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Videos 6/2/92 [OA 7576]
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Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Speech Backup Chronological Files
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George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
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Speechwriting, White House Office of
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Videos 6/2/92 [OA 7576]
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26
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6
1
FACT CHECK COPY
(Duggan/Nix)
May 28, 1992
Draft One
Export
PRESIDENTIAL VIDEO:
NATIONAL EXPORT INITIATIVE
It's a pleasure to greet the many participants in our
Deaft
National Export Initiative conference. Your program title says
it all: "Exports -- Generating Jobs for Americans." We're at
the dawn of a new era in the world economy -- presenting exciting
opportunities for American business. The Free World has
Imperial
triumphed over Communism, and nations in every corner of the
^
globe are turning anew to free markets.
Now more than ever, if we want to thrive at home, we have to
compete and lead abroad. Our prosperity hinges on our ability to
develop quality products, identify new markets, and go the extra
mile to make sales around the world. Exports create good jobs
for Americans, and robust trade improves our standard of living.
Every billion dollars of U.S. manufactured exports creates more
USTR Havid WaH
than 20,000 American jobs. And exports continue as one of the
strongest forces fueling our economy today: Last year, U.S.
X3583
exports soared to a record high of $422 billion while our trade
deficit declined to its lowest level in almost a decade.
Our Administration is working hard to open up markets and
help American firms compete abroad. Two years ago, for instance,
we created the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee, bringing
together all the expertise of the federal government in a "one-
stop shop" for firms interested in exports. And I have my trade
negotiators working around the clock to conclude two historic
trade agreements -- the North American Free Trade Agreement
2
linking the United States, Mexico and Canada; and a new global
GATT agreement to curb wasteful agricultural subsidies.
Trade is one of the most important issues of our time --
clearly for exporters such as yourselves, but no less vital to
consumers the world over who want a better quality of life.
That's why I am fighting to open markets. Free trade means more
exports, more investment, more choices, and more jobs for
Americans. So I'm asking you to intensify your support as we
approach the end game in the North American Free Trade talks and
the GATT talks. We need trade policies to keep growth up now and
in the future. With these, and with your proven ingenuity, we'll
keep America the leader that she is -- the number one exporter in
the world. Thank you, and may God bless every one of you.
#
#
#
02:00
200
aftairs
NEI Presidential video
The title tells of this weat Exports
It is a pleasure to send greetings to participants at this
national export initiative event.
We are at the dawn of a new era in the international
economy--one that offers exciting opportunities and challenges
for U.S. business.
The collapse of communism and the turn toward free market
economies have transformed the global economic landscape.
Today's battles are not between armies. They're between the
economic interests of various nations.
The future is clear: If we want to remain the greatest
economic power on earth, we must build a strong economy at home.
But, just as important, we must make sure that our companies have
a fair chance to do business abroad.
The success of U.S. exporters is a prime stimulus of our
economy. Last year, U.S. exports soared to a record high of $422
billion and our trade deficit declined to $66 billion, the lowest
level since 1983.
Exports create American jobs, stimulate economic growth, and
improve locthed our standard of living. Each billion dollar's worth of
U.S. exports creates more than 28,000 good American jobs.
Most of you are here because you know that I if you want to
succeed in business these days, you can't worry just about
competition from U.S. companies; you have to go
head-to-head with
- more -
05/27/92
02:36
003
- 2 -
firms from all over the world.
America's prosperity hinges more than ever on our ability to
develop quality products, identify new market opportunities and
go the extra mile to make sales in the United States and around
the world. Our ingenuity and determination to be the best make
America's products among the world's most competitive.
A tremendous export potential exists in America today--and
much of it lies with small to medium-sized companies. The
overlooked fact is that, while the United States is the world's
largest exporter just 15 percent of our exporters account for
over 60 percent of the value of goods shipped across our borders.
There are many good reasons why U.S. firms should look to
overseas markets:
0
The world market is more than four times larger than
the U.S. market.
O
Many overseas markets are growing at a faster rate than
the U.S. market.
o
Exporting can help companies discover new ideas that
can lead to new products, applications, or markets
Some of you may already have started exporting and are
looking to expand your businesses to additional markets. Some of
you may be just beginning to contemplate an exporting venture.
Our administration has tried hard to encourage export
businesses in a number of ways. Two years ago,
we created the
- more -
05/27/92
02:37
004
- 3 -
Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee, a council of 19 federal
agencies that provide export assistance to U.S. firms.
Chaired by Commerce Secretary Barbara Franklin, this Committee is
providing a one-stop shop for U.S. firms interested in export
programs.
Today's conference is one of a series organized to show the
U.S. business community how the federal government can be a
strong partner and an information resource for exporting. Last
year, more than 7,000 people attended 30 of these conferences
held across the country.
mention
This conference, "Exports - Generating Jobs for Americans,'
gestence
stresses three essential ingredients for success in the rapidly
changing world markets:
quality products and services
accurate and timely information on market opportunities
adequate financing to produce and ship the product.
I urge both the new-to-export company and the seasoned
exporter to use the valuable information and services provided
here today to aggressively pursue overseas markets.
Promoting American exports--and ensuring free and fair
trade--is a priority of my administration. I am committed to
opening world markets to U.S. exports and to promoting our free
trade agenda everywhere in the world.
- more -
05/27/92
02:37
005
- 4 -
In our major trade negotiations, I will continue pushing to
eliminate trade barriers and subsidies that damage America's
industries. The United States is the world's largest economy,
the world's largest exporter and importer and the world's most
productive nation--a success story written by American business
men and women.
The principal players in the exporting process are the
entrepreneurs, who have always energized the U.S. economy I In
the final analysis, it is you in the private sector who will
maintain America's leadership role in the 21st century. We in
government will be supporting you all the way.
1990 mition
tradeting
the
Service
News Summary
OFFICE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 1992
6:00 A.M. EDT EDITION
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
BUSH: $150 MILLION HIKE IN U.S. AID FOR FORESTS -- President Bush,
facing criticism of his environmental policies on the eve of the
the Earth Summit, Monday pledged to more than double U.S. aid to
developing nations next year to help them conserve their forests.
(Washington Post, Washington Times, UPI, AP, Reuter)
GREATER U.S. EFFORT BACKED TO OUST IRAQI -- The House Select
Committee on Intelligence has approved $40 million in covert aid
in 1993 to help overthrow Saddam Hussein, more than doubling the
current $15 million budget, Administration and other government
officials said Monday.
