Home > 2000 Presidential Documents > pd07fe00 Videotape Address to the People of Puerto Rico on Efforts To Resolve the...pd07fe00 Videotape Address to the People of Puerto Rico on Efforts To Resolve the...
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Monday, February 7, 2000
Volume 36--Number 5
Pages 181-231
Week Ending Friday, February 4, 2000
Memorandum on a Resolution Regarding Use of Range Facilities
on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico
January 31, 2000
Memorandum for the Secretary of Defense; Director, Office of Management
and Budget
Subject: Resolution Regarding Use of Range Facilities on Vieques, Puerto
Rico (Referendum)
By virtue of the authority vested in me and in order to further the
interests of national security and to address the legitimate interests
and concerns of the residents of Vieques and the people of Puerto Rico,
I hereby direct the following:
1. The future of Navy training on Vieques will be determined by a
referendum of the registered voters of Vieques, using Puerto Rico
electoral laws and regulations as they exist as of the date of this
directive. This referendum will occur on May 1, 2001, or 270 days prior
to or following May 1, 2001, the exact date to be specified on the
request of the Department of the Navy. (This specified date and the
terms of the referendum must be requested at least 90 days in advance of
the referendum.) It is understood that the full implementation of this
directive is contingent upon the Government of Puerto Rico authorizing
and supporting this referendum, and the cooperation of the Government of
Puerto Rico as specified in paragraph 5(a).
2. This referendum will present two alternatives. The first shall be
that the Navy will cease all training not later than May 1, 2003. The
second will permit continued training, to include live fire training, on
terms proposed by the Navy. Live fire training is critical to enhance
combat readiness for all our military personnel and must occur in some
location.
3. In the event the referendum selects the option of termination of
Navy activities, then
(a) Navy lands on the Eastern side of Vieques (including the Eastern
Maneuver Area and the Live Impact Area) will be transferred within 1
year of the referendum to the General Services Administration (GSA) for
disposal under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act,
except for conservation zones, which will be transferred to the
Department of the Interior for continued preservation.
(b) The GSA will supervise restoration of the lands described in
section 3(a) consistent with the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) before it is further
transferred under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act,
except that the Live Impact Area will be swept for ordnance and fenced
to meet the same range standards used after the closure of the live
impact area used by Naval Air Station, South Weymouth, Massachusetts.
The Government of Puerto Rico may request transfer of the restored lands
in accordance with the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act.
(c) Under no conditions will the land described in this section be
returned to the Department of Defense or used for military training.
4. In the event the referendum selects the option of continued
training submitted by the Navy, the Office of Management and Budget will
request congressional funding to further provide for the enhancement of
infrastructure and housing on the Western portions of Vieques in the
amount of $50 million.
5. Between the date of this directive and the referendum, the
following will occur:
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(a) The Department of Defense and the Government of Puerto Rico will
work in cooperation with relevant Federal authorities to ensure the
integrity and accessibility of the range is uninterrupted and
trespassing and other intrusions on the range cease entirely by
providing complementary support among Federal and Puerto Rican
jurisdictions.
(b) Navy training on Vieques will recommence, but it shall not
exceed 90 days per calendar year and will be limited to non-
explosive ordnance, which may include spotting devices.
(c) The Navy will ensure procedures are in place that will enhance
safety and will position ships to reduce noise in civilian areas
whenever possible.
(d) Before any major training occurs on the range, the Government of
Puerto Rico, through its Secretary of State, will be given 15 days
notification under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding of 1983.
(e) The Office of Management and Budget will initiate a funding
request to the Congress:
(1) to fund a Public Health Service study in coordination with
appropriate agencies to review health concerns raised by the
residents of Vieques.
(2) to complete the conveyance of 110 acres of Navy property to
extend the runway at the Vieques Municipal Airport to
accommodate larger passenger aircraft; and for the Navy to
provide training and supplemental equipment to bolster the
airport fire, safety, and resource capability.
(3) to maintain the ecosystem and conservation zones and
implement the sea turtle, sea mammal, and Brown Pelican
management plans as specified in the Memorandum of
Understanding of 1983.
(f) Within 30 days of this directive, the Navy will submit
legislation to the Congress to transfer land on the Western side of
Vieques surrounding the Naval Ammunition Facility (except 100 acres of
land on which the ROTHR and Mount Pirata telecommunications sites are
located). The legislation submitted will provide for land transfer not
later than December 31, 2000. This transfer will be to the Government of
Puerto Rico for the benefit of the municipality of Vieques as determined
by the Planning Board of the Government of Puerto Rico. This land shall
be restored consistent with CERCLA standards prior to transfer.
6. The Director of OMB shall publish this directive in the Federal
Register.
William J. Clinton
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:22 a.m., February 3,
2000]
Note: This memorandum was published in the Federal Register on February
4.
