[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 45 (Monday, November 15, 1999)]
[Pages 2319-2321]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Departure for York, Pennsylvania, and an Exchange With 
Reporters

November 10, 1999

Y2K Readiness

    The President. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I want to thank 
John Koskinen and all the leadership that he and others have provided in 
helping to prepare America for Y2K.
    We are releasing our fourth and final quarterly report on public and 
private efforts to address the Y2K computer problem. The report shows 
that our hard work in this country is paying off, and while there is 
more to do, I expect we will experience no major national breakdowns as 
a result of the year 2000 date change.
    First, the report makes clear that the Federal Government is Y2K 
ready and leading by example. Thanks to the efforts of the Office of 
Management and Budget, we have completed work on more than 99 percent of 
all mission-critical computer systems, which means the American people 
can have full faith that everything from air traffic control systems to 
Social Security payment systems will continue to work exactly as they 
should.
    Second, the report documents remarkable Y2K progress in all of 
America's critical infrastructure areas. When it comes to financial 
services, power, telecommunications, air and rail travel, leading 
organizations report they have completed or nearly completed all their 
Y2K work. I am confident the Y2K problem, therefore, will not put the 
savings or the safety of the American people at risk.
    But in some areas we do continue to have concerns. Some small 
businesses, local governments and other organizations have been slower 
to address the Y2K challenge. So again I say to these groups, don't just 
sit back and wait for problems to occur. Call 1-888-USA-4Y2K, and we'll 
show you where to get help.
    And while most of our large trading partners are in good shape, we 
still have concerns

[[Page 2320]]

about the Y2K preparations of some developing nations. The State 
Department will continue to update its country-by-country assessments 
and advisories as new information becomes available.
    We have less than 2 months now until the year 2000. Even those 
groups that have already completed their Y2K work must now put great 
emphasis on creating and testing contingency plans, as the Federal 
Government has already done. Back in October, when the Government made 
the transition to fiscal year 2000, we did encounter some small date-
related computer problems. But the overriding lesson of that experience 
was that alert organizations, armed with good contingency plans, can fix 
Y2K disruptions in short order.
    Thanks to the hard work of John Koskinen and his staff and proactive 
leaders all across our Nation, America is well on its way to being Y2K 
ready.
    Now, over the next 52 days, we must continue to reach out to smaller 
organizations and local governments whose preparations are lagging 
behind. If we work together and use this time well, we can ensure that 
this Y2K computer problem will be remembered as the last headache of the 
20th century, not the first crisis of the 21st.

Budget Negotiations

    Q. Mr. President, as the budget negotiations drag on, Members of 
Congress have indicated, of course, they want to get out of town 
tonight. You don't want to leave town until Sunday. I'm wondering if 
that is your personal deadline, and doesn't that give you a slight 
advantage over them?
    The President.  Well, I don't really have a personal deadline. I did 
have good talks, as recently as this morning, with Senator Lott and 
Speaker Hastert. And I've been in constant contact. I saw the Democratic 
leaders yesterday, and we visited briefly. I think we're making good 
progress. We made some real progress in putting 50,000 more police on 
our streets. We're making some progress in other areas. We still have to 
resolve our Nation's commitment to 100,000 teachers. We're still working 
on the United Nations arrears and a number of other environmental 
issues. But I think we're making good progress, and I'm hopeful.
    And we should know--let me say, I know you have a lot of questions. 
But actually, you ought to know more by 12 or 1 o'clock today about how 
well we're doing. I think we'll know certainly by the middle of the 
afternoon if we're in any shape to finish more or less when the Congress 
would like to.
    And let me also say, I'm still very hopeful that we can pass the 
Africa trade bill and the Caribbean Basin initiative. I'm still very 
hopeful we can pass this very important legislation to let people with 
disabilities to go into the work force and carry their Medicaid. That 
could be one of the most important social pieces of legislation we've 
passed in a long time.
    So we've got a lot to do. But I think we can--if we just keep 
working, we'll get there.

Timing of President's Visit to Greece

    Q.  Sir, could you tell us about the Greek postponement, what 
precipitated it, your level of concern for security there?
    The President.  Oh, I'm not concerned at all. You know, if the Greek 
Government and the Secret Service aren't concerned, I'm not concerned.
    I explained yesterday, the Greeks have a tradition of large 
demonstrations, and the communists, the anarchists, perhaps some others 
in Greece want to demonstrate, in large measure I understand, because 
they strongly disagreed with my policy in Kosovo and, presumably before 
that, in Bosnia. And you know, I think we were right, and I disagree 
with them. But the fact that they have the right to free speech doesn't 
concern me.
    The Greek Government asked us to put the trip when we did, I think, 
largely for other reasons. I think they thought it would be better for 
them and that meetings we have might be more relevant if we did it 
after, rather than before, the OSCE meeting in Turkey. And so they asked 
to do it. Whether the demonstrations had anything to do with it, I don't 
know. But they might have. But I'm not bothered about it. You know, it's 
going to happen. And you all get to take pictures of it.

[[Page 2321]]

World Trade Organization Talks in China

    Q.  Mr. President, can you give us a readout on the WTO talks in 
China? Any progress there?
    The President.  No. I can't. All I know is that they are going on, 
and we're doing our best.
    I've got to run to Pennsylvania.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 10:05 a.m. on the South Grounds at the 
White House. In his remarks, he referred to John A. Koskinen, Chairman, 
President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion.