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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release July 5, 2000
PRESS BRIEFING BY
JOE LOCKHART
The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
12:05 P.M. EDT
MR. LOCKHART: I don't have any announcements, so we'll get
right to your questions, if any.
Q Joe, what are the coverage arrangements for next week?
MR. LOCKHART: We haven't had a chance to really work that
out, but I expect them to follow probably pretty closely what we did at
Wye, which is, we'll try to find a place in the vicinity where the pool
can be nearby and available if necessary. But I wouldn't expect that
you will see a lot of the leaders or hear a lot from them once they've
started their discussions.
Q How important is this to the President, personally, to
his legacy, to overuse the term?
MR. LOCKHART: It is an overused word, and I think there has
been quite a misconception about the timing of this having something to
do with the President's time left in office. The timetable for these
discussions, these negotiations, have been set by the parties. They
want to get this done in a way that I think, as the President has
indicated and the leaders have indicated, between now and the September
time frame that they, themselves, set.
I think the President believes we have a real opportunity
here. We have been working, and he has been working very hard over the
last seven years to try to bring us to a point where we could reach an
agreement, and it's certainly his hope that we can get that done.
But it has everything to do with the benefits that we'll
derive throughout the region to a peace agreement. I have been around
him a lot, particularly in the context of these discussions, and I've
never heard a discussion about the impact on him, personally, either
from his advisors or from him.
Q So you don't think he has that in mind at all?
MR. LOCKHART: I think what he has in mind is this is an
important accomplishment for the Middle East if it can get done, and
that's what his focus is.
Q Has there been any attempt, or will there be, to reach
out to Republicans, in particular George W. Bush, to be in some support
of this operation? Because obviously, the new administration, either
Gore or Bush, is going to have to fulfill a lot of the terms, if indeed
this is successful, the financial obligations and so forth.
MR. LOCKHART: I think on the financial, to the extent that
our support is necessary to move forward, the President will consult
closely with Congress and congressional leaders. He's done that over
the last seven years so I expect it to continue.
As far as consulting with Governor Bush, I think we probably
would be getting a little ahead of ourselves on a number of fronts
there, so I don't expect that to happen.
Q Joe, do you expect the leaders to go straight out to Camp
David, or will they come to the White House before all of them go --
MR. LOCKHART: I don't, at this point, expect them to come
here. When and how they will get to Camp David I'm not certain of yet
as far as their arrivals. I don't know that they are arriving precisely
at the same time. But I expect at this point -- and obviously we'll let
you know if that changes, that will begin Tuesday out at Camp David.
Q Joe, he said that he thought that within several days,
they would know whether or not they would be able to reach an agreement.
Do you envision that this process will take a week, or --
MR. LOCKHART: I don't know how to put a timetable on it, only
to reiterate that the President has an important trip to the G-8 in
Okinawa that I believe begins on the 19th or the 20th, so it's sometime
in that time frame.
MR. CROWLEY: He leaves the 19th.
MR. LOCKHART: Yes, I think the President was saying -- I
think he was using several days. I don't know that within a day or two
it will be known where this process is going, but we do have a window,
as the previous briefer made clear, that we're working in and it's
obliviously extraordinarily difficult issues that the parties need to
work through and come to agreement on.
But as the previous people who have been in this room have
indicated, there was a logic to going forward.
Q Joe, has the President made any contact with any other
world leaders to ask them if they would make themselves available for
this process, whether it's Syria or Jordan or Lebanon -- talk about
refugees, or whether it's Europe to talk about other aid to the region?
MR. LOCKHART: I don't know that the President has talked to
anyone at this point with the exception of the leaders that are
personally involved. I know the Secretary has made some calls and I
expect that we will touch all interested parties letting them know about
what we're embarking on here.
Q So you wouldn't expect anyone else be called to be called
to --
MR. LOCKHART: I don't want to rule it out, but I am not aware
that he's got any calls that he plans now.
Q Joe, is there any thinking about what type of money we
may be talking about and for what purposes the money may be used --
money that you would have to get the Congress to sort of secure this
agreement?
MR. LOCKHART: Again, I think that's a little bit ahead of
where we are in the process now. I know the President -- in the past,
we have found a way to participate in this process through providing
help in the region. I think the President -- if that helps move that
process forward, would be open to that, but clearly it's an issue he
will need to consult closely with Congress on and he will when it's
appropriate.
Q Joe, can I ask you about Mexico? President-elect Fox
held a very extensive press conference yesterday with the foreign media.
MR. LOCKHART: It was almost Clinton-like, wasn't it?
