home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Software Vault: The Gold Collection
/
Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO
/
cdr11
/
wh930513.zip
/
05-13E.TXT
< prev
next >
Wrap
Internet Message Format
|
1993-06-13
|
37KB
From @lex-luthor.ai.mit.edu:jcma@REAGAN.AI.MIT.EDU Thu May 13 19:17:15 1993
Date: Thu, 13 May 1993 18:41-0400
From: The White House <75300.3115@compuserve.com>
To: Clinton-News-Distribution@campaign92.org
Subject: Press Briefing by George Stephanopoulos - 5.13.93
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_____________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release May 13, 1993
PRESS BRIEFING
BY GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS
The Briefing Room
12:28 P.M. EDT
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I just have a quick announcement.
The President has invited the President of the Republic of Argentina
Carlos Saul Menem to the White House for a working visit on June
29th. President Menem has accepted the invitation and this meeting
will provide an opportunity for the two Presidents to advance their
common agenda of promoting democracy, human rights and expanded trade
and investment throughout the hemisphere.
Anyone want to ask about that?
Q The President seems to be a little bit more hopeful
that this weekend's referendum in Bosnia might result in something
positive. He said he's skeptical but it may produce something, he
says. Can you tell us what the thinking is? What do you think this
weekend's referendum will produce?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, I think that -- I'm not sure
that's an exact characterization of what the President said. I think
we don't put much stock in the referendum and we've always held out
that what's important are the deeds of the Serbians and the deeds of
the Bosnian Serbs, not the words. Clearly, we'll watch and see what
happens this weekend, but the most important thing is what they do on
the ground, not what they say.
Q Can you explain to us how having a deficit
reduction trust fund will be different than simply meeting your
budget targets and reaching the deficit reduction that you're already
planning to reach? What is the difference?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, one thing it does, this an
added insurance policy and it shows the American people clearly that
we are doing what we intend to do. And if for some reason by some
actions by Congress or something else happens where these targets
aren't met, the American people will know that and will hold us
accountable. This is one more step in accountability and enforcement
of the agreement that we intend to make.
Q Isn't it fact that the President has proposed fewer
spending cuts than Congress has? Congress has been more aggressive
about deficit reduction than the President.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: The President has fully endorsed
the spending cuts in the bills before the Congress right now. He has
called for spending cuts. He has consistently called for spending
cuts, and he looks forward to working with the members of Congress on
this deficit reduction trust fund and on achieving the full package
of his entire deficit reduction package. And we feel good about that
right now.
Q Can you describe a scenario in which this trust
fund actually comes into play, and what exactly would have to happen?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I'm not sure exactly what you're
asking. What this trust fund will show --
Q The caps on the discretionary side already guard
against the burst of spending on that side that would wipe out your
deficit savings. So this would have to obtain on the other side of
the budget. What would have to happen for this trust fund to
actually make a difference?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, I think it makes a difference
from day one. It's another layer of insurance. By displaying very
clearly --
Q I know, but other than as a statement of intentions
and a sign of good faith or a signal of good faith or whatever --what
as a practical matter --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, as a practical matter if --
Q what would actually happen in a scenario under
which the trust fund actually would make a difference?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: If, as a practical matter, some
action in Congress would result in more spending --
Q On that side of the budget?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: On that side of the budget, it
would then --
Q But wouldn't that have to be --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: That would take away from the
savings number in the trust fund. So the American people would know
that and be able to hold you accountable and say, wait a second,
you're not making the savings that you said you were going to make.
Q Right, but wouldn't that have to survive a
presidential veto?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Absolutely.
Q So what you're talking about is if Congress got up
one day in the years ahead, and two-thirds of them were ready to
engage in a spending spree on the entitlement side, this would block
that?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Congress can always pass a law to
overturn laws they've passed previously. There's nothing --
Q Including this one.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Of course. Congress can always
pass new laws. What this law says is that if you try to increase
spending the American people will know it. They will see it and they
will hold you accountable.
