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From @lex-luthor.ai.mit.edu:hes@REAGAN.AI.MIT.EDU Wed May 12 15:17:49 1993
Date: Wed, 12 May 1993 14:45-0400
From: The White House <75300.3115@compuserve.com>
To: Clinton-News-Distribution@campaign92.org
Subject: AM Press BRiefing by Dee Dee Myers 5.12.93
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release May 12, 1993
PRESS BRIEFING
BY DEE DEE MYERS
The Briefing Room
9:50 A.M. EDT
MS. MYERS: There's no changes in the schedule. As you
know, the President -- 11:00 a.m. ceremony for the Small
Businesspersons of the Year in the Rose Garden. The President will
leave here at about 12:30 p.m., arrive in New York, speak at 2:45
p.m. at the Great Hall at Cooper Union, work the ropeline outside,
then he has several hours of down time.
Then at 7:30 p.m. he will go to the dinner. At about
9:30 p.m. he'll leave there, arriving back at the White House around
11:30 p.m.
Q Does he go to Fordham?
MS. MYERS: He's at Fordham for down time. And then he
goes to the Lincoln Center about --
Q Does nothing there, though?
MS. MYERS: Well, he does. Actually, he does. He has a
radio interview with a Des Moines radio station and a conference call
with some Indiana radio stations. And then he has a meeting with
business leaders there.
Q How come you didn't announce it?
MS. MYERS: I skipped over it because it was the wrong
schedule without my highlights. I'm crippled without my notes.
Q Can you explain what the business leaders are? Are
they people that he wants to talk to about his economic plan?
MS. MYERS: They are business leaders. I don't have the
full list yet, but we'll be able to provide that for you later. But
it's just a number of business leaders from New York, different
sectors of the business community to talk about what's in the plan,
to talk about his progress on the plan to get their feedback on it.
Q No plan to see Ghali?
MS. MYERS: Six o'clock p.m.
Q You don't plan to see any U.N. people?
MS. MYERS: No.
Q What time to you realistically --
MS. MYERS: Six o'clock p.m. at Fordham.
Q expect him to arrive at Fordham?
MS. MYERS: As soon as he's done with the other event.
On the schedule --
Q No, not on the schedule. Realistically.
MS. MYERS: Well, it depends on how long -- on the
schedule he arrives there about 4:15 p.m. Realistically, he'll
probably spend more time outside Cooper Union with the crowd. It's
impossible to gauge exactly how late he'll be, but maybe 15 minutes,
30 minutes.
Q You haven't scrubbed the street walk on the Lower
East Side, have you?
MS. MYERS: No.
Do you guys have the details on that?
Q Is there a street walk on the Lower East Side?
MS. MYERS: He's going outside of Cooper Union.
Q That's essentially the ropeline thing, isn't it?
MS. MYERS: Correct. And how long that takes depends on
how many people are there.
Q Is he going to see Christopher while he's in New
York?
MS. MYERS: No, he's not scheduled to.
Q No, you don't think --
MS. MYERS: No.
Q The time of the nighttime speech, once more?
MS. MYERS: I don't know exactly what time the
remarks -- he's at the fundraiser from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. He'll
speak sometime after 8:30 p.m.
Q He sounded today like he had reached a decision to
send troops to Macedonia.
MS. MYERS: No, that decision has not been made. What
he said yesterday remains active, that it's something that's been
considered as a way to keep the conflict in Bosnia from spilling
over. It is one of a number of options on the table, but no final
decisions have been made.
Q He said that in the coming days he expected that we
would see steps that would make confining the conflict more likely
and peace more likely. Can we assume that the decision on Macedonia
will come in the next couple of days? And what other additional
things could he have been talking about?
MS. MYERS: I wouldn't count on that. I think we're
going to continue to consult with the allies, as we have throughout
this week. As you know, a number of them are waiting to see what
happens in the referendum over the course of the weekend. Also,
waiting to see what happens with the Serbian Serbs' announced
decision to stop sending tactical and weapon support to the Bosnian
Serbs. We'll be monitoring those things.
In the meantime, the President's going to push forward
toward additional action, but I can't talk about the specifics on
that.
Q So you wouldn't count on what? Seeing it the next
few days? Is that what you're answering?
MS. MYERS: I'm just saying I wouldn't look for a
particular timetable on a decision to send troops to Macedonia.
Q What about the Serbian Serbs' decision to cut off
supplies? What are your monitors telling you about whether that's
happening or not?