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Monday, February 7, 2000
Volume 36--Number 5
Pages 181-231
Week Ending Friday, February 4, 2000
Proclamation 7270--National African American History Month, 2000
January 31, 2000
By the President of the United States
of America
A Proclamation
Each year during National African American History Month, as we
explore the history and culture of African Americans, we discover anew a
treasure of stories about the triumph of the human spirit, inspiring
accounts of everyday people rising above the indignities imposed by
prejudice. These stories are not only an important part of African
American history, but an essential part of American history.
We are awakened to such stories through the power, beauty, and
unflinching witness of poets and writers like Maya Angelou, Gwendolyn
Brooks, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson,
Toni Morrison, and Alice Walker. We find them in the lives and voices of
Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Booker T.
Washington, and others who, rising above slavery, brutality, and
bigotry, became great American champions of liberty, equality, and
dignity. We see them written on the achievements of civil rights leaders
like Daisy Bates, James Farmer, John Lewis, Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Thurgood Marshall, Mary Church Terrell, Roy Wilkins, and Whitney Young.
Forty years ago this month, a new chapter in African American
history was written. On February 1, 1960, four courageous young
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men--freshmen at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College in
Greensboro--sat down at a segregated lunch counter in a local store and
politely refused to leave until they were served. Their nonviolent
action challenged a barrier that, symbolically and practically, had
separated black and white Americans for decades and denied equal
treatment to African American citizens. The extraordinary bravery and
determination of Ezell Blair, Jr., Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and
David Richmond galvanized young men and women of conscience across
America, setting in motion a series of student sit-ins in more than 50
cities and 9 States. Subjecting themselves to verbal abuse, physical
violence, and unjust arrest, thousands of black and white students
peacefully demonstrated to end segregation in restaurants, theaters,
concert halls, and public transportation and called for equality in
housing, health care, and education. Their story of conscience and
conviction and their ultimate triumph continue to inspire us today.
The theme of this year's African American History Month is
``Heritage and Horizons: The African American Legacy and the Challenges
of the 21st Century.'' It is a reminder that the new century on which we
have just embarked offers us a unique opportunity to write our own
chapter in the history of African Americans and of our Nation. We can
use this time of extraordinary prosperity and peace to widen the circle
of opportunity in America, to recognize that our society's rich
diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and to unite around the
fundamental values that we all share as Americans. We can teach our
children that America's story has been written by men and women of every
race and creed and ethnic background. And we can ensure that our laws,
our actions, and our words honor the rights and dignity of every human
being.
Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim February
2000 as National African American History Month. I call upon public
officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United
States to observe this month with appropriate ceremonies, activities,
and programs that raise awareness and appreciation of African American
history.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first
day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
fourth.
William J. Clinton
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:57 a.m., February 1,
2000]
Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on
February 2.
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Monday, February 7, 2000
Volume 36--Number 5
Pages 181-231
Week Ending Friday, February 4, 2000
Message to the Senate Transmitting the France-United States Treaty on
Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters
January 31, 2000
To the Senate of the United States:
With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to
ratification, I transmit herewith the Treaty Between the Government of
the United States of America and the Government of France on Mutual
Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, signed at Paris on December 10,
1998. I transmit also, for the Senate's information, an explanatory note
agreed between the Parties regarding the application of certain
provisions. The report of the Department of State with respect to the
Treaty is enclosed.
The Treaty is one of a series of modern mutual legal assistance
treaties being negotiated by the United States in order to counter
criminal activities more effectively. The Treaty should be an effective
tool to assist in the prosecution of a wide variety of crimes, including
terrorism and drug trafficking offenses. The Treaty is self-executing.
The Treaty provides for a broad range of cooperation in criminal
matters. Mutual assistance available under the Treaty includes:
obtaining the testimony or statements of persons; providing documents,
records, and items of evidence; locating or identifying persons or
items; serving documents; transferring persons in custody for testimony
or other purposes; executing requests for searches and seizures;
assisting in proceedings related
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to immobilization and forfeiture of assets, restitution, and collection
of fines; and rendering any other form of assistance not prohibited by
the laws of the Requested State.
I recommend that the Senate give early and favorable consideration
to the Treaty and give its advice and consent to ratification.
William J. Clinton
The White House,
January 31, 2000.
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Monday, February 7, 2000
Volume 36--Number 5
Pages 181-231
Week Ending Friday, February 4, 2000
Message to the Congress Certifying No New Commitments Under the New NATO
Strategic Concept
January 31, 2000
To the Congress of the United States:
Pursuant to the authority vested in me as President of the United
States, including by section 1221(a) of the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 (Public Law 106-65), I hereby
determine and certify that the new NATO Strategic Concept imposes no new
commitment or obligation on the United States. Further, in accordance
with section 1221(c) of the Act, I transmit herewith the attached
unclassified report to the Congress on the potential threats facing the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
William J. Clinton
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