(New York Times)
NATIONAL NEWS
BUSH MOVES TO EXPAND URBAN ENTERPRISE PLAN -- The Bush
Administration plans to tell congressional leaders Tuesday it will
expand its proposal to create enterprise zones, including adding
new tax benefits for poor people employed in those zones, as it
seeks to generate support for its urban package. (Washington Post)
ENERGY DEPARTMENT BOOSTS MINORITY DEPOSIT PROGRAM -- The U.S.
Department of Energy announced Monday it will expand its minority
bank deposits program, making $250 million in funds available
including $22 million for riot-torn areas of Los Angeles. (UPI)
NETWORK NEWS (Monday evening)
ENVIRONMENT/PRESIDENT --
President Bush went on the
offensive, offering money to
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A-1
help the world's forests and
challenging other countries
NATIONAL NEWS
A-4
to join in.
NETWORK NEWS
B-1
VOTER CONCERNS/POLLS --
ABC News/Washington Post
EDITORIALS
C-1
poll shows Perot with 36%,
leading President Bush (31%)
FOREIGN MEDIA
C-3
and Bill Clinton (27%).
ECONOMY -- Americans made
more and spent more in
April but not by a lot.
This Summary is prepared Monday through Friday by the White House News Summary Staff.
For complete stories or information, please call 456-2950.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
BUSH: $150 MILLION HIKE IN U.S. AID FOR FORESTS
President Bush, facing criticism of his environmental policies
on the eve of the opening of the Earth Summit, Monday pledged to
more than double U.S. aid to developing nations next year to help
them conserve their forests.
The announcement of a $150 million increase in U.S. aid for
forest conservation next year was coupled with a call to other
nations to increase their assistance. But the announcement drew
immediate cries of hypocrisy from environmental activists who
strongly opposed the Administration's decision last month to allow
a limited exemption to the Endangered Species Act to permit some
logging on Northwest federal land.
"The President continues to advocate policies at home that
would loot the last remaining stands of America's old-growth rain
forest,' said Rep. Vento. "His rhetoric today about saving forests
in other countries is sadly hypocritical."
Officials acknowledged that the forest proposal was an effort
to blunt criticism emerging from the Earth Summit gathering that
the Bush Administration has watered down a global warming treaty
and refused to sign a biodiversity treaty. An official briefing
reporters Monday said the biodiversity treaty had a series of
unacceptable provisions, but that spending money to preserve
forests was a better approach to the same conservation goals.
"This is a concrete way of conserving forests," the official said.
"This is not rhetoric. This is reality. This is real dollars."
(Ann Devroy, Washington Post, A9)
Bush Proposes Plan For Planet
The Bush Administration Monday launched a pre-emptive strike
against its environmental critics, claiming that the Earth Summit
opening in Brazil Wednesday will produce more rhetoric than action.
Administration officials said Bush is upset with many of the
100 world leaders attending the summit who have accused the U.S.
with holding up progress on improving the world's environment. To
offset those attacks, echoed by American environmental groups, the
Administration Monday released a 56-point fact sheet detailing
White House initiatives to clean up the nation's air and water.
A senior Administration official said the attacks from
American environmental groups and foreign nations are "hot air
It's ludicrous that we take any shots across the bow." Another
official said "the Europeans deserve high marks for their
rhetoric." The official said the U.S. has balked at signing a
major agreement because "we take these things seriously."
(Paul Bedard, Washington Times, A1)
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, June 2, 1992 -- A-2
President Bush Asserts U.S. Leadership Role On Environment
GREENBELT -- President Bush claimed a leadership role Monday
in bridging economic development with environmental preservation
as he sought to quell criticism that the Administration softened
global pacts leading up to Wednesday's U.N. Earth Summit.
But the tone of Bush's speech was defensive and self-
congratulatory, as he rattled off his achievements as the self-
proclaimed "environmental president." He credited himself with
improving the nation's drinking water and air, with a ban on
driftnet fishing and protection of wetlands, and with the decrease
in oil exploration off America's coasts.
Environmental groups attacked Bush's deforestation request and
his claim that he is a committed environmentalist. "This is the
height of hypocrisy," said Michael Fisher, executive director of
the Sierra Club. "The President is trying to snooker the American
people." Fisher asserted that Bush has been an obstacle to a
global warming pact and forests and species extinction treaties.
"Then he guts the Clean Air Act and promises to chainsaw America's
forests. But now he's going to hide behind a fig leaf forest deal
and go down to Rio to blow hot air," he said. (Helen Thomas, UPI)
Earth Summit "Green Fever" Grips Rio
RIO DE JANEIRO -- A "green fever" gripped Rio on Monday as
ecologists, diplomats and native people from around the world
streamed into the city for the 12-day Earth Summit. President Bush
is already being painted as a villain. "Bush arrives in Rio as an
enemy of the conference," wrote Brazil's Veja Magazine. It
referred to the U.S. government as "Uncle Filthy."
(Peter Muello, AP)
Clinton Says Bush "Guts" Global Warming Accord
OAKLAND -- Bill Clinton Monday accused President Bush of
gutting a global warming accord to be signed at the Earth Summit
in Brazil and called the move "a terrible mistake."
"In 10 days, the President will be flying down to Rio to sign
something he fought for -- a global warming treaty which guts the
requirement that we really reduce carbon dioxide emissions by the
year 2000, Clinton said. "We went against every advanced nation
in the world and refused to limit global warming. We made a
terrible mistake," Clinton told a sunny noontime rally in front of
Oakland's City Hall.
(Irwin Arieff, Reuter)
Europeans Seeking Own Greenhouse Accord In Rio
BONN -- European countries are working on a regional accord
on global warming for the Earth Summit to strengthen a world treaty
watered down by the U.S., German Environment Minister Klaus Toepfer
said Monday. Toepfer named Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Sweden
as interested in making a group pledge at the summit with a fixed
date for cutting air pollution blamed for global warming.
Toepfer said a European accord would strengthen efforts after
Rio to fix amounts and deadlines for the industrial world to cut
pollution believed to cause the so-called "greenhouse effect."
(Marcus Kabel, Reuter)
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, June 2, 1992 -- A-3
U.S. TO WIDEN ANTI-DRUG EFFORT
The Bush Administration said Monday it plans to expand anti-
drug operations in Central America and the Caribbean, a move that
carries political and diplomatic risks in one of the target
countries: Guatemala.
Congress has long objected vehemently to U.S. military aid to
Guatemala because of claims the Guatemalan military has a negative
human rights record. Margaret Tutwiler said the Administration
"has under review a variety of proposals to enhance counterdrug
cooperation" in the Central American region. But she and Pentagon
spokesman Army Maj. Bryan Whitman refused to disclose details of
the anti-drug strikes.