MS. MYERS: I can't say with absolute certainty. It
appears that they're serious. Milosevic, as you know, called for a
meeting with the Pan-Serbian leaders. The Bosnian Serbs rejected
that offer, but it's clear that the Bosnian Serbs are increasingly
isolated, entirely isolated now, even among the Serbian community,
and we believe that that is a result of additional actions for -- at
least partly a result of additional actions forced by the U.S.,
including stiffening of sanctions and the U.S. resolve to use
additional measures to stop the Bosnian Serb aggression.
Q Do you believe that they're serious? This is not
what has been said from this podium or on background.
MS. MYERS: No. What's been said both from this podium
and on background is that we welcome their commitment to do so. We
will be watching their actions.
Q No, what's been said on background is that this is
regarded as a delaying tactic and don't trust it at all.
MS. MYERS: What we've said, both on background is that
we welcome it and that we'll watch their actions to see whether or
not they're serious about it.
Q Well, you're now saying that you believe they're
serious?
MS. MYERS: We're saying that we hope that they're
serious and we'll watch their actions.
Q That's not what you said. You said you believe -
MS. MYERS: We believe -- it's very clear that the
Bosnian Serbs are increasingly isolated, both in the international
community and among the Serbians, both in the former Yugoslavia and
in former Yugoslavia. I think that is increasingly clear.
Now, whether or not the Serbian Serbs will honor their
alleged commitment to stop sending arms and other tactical support to
the Bosnian Serbs is something that only time will tell.
Q Do you have any intelligence as to that?
MS. MYERS: I don't have any specifics on that this
morning.
Q The senators made a big deal of that yesterday,
that the real American presence over there is the intelligence and
there have been some reports that show that a lot of oil and tankers
and all are getting through. The President said yesterday that he
wasn't satisfied that the sanctions were working quickly enough.
When you talk about action in the next few days, is there something
on sanctions you're planning? During the weekend, even before the
referendum or during the referendum?
MS. MYERS: No. I believe the sanctions -- the
President was asked a question on the ropeline about sanctions, which
I think the questioner was asking about the broad sanctions against
Serbia and Macedonia from the international community, not about -- I
believe that was the question that the President answered, that he
thought that the sanctions that the U.N. had imposed on Serbia and
Macedonia were having an effect, but that wasn't enough. That's why
the President made a decision a week ago to press for further action,
which we're continuing to do.
Q And when the senators talked about the importance
of the American intelligence there, what are you seeing in terms of
the kind of aid from Serbia still getting into Bosnia?
MS. MYERS: I don't have any details on that yet this
morning.
Q Dee Dee, did you say the --
Q Speaking of delaying tactics, you refer to the
referendum, and the President has called that a delaying tactic. Has
his view changed on that in recent days after the consultations?
MS. MYERS: No. We're going to continue to consult. I
think it's clear that some of our allies are determined to wait until
-- oh, the street walk has been cancelled, this just in. So it's
just the ropeline outside of Cooper Union. I think it's more for
time reasons. The President wanted some time this afternoon to make
some phone calls, do to these radio calls and to meet with the
business leaders.
Q And he'll do the ropeline outside of Cooper Union?
MS. MYERS: Correct.
Q The President today mentioned that he needed to get
the focus back on -- I'm not sure what, this economic program -- but
he said he just needed to get more focus, and the way to do that is
to be out in the country more. Can you tell us about what his plan
for the coming weeks in the way of getting out in the country more?
MS. MYERS: I think you'll see increased travel. I
think we'll be out -- back to the sort of roughly once a week, so
it'll be a day or a day and a half a week out traveling. We will
probably travel the early part of next week, and we should have
details on that by tomorrow.
Q West coast?
MS. MYERS: Very likely.
Q As long as you're doing this, can you tell us
what's ahead for Thursday and Friday?
MS. MYERS: I don't have it in front of me. We're still
working on the details of that. Thursday -- I just don't have them
in front of me.
Do you want to see if you can grab it?
Q Dee Dee, back to Bosnia, if I could ask a Bosnia
question. Last night, after meeting with the President, Senator
Warner said the policy now appears to be one of containment. Now,
that suggests sort of encircling Bosnia, forgetting about what's
happening inside Bosnia and just preventing the whole thing from
spreading. Is that the direction that the White House is headed in?
MS. MYERS: No, I think the President made clear
yesterday that we have two objectives there: one is to contain the
conflict to keep it from spilling over into other regions, and the
other is to stop Serbian aggression and the policy of ethnic
cleansing. Obviously, we've undertaken a number of measures already
to try to achieve that objective. It's having some effect, certainly
among the Bosnian Serbs' allies. But the President has said
repeatedly that he's committed to taking additional action to stop
Serbian aggression. We're continuing the press the allies to see
what kind of consensus we can reach on that.
