pd09my94 Remarks and an Exchange With Reporters on Departure From the CNN...

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<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]


[Page i-iii]
 
Monday, May 9, 1994
 
Volume 30--Number 18
Pages 941-1005
 
Contents

[[Page i]]

Weekly Compilation of

Presidential

Documents



  

[[Page ii]]

Addresses and Remarks

    See also Bill Signings
    American Indian and Alaska Native tribal leaders--941
    Americans with disabilities--953
    Andrew W. Mellon dinner--990
    Assistance to South Africa--993
    Atlanta, GA--960, 962
    Cinco de Mayo celebration--996
    Congressional elections--962
    Housing and Urban Development Department crime briefing--984
    Legislation to ban assault weapons--957, 991, 994
    Radio address--947
    Situation in Rwanda--948
    Small Business Person of the Year, award presentation--979
    Women's health care--998

Appointments and Nominations

    Commodity Futures Trading Commission
        Chair--979
        Commissioner--979
    National Transportation Safety Board, Vice Chair--946
    U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Assistant Directors--946
    U.S. District Court, judges--998
    U.S. Representatives to Coral Sea Week--946

Bill Signings

    Foreign Relations Authorization Act, statement--948
    School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994
        Remarks--985
        Statement--988

Communications to Congress

    Budget deferrals, message--959
    District of Columbia, message transmitting budget--990
    Federal Advisory Committees, message transmitting report--997
    General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, letter--978
    National Endowment for Democracy, message transmitting report--997

Communications to Federal Agencies

    Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, memorandum--978

Executive Orders

    Amendment to Executive Order No. 12878--945
    Revocation of Executive Order No. 12582--959

Interviews With the News Media

    Exchanges with reporters
        Atlanta, GA--962, 963
        Oval Office--1000
        Rose Garden--991, 994
        South Lawn--959
    Interview on CNN's ``Global Forum With President Clinton''--964

Letters and Messages

    Americans with disabilities--945
    Hunters and sportsmen--945
  
(Continued on the inside back cover.)
  


              WEEKLY COMPILATION OF
          ------------------------------
              PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS

Published every Monday by the Office of the Federal Register, National 
Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC 20408, the Weekly 
Compilation of Presidential Documents contains statements, messages, and
other Presidential materials released by the White House during the 
preceding week.

The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is published pursuant to
the authority contained in the Federal Register Act (49 Stat. 500, as 
amended; 44 U.S.C. Ch. 15), under regulations prescribed by the 
Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, approved by the 
President (37 FR 23607; 1 CFR Part 10).

Distribution is made only by the Superintendent of Documents, Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The Weekly Compilation of 
Presidential Documents will be furnished by mail to domestic subscribers 
for $80.00 per year ($137.00 for mailing first class) and to foreign
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Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The charge 
for a single copy is $3.00 ($3.75 for foreign mailing).

There are no restrictions on the republication of material appearing in 
the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents.


[[Page iii]]

Contents--Continued

Meetings With Foreign Leaders

    See also Statements Other Than Presidential
    Prime Minister Mahathir of Malaysia--1000

Proclamations

    Law Day, U.S.A.--951
    Loyalty Day--952
    Mother's Day--1001
    Public Service Recognition Week--979
    Small Business Week--952

Statements by the President

    See also Appointments and Nominations; Bill Signings
    Agreement to withdraw Russian military forces from Latvia--953
    Implementation of the Israel-Palestinian Declaration of Principles--
        989

Statements Other Than Presidential

    Counterintelligence effectiveness--978
    President's meeting with Vice Premier Zou of China--959
    Reforming multilateral peace operations--998
    President's telephone conversation with Prime Minister Papandreou of 
        Greece--1002

Supplementary Materials

    Acts approved by the President--1005
    Checklist of White House press releases--1004
    Digest of other White House announcements--1002
    Nominations submitted to the Senate--1003

[[Page 941]]




<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]


[Page 941-944]
 
