[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 19 (Monday, May 15, 2000)]
[Pages 1024-1026]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Departure for Fayetteville, Arkansas, and an Exchange With 
Reporters

May 6, 2000

Northern Ireland Peace Process

    The President.  I would just like to make a brief statement about 
the acceptance by the IRA of the proposals by Prime Ministers Blair and 
Ahern. This is a very good day for

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the people of Northern Ireland. It is a truly historic step. For the 
first time, the IRA is clearly committed to decommissioning and a 
process to get there. I applaud that. I want to thank the Prime 
Ministers and Gerry Adams and everyone else who was involved in this. 
But this is a very good day.
    Q.  Do you think it will stick?
    The President.  Well, I do. Of course, the Unionists still have to 
formally accept it, but this idea of storing the weapons and having the 
storage site monitored, I think, is a way for both of them to achieve 
their previously stated objectives, both sides. So it's a very, very 
good day.
    Q.  Weren't we at this point once before, sir?
    The President.  No, we never got this far on the details of the 
implementation. We always knew, I think, that the sequencing of 
decommissioning and the full implementation of the accords by both sides 
and by the British Government would be a problem. And that's really what 
this last year-plus has been about. For all of us who've worked on it, 
this is a very happy.
    But I really appreciate the work done by Prime Minister Blair and 
Prime Minister Ahern and the fact that the IRA has accepted it, and the 
Sinn Fein has obviously had a role in that. So this is a big step. And 
they've reached out to the Unionists now. Of course, I hope it will be 
fully accepted by all parties, and we can get the Government back up and 
go on.

Senate Opposition to the Nomination of Enrique Moreno

    Q.  Why do you think the two Texas Senators--did they reject your 
nominee because he's Hispanic, Mexican-American?
    The President.  There are only two conceivable alternatives, I 
think. That or they just don't want to confirm any judges unless they're 
rightwing ideologs. I mean, this man had unbelievable academic 
credentials. He was endorsed by every conceivable professional 
association. He was consistent with the judges I've appointed for over 7 
years now, highly qualified and clearly in the mainstream of the 
American judiciary.
    But you know, they like judges that are more results oriented, and 
it may be that they just want to use this opportunity to try to seize 
control of the judiciary again. For them, it's all too often a political 
arm of the Government. But to do this to a Hispanic judge from Texas, 
who has made himself into an excellent lawyer and a superbly qualified 
person is just unconscionable. I mean, it's unbelievable.
    If their committee didn't find this man qualified, I'd certainly be 
interested in knowing what the criteria of their committee is.
    Q.  But you're not charging that two U.S. Senators are prejudiced 
against Hispanics, are you?
    The President.  No, I'm saying that--you have to ask them, and 
people can draw their own conclusions. They may or may not be. But since 
he's clearly well-qualified and everybody virtually in the world with an 
opinion has endorsed him, if it's not that, it's that they want somebody 
who's more politically malleable.
    As I said, all you have to do is look at the way so many of their 
judges perform. They're highly results oriented when they appoint 
judges. I just try to appoint people I thought would be fair and 
interpret the law and be balanced and represent this country. So it 
might be politics and ideology. But it's a terrible, terrible day for 
the Hispanic community and for the idea of fairness in the judiciary.
    Q.  What's this going to do--[inaudible]--election, Mr. President?
    The President.  I don't know. I don't have a comment on that. I'd 
rather--to me this is--I made this appointment; this man was qualified 
on the merits, superbly qualified. And he's from a State with a huge 
Hispanic population and a big caseload, and he deserved a hearing, and 
he deserved to be confirmed. I think it's just disgraceful.
    Thank you.

 Note:  The President spoke at approximately 12:15 p.m. on the South 
Lawn at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister 
Tony Blair of the United Kingdom; Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of 
Ireland; Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams; and Enrique Moreno, nominee, U.S. 
Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. A tape was not available for 
verification of the content of these remarks.

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