Q George, the Ways and Means Committee is about to
finish it's work on the tax bill. Do you think the President has
adequately convinced the American public that higher taxes are going
to be good for them, which is essentially what he said this morning?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Again, I don't know if I would
accept that characterization. The President certainly --
Q They will understand that in the end, this will all
work out much better. Has he adequately made that case to the
public?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: First of all, let me comment -- I
think we're very pleased with the progress, not only in the Ways and
Means Committee this week, but the progress throughout the House
committee process. I mean, the bulk of the President's package is
going to pass, we believe, the committee process with relatively
minor changes. And I think this is a big achievement. We have a
long way to go, obviously. This is the first step in the process.
We still have to have House passage and Senate consideration. But we
are pleased that the House committees look like they're largely going
to pass the President's program very close to intact.
At the same time, one of the things that the President
has said both in the campaign and since he's been President is that
we have got to bring the deficit down. Part of bringing the deficit
down is higher taxes on the wealthy, those whose incomes went up in
the 1980s; part of it is an increase in the corporate taxes, a
responsible increase in corporate taxes so that those who made money
in the 1980s again are paying their fair share toward deficit
reduction.
But the President's package is also a balanced package.
It combines tax increases on the wealthy, responsible increase in
corporate taxes, couples it with incentives for the business sector,
and couples it with real spending cuts. The package is balanced
between spending cuts and tax increases. It's something that some
might not point out time and time again, but the deficit reduction
trust fund will make that clear.
Q Do you think that he's convinced the middle class
that the taxes they're going to get hit with are worth it?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, again, let's remind everybody
that 70 percent of the taxes here are going to go to the wealthiest
Americans -- 70 percent of the taxes. The average middle class
family is going to face new taxes on the average of about $15 a
month. And that, we feel, is -- we don't like taxes of any kind, but
we feel that's a fair distribution of the burden. Most of the taxes
are going to go to the very wealthiest.
Q Beyond what you feel, we're trying to find out what
is your sense of the public reaction -- will you be able to sell it
to the public?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, the President had a good week
out in the country this week -- in Cleveland and Chicago and New
York.
Q Do they all want higher taxes?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: No, what they want is -- what the
American people want and what we saw yesterday is the American people
want the deficit to come down because they want to turn this economy
around. And that's --
Q I mean, are they willing to accept -- are you
saying they will?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I think most of the American people
are willing to accept a responsible increase in taxes on the very
wealthiest Americans, those earning over $100,000 and $200,000; yes,
I think that most of the American people believe that that's the
right way to reduce the deficit.
Q George, the President is going to California, which
is still not out of this recession yet, people there are still slowly
trying to recover. Can you take that message to people in California
and on the West Coast that they're going to be paying more in taxes?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: But again, I don't think that
that's the message of the President's bill. It's not the substance.
Part of -- the message of the President's bill is that we have to do
something to turn this economy around and bring the deficit down.
And that's what the package does. The President does that by
increasing taxes on the very wealthiest Americans, but also by
reducing government spending. By having real cuts in government
spending; 200 cuts in government spending and he brings the deficit
down.
Q Will he talk about cuts?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: The President has talked about the
cuts. I mean, look at what's happening in this budget. There is a
delay in pay for federal workers. There are real cuts in entitlement
for the first time in a dozen years. It' hasn't happened before.
The President is saying that the wealthier Social Security recipients
are going to pay a little bit more. The President has made the tough
choices and is bringing spending down. Part of the balance there is
also higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans and that's where the
bulk of the taxes in this package are.
Q I guess what I'm asking is when you go to the area
of the nation which is still hurting, what is the balance of the
pitch you make to them when you get there next week?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: The pitch you make to them is that
this a fair package. It balances between spending cuts and tax
increases. It makes sure that those who made the most pay the most
in taxes and it makes sure that the middle class is treated fairly.
Does the middle class have to contribute along with everyone else?
Yes, a little bit. But all in the interest of bringing the deficit
down and getting this economy moving again, and creating jobs in the
future.
Q One part of that package is supposed to be
additional spending this year for summer jobs, things like that.