Monday, May 9, 1994
 
Volume 30--Number 18
Pages 941-1005
 
Week Ending Friday, May 6, 1994
 
Remarks to American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Leaders


April 29, 1994

    The President. Thank you very much, very much Chief Wilma Mankiller 
and to all the other distinguished leaders here today. Let me first 
welcome you here on behalf of the First Lady and Vice President and Mrs. 
Gore. All of us are honored by your presence. I also wanted to 
especially thank those who have spoken and participated to this point 
and those who will participate in the remainder of this program. I have 
listened carefully and learned a lot.
    This is, as all of you know, a time of great challenge and 
transition for our beloved country and for the world. As I travel across 
this country and talk to the people about the problems that all 
Americans share, whether it's crime or health care or the economy, I 
find a concern that goes deeper even in these specific matters.
    There is a great yearning in this Nation for people to be able to 
reestablish a sense of community, a sense of oneness, a sense of 
cooperation, of shared values and spirit. Americans are searching for 
the chance to come together in friendship, instead of coming apart in 
anger and distrust. There is a yearning for us to be able to live 
together so that all of us can live up to our God-given potential and be 
respected for who and what we are.
    It is in that spirit and with great humility I say to the leaders of 
the first Americans, the American Indian and Alaska Natives, welcome to 
the White House. Welcome home.
    So much of who we are today comes from who you have been for a long 
time. Long before others came to these shores there were powerful and 
sophisticated cultures and societies here: yours. Because of your 
ancestors, democracy existed here long before the Constitution was 
drafted and ratified.
    Just last week, people all around the world celebrated the 24th 
annual Earth Day. Yet for thousands of years, you have held nature in 
awe, celebrating the bond between Earth and the Creator. You have 
reminded people that all of us should make decisions not just for our 
children and their grandchildren but for generation upon generation yet 
to come.
    I believe in your rich heritage and in our common heritage. What you 
have done to retain your identity, your dignity, and your faith in the 
face of often immeasurable obstacles is profoundly moving, an example of 
the enduring strength of the human spirit.
    We desperately need this lesson now. We must keep faith with you and 
with that spirit and with the common heritage so many of us cherish. 
That is what you came to talk to me about and what I would like to 
respond to today.
    In every relationship between our people, our first principle must 
be to respect your right to remain who you are and to live the way you 
wish to live. And I believe the best way to do that is to acknowledge 
the unique government-to-government relationship we have enjoyed over 
time. Today I reaffirm our commitment to self-determination for tribal 
governments. I pledge to fulfill the trust obligations of the Federal 
Government. I vow to honor and respect tribal sovereignty based upon our 
unique historic relationship. And I pledge to continue my efforts to 
protect your right to fully exercise your faith as you wish.
    Let me speak for a moment about religious freedom, something 
precious to you, something deeply enshrined in our Constitution. For 
many of you, traditional religions and ceremonies are the essence of 
your culture and your very existence. Last year, I was pleased to sign a 
law that restored certain constitutional protections for those who want 
to express their faith in this country.
    No agenda for religious freedom will be complete until traditional 
Native American

[[Page 942]]

religious practices have received all the protections they deserve. 
Legislation is needed to protect Native American religious practices 
threatened by Federal action. The Native American free exercise of 
religion act is long overdue. And I will continue to work closely with 
you and Members of Congress to make sure the law is constitutional and 
strong. I want it passed so that I can invite you back here and sign it 
into law in your presence.
    And to make certain that you can obtain the ritual symbols of your 
religious faith, in a moment I will sign a directive to every executive 
department and agency of Government, not just the Department of 
Interior, instructing them to cooperate with tribal governments to 
accommodate wherever possible the need for eagle feathers in the 
practice of Native American religions.
    This then is our first principle: respecting your values, your 
religions, your identity, and your sovereignty. This brings us to the 
second principle that should guide our relationship: We must 
dramatically improve the Federal Government's relationships with the 
tribes and become full partners with the tribal nations.
    I don't want there to be any mistake about our commitment to a 
stronger partnership between our people. Therefore, in a moment, I will 
also sign an historic Government directive that requires every executive 
department and agency of Government to take two simple steps: first, to 
remove all barriers that prevent them from working directly with tribal 
governments and, second, to make certain that if they take action 
affecting tribal trust resources, they consult with tribal governments 
prior to that decision. It is the entire Government, not simply the 
Department of the Interior, that has a trust responsibility with tribal 
governments. And it is time the entire Government recognized and honored 
that responsibility.
    Part of being better partners is also being better listeners. The 
Department of the Interior and the Department of Justice have never 
before joined together to listen to the leaders of the Indian nations. 
It's time to change that. Next week, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, both 
Attorney General Reno and Secretary Babbitt and many of their sub-
Cabinet officials will meet with you for 2 days at the first National 
American Indian Listening Conference. I'm looking forward to hearing 
their specific ideas from the conference on ways to move our nations 
forward together.
    The same applies to the unprecedented series of 23 meetings that the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, under Secretary Cisneros, 
will have with tribal governments by September to improve housing and 
living conditions in tribal communities and to listen to you about how 
you can take the lead in doing it.
    All governments must work better. We must simply be more responsive 
to the people we serve and to each other. It's the only way we'll be 
able to do good things with the resources we have. I know that you agree 
with that. More and more of you are moving to assume fuller control of 
your governments. Many are moving aggressively to take responsibility 
for operating your own programs. Each year the Bureau of Indian Affairs 
is providing more technical services and fewer direct services.
    One avenue for greater tribal control is through self-governance 

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