(Juan Walte, USA Today, 6A)
EXILED HAITIAN LEADER CALLS FOR TIGHTER SANCTIONS
MINNEAPOLIS -- President Aristide was tired, but his message
Monday was tougher than ever. He wants even tighter economic
sanctions imposed on his native Haiti as part of his international
campaign to regain power.
Granting that a partial embargo enacted by the 37 members of
the OAS has created "the worst possible" economic conditions for
his people, Aristide said he nevertheless favors a naval blockade
that would cut off all oil supplies and further isolate Haiti.
(Frank Wright, Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)
GREATER U.S. EFFORT BACKED TO OUST IRAQI
The House Select Committee on Intelligence has approved $40
million in covert aid in 1993 to help overthrow Saddam Hussein,
more than doubling the current $15 million budget, Administration
and other government officials said Monday.
One senior Administration official confirmed the expansion of
the covert program. But he played down its significance, saying,
"This does not reflect a policy change." Other officials added
that the expanded program will give the Administration more
flexibility in cultivating potential sources of opposition inside
Iraq, but said the Administration has no illusions that the
expanded program will topple the Iraqi leader.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has not yet
approved the aid proposal, and it is unclear whether it will.
(Elaine Sciolino, New York Times, A3)
U.S. LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION AS TALKS CONTINUE
The U.S. has begun a formal investigation into alleged piracy
of American copyrights and trademarks in Taiwan, the U.S. Trade
Representative's office said Monday.
The six-month investigation, which could bring higher U.S.
duties on Taiwanese products, starts amid so-far-inconclusive talks
between the two governments on resolving U.S. complaints about lack
of protection for American books, films, computer software, music
recordings and trademarks.
(AP)
EDITOR'S NOTE: "U.S. Environment Negotiator In Rio Walks A
Tightrope In Administration, " an article on William Reilly by Keith
Schneider, appears in the New York Times, page A11.
###
NATIONAL NEWS
BUSH MOVES TO EXPAND URBAN ENTERPRISE PLAN
The Bush Administration plans to tell congressional leaders
Tuesday it will broadly expand its proposal to create urban
enterprise zones, including adding new tax benefits for poor people
employed in those zones, as it seeks to generate support in
Congress for its urban package.
Under a new proposal, approved in concept Monday, the White
House will propose deeper tax benefits, including a refundable
earned income tax credit for unemployed persons who get jobs in the
new zones. The credit will basically offset the Social Security
and other taxes lower-income wage earners pay that sometimes
results in their bringing home less money when working than they
did when they collected welfare benefits.
The Administration also will allow businesses investing in
enterprise zones to write off up to $50,000 in capital expenses the
first year, compared to spreading those expenses out over several
years, and will allow them to use both tangible and intangible
assets in calculating capital gains.
(Ann Devroy, Washington Post, A4)
BUSH SLIPS AGAIN IN POLLS
NEW YORK -- Two national polls released Monday showed further
slippage in President Bush's standing with voters, and one survey
showed him falling below Ross Perot in a three-way race.
Bush's approval rating fell to 35%, its lowest point ever in
a CBS News poll; An ABC-Washington Post poll showed Perot leading
Bush and Clinton among 1,003 Americans surveyed Wednesday through
Sunday. Among registered voters, the candidates were almost even,
with Perot at 34%, Bush at 31% and Clinton at 29%. Among "likely
voters," Perot had 37%, Bush and Clinton 29% each, ABC said;
Favorable opinions about Bush fell to 30% in the CBS poll taken
Wednesday through Saturday, from 36% earlier in May. Clinton's
favorability rating dropped to 15% from 24% three weeks earlier.
The CBS horse race differed from ABC's, with Bush leading at
35%, Clinton at 27% and Perot at 26% among registered voters.
(Howard Goldberg, AP)
Perot Has Narrow Lead in Post/ABC News Poll
Ross Perot leads President Bush and Bill Clinton in the latest
Washington Post/ABC News presidential preference poll. President
Bush's showing is one of the worst ever for an incumbent and marked
his steady decline since the election year began. Clinton, though
running weakly, appears to be holding onto a base of support and
the fact that he is tied with Bush marks a kind of improvement,
because many state polls have shown him running third.
Perot's support is broadest among men, political independents,
those earning more than $25,000 a year and the college-educated.
Perot does particularly well with middle-aged voters; among those
45 to 54 years old, the survey found that Perot claimed 43% of the
hypothetical vote.
(Richard Morin, Washington Post, A1)
-more-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, June 2, 1992 -- A-5
CLINTON HAMMERS JOBS, EDUCATION THEMES
OAKLAND -- On the eve of clinching the Democratic presidential
nomination, Bill Clinton donned a blue collar Monday, saying the
Bush Administration has shortchanged the nation's working class.
"Over the last two years, California lost half a million
jobs, Clinton said. "Over the last 10 years, the middle class has
gone downhill
Poverty is on the rise among the working people,
that is the legacy of the last 10 years
We have to work for
change."
Bush, meanwhile, saw another drop in support among Republican
voters from 74% in early May to 66% in the latest poll. The
California Poll results may be the least of Bush's worries. Jerry
Brown announced Monday he's heading to Rio de Janeiro to battle
Bush at the Earth Summit.
"What Bush is doing is morally irresponsible," Brown said.
"The destruction of the environment is occurring because government
leaders like Bush are not standing up to polluters. Bush is a
disaster."
(William Murray, UPI)
CALIFORNIA VOTERS EXPRESS DISILLUSIONMENT
WITH BUSH AND CLINTON
BURBANK -- It took only a few hours last week at the Media
Center City mall here to understand why George Bush and Bill
Clinton are lagging in the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll.
Two Ross Perot volunteers at card tables could hardly
accommodate those eager to sign nominating petitions for Perot.
Other voters voiced such disparaging comments about the President
and Clinton that it was almost a mercy Bush and Clinton had no
campaign workers on the scene.
"Bush is living in his own little world. He just doesn't see
much outside where he is," said Carole Ainsworth, a registered
Democrat who crossed party lines to vote for Bush four years ago.
Leaders of both parties in Sacramento blame much of the
disillusionment on the severe recession. In addition, a series of
natural and social disasters -- from the Oakland fires to the Los
Angeles riots -- have converted the California culture that
nurtured Ronald Reagan's inbred optimism into a 900-mile-long
psychological wasteland.
(David Broder, Washington Post, A6)
KIRKPATRICK BEING SOUNDED AS POSSIBLE PEROT RUNNING MATE
Jeane Kirkpatrick is being sounded out as a potential running
mate for Ross Perot, Republican sources say. A Perot
representative called such speculation premature.