Folks on the House Appropriations Committee say they've now basically
thrown in the towel on increasing -- on putting additional summer
jobs into the pending supplemental appropriations bill. Is there
still any possibility of any of that getting appropriated before the
summer or have you also thrown in the towel on that?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I think there's a possibility of
getting some small increase in summer job funding. I mean, clearly,
the President has said for several months that he believes that
investment in jobs this year is an important investment. He fought
for that investment, but Republicans in the Senate blocked it -- made
it clear that it couldn't go through. The President tried. He has
been looking for ways to get those investments, but it doesn't appear
that we're going to be able to get as much as the President hoped
for. But we'll look -- we'll try to get what we can.
Q Well, what would be the vehicle for -- if it's not
going to go into the supplemental that they're working on now, which
it looks like it's not, what would be the vehicle for getting
anything passed before the summer starts?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, again, I don't know that we
necessarily can before the summer starts. I mean, one thing we have
to do is focus now on the budget reconciliation package. I don't
know that we've given up yet on the supplemental of getting any
funding through the supplemental. But beyond that we are going to
focus on the budget.
Q What's a summer jobs program that doesn't have
money by the summer?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: No, I didn't -- what I said was, we
haven't given up on the supplemental yet.
Q But you said that you don't know that you'd
necessarily be able to get this money before the summer begins. So
what high school student looking for a job could benefit from a
program like that?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I mean, clearly, if the Congress
didn't pass the program it wouldn't -- the funding wouldn't go
through. I mean, that's self-evident. But we're trying -- we're
still working on that. And we're going to work with the
appropriations committees.
Q Have you decided not to seek -- I mean, you'd have
to do it pretty quick for the summer jobs program. Have you
basically made a judgment that you're not going to be able to get
significant additional funding for summer jobs?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: It appears that there is -- that
the Appropriations Committee -- we're still going to send up a letter
to the Appropriations Committee trying to get some funding paid for
for the summer jobs this year. It's unclear what they're going to do
with it at this point.
Q You're going to send them a letter that says what?
Says you want some additional funding but you save what vehicle you
want to use to --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: No, on the supplemental.
Q How much?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I don't have the figures.
Q George, when you were asked if you -- what makes
you think that people support the new taxes that the President wants
Congress to pass, you said, well, they support deficit reduction. Do
you see those two things as interchangeable?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: No --
Q Support for deficit reduction and support for
taxes?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: What I did say is I think the
American people, the bulk of the American people believe that the
wealthiest Americans should pay their fair share. That's what the
President's package calls for. And 70 percent of the taxes in this
package goes to the very wealthiest Americans. And that's the heart
of the President's tax plan.
Q When is the administration going to earmark exactly
how it -- what areas it wants to cut in order to get its investment
package through to the Appropriations Committee? The Appropriations
Committee's been complaining that they were not -- the subcommittee
chairmen were complaining that they didn't have any earmarked areas.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Chairman Panetta's been working
with the Appropriations Committee chairman. He'll continue to work
with them on the cuts to pay for the package, and that we're in
discussions everyday.
Q Do you know that they've actually proposed cuts to
pay for those investments?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I know that we've given out ideas
on how to pay for the investments, and we're going to continue to do
that.
Q George, can you give us some insight into what went
into the President's thinking on the extended remarks that he had
yesterday in New York on a crisis in believe and hope and this long
statement about the need for faith? What led to --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Again, I think what the President
believes -- I mean, this is something he's always believed; it's
something is at the heart of his convictions about government and
about life -- is that you have to preserve in the face of challenges.
Q Does he feel that this is something that --
Q It wasn't about perseverance, though, it was about
faith.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Faith is part of that -- is
essential to that perseverance.
Q Does he feel that he's inherited some sort of a
national -- I hesitate to use the word malaise but --
Q Go right ahead.
Q Ooooh.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Somebody had to do it. What day is
this? (Laughter.)
Q Strike that word. (Laughter.) Was this his
malaise speech?
Q It just -- it was a -- I know he's said some of
these things before, but putting them altogether was sort of an
unusual formulation --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I just don't agree. I think that
the President obviously is an optimistic person. The core of that
optimism is faith -- faith that things can work out for the better;
faith that if you work hard, you can overcome challenges. And that's
at the core of what the President was talking about.
