Remarks Announcing
Senate Minority Leader Dole's Endorsement of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear
Forces Treaty
The President. It's been a great
pleasure for me today to meet with Senator Dole and to discuss his support for
the treaty signed here during last week's summit. The INF treaty was the end
result of a process that took over 6 years to arrive at the moment of signing.
I, in fact, proposed the zero-option in the first year of our administration.
As a matter of fact, I did so at the National Press Club. And many of the
points contained in the agreement were hammered out through tough negotiations
on both sides. I welcome the support of the Senate Republican leader and count
on his efforts to help ensure Senate ratification.
Now,
I understand there's a certain degree of apprehension about reaching any
agreement with the
First
and foremost, it is the first agreement in history to reduce, not simply limit,
the buildup of nuclear weapons. The Soviets are in fact giving up more weapons
in order to reach equality at a lower level. This is a breakthrough precedent
that can serve as the basis for progress in other areas. Furthermore, this
treaty is not based on some notion that the Soviets can now be implicitly
trusted. Given their record, I would never have signed a treaty that did not
contain the most stringent verification regimen.
There's
been an impressive exchange of data, and there will be continuing exchanges
after the treaty goes into effect. There will also be the right of on-site
inspections to confirm what we've been told. During the entire process of
destroying the INF missiles, each side has the right to observe in order to
ensure compliance with the treaty. We will even be monitoring the facility
where their SS - 20 missiles were assembled and have the right to visit other
INF missile facilities on short notice. It's not a matter of trust. We will
watch, inspect, and be present for the destruction of these missiles. And for
13 years after the treaty enters into force, American personnel will be on-site
in the
Succinctly
put, this treaty contains verification provisions and other safeguards that
should impress even hardened skeptics, however. But I believe some of our
opposition is not just a result of a perceived defect in the treaty but also
flows from a concern that our country will continue to deal with the Soviets
from a position of realism and candor. This treaty is reason for hope. It is a
good first step, but we're not letting our guard down, and we don't want anyone
to have expectations that cannot be met or verified. As Jefferson and other
Presidents before me have stated and restated: Eternal vigilance is the price
of liberty. That's never been more true than today, and we'll remain vigilant
and realistic in dealing with the
And
now I'm going to turn this over to Senator Dole.
Reporter. Will you answer questions afterwards,
Mr. President?
The President. He will.
Q.
Mr. President, can you answer -- George Bush's people are very upset about
this, sir. They feel that you're helping Mr. Dole off the hook on INF.
Mr.
Fitzwater. Let's let the Senator complete his -- --
Q.
Wait a minute. We would like to ask the President a question before he leaves.
Could you answer -- --
Senator
Dole. He's not going to leave until I finish my statement.
Q.
Well -- --
The President. I'm here because he's
the leader of the Republicans in the Senate, and -- --
Q.
Are you being dragged into the campaign, Mr. President?
Q.
Wait, let him finish.
The President. No.
Senator
Dole. What if I might just give my statement?
The President. Yes.
Q.
Don't sneak out.
Senator
Dole. As I told the President a couple weeks ago when we were asked about the
treaty, I said give us some time to look at it, some time to read it, and some
time to analyze it. And I've done precisely what I told the President I would
do. I've not only read the treaty, I've had the opportunity to have it analyzed
by experts, in and out of government. And I've spoken directly with our key
NATO allies. And I've had a series of meetings with the President and members
of the administration to address my concerns.
In
all of this, I've been concerned not only about the treaty itself but also
about its strategic and political implications. Now that the treaty has been
negotiated and signed, the focus will shift to the Senate. The Senate will
decide whether this treaty goes into effect or not. And as the Republican
leader, I will lead the fight for its approval in the Senate. I've been the
point man in the Senate for the President's national security programs. And
over the years we've won big critical fights, and I hope that we can win this
one, too. What we want, and what I told the President just a few moments ago,
is a big bipartisan majority.
I
think it's also fair to say -- and we've discussed this with the President,
with Colin Powell and others -- that there are areas of concern that have been
identified, special concerns to me and my colleagues, whether it's verification
or compliance and the imbalance of conventional forces in Europe. And I think
by addressing these areas, working with the President, working with the
administration, the Senate can strengthen the treaty even further, while not
requiring renegotiation with the Soviets. And I think we've been assured that
we can work together on these areas. And that's the only intent and the only
purpose of it.
So,
I guess I would say, as I said a couple of weeks ago, that as soon as I've been
satisfied that we could verify and that there was compliance and there was
strong support from the allies -- pretty much what the President said in his
next-to-last paragraph -- as soon as other Senators go through this process,
you're going to see support building for the treaty.
And
finally, I think we're all very grateful to the President -- talking now about
my colleagues in the Congress, in both parties -- for his outstanding work, and
for his efforts that led to the signing of this very significant agreement a
little over a week ago.
Thank
you, Mr. President.
Q.
Mr. President, what --
--
Q.
Are you getting mixed up in Presidential politics, sir?
Q.
What about -- --
Q.
Presidential politics?
The President. No, there's nothing of
that kind here. I am, and have always been, neutral with regard to the
political race. I'll answer that one to get that in the clear. He's here as the
leader for our side in the Senate, and I was here to bring him here, because we
have a common interest in getting a treaty ratified.
Q.
But George Bush feels that you're bailing him out, because he was failing in
Q.
Were you afraid to stand on the platform with him when he spoke? [Laughter]
The President. No, because the
business I used to be in -- I thought it was the courteous thing to do.
Note: The President
spoke at