Kirkpatrick has been believed to be on Perot's "short list"
for some time. GOP sources not directly connected with the Perot
effort said that interest in her on the part of Perot's lieutenants
has sharpened recently. "They're having hot and heavy
conversations with Kirkpatrick," said one source. (Tom Raum, AP)
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, June 2, 1992 -- A-6
ENERGY DEPARTMENT BOOSTS MINORITY DEPOSIT PROGRAM
LOS ANGELES -- The U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday
it will expand its minority bank deposits program, making $250
million in funds available nationwide, including $22 million for
riot-torn areas of Los Angeles.
"This will immediately provide funds for business investment
in the riot affected areas of Los Angeles and for the growth of
minority- and women-owned businesses throughout the nation,"
Secretary Watkins said at a news conference at Motown Records in
Hollywood.
Watkins said President Bush has given approval for an 11-fold
expansion of the department's program, which is designed to provide
investment capital to economically distressed areas. It is funded
through settlements the agency obtains from restitution paid by oil
companies that violated price controls between 1974 and 1981.
(Dave McNary, UPI)
FORMAL LEGAL OPINION BACKING BUSH
ON EPA CAME 2 WEEKS AFTER DECISION
The legal opinion behind President Bush's decision to overrule
the EPA on an important air-pollution regulation wasn't formally
put into writing until two weeks after the decision was made. Even
then, the Justice Department marked the memorandum "attorney-
client privileged" in an attempt to keep the memo quiet.
The memo controversy "has all the earmarkings of an attempt
to frustrate the intent of Congress under the Clean Air Act, and
to do so under cover,' charged Sen. Lieberman, who pressed the EPA
to release the document. "Substantively and procedurally, it's a
bad way to do business," Lieberman added.
(Bob Davis, Wall Street Journal, A16)
PENTAGON ANALYST QUESTIONS PLAN
FOR EARLY 'STAR WARS' DEPLOYMENT
The Pentagon's top program analyst says a $35 billion plan to
protect the nation from nuclear attack with land-based interceptors
calls for a hasty deployment that threatens costly and crippling
problems.
The official, Dr. David Chu, Assistant Secretary of Defense
for program analysis and evaluation, says in an internal Pentagon
document that the plan risks failure by rushing the development of
rocket-powered interceptors and skipping important performance
tests. That, he wrote, could hide defects that would cripple the
system or lead to costly repairs.
In his analysis, Dr. Chu said the plan should be overhauled
to delay the system's debut by as much as six years, from 1997 to
the year 2003, so that prototype arms and other antimissile
apparatus could be thoroughly tested, and modified if necessary,
before being put into mass production.
Rejecting such criticism, the plan's architects say they
remain confident that an initial system can be fielded by 1997.
But they concede that the goal of speedy deployment with
abbreviated testing carries many risks.
(William Broad, New York Times, A1)
-erom-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, June 2, 1992 -- A-7
GAO SAYS U.S. IS SLOW IN PURSUING FINANCIAL CLAIMS
IN THRIFT CLEANUP
The collapse of financial institutions across the country has
cost taxpayers billions of dollars, but the federal government is
seeking to recover damages in less than half of the cases,
according to GAO.
In testimony prepared for delivery to the Senate Banking
Committee Tuesday, the GAO says that federal officials estimate
there was fraud or negligence in 75% of failed federally insured
banks and savings and loan institutions. Government lawsuits
seeking monetary damages are being brought in only 20% of bank
failures and 41% of thrift failures, the GAO said.
The agency said the FDIC and the RTC have been handicapped by
staff shortages in bringing cases, and said the FDIC lacks a system
for determining who has financial assets worth pursuing.
(Susan Schmidt, Washington Post, C3)
CRITICS RAP BUSH ADMINISTRATION
FOR PUTTING INDUSTRY BEFORE CONSUMERS
The Bush Administration's recipe for food safety puts the
industry's economic interests ahead of the health of consumers,
activists said Tuesday in releasing a menu of grievances from
"half-baked" fish inspections to "pesticide-perfect" fruit.
Public Voice for Food and Health Policy said its beef with the
Bush Administration ranged from meat and chicken inspections to the
monitoring of milk for drug residues. The group also complained
that the Bush Administration has failed to address food safety
concerns and instead served the public an "unhealthy portion of
sweet-talk, puff pieces and sugarcoated recipes for continued
neglect."
Public Voice urged the Bush Administration to, among other
things, support comprehensive seafood safety legislation and
require a warning label for raw, molluscan shellfish; and rescind
approval for irradiation of poultry and other foods and improve the
current inspection and processing of poultry with improved
monitoring for infection.
(Jennifer Dixon, AP)
NEW BILL TO OFFER RELIEF FOR SMALL BANKS
TORONTO -- Secretary Brady said Monday Congress will consider
a plan to give small banks some relief from paperwork requirements
imposed by last year's banking law. Brady offered few specifics
of the proposal, but said it was designed to weed out "those
regulations that are truly regulating regulations and don't get to
the heart of anything."
The measure, to be sponsored by Sen. Dole, would exempt small
banks from new community lending rules and repeal reporting
requirements for small business and farm loans by small banks, said
Diane Casey of the Independent Bankers Association of America.
Casey said the tentative language of the proposed law would
provide an exemption for banks with less than $100 million in
assets from the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977. The act is
designed to prevent discriminatory lending practices and encourage
bankers to invest in the communities where they take deposits.
(Rob Wells, AP)
-erom-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, June 2, 1992 -- A-8
BRADY ON DEFICIT THREAT
Though the economy is strengthening, Secretary Brady warned
that the budget deficit is a threat to the USA's future. "Our
continued large federal deficit
poses a threat to our future
prosperity, and we must bring it under control," Brady said after
talking to bankers at an International Monetary Conference.
Brady said the sluggish Japanese economy is an immediate
concern. He called on Japan to reduce its large trade surplus and
stimulate its economy to boost demand for foreign imports.
(Moneyline, USA Today, 1B)
PURCHASING AGENTS SURVEY SHOWS GAINS
American manufacturing strengthened in May to the healthiest
level in nearly four years, a national group of industrial
purchasing executives said Monday in a closely watched monthly
survey.
The National Association of Purchasing Management's index of
business activity rose to 56.3%, a sharp increase from the 51.3%
level in April and the fourth straight month the index has
reflected an expansion (any reading above 50% indicates
manufacturing growth).
Economists said the survey, which revealed unexpectedly robust
production, new orders, exports and employment last month, offered
fresh evidence that the economy is moving upward.