Q George, the President spent the beginning of this
big railing against lobbyists and special interests, and this
afternoon you've set up a photo op with the campaign finance reform
team. Yet last night he went to this glitzy fundraiser to slurp up
special interest money. (Laughter.) Is there not some --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: All the editorial comments in the
questions today.
Q contradiction between rhetoric and action?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Not at all. We're not going to
engage in unilateral disarmament. (Laughter.) The President is the
only one who's out there and proposed real reform. The President has
a proposal on the table. It has real spending limits and reduces PAC
contributions. It calls for an end to contributions from lobbyists.
Q Even when he appears before a group of special
interests who contribute millions of dollars to the Democratic Party,
and much of it soft money?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: They do that under the current
system. The President is trying to change the current system and
that's why he's come forward with a proposal.
Q Why not with deeds, not words?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: The deeds are we're trying to push
it through the Congress. That's exactly what we're doing right now.
Q Is this watch what we do, not what we say; or watch
what we say and not what we do, or what?
Q saying nothing should be done. Why should he
set an example?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: He is setting an example and that's
why he's come forward with a real proposal and introduced it to the
House and the Senate, and asked for it's immediate passage.
Q Until the rules change, he'll take advantage of the
rules as they are.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, until the rules change, he's
going to play by the rules. The President always plays by the rules
and that's what he's going to continue to do. (Laughter.)
Q How much did they clean up?
Q George, two on foreign policy. Anything new on
Macedonia, the troops to Macedonia?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Nothing new on that, no.
Q Has he talked to any foreign leaders?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: No.
Q Is the President disappointed that the Middle East
talks have broken down? Is he trying to offer any bridges?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, the President just going to
continue to work with the parties to move the talks along.
Q Will he see them at all?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I don't think there's anything
planned on that right now.
Q Is Ira right that a lot of the health care package
is going to be financed by employer mandate, and if there is going to
be an employer mandate, is that going to cost jobs?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Ira's certainly right that no
decisions have been made on the health care package yet and I'm
certain that he said that. The President is going over those options
right now, and he will certainly look for reforms that over the long
run will certainly help create jobs by bringing down health care
costs.
Q Well, has the employer mandate been ruled out
because the President during the campaign came out against a play or
pay kind of situation. And an employer mandate sure walked like
playing and paying and quack like --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: The President just hasn't made any
decisions yet and we're still looking at a number of options.
Q George, what's the reaction to the Peck and
Schwarzkopf comments of the Armed Services this week? And secondly,
the Committee seems to be moving towards a don't ask about it, don't
flaunt it compromise. What's the administrations feeling on that?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: We're waiting for the Pentagon
report and we'll have more to say after that.
Q Coming back to the President's comments on
lobbyists the other day. He went on at some length about the
lobbyists for Sally Mae and how bad this was --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: It worked.
Q Does he have any feeling about people who have been
closed to him in the past who are lobbying on Sally Mae's behalf?
Does he find that objectionable?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, I think that what the
President believes is that we have to change the current system and
that's what he said. And he was very gratified by the vote in the
House Education and Labor Committee supporting his proposal on direct
funding.
Q But in the meantime, he doesn't have any objection
to prominent Democrats and people who used to work for him working
together --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: The President hopes that everybody
he knows will get behind his proposals.
Q George, what the administration's analysis so far
of Bosnia's conduct -- or rather Serbia's conduct on it's own promise
to stop supplying the Bosnian Serbs?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I think that clearly it's not
complete yet. There has been some lessening of the flow between
Serbia and the Bosnian Serbs and we've noticed that. But it's
clearly not complete.
Q Is it getting better, or is it getting worse?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: We know that there's been a
diminished flow of supplies across the border.
Q How are you monitoring that?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: There's lots of monitoring and I
can't get into that.
Q George, on the operations -- the accounting for the
deficit reduction trust fund -- normally, when you have a trust fund
and you're running an overall deficit, when you dip into the assets
of the trust fund you have to pay back with interest. The Social
Security trust fund, when they get T-bills they get paid back with
interest. Is that going to be the same way?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I just don't have all the details
on that. I can take the question or have Gene get back to you.