Q Right. I think he beat the President by a few minutes.
MR. LOCKHART: Yes. You shouldn't have said that. You will
pay for that, Jacobo. (Laughter.) As will we. (Laughter.)
Q But, anyway, he touched on a lot of important subjects
and the President said he wants a very special relationship with Mexico.
Fox mentioned things like he would like to open the United States-Mexico
border to a less restrictive flow of immigrants, and although he would
like to create a North American common market, European-style, where
goods and workers can freely travel between the countries, meaning the
U.S., Canada; is this something the American administration would
consider?
MR. LOCKHART: I think as the President said today, he reached
out to the President-elect earlier this week, and invited him to come up
when he felt it was the best time for him for discussions. Many of
these ideas, though, will be something that he will work with, with a
future administration. But I think both sides acknowledge how important
and how special the relationship is.
So as far as some of the specific ideas that he's put out
there, although they're quite general, I think we'll wait until he has a
chance to formulate them in more detail and has a chance to come and
talk to the President.
Q Mr. Norman Mineta's appointment as Secretary of Commerce
by the President. Do you think -- how speedy will be the confirmation
in the Senate? And if the President is going to take personal lobbying
or interest -- and because not much time.
MR. LOCKHART: I think Mr. Mineta has strong support on
Capitol Hill. I think his distinguished career earned him the support
of Republicans and Democrats alike. I know -- I believe he's already
met with Senator McCain. I think that was scheduled for last week. And
Senator McCain has said that he wants to move this forward in a very
expeditious way. So it's certainly our hope that this can be done in an
expeditious way and he can start in what is a very important job.
I think as he said in his Oval Office announcement, that a lot
can be done in the next six months. Six months is a lifetime in the new
digital information age. I think he has a lot to offer, and I think the
reports from Capitol Hill early on have been very encouraging, and the
committee has moved in a way that indicates that they want to be
expeditious in this process.
Q I just wondered whether the Asian communities in this
country are really thanking and applauding the President's announcement
on this issue. And is there hope in the future for the administration
will work with the Asian communities?
MR. LOCKHART: I think the President made very clear what a
success story Norman Mineta is from many different fronts and what a
great secretary of commerce he will be, and we're looking forward to
that day.
Q Joe, while the President is going to be devoting pretty
much full time in the next weeks or however many days it takes in the
Mideast peace process, the Irish peace process is also running into some
rocky times. Apparently, there has been some conflict there the past
couple of days.
Has he got anybody making overtures to the leaders in Ireland,
trying to bring that process back?
MR. LOCKHART: Yes, I think the violence over the last few
days has been condemned from most quarters. And I expect that we will
remain engaged and continue to be engaged on a number of levels here,
and the President will be engaged as appropriate.
Q Joe, there were some things on the President's schedule
for next week. Have you wiped everything off, all of the --
MR. LOCKHART: We're in the process of redoing the President's
schedule for next week. Obviously, he can't meet all the commitments
that he has made. That process is ongoing. I expect that a number of
events will be cancelled. I expect a number of events will be postponed
and that there is the possibility that a couple of them will try to find
a way to come back and fulfill the commitment in a way that doesn't
adversely affect the negotiations.
Q That was my question. Will he exclusively deal with the
Middle East next week and everything else is pushed aside?
MR. LOCKHART: No, listen, I don't think the President -- any
President of the United States has the luxury to exclusively deal with
one issue. He has responsibilities that are quite broad and he will
continue to fulfill those obligations.
Q He mentioned actually, the Congress, which of course, as
he mentioned, is coming back next week. Before they went out for the
July recess, they passed the emergency spending bill that Republicans
added a rider about environment. Does he have any concerns about that,
and is it enough that he might veto it?
MR. LOCKHART: We're looking at some administrative options to
deal with the anti-environmental rider that was attached to the
appropriations bill, and when we have that sorted out, we'll let you
know.
Q So basically, if you think you might be able to do it
administratively to prevent it, you would sign it? But is there a
chance he might veto it?
MR. LOCKHART: I think we're exploring administrative options.
We think we're going to be able to work our way through this in a way
that signs the bill that meets our commitments for specific things like
disaster relief and antidrug trafficking money for Colombia, which is
very important.
Q Joe, can I ask you a couple more questions about what Mr.
Fox has said? He would like to turn the drug certification program from
a unilateral way the United States applies it, to a multilateral
process. That seems to be the belief of all the other Latin American
countries involved. Is there a possibility that the American
administration would be willing to --
MR. LOCKHART: Listen, I think that there are some parts about
the drug certification problems -- drug certification process that we
have raised some issues about. I expect that when President-elect Fox
comes to Washington, in addition to meeting with the President, he may
spend some time with congressional leaders, and that would be an
important message to take to them.