The report offset a government report Monday showing
relatively weak improvement in April income and spending. The
Commerce Department said income from wages, salaries, rents and
other sources inched up 0.1%, the third increase in a row but well
below gains of 0.4% in March and 1% in February.
(News Services, Washington Post, C1)
TRADE GAP
The merchandise trade deficit narrowed to $17.5 billion last
quarter, the second-best showing in nine years, the Commerce
Department says. The gap between exports and imports fell 5.8%
from the fourth quarter's deficit of $18.5 billion. The
improvement came from a 15% decline in oil imports, reflecting a
big drop in foreign oil prices.
(Moneyline, USA Today, 1B)
DOW CLOSES ABOVE 3400 FOR FIRST TIME
NEW YORK -- Revived optimism about the economy and a possible
recovery in the auto industry Monday powered the Dow Jones
industrial average to close above 3400 for the first time. The Dow
average rose 16.33 points to close at 3413.21.
Analysts said investors rushed to buy automakers' shares
following a report that the companies plan to raise their total
third-quarter production sharply.
(News Services, Washington Post, C2)
White House News Summary
Tuesday, June 2, 1992 -- A-9
SUN REPORTER AIDED THOMAS, BOOK SAYS
A Baltimore Sun reporter apparently helped smooth the way for
the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court last July
by acting as an intermediary between the White House and the NAACP,
according to a new book.
Arch Parsons, who resigned from the Sun in January as part of
a voluntary buyout program, passed along information that helped
allay the Bush Administration's fears of strong NAACP opposition,
says the book, "Capitol Games: Clarence Thomas, Anita Hill, and the
Story of a Supreme Court Nomination."
(Dan Fesperman, Baltimore Sun, 1A)
INDUSTRIES LOSE CHALLENGE OF OWL PROTECTION PLAN
Logging and timber industry groups have lost a challenge
against government guidelines intended to protect the northern
spotted owl.
U.S. District Judge Norma Holloway Johnson rejected arguments
that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's guidelines unfairly
restricted timber harvesting in the Pacific Northwest and the
Southeast. Johnson rejected arguments that the government
improperly stretched the Endangered Species Act's definition of
actions that constitute "taking" or harming a threatened species.
Johnson said, "Congress made clear that the definition of 'take'
was to be interpreted 'in the broadest possible manner to include
every conceivable way in which a person can 'take' or attempt to
'take' any fish or wildlife.
(Laurie Asseo, AP)
$18 MILLION ROCKWELL FINE ENDS A-ARMS PLANT PROBE
DENVER -- U.S. District Judge Sherman Finesilver closed the
book Monday on a massive environmental investigation at Rocky Flats
nuclear weapons plant by accepting an $18.5 million fine against
Rockwell International Corp. for 10 crimes.
Environmental groups complained because criminal charges were
never brought against Energy Department managers at the plutonium
trigger plant. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ken Fimberg said lack of
criminal charges does not mean that the Justice Department has
"given Rocky Flats the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. That
simply is not the case."
(AP, Washington Post, A5)
-end of Section-A-
NETWORK NEWS
(Monday evening, June 1)
ENVIRONMENT/PRESIDENT
ABC's Forest Sawyer: On the week when world leaders gather in Rio
to discuss how to preserve the planet, President Bush, the Supreme
Court and even an invention are making headlines on the
environment. The President's under fire for watering down
proposals for the Rio summit. And today he went on the offensive,
offering money to help the world's forests and challenging other
countries to join in. The question is whether it's too little too
late.
ABC's Brit Hume: The President was announcing several
environmental initiatives he will take with him to the Rio summit
next week. But he found it necessary to devote much of his address
to an overall defense of his environmental record.
(President Bush: "I came to this office committed to extend
America's record of environmental leadership. And I've worked to
do so in a way that is compatible with economic growth.")
The President's main new announcement was that he will urge the
industrial world to double to $2.7 billion its annual aid to help
poorer nations halt the loss of their forests. The idea is to
reverse the loss of forest land by the end of the decade.
(President Bush: "And as a down payment, the U.S. will increase
its bilateral forest assistance by $150 million next year.")
But the Administration has softened the global warming treaty to
be signed in Rio and is refusing to sign the other major treaty on
protection of animal and plant species.
(TV coverage of President Bush shaking hands with kids in January
1990.)
So today's announcement was met by the kind of criticism accorded
nearly everything this President does on the environment -- not so
much that he's doing the wrong thing but that he's not doing nearly
enough and not for the right reasons.
(Sen. Gore: "The simple truth is the President has stumbled on
environmental policy and betrayed his pledge to be an environmental
president, and now he is trying to convince the American people
he's invented a new dance step.")
(TV coverage of President Bush and William Reilly around Marine
One.)
William Reilly, the President's environmental protection chief,
insists by all the standard measures, enforcement actions, money
spent and new legislation, the President has an excellent record.
So what's the problem?
(Reilly: "It may be that the claim the President would be the
environmental president led them to have unrealistic expectations,
particularly at a time of economic difficulty and budget
pressure.")
Perhaps so, but it was George Bush, not environmental activists,
who promised he'd be the environmental president. Once he said
that, it was inevitable that they would judge them by their
standards, not his.
(ABC-Lead)
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, June 2, 1992 -- B-2
NBC's Tom Brokaw: How to save the earth and not go broke in the
process. That's essentially the mission of the world's first
environmental summit meeting now getting organized in Rio de
Janeiro with warnings not to expect too much. President Bush
leaves for Rio in 10 days defensive but now with a new offer.
NBC's John Cochran: George Bush's aides privately say he does not
like environmental groups any more than they like him. He feels
that no matter how much he does they'll say it's not enough. With
little hope now of being known as the environmental president, Bush
today was just trying to limit damage -- damage to woodlands around
the world and damage to his reputation.
(President Bush: "At Rio I will ask the other industrialized
countries to join me in doubling worldwide forest assistance with
a goal of halting the loss of the world's forests by the end of the
decade. ")
For starters Bush will increase forest conservation aid to poor
nations by $150 million next year if Bush is still president next
year. But no one was ever elected president because of his
environmental concerns. So, over the past year Bush has given top
priority to pocketbook issues, to jobs. Last year Bush made it
easier for developers to build on half of the nation's protected
wetlands which are not so protected now. This year the President
relaxed air pollution regulations and permitted logging on 1,700
acres in Oregon which have been home to the spotted owl. Less
noticed but just as important, the Administration made it hard for
citizens to protest industrial use of public land.
(Sen. Mitchell: "For President Bush to call himself the
environment president would be a joke if it weren't so serious.
