anchor force
    there. So the Australian commitment makes possible the effective
    commitments of a lot of other countries, just as our airlift capacity
    does.
        So I would hope we can stick with it, and I think we will. I feel
    good about it.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 7:55 a.m. at the Stamford Plaza Hotel. In
    his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Jennifer Shipley of New
    Zealand; and President Jiang Zemin of China.