Q If you follow the pattern that now obtains with
Social Security, actually you're going to provide more in deficit
reduction because Treasury would be obligated to pay that fund
interest.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, that's assuming that there
were a breach, but I just don't have those details.
Q George, can I ask you two questions -- one on
Argentina and one on Haiti? You said it's a working visit, the 29th
of June?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Yes. I think it was the -- I'll
check again. I thought it was the 26th.
Q Could you double-check the date?
MS. VOLES: The 29th.
Q Okay. I was right. He's the first Latin American
leader to visit President Clinton officially. Any particular reason
for choosing Argentina to be the first one from Latin America?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I know that he spoke with President
Menem right after the election and they -- I think that this is just
the timing has worked out and he's looking forward to the visit.
Q Now the Haiti question. There seems to be more
optimism coming out of Secretary Christopher after he met with
Boutros-Ghali. What does the White House feel?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Not much to add to that, except to
say there was a good meeting with the U.N. Secretary General
yesterday. We continue to support the efforts of Mr. Caputo and we
look forward to a resolution.
Q There are 150 Haitians in Guantanamo with the AIDS
virus are still -- I think they're going on strike.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I just don't have anything on that
today.
Q Do you have any comment on the Wall Street Journal
report regarding new Pentagon planning on air strikes alone without
the arms embargo?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Again, the President has set forth
a clear approach. We're continuing to pursue that approach.
Q Is there a new approach which is --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: No.
Q this story is that the Air Force is planning a
new --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: No.
Q The story is wrong?
Q Does the President believe that air strikes alone
would be effective?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: The President has set forward a
clear approach, and we continue to work with our allies on --
Q What is this clear approach? (Laughter.) Can you
fill in the blanks?
Q Yes, what is it?
Q These two things were supposed to be
interdependent. The question is whether or not you're pursuing an
avenue that basically --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: No, we continue to pursue the --
Q drops the arms embargo and do you now believe
that air strikes might in themselves be effective?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: No. The President continues to
believe that the approach he laid out to the Europeans is the way to
go and we're going to continue to work with them on that.
Q Is this free-lancing by the Air Force, or is this
just a wrong story?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: No. I said I'm certain that there
are contingency plans and options being pursued at levels of all
kinds, but the President is working on his approach with the allies.
Q Did your plan always include action to stop
fighting between Croats and Muslims, or is it being expanded to
include that now?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I don't know if there's anything to
be expanded to. I mean, this is a problem we're aware of and it's
something that we have to continue to monitor, and it's certainly a
complication.
Q You're going to take action to try and halt the
fighting between Serbs and Muslims. Would you not try to do
something at the other end of the --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: We want all sides to come to the
negotiating table and work for peace.
Q So the plan is not necessarily targeted against the
Serbs, it's anybody who is --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: No. The Serbs have clearly been
the aggressors here, and they're the focus of our activity. But
we're going to do what we can to stop the violence on all sides.
Q I mean, does your plan, whatever it includes --
whether it includes air strikes or arms embargo -- that envision air
strikes possibly against Croats?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: The Serbians are the focus of the
President's plan. They have been the aggressors, they have been the
ones engaged in ethnic cleansing. Obviously, there have been other
instances of violence that we have to get a handle on as well and we
take seriously.
Q Do you expect the President to make a formal
announcement tomorrow on Bosnia? There have been some hints.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Not necessarily, no.
Q Not necessarily?
Q What does not necessarily mean?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Not --
Q Not necessarily or no? Which?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Not necessarily -- comma -- no. I
mean, I don't think so. I mean, it's nothing that's being
contemplated right now. That's the best answer right --
Q Do you expect him to make an announcement prior to
the referendum?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Not necessarily.
Q No.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: No. (Laughter.)
Q George, getting back to the Croatians, is there any
-- can you confirm that there's any feeling in the administration
that the attacks by the Croatians have undercut the attempts to lift
that arms embargo against the Bosnians?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: No. Clearly the attacks by the
Croatians and the violence is a problem. We are looking to ways to
limit the violence, stop the killing, and prevent a wider war. This
is inconsistent with those goals.
Q But is that changing the thinking in the
administration at all on lifting --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: It's something we're looking at,
but, no, it hasn't changed the direction of the President's policy.