(Sen. Gore: "I would not put the trees in my backyard in his care.
I'd be concerned that he had a chain saw in the trunk.")
Gore has tried to make the environment his issue. White House
aides scornfully note that the environmental vote didn't help Gore
when he ran for President four years ago. Environmentalists scorn
Bush for watering down a Rio treaty on carbon dioxide emissions and
for refusing to sign another treaty protecting plants, animals and
natural resources.
(Michael Oppenheimer, Environmental Defense Fund: "The Bush
Administration has been a millstone around the neck of the Earth
Summit process. What we need is leadership.")
But if George Bush can't be the environmental president then he
wants to be the economic president. of course what he really wants
is to be the re-elected president.
(NBC-Lead)
CBS's Paula Zahn: President Bush is drawing fire over his
environmental record as he prepares to go the Earth Summit in
Brazil. And the criticism didn't let up today, even as Mr. Bush
announced an extra $150 million in U.S. aid to save the world's
forests.
(President Bush: "The plan is to encourage partnerships between
recipient countries who could propose new projects and investor
countries who, in effect, could bid to support the most effective
proposals for sequestering CO2 or preserving biodiversity.")
-more-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, June 2, 1992 -- B-3
(Sen. Gore: "This is a smoke screen designed to divert attention
from the consequences of the President's insistence that no
commitments be included in the treaties that are due to be signed
at the Earth Summit. The simple truth is the President has
stumbled on environmental policy and betrayed his pledge to be an
environmental president.")
(CBS-2)
VOTER CONCERNS/POLLS
Sawyer reports of further evidence of Ross Perot's strength. Our
latest ABC News/Washington Post poll shows Mr. Perot with 36%,
leading both President Bush [31%] and Bill Clinton [27%]. (ABC-7)
Zahn says in a CBS News poll Mr. Bush's public approval rating is
down to 35% -- the lowest ever. The President's likely Democratic
opponent is having troubles of his own.
CBS's Richard Threlkeld reports the CBS News nationwide poll
completed this weekend shows Clinton running 8% behind President
Bush and virtually tied with Ross Perot [Clinton -- 27% and Ross
Perot -- 26%]. Only 15% of those polled view Clinton favorably.
The Clinton forces plan to start the general campaign this week in
hopes that America's love affair with Ross Perot will turn out to
be just a summer fling, and that by autumn the voters will be ready
to give Bill Clinton a second look.
(CBS-4)
CAMPAIGN/CLINTON
Brokaw reports Clinton today talked about education with high
school students in central California.
(ABC-8, NBC-3)
PEROT/RUNNING MATE
Brokaw reports Ross Perot's wife Margot told NBC's Jamie Gangel
that she was pushing her husband to choose a woman as his running
mate. And she said the most important issue to her is abortion.
She is pro-choice.
(NBC-4)
ECONOMY
Sawyer reports Americans made more and spent more in April but not
by a lot. Personal income rose just 0.1%. Consumer spending was
up 0.3%. Economists say that does mean the recovery is underway,
but it is not very strong.
(ABC-12)
HAZARDOUS WASTE/SUPREME COURT
Sawyer reports the Supreme Court set some new ground rules on what
to do with hazardous waste.
ABC's Tim O'Brien reports Alabama has the nation's oldest and
longest dumping ground for hazardous waste. Most of it comes from
out of state. And for that, the state charges an additional $72
a ton. Today the Supreme Court ruled such fees unconstitutionally
discriminate against interstate commerce. The decision effectively
forces the 16 states that have such facilities to accept the
hazardous waste of the other 34 that don't, on an equal basis.
(NBC-5, ABC-4)
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, June 2, 1992 -- B-4
CHILD VACCINATIONS/U.S.
Sawyer reports millions of American children are not getting
vaccinations designed to protect them from a number of preventable
diseases because the money is simple not there. Today in
Washington, a proposal to do something about it:
ABC's George Strait reports only 48% of American children under the
age of 1 are vaccinated against preventable diseases likes measles,
mumps and polio. That means the U.S. ranks last among the world's
130 industrialized nations in immunizing children. Unlike other
countries, the U.S. doesn't have a national strategy to assure
children are immunized. Sen. Riegle wants to change that. He
wants more credits to reach poor children, a national computerized
system to track the immunization record of every child from birth,
and outreach workers to go into communities and vaccinate
unprotected children. In the first year the plan would cost $92
million. Sen. Riegle says that is nothing compared to the cost of
treating sick children. The Administration calls the plan
extravagant.
(Christine Nye, HHS: "In many ways it duplicates efforts already
underway in the department and states in the Medicaid program.")
The Administration estimates those efforts would immunize 80% of
American children. That would mean instead of being last among
industrialized nations in vaccinations the U.S. would be 48th.
(ABC-11)
SAC
CBS's David Martin says today in SAC went out of business after
preparing for a nuclear war it never had to fight.
(General Powell, Omaha: "The long, bitter years of the Cold War
are over, and America and her allies have won totally, decisively,
overwhelmingly.")
(CBS-12)
YUGOSLAVIA
Sawyer reports Serbian fighters ignored another cease-fire
agreement and continued their assault on Sarajevo.
(ABC-15)
NBC's Keith Miller says in Europe there are more than a million
people fleeing ethnic fighting. More than 17 million people are
now classified as refugees and another 35 million as displaced.
What's happened? The end of the Cold War was supposed to bring
security to the world.
(Keith Miller questioning Tony Vaux, OXFAM emergency unit: "So it
[end of Cold War] has happened so rapidly that the U.S. and other
Western countries just don't know how to respond?")
(Vaux: "There is a great fear throughout the world that the U.S.
will pull out of whole areas of the world -- will just lose
interest.")
The U.S. remains the largest single donor of aid to refugees. But
some of the money and a lot of the attention is now being diverted
to help the former Soviet Union. The need is much greater, say
aide experts, in Africa. But America's strategic interest doesn't
extend this far.
(CBS-6, NBC-12)
-erom-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, June 2, 1992 -- B-5
MIDEAST DRUGS
Zahn reports a new and potent weapon has turned up in the Arab-
Israeli conflict. Israeli officials say it [heroin] is threatening
their society and American society as well while making big profits
for Israel's worst enemy [Syria].
CBS's Allen Pizzey reports Israeli officials say they have proof
that drug dealers are connected to the highest levels of the Syrian
government. American experts say significant amounts of heroin and
hashish come from the Bekka Valley.
(Robert Stutman, Former DEA administrator: "I don't think we're
getting the cooperation from the Syrians, and they're the ones you
have to get it from. A lot of people are asking, 'Whatever
happened to the pressure on Syria on the drug issue?'")
