THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

NAFTA NOTES

Monday, September 27, 1993

President Addresses UN, Cites NAFTA in Outline of Global Vision

• In a speech before the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, President Clinton outlined his vision of America's role in the post-Cold War world.

Discussing the challenge facing the world's governments, the President stated "[f]rom beyond nations, economic and technological forces all over the globe are compelling the world toward integration. These forces are fueling a welcome explosion of entrepreneurship and political liberalization. But they also threaten to destroy the insularity and independence of national economies, quickening the pace of change and making many of our people more insecure."

"In a new era of peril and opportunity, our overriding purpose must be to expand and strengthen the world's community of market based democracies," the President asserted. "We will work to strengthen the free market democracies, by revitalizing our economy here at home, by opening world trade through the GATT, the North American Free Trade Agreement and other accords, and by updating our shared institutions." The President warned, however, that "putting each of our economic houses in order cannot mean that we shut our windows to the world," and that the world's governments "must help our publics to understand this distinction: Domestic renewal is an overdue tonic. But isolationism and protectionism are still poison. We must inspire our people to look beyond their immediate fears towards a broader horizon."

• In taking questions from reporters on his return from Florida last Friday, the President was asked if NAFTA conflicted with his plans to reform health care. The President disagreed with the assertion that NAFTA and health care conflicted, "NAFTA is on a much faster time track ... the health care debate is on a different time table." The President stressed that NAFTA had a limited window for debate, stating "I will be spending a significant amount of time everyday calling members of Congress in both parties trying to line up support and working on other people like Mr. Iacocca, to try to get them to speak out for us, and working on bringing people into this debate who are selling things to Mexico and people whose jobs depend on it to show that its a job winner".

Former UAW President Fraser Endorses NAFTA

• As reported in the Washington Post today, Former United Auto Workers President Douglas Fraser endorsed NAFTA before an audience at the Georgetown University Law School last Thursday evening. In his remarks, Fraser was quoted as saying "I happen to believe that NAFTA will uplift our country, uplift the Mexicans and make them better customers for American products." The former union leader said that opposition to NAFTA was "based upon emotion, admittedly, and fear, and insecurity ..."