Q Dee Dee, what sense did the President come back
from his trip with of the public's views on Bosnia, whether the
United States needs to be more actively involved?
MS. MYERS: I think it's clear that it's something that
people are starting to ask questions about, and the President got a
number of questions about it, although -- the preponderance of
questions were still about the economy and health care. But there
was some concern -- I think people were interested in knowing what
the situation was and what the President's intentions were about
Bosnia. They were concerned -- I think there was a lot of different
opinions expressed. Some of it reflected the ethnic diversity of the
cities we visited.
Q Along those lines, there is no great upsurge or
popular opinion demanding that we get the ball rolling in Bosnia.
There are, at best, mixed signals coming out of the Congress about
getting involved. The Europeans definitely do not want us to get
involved, at least in terms of what we have proposed to this date.
Why is the President continuing along this course? Why doesn't he
just drop it?
MS. MYERS: Because the President believes that, as the
only superpower left in the world, that the United States has a
responsibility to lead, not just to stand by. The United States --
the world community cannot stand by in the face of ethnic cleansing
in an ethnic conflict like this and allow it to happen without
registering a protest and doing something to try to stop it. We've
already taken a number of measures in conjunction with our allies to
try to stop the aggression and the ethnic cleansing. They've had
some effect. The President doesn't believe that they've had enough
effect, so he's considering additional action. The President
believes that it is his responsibility to lead on this, and that's
what he's doing.
Q Is there someplace that he could point to that will
say the American people want to be this world power that intervenes
overseas?
MS. MYERS: I think that that is an enduring value of
the American people, and particularly now in the wake of the Cold War
where there is only one superpower left. It has always been a pillar
of American foreign policy that we have a special role in the world.
The President believes that, as he said on a number of occasions.
Q But it doesn't show anywhere. It doesn't show in
the Congress, it doesn't show in polls.
MS. MYERS: I think that part of being a leader is
building a consensus for action, both among our allies, among the
members of Congress and among the American people. The President has
said that before he takes any action, he will certainly discuss that
with the American people. But that's part of what leadership is --is
building a consensus for action.
Q I'm confused by the variety of administration
positions on the referendum this weekend. Do you all now consider it
a valid measure, something to watch? Or is it a stalling tactic?
MS. MYERS: No. I don't think there's been any change
in the administration's position. We believe this is a delaying
tactic. It is --
Q So why even watch or bother to make this an element
--
MS. MYERS: I think all we said is that there are many
of our allies who have -- who are very committed to waiting to see
what the results of the referendum are. In the meantime, we're
continuing to press forward to discuss various options with the
allies to try to reach a consensus. That has not changed. But I
think they've made clear that they'd like to wait and see what
happens this weekend.
Q Dee Dee, is the President meeting with his --
Q Following up on the questions about the public
concern over Bosnia, the President again wanted focus, and yet to
what degree does he get focus when he talks to -- or goes out into
the country, if, in fact, so many issues are brought before them?
Almost every issue that he had here is out there. He's asked
questions about his lack of focus. And, in fact, what evidence is
there that he has in any way moved toward that goal -- with the last
couple of days.
MS. MYERS: I think if you go back and look at Monday
and Tuesday that there were certainly questions about a number of
issues, but the majority of questions were about the economy, about
health care, about things that the President is doing or can do that
directly affect and shape people's lives. I think that was
always -- that was true throughout the campaign and throughout the
transition.
When President Clinton would travel, people -- the
things that they wanted to talk about were slightly different than
the things that sometimes get discussed here in Washington; although
there was a broad range of questions. I think clearly people are
concerned. They want this President to succeed. They want an
economic plan that will create jobs, reorient our spending priorities
as a country, bring the deficit down. There's certainly awareness
about the deficit.
Q Does he think he did succeed in -- with the two-day
trip?
MS. MYERS: Absolutely. I don't think you can do it all
-- I don't think we ever expected that we'd do it all overnight or in
one two-day trip. This is an ongoing process. The objective here is
to let the American people know what the President's priorities are
and what he's working. I think he had a good opportunity to talk
about his economic plan. It is not a simple plan. Turning the
economy around is not simple. It does not lend itself to a five-
minute series of platitudes. And so he talked in some detail about
what's in the plan.