The answer is money -- so much money that Syria can ignore its ally
the U.S. and so far even beat the Israelis.
(CBS-13)
ARAFAT/SURGERY
Sawyer reports Yasser Arafat was rushed to a hospital in Jordan for
surgery to have a number of blood clots removed from his brain.
They apparently were the result of a plane crash he was in two
months ago. Doctors say he is recovering well.
(CBS-7, NBC-11, ABC-17)
SECRETARY BAKER/JOB SWITCH
Zahn: The State Department joined the chorus of denials that
Secretary Baker is about to pull a job switch. There had been some
speculation that Baker might take over the Bush re-election
campaign or replace Sam Skinner as the White House Chief of Staff
because of the President's slump in the polls.
(CBS-3)
INVITRO FERTILIZATION/ABORTION
Zahn: A court ruling in Tennessee today in an unprecedented case:
It is a custody battle over seven fertilized human eggs. As CBS
News health correspondent Edie Magnus reports, the court's answer
raises a lot of new questions.
Magnus reports seven fertilized eggs have remained frozen in liquid
nitrogen at this clinic in Knoxville for nearly four years --
objects of a protracted legal battle between Junior Davis and his
then-wife Mary Sue. The couple created them through invitro
fertilization and sued for custody of them when they divorced.
Mary Sue had sought the right to be implanted with the pre-
embryos. Her ex-husband argued he should not be forced to become
a father against his will. Today the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled
that when a couple cannot agree on how to dispose of pre-embryos,
the party wishing to avoid procreation should prevail. The opinion
clearly asserts that the interests of adults prevail over the
rights of the unborn, a point which ethicists predict will factor
into the national debate over abortion.
(CBS-Lead)
-End of B-Section-
EDITORIALS/COLUMNISTS
HAITI
OAS Tightens Up On Haiti -- "There is more that can, and should,
be done. Despite the OAS embargo, Haiti continues to trade with
the E.C. and to get oil from it
There
is
speculation
that
the
U.S. will approach the 12 EC members individually in an effort
to get each nation to tighten the screws on Haiti despite the
accords. If that approach can work, fine. But the U.S. should do
whatever it takes. The Bush Administration has some influence with
this nation's European allies. It is time to put that influence
to use."
(Buffalo News, 5/24)
America's Shameful Policy On Haiti -- "If the Statue of Liberty
could see all the way to the Caribbean, she would have wept Tuesday
at the spectacle of the U.S. forcibly returning refugees
intercepted in mid-flight from tyranny and poverty in Haiti
The Bush edict flouts U.N. protocols forbidding the return of
refugees if their lives are threatened at home. And the callous
treatment of poor, black Haitians sullies America's reputation as
a haven for victims of repression
Washington, the OAS and the
U.N
need to begin addressing the refugee tide as an international
problem. Working together, they could devise a method of managing
it -- perhaps by locating other Guantanamos for refugee processing
or housing them in nearby nations until a measure of normality (and
President Aristide) returns to Haiti.
(Chicago Tribune, 5/27)
A Disgraceful Reversal On Refugees -- "Perhaps no single principle
in the treatment of refugees has greater standing than the
requirement to grant temporary protection to people in flight.
Kenya, to list just one example, is doing so responsibly for a
swelling tide of Somalis, Ethiopians and Sudanese. The U.S. has
chastised others for failing to observe that principle. This
country has accepted it in a 1951 international agreement on
refugees, in a 1967 U.N. protocol and it its own 1980 refugee law.
That the U.S. has now chosen to duck the responsibilities expected
of all countries is a national disgrace."
(Minnesota Star Tribune, 5/29)
Bush's Treatment of Haitians Is Illegal And Cruel -- "'No
contracting state shall expel or return
a refugee in any manner
whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or
freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion,
nationality, membership of a particular social group or political
opinion.' The U.S. is a 'contracting state' under this section of
the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees
By
ordering the Coast Guard to pick up Haitians at sea, burn their
leaky boats and return the refugees to Haiti, President Bush is in
violation of an international treaty ratified by the Senate. He
is also arguably violating the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980
The
Bush Administration should abide by the nation's solemn commitment
to them [Haitian refugees] under international law."
(New York Newsday, 5/28)
-more-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, June 2, 1992 -- C-2
ENVIRONMENT
A Boon For Biodiversity -- "The Bush Administration announced this
week that it will treat genetically altered foods no differently
than other foods when they come to market
It's a sensible
move. It will add to the 'biodiversity' that environmentalists and
others are always claiming they want
A threat to biotech
development comes from next week's 'Earth Summit.' Many Third
World nations want to require sharing of technology and royalties
under the guise of protecting 'biodiversity.
Fortunately,
the
White House has indicated it will refuse to sign any agreements
that impinge on market incentives for research, development and
commercial exploitation of biotech breakthroughs."
(Detroit News, 5/29)
Nature Vs. Jobs? -- "That [environmental protection] involves
costs, to be sure. But, argues William Reilly there are 'silver
linings buried in those costs.' Indeed, in the name of both
competition and common sense, the White House ought to be playing
up the opportunity side of the equation
The real choices
aren't between nature and jobs anyway, but between some jobs and
others -- farmers vs. fishermen, one kind of fisherman VS. another,
jobs on the coast vs. jobs at sea, and (the hardest) jobs for today
vs. jobs for the future. George Bush, the candidate, has made his
pitch for today's jobs. We hope down in Rio he can find it in
himself to lead -- to talk, for a change, about tomorrow's."
(Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/29)
Mr. Environment No More -- "In this presidential election year, the
people in the Bush White House apparently no longer believe the
environment is politically popular. In fact, they seem to think
that being against environmental protection will help George Bush
win a second term. Many of the new policies are pitched to win
votes in Western states where federal land holdings are vast and
popular opinion is frequently against strict federal regulation on
the use of land, water, air, timber and minerals. This is the only
conclusion that one can draw from a series of Cabinet-level and
executive decisions that bring various facets of the nation's
environment closer to permanent damage, if not destruction."
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 5/24)
The Environmental President -- "How does the 'environmental
president' show his devotion to our nation's resources, for which
he is responsible? Let us count the ways. He favors stripping the
national forests so the timber interests can get rich selling trees
abroad
His 'God Squad' of selected Administration officials
voted to ditch endangered-species protections to facilitate this
sellout to foreign buyers of lumber. He has adopted rules limited
the public's ability to appeal the clearcutting of the public's
national forests. He has backed away from rules requiring Detroit
to make more efficient cars, because Detroit would rather not. He
reversed his stated policy of 'no net loss' of wetlands by
redefining wetlands. He adopted a proposal dreamed up by Dan
Quayle to allow smokestack industries to ignore the Clear Air
Act
You hate to think what a president lacking Bush's
'commitment' to the environment might do."