Q A couple of months ago, the President sent the
Secretary Brown to California on a fact-finding mission to see how
his economic program could specifically apply to California's
problems. What is the update on where that trip and the study group
was at this point? And next week will the President have anything
specific to offer California?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: One thing I would point out, the
President's economic package, the stimulus package, would have
provided $1 billion to California. Unfortunately, it wasn't
successful in the Senate. That was one outcome. Secretary Brown has
gone back several times. He will continue to go back. I don't have
a formal report at this time. But I don't know if the President will
have any kind of a formal announcement.
Q Can you give us a progress report on the
appointment of the welfare reform task force?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I have nothing on that today.
Q Secondly, is it true as reported that Vice
President Gore declined or refused to attend the Ozal funeral?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I don't know anything about that.
Q What was the question?
Q Would you take the question?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Yes.
Q What was the question?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Did Vice President Gore decline to
attend the Ozal funeral.
Q What is the status of the investigation of the
Iraqi plot against Bush in Kuwait?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: We're still waiting for a report.
Q Is that team still over there?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I assume that there are some people
who might still be over there, but I know that we're awaiting a
report at some time -- I think either this week or early next week.
I know the trial is supposed to start.
Q Any comment on the request by the French government
to renegotiate the Blair House Agreement?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I would refer you to USTR. We
don't have anything here.
Q What about the meeting between Reno and Sessions
today?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Go to Justice. We don't have
anything on it.
Q Do you expect -- is that -- we were led to
understand that that was pretty much a done deal, getting rid of
Sessions. And now it sounds like your back to saying it depends on
whatever Reno says.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I don't think we've ever said
anything different from that.
Q The U.N. plan for monitoring the border
contemplates increasing the number of people monitoring. Would
Americans be included in that U.N. force?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: That's not in the plans. The
President has always said that in Bosnia he expects that ground
troops would only be used to enforce a peace agreement.
Q What about elsewhere along other borders?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: It's just not in the plans.
Q George, on Tuesday in L.A., is the President going
to help the Democratic candidate for mayor in any fashion?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I don't have anything on that
today.
Q Does the President believe the Croatians has any
aggressors? I mean, were they provoked by the Muslims? Who does he
think is --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: The President's concerned about the
fighting between the Croatians and the Bosnians, and he's looking for
ways to put it to an end and to have all sides come to the table.
Q George, are you backing away from the idea that
U.S. troops might be in a multinational force in Macedonia or Kosovo?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: No.
Q You just said it's not in the plans to send U.S.
troops --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: It was the border between Serbia
and Bosnia.
Q George, some Democrats on the Judiciary Committee
in the Senate have raised some doubts about Webb Hubbell's
appointment to Judiciary because of his membership in the country
club in Little Rock. Does the President still think that Webb
Hubbell is the best candidate for the nomination?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Absolutely.
Q In spite of his membership?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: In spite of his membership at an
integrated club.
Q Wow.
Q That's not the way the NAACP sees it in Arkansas.
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Again, the President stands by Webb
Hubbell, believes he's the best person for the job.
Q If it was a mistake for the President to play
there, why is it not a mistake for Webb Hubbell to belong there?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: The country club in Little Rock is
an integrated country club.
Q The President said, it was a mistake for me to play
there. Why is it not a mistake then for Webb Hubbell to belong?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: It was -- the President's comments
in the campaign stand for that. The President stands by Webb Hubbell
at this time.
Q At this time?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: The President stands by Webb
Hubbell at this time and tomorrow, and the day after and the day
after and the day after.
Q George, why doesn't he drop his membership in the
club? It's not like he's going to get to use it anyway if he stays
in Washington. Wouldn't that put an end to it? (Laughter.)
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: I have nothing more to say on that.
Q George, yesterday the President in the Rose Garden
said he hadn't changed his mind, he just didn't know if he had been
able to change somebody else's mind on the Bosnia situation. Is he
still talking directly to the European leaders?
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: There are still consultations --
they're certainly every day.
Between the President or --
MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: The President hasn't done anything
in the last day or two.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
END 12:56 P.M. EDT
#72-05/13