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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release July 14, 1999

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

I welcome the report of the Commission to Assess the Organization of the Federal Government to Combat the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (the Deutch-Specter Commission).

The Chairman, John Deutch, the Vice Chairman, Senator Specter, and other commissioners have provided a comprehensive study of how we should organize the U.S. government to deal with the threat of proliferation, which poses one of the most serious challenges to national and international security that we face.

The Commission's report contains a number of interesting recommendations and observations that deserve serious consideration. I have asked my National Security Advisor Samuel Berger to coordinate an interagency review and assessment of the Commission's recommendations, and report back to me within 60 days with advice on specific steps.

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