[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 2 (Monday, January 17, 2000)]
[Pages 36-37]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Exchange With Reporters During Tour of Grand Canyon, Arizona

January 11, 2000

Establishment of National Monuments

    Q. Mr. President, what do you say to critics who--[inaudible].
    The President. I've been working on these things since I first got 
here. Go back to 1993. We had the Pacific Northwest Forest. We set aside 
the Mojave Desert National Park in California. We did Grand Staircase 
Escalante back in 1996. We've been working on the Florida Everglades for 
years. This whole area of our national life has been very, very 
important to me.
    Keep in mind, I grew up in a national park. I talked about this when 
I ran for President, and it's been a big part of our administration. So 
when you come to the end of an 8-year term, you have one year left, 
everything you do obviously can be characterized in that way. But if 
it's a legacy for the children of America, for hundreds of years into 
the future, then that's not a bad gift to give the future.
    Q. What do you say to--[inaudible].
    The President. Well, I don't agree with that. This is the law. I'm 
acting pursuant to an act of Congress established in the early part of 
the last century and used since the time of Theodore Roosevelt by every 
single American President except for three--Presidents Bush and Reagan 
and Nixon didn't use it. Every other Republican and Democratic President 
in the 20th century has used this law. And I have used it, and I believe 
that I've used it well.

    We've tried to be, and we will always be, sensitive to the concerns 
and the legitimate interests of local people, but I think we've done a 
good job with this. And I think that Secretary Babbitt deserves a lot of 
credit. We're here in his home State; he's worked this issue very hard. 
And according to a survey I saw in the local newspaper, over three-
quarters of the people who live in Arizona, which means big majorities 
of Republicans as well as Democrats, believe this is a good thing to do 
for the future of this State and the future of our country. So I was 
very gratified to see that public support, and I think it's a good thing 
to do.

Colombia's Counterdrug Efforts

    Q. Mr. President, on the Colombian money, are you satisfied that 
there is enough nonmilitary funds that are going there, enough economic 
development, or is it--would you like to see a different mix?

    The President. Well, let me answer you in this way. I think we 
should get as much economic development and democracy preservation and 
human rights support funding as we can. I think it's important that most 
of the money go to helping Colombia deal with its drug problems and its 
other political problems and working with its neighbors to prevent the 
export of drugs.

    The mix in the package I have announced today is the one that I 
believe has the right balance of good policy and likelihood of passage 
in the Congress. We consulted extensively with Congress. I called the 
Speaker of the House yesterday because I know he cares very deeply about 
the conditions in Colombia, wants the country to survive and do well, 
understands the historic importance of Colombia as a democracy in South 
America. And we want to do this together.

    So I've tried to put together a package that I thought was good on 
the merits, while being very sensitive to the most interested Members of 
Congress in what their priorities are, and I'm really hopeful about it. 
But this is very, very important to the United States, to our long-term 
ability to protect our borders from drugs and to our long-term 
commitment to having all of our neighbors south of the border be 
democracies and be good partners with us. And so I hope that this 
proposal will find a ready reception in Congress from members of both 
parties.

    Q. Mr. President, people say that the $1.3 billion just won't stop 
the drug trafficking. Are they wrong?

    The President. No, they're right, but that's not--but that's a 
misleading statement. It will make it better if the money is well-spent, 
and it will dramatically strengthen and solidify the Colombian 
Government in its struggle to preserve democracy, preserve economic 
growth, and preserve order in the country and be a good neighbor to all 
of its

[[Page 37]]

partners, not just the United States but the neighboring countries there 
that are threatened with destabilization.
    So will it solve all the problems? Of course not. Will it make a big 
difference? It certainly will. I talked to President Pastrana last 
night; he certainly thinks it will make a difference. And as I said, 
this is something I believe both Republicans and Democrats in Congress 
who know about Colombia care a lot about, and I hope it will pass 
quickly.

Gov. Jane D. Hull of Arizona

    Q. Are you disappointed that the Governor did not join you today?
    The President. She would have been welcome, but I'm gratified that 
we're doing it. I want to thank Congressman Pastor for being here and 
Congressman Farr from California for being here and the representatives 
of the Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management. And the most 
important thing is, I want to thank the people of Arizona for their 
expressed opinion in that survey supporting this, because this will 
primarily benefit the children, the grandchildren, the great-
grandchildren for generations yet to come in this State and people who 
will be nearest this magnificent area.
    Thank you.

Note: The exchange began at 9:30 a.m. in the Tuweep Valley. In his 
remarks, the President referred to President Andres Pastrana of 
Colombia. A tape was not available for verification of the content of 
this exchange.