I think the American people understand that there are a
number of components to this. You have to have new investment, you
have to have spending cuts that will reduce the deficit, you have to
have changes in priorities. He talked a little bit about his
national service plan, the direct loan program which will not only
save money, but open up college opportunity to millions of Americans
in a way that they can afford to pay back. So I think it is
successful. I think the President feels very good about the trip,
and I think he did have an opportunity to talk about issues that he
believes he was elected to address.
Q to get his own spirits up? Is this -- does this
--
MS. MYERS: I think it has that benefit, but I don't
think that's the objective. I mean, the objective is to go out and
talk to the American people about what the President is doing. I
think he feels that that is the most effective way -- it's like
shareholders. And they have a right to a report on the President's
progress and that that's an important part of his function -- is to
not only -- to communicate with them about what he's doing, but to
hear back from them about how they think he's doing. And I think
that the message is clear. They want him to focus on the economy,
they want him to reform health care, they want him to create jobs,
they want him to continue to take on the entrenched interests in
Congress. And --
Q Do they see any irony with his having proposed a
major reform in political financing and his going tonight to a huge
fundraiser where -- I don't know -- you expect what -- how much do
you expect, $1 million from this?
MS. MYERS: You know, I don't know. It's the DNC
fundraiser. But, no, I think that the President has taken dramatic
steps to change the way campaign money is raised. In fact, he
proposed eliminating soft money. It's something we'll press very
hard to get through Congress. He also proposed limiting the amount
of money that members of Congress spend on their races, using public
financing to do that. I think that if the President's package is
passed, it will have a dramatic impact on how money is raised. And
the President is committed to it.
Q Dee Dee, any deal on the corporate tax rate yet
with the Ways and Means Committee?
MS. MYERS: We're continuing to talk with them about
that. They had some concerns about that. The President is still
committed to overall tax fairness, to raising revenue on people who
made the most in the 1980s, which would be the wealthy individuals
and corporations. And we're working out the details with members.
Also providing incentives for small business, as well as some
incentives for big business. And we're very optimistic about the
plan as it works its way through Ways and Means.
Q If the long-range math -- if the bottom-line math
is equal or real close to yours, though, the administration would not
object to coming down from 36 percent?
MS. MYERS: We're open to discussion on it.
Q Dee Dee, are the principals meeting either today,
tomorrow or this weekend on Bosnia?
MS. MYERS: None scheduled that includes the President.
And I'll have to double-check if there's one scheduled where he's not
scheduled to attend. But he's continuing to get regular briefings
from national security advisors, but is not scheduled in the next
three days to meet with the principals.
Q Any phone calls overseas?
MS. MYERS: None scheduled.
Q Dee Dee, the President said the other day that he
was waiting for confirmation from his people on the ground in Kuwait
about some Iraqi government involvement in the Bush business. Has
that confirmation come?
MS. MYERS: No. The investigation is ongoing.
Q Do you know how long it's going to take? Is there
any --
MS. MYERS: No, I don't have a timetable for it.
Q This business group tonight, is this big
businessmen who are going to get their taxes raised, is this small
businessmen who are going to get some incentives?
MS. MYERS: It's mostly big business people. It's sort
of corporate leader types.
Q Any decision on whether to bring up summer jobs and
immunization before you go to any other part of the stimulus bill?
MS. MYERS: Discussion ongoing on that today.
Q Where?
MS. MYERS: On the Hill and here between the White House
and members.
Q Obviously, you'll never get summer jobs if you wait
for the economic package.
MS. MYERS: Right, right. A final decision has not been
made yet on whether to go back with some kind of a jobs bill.
Q Is he leaning towards that? I mean, a summer jobs
bill?
MS. MYERS: We're working on it now, see if we can work
out something that the President believes would have the effect of
creating jobs. I mean, clearly he's committed to doing anything he
can to create jobs, but it has to be the right package.
Q Is he wondering whether he can get it through, or
what's the -- if he believes in it?
MS. MYERS: Yes, it has to be something that meets his
objectives that Congress is willing to pass.
Q Do you have any feelers, whether it would -- the $4
billion would pass?
MS. MYERS: That's what we're working to find out,
whether we can put the kinds of provisions the President believes
will create jobs right away, as well as get through Congress and be
within the parameters of his economic plan.
Q Along those lines, Republicans are introducing
their own jobs program right now. Would he seriously consider any of
that? Is the blood bad between the GOP and the Senate side and the
White House here? Or, will he be looking for something --
MS. MYERS: No, I mean, we'll take a look at it. I
don't know what's in it, but I would just point out no one's asked me
about the Motor Voter bill and the fact that six Republican Senators
broke ranks yesterday and voted for cloture and voted for the Motor
Voter bill. We're very happy about that today. So we think that
there's clearly room to work with Republicans in the Senate.
