pd15no99 Remarks at a Veterans Day Ceremony in Arlington, Virginia...

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

[Page i]
 
Monday, November 15, 1999
 
Volume 35--Number 45

[[Page i]]

Weekly Compilation of

Presidential

Documents



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

[Page i-iii]
 
Monday, November 15, 1999
 
Pages 2267-2372
 
Contents

[[Page ii]]

  

  


Addresses and Remarks

    See also Bill Signings; Meetings With Foreign Leaders
    Arkansas, teleconference with rural radio stations on agricultural 
        issues in Hermitage--2267

    Budget negotiations--2283, 2306, 2356

    Congressional Gold Medals, presentations to the Little Rock Nine--
        2307

    Democratic National Committee
        Hispanic Leadership Forum dinner--2312

        Women's Leadership Forum reception--2310

    Georgetown University--2286

    Illinois, Englewood community in Chicago--2271

    National Coalition of Minority Business award dinner--2341

    On-line townhall meeting--2293

Addresses and Remarks--Continued

    Pennsylvania
        Departure for York--2319
        Harley-Davidson Motor Co. employees in
            York
            Remarks--2323
            Roundtable--2321
    Radio address--2280
    Ronald H. Brown Corporate Bridge Builder Award dinner--2348
    Virginia
        Return from Arlington National Cemetery--2356
        Veterans Day ceremony in Arlington--2353
    Y2K readiness--2319

Bill Signings

    Financial system, legislation to reform
        Remarks--2361
        Statement--2363
    Legislation to locate and secure the return of Zachary Baumel, a 
        United States citizen, and other Israeli soldiers missing in 
        action, statement--2305
  
  
(Continued on the inside of the back cover.)
  

Editor's Note: The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is also 
available on the Internet on the GPO Access service at http://
www.gpo.gov/nara/nara003.html.

              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
subscribers for $93.75 per year, payable to the Superintendent of 
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

Communications to Congress

    Cyprus, letter transmitting report--2340
    Drug producing and transit countries, letter reporting--2338
    Iran, message on continuation of the national emergency--2282
    Sudan, message transmitting report on continuation of the national 
        emergency--2283
    Ukraine-U.S. treaty mutual legal assistance with documentation, 
        message transmitting--2341
    Weapons of mass destruction, message reporting--2331

Communications to Federal Agencies

    Assistance to refugees and victims of the Timor and North Caucasus 
        crises, memorandum--2353
    Protecting Consumers from Fraud, memorandum--2281

Interviews With the News Media

    Exchanges with reporters
        Cabinet Room--2306
        Oval Office--2356, 2359
        South Grounds--2283, 2319
    Interview with Maria Elvira Salazar of Telemundo Noticiero--2275

Meetings With Foreign Leaders

    Indonesia, President Wahid--2359

Notices

    Continuation of Emergency Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction--
        2330
    Continuation of Iran Emergency--2282

Proclamations

    Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants of Persons 
        Responsible for Repression of the Civilian Population in Kosovo 
        or for Policies That Obstruct Democracy in the Federal Republic 
        of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) (``FRY'') or Otherwise 
        Lend Support to the Current Governments of the FRY and of the 
        Republic of Serbia--2366
    Veterans Day--2292

Resignations and Retirements

    International Monetary Fund, Managing Director, statement--2310

Statements by the President

    See also Bill Signings; Resignations and Retirements
    Colombia, funding to assist in fighting drug production and 
        trafficking--2329
    Death of Joseph Serna, Jr.--2282
    ``Ending Discrimination Against Parents Act of 1999,'' proposed--
        2359
    Minimum wage legislation--2310
    Senate
        Confirmation of Carol Moseley-Braun to be Ambassador to New 
            Zealand--2329
        Ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of the Worst 
            Forms of Child Labor--2275
    Serbia, Proclamation to expand sanctions against the Milosevic 
        regime--2366

Supplementary Materials

    Acts approved by the President--2371
    Checklist of White House press releases--2371
    Digest of other White House announcements--2367
    Nominations submitted to the Senate--2368

[[Page 2267]]




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

[Page 2267-2271]
 
Monday, November 15, 1999
 
Pages 2267-2372
 
Week Ending Friday, November 12, 1999
 
Remarks in a Teleconference With Rural Radio Stations on Agricultural 
Issues in Hermitage, Arkansas


November 5, 1999

    The President. How are you doing?
    Stewart Doan. Fine, sir. Welcome back down to Arkansas.
    The President. Nice to hear your voice, Stewart.