Q And this one. He also said he wants to move toward an
American model of justice as a way to wipe out corruption. I know that
the American government is very interested in combatting corruption all
over the world.
MR. LOCKHART: There's been extensive work that I think people
at the Justice Department, and the FBI, can give you more details into
the context of the binational relationship. General McCaffrey, Attorney
General Reno and others have spent extensive time with their
counterparts down there. Obviously, we think any steps they can take to
deal with the issue of corruptions are quite important, and I think any
commitment to look at this problem is one that's welcome.
Q Joe, Senator Brownback and others are calling on the
Hill, on the President, that before the Prime Minister of India comes
here in September, all the U.S. sanctions against -- -- should been
lifted, and also he should address both Houses of Congress. Any
comments upon this --
MR. LOCKHART: Well, addressing both Houses of Congress
requires a congressional invitation, and if the leaders of the House and
the Senate believe that that's an appropriate thing, we certainly
support it. The President was afforded the opportunity to speak to the
legislative body in India, and it was a speech that he enjoyed
immensely.
On the sanctions issue, I think there's a -- again, I think
there's a legislative piece to this on remaining sanctions on India.
Let me check into that. Yes?
Q Do you have an idea of when he meets here in September
15th with the President, what they are going to discuss?
MR. LOCKHART: I don't have anything on that yet. Yes?
Q Tomorrow he's going to make a speech on prescription
drugs. Can you just sort of set that up?
MR. LOCKHART: I actually expect tomorrow the President to
focus his attention on the patients' bill of rights, and discuss the
importance, surrounded by health professionals from the state of
Missouri, about the public having the right to see a specialist, have
the public have the choices available to them, having redress available
to them. And we'll call on Congress to get going on this. We've been
stuck now for month after month after month. The vast majority of the
House of Representatives has passed a strong patients' bill of rights.
We are one vote away in the Senate, as evidenced by an earlier vote.
The conference needs to get going. The public is demanding the kind of
benefits that come with a patients' bill of rights, and the President, I
think, will spend tomorrow reminding the Congress that the American
public supports this, and that it's time for them to finish their
business.
Q Over the weekend, Senator Lott said that they're planning
to take action in the Senate this month on both marriage penalty and the
estate taxes. Is the President absolutely committed to vetoing the
marriage penalty unless it's linked with the prescription drug plan?
MR. LOCKHART: Well, I think the President made very clear
that he can accept the less-targeted version of marriage penalty if the
Congress is willing to do something on prescription drugs. As far as
the estate -- well, listen, if they don't really want to get marriage
penalty done, and if they want to play politics and score points, and at
the end of the day, risk running the label of having gotten nothing
done, that is certainly their choice -- if that is the platform in which
they want to run on in November.
I suspect that that's probably not the case; they probably
want to get some things done, we're willing to work with them on that,
and I think the President made a good faith offer, and hopefully a few
days back in the District might lead to a few changed minds.
Q As far as the estate tax, is there some talk now about
broadening the relief so that it would exempt all but the super-wealthy?
The White House has already supported --
MR. LOCKHART: Well, listen, I think we've made pretty clear
to people on the Hill that we've already taken significant steps on
estate tax, looking at the 1997 balanced budget, and we're willing to
look at other ideas that go toward helping small businesses, helping
family farms. But the total repeal of the estate tax, which is what the
Republicans have put forward, is an absolute windfall for the most
wealthy Americans. It will account for about an $800,000 tax cut to
less than one percent of the population.
So, I think if they're interested in helping small family
farms and small businesses. You're really looking at a very small
universe of people here. You're looking at like, I think, less than
1,000 farms, less than 500 estates on some provisions in small
businesses. Then we can work together, and we can find a way to make
some progress there. But I think if you're looking at a total repeal --
Q This would be sure and -- bill; this would be old, but
for the wealthy --
MR. LOCKHART: Well, again, we can certainly look at targeting
relief on estate tax, but if they want to send down something that
provides, on average, an $800,000 tax cut for the most wealthy, the top
1.1 percent of one percent of America's wealthiest, I don't think that
it's going to be met with a lot of sympathy here. At a time when they
can't raise the minimum wage, they can't provide prescription drugs for
the seniors who need it the most, they can't help modernize schools
around this country, but they can provide almost a $1 million tax cut to
the most wealthy, I don't think that that is something that we'll
extend.
Q Thank you, Joe.
END 12:23 P.M. EDT