Q Will they be advised of the signing?
Q Give them a --
MS. MYERS: I think they might be just --
Q White House passes for their constituents?
Q When's he going to decide?
MS. MYERS: Probably next week.
Q How about cuff links, Reagan and Bush gave a lot of
cuff links.
MS. MYERS: Really, we should -- do you think that would
help us to build a Republican consensus?
Q Tie bars.
MS. MYERS: Tie bars?
Q Do you expect to have something out of Ways and
Means at the end of the week?
MS. MYERS: Ways and Means, we believe we'll probably
pass out the President's plan either tomorrow or Friday.
Q On the jobs thing. The Congress takes off for
Memorial Day recess in 10 days or so. If you're going to do summer
jobs, would it have to go through before that?
MS. MYERS: I think that that's one of the factors being
considered in. Obviously, it's timely. If you're going to create
summer jobs, you need to do it relatively soon.
Q Before summer -- (laughter) --
MS. MYERS: Before the end of the summer. (Laughter.)
You want to leave a little flexibility there.
Q Dee Dee --
Q on Macedonia?
Q Dee Dee, do you have any --
Q On Macedonia. If the decision is made to put U.S.
troops in Macedonia, would the purpose be -- you've said the purpose
is to prevent the war from spilling over -- would those troops be
there as a trip wire?
MS. MYERS: I don't know exactly how it would be
structured. You mean, if somebody did something along the border,
would that trip wire the infusion of additional troops or air
strikes?
Q Yes.
MS. MYERS: I don't think any decision like that has
been made. We're not ready to discuss it. Basically, they'll be
there to monitor and to dissuade the Serbs from any ideas of crossing
over the border or to keep things --
Q Yes, but if they did cross the border, then
something terrible would happen, right?
MS. MYERS: Well, there is no final decision yet to put
troops in Macedonia. And I think these -- there is no decision --
Q How many?
MS. MYERS: There will be 16 leaving here on Thursday
afternoon. (Laughter.) Beyond that, I can't say.
Q But if --
MS. MYERS: I can't talk about what their mission or
what the -- first the -- other than to say that it is being
considered among a number of options would be multilateral action.
And beyond that, exactly what the structure of it was and what their
mission would be is something that is not resolved.
Q Would you consider having them respond to an across
the border --
MS. MYERS: I can't address that.
Q crossing the border with an attack on them?
MS. MYERS: I'm not going to get into that.
Q Where did the sudden danger of the Serbs crossing
the border come from, given that you just expressed optimism that
they are blockading their Serbian brothers inside Bosnia?
MS. MYERS: I think it's always been a concern. It has
always been a concern that the ethnic -- that other similar ethnic
conflicts could erupt in different parts of the region. I think that
has always been a concern. And one of the reasons that we're
committed to trying to contain this conflict in Bosnia and to let the
Serbs and the rest of the world know that ethnic cleansing and ethnic
aggression is just not tolerable.
Q So is it an internal dispute within Macedonia that
you'd be worried about or is it --
MS. MYERS: I think it's a number of things. And any
tension in Kosovo from spilling over into Macedonia.
Q There seem to be some contradictions as to whether
air strikes and lifting the arms embargo are still on the table.
MS. MYERS: I think everything is still on the table.
And I think what the allies said on Monday after the foreign
ministers met was that there were a number of things that were still
-- and they hadn't ruled anything out.
Q The Serbian Serbs are serious about cutting off
arms to the Bosnian Serbs; doesn't that sort of preclude the option
of rearming the Bosnian Muslims?
MS. MYERS: I think that if the Serbian Serbs prove true
to their claim, that we will evaluate that as we move forward in the
decision-making process.
Q Dee Dee, on the jobs bill, do these discussions go
beyond summer jobs? Because Clinton seemed to say pretty
definitively in Cleveland that that was the only thing he would
consider submitting before the budget is passed.
MS. MYERS: Oh, there might be something else in the
package, depending on what we would work out with Congress. But it
would be jobs-oriented.
Q Dee Dee, on the economy, there was a huge increase
in the PPI today. Do you have anything to say on that? Is there any
concern about inflation taking off?
MS. MYERS: There hasn't been. I haven't seen that.
But Dr. Greenspan and others continue to say they don't believe there
are any inflationary pressures --
Q They might change their mind after today.
MS. MYERS: I haven't seen it, so I'll have to get back
to you on that. But so far the news on inflation has been good.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
END10:15 A.M. EDT