[Mr. Doan of the Arkansas Radio Network began the conference listing 
American farmers' problems, including low commodity prices, high 
production costs, reduction in exports juxtaposed with a rise in 
imports, and the growing number of farmers exiting the business. He 
asked what incentives existed for crop growers to stay in farming for 
the next century.]

    The President. Well, let me say first of all, I think we've got to 
change the '95 farm bill. When the Republican Congress passed it at the 
end of the session, they did it in such a way that I had to sign it, 
because otherwise we would have been left with the 1948 law, which was 
even worse. But the problem is, it has no safety net that's adjustable 
to the conditions. And I think that's very important to change.
    And while it is true that we have put a ton of money into emergency 
payments to farmers the last 2 years, it's basically given out under the 
distribution system of the existing law, which means some really big 
farmers get it even if they don't plant and don't need the money, and 
they get a windfall; and then some of the family farmers that are 
actually out there really killing themselves every year, in spite of all 
the money we're spending, are not adequately compensated.
    So I think--you know, I think it's a mistake. And I think that it's 
because--I frankly believe that the majority in Congress is not as 
sensitive as they should be to the existence of family farmers and 
individual farmers, and less concerned if we have more of a corporate 
structure. I think that's a mistake. I think, on the concentration 
issues, I think they all ought to be looked at. And if they're not 
legal, I think they ought to be moved against. But under our system, I 
have to be very careful as President, legally, not to comment on 
specific potential violations of the antitrust laws.
    And the reason we had a decline in markets is because the American 
economy was booming and the Asian economy collapsed, and the Russian 
economy collapsed. I believe the markets will pick up now, as Asia's 
economy picks up and as Europe's picks up. But we're going to have this 
World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle, Washington, next month. And 
I think it's very important that we start a new trade round, and that 
agriculture be at the center of it, because we've always known if we got 
a fair shot to sell our products around the world, we could outcompete 
anybody.
    And I think in the short run, we've got to fix the farm bill to deal 
with emergencies. In the longer run, we've got to have more markets. And 
that's what I'm going to be working on.
    Mr. Doan. Thank you sir.

[Mike Adams, president, National Association of Farm Broadcasters, noted 
many farmers would like to see markets in Cuba opened. He asked the 
President if he was in favor of lifting the embargo on Cuba and, if not, 
why.]

    The President. Well, I'm not in favor of a total lift of the 
embargo, because I think that we should continue to try to put pressure 
on the Castro regime to move more toward democracy and respect for human 
rights. And it's the only nondemocracy in our whole hemisphere.
    And let me say, I have bent over backwards to try to reach out to 
them, and to try to provide more opportunities for person-

[[Page 2268]]

to-person contacts, to get better transfer of medicine into Cuba, and 
all kinds of other things. And every time we do something, Castro shoots 
planes down and kills people illegally, or puts people in jail because 
they say something he doesn't like. And I almost think he doesn't want 
us to lift the embargo, because it provides him an excuse for the 
failures, the economic failures of his administration.
    Now, on the other hand, there is consideration being given in the 
Congress to broad legislation which would permit us to, in effect, not 
apply sanctions and embargoes to food or medicine. And under the right 
circumstances, I could support that. Now--and it had broad bipartisan 
support. My understanding is that it has been held up in the Congress 
because Senator Helms and others don't want us to sell any food to Cuba. 

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