(Des Moines Register, 5/27)
###
FOREIGN MEDIA REACTION
HAITI
"The Latin American community, the U.S. and Canada have enough
influence to have pushed for a solution to the Haitian crisis. But
they haven't done it. It's worse to let the situation continue as
it stands. With the doors to the U.S. and the Dominican Republic
closed, Haiti could become stained with blood. If this happened,
the OAS would be buried forever."
(El Siglo, 5/28, Dominican Republic)
"The U.S. is the friendliest country in the world. No other
country has shown the disposition and capacity to welcome the human
wave arriving from almost the whole world
Accepting more
Haitians is beyond the economic and organizational capability of
the Dominican government. Haitians deserve help from a large
international aid operation, but in their own country."
(Listin Diario, 5/24, Dominican Republic)
"Bush disgraced the U.S. this week, and set a sinister example
for the world
This is almost certainly a breach of
international law
Bush is committing a vicious injustice with
an act of doubly ugly hypocrisy. The first hypocrisy is to condemn
all the evils of the regime in Haiti, but refuse its victims any
refuge. The second is to embrace every Cuban who escapes
oppression and poverty but repel equally unfortunate Haitians.
It sets, moreover, a terrible example. It tells other countries
of first asylum that they too can dismiss the most plaintive and
compelling cries for help. Why should Italy accept more waves of
Albanians or Yugoslavs?
The Bush policy offends against the
best ideals that the U.S. in the past has defended."
(Montreal Gazette, 5/27, Canada)
"The view that George Bush must have come down with a bad dose
of hypocrisy is difficult to avoid. Human rights, it seems, is
worth shouting about when it involves other countries, but not when
it involves one's own. The new American blanket policy toward
Haitian refugees is quite simply outrageous. It is against all
accepted international practice. George Bush may be leader of the
world's only remaining superpower. But if he wishes to present
himself as a morally acceptable leader, he had better rethink his
policy toward refugees.
(Arab News, 5/28, Saudi Arabia)
"Some people attached very beautiful labels to the U.S., like
'righteous,' 'humanitarian, 'human rights conscious' and
'democratic.
It gets all the good names. Those people are
either ignorant or are deceiving themselves. Just look at how the
U.S. treats the Haitian boat people.' "
(Ta Kung Pao, 5/28, Hong Kong)
ENVIRONMENT
"The presence of President Bush at the Earth Summit in Rio
shows that the U.S. as the sole superpower does feel an obligation
to get involved with the search for solutions to global
environmental problems."
(Waspada, Indonesia)
-
White House News Summary
Tuesday, June 2, 1992 -- C-4
"No scientific evidence is available to lead us to believe
that global warming is directly linked to carbon emissions which,
fortunately, America 'the rich' is strongly questioning; and that
will mean that the only superpower in the world will stand yet
again by the poor against the attack from the environmental
European lobby."
(Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Saudi Arabia)
"The President's wariness is entirely justified. of course,
everyone agrees with the idea of 'saving the Earth.' But there is
considerable debate not only about the degree of danger the Earth
is in but the best means of improving things. Some of the means
proposed by the lobbies that have dictated the summit agenda would
be harmful to both national economies and individual liberties
President Bush's hostility toward a treaty his advisers think
grandiose and misguided could well force the summiteers into some
practical thinking. If so, those genuinely concerned about the
environment will be in his debt."
(Daily Express, Britain)
"The success of this week's Earth Summit is in jeopardy after
one of its cornerstones, a treaty on preserving species, met with
rejection by the U.S., which has already forced emasculation of
another key treaty on cutting emissions of global warming gases."
(Guardian, Britain)
"The Earth Summit has been grounded in gloom by the
contemptuous words of a U.S. President with votes to win. For Mr.
Bush to pull out of the biodiversity accord, after it had been
broadly agreed on and on the eve of the Rio conference, shows a
quite amazing disregard for world opinion." (Guardian, Britain)
"President Bush was moving to deflect criticism of his own
contribution to the summit by announcing a plan to protect the
world's forests
This was part of an effort to varnish the
President's image on the eve of the summit."
(BBC-TV, 6/1)
"The U.S. has let it be known that it will not sign the
convention for the protection of biodiversity
The text of the
convention on climate is unsatisfactory, due to the U.S. refusal
to set deadlines for the reduction of CO2 emissions. The hope of
signing a convention against the destruction of forests has
vanished due to the interests of the countries which produce
valuable wood products. Now the biodiversity convention is also
threatened."
(Corriere della Sera, Italy)
-End of News Summary-
(Duggan/Nix)
June 1, 1992
Export/Draft Two
PRESIDENTIAL VIDEO:
NATIONAL EXPORT INITIATIVE
It's a pleasure to greet the many participants in our
National Export Initiative conference. Your program title says
it all: "Exports -- Generating Jobs for Americans." We're at
the dawn of a new era in the world economy -- presenting exciting
opportunities for American business.
Now more than ever, if we want to thrive at home, we have to
compete and lead abroad. Increasing exports is one of the
pillars on which we're building our economic future. Remember,
every billion dollars of U.S. merchandise exports supports on
average about 20,000 good jobs for Americans. Exports remain one
1st humbers
of the strongest forces fueling our economy: Last year, U.S.
exports soared to a record high of $422 billion while our trade
deficit fell to its lowest level in almost a decade.
Our Administration is working hard to open up markets and
help American firms compete abroad. Two years ago, for instance,
we created the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee, bringing
together all the expertise of the federal government in a "one-
stop shop" for firms interested in exports. NEI conferences such
as this have helped hundreds of companies of all sizes get a
handle on new export opportunities. And I have my trade
negotiators working around the clock to conclude two historic
trade agreements -- the North American Free Trade Agreement
linking the United States, Mexico and Canada; and a new GATT
agreement to eliminate barriers to global trade.
2
Trade is one of the most important issues of our time --
clearly for exporters such as yourselves, but no less vital to
consumers the world over who want a better quality of life.
That's why I am fighting to open markets. Free trade means more
exports, more investment, more choices, and more jobs for
Americans. So I'm asking you to intensify your support as we
approach the end game in the GATT and the North American Free
Trade talks. We need trade policies to keep growth up now and in
the future. With these, and with your proven ingenuity, we'll
keep America the leader that she is -- the number one exporter in
the world. Thank you, and may God bless every one of you.
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