Published every Monday by the Office of the Federal Register, The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is pub- tions prescribed by the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, approved by the President (37 FR 23607; 1 CFR Part Distribution is made only by the Superintendent of Docu- ments, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents will be furnished There are no restrictions on the republication of material ap- Week Ending Friday, July 13, 1990 Proclamation 6154-National Ducks and Wetlands Day, 1990 June 29, 1990 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation On Sunday, July 1, this year's winner of the Federal Duck Stamp Contest will be honored at a special event unveiling the 1990 Duck Stamp. The stamp, issued by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, will go on sale at post offices nationwide on July 2. The Federal Duck Stamp Program is unique in that it represents the only art competition sponsored by the Federal Government. Every year, hundreds of talented artists across the country compete to have their work featured on the Duck Stamp. More important, however, is the Program's role in supporting wetlands conservation. During the 55 years since the Federal Duck Stamp Program was established, more than $350 million in Duck Stamp receipts have been applied to waterfowl habitat conservation programs. These receipts have enabled us to preserve more than four million acres of wetland refuges for North American waterfowl. Thus, the Federal Duck Stamp Program represents an effective partnership between the public and private sectors, bringing together government officials, artists, sportsmen, business and industry leaders, and other concerned Americans in a concerted effort to restore and protect the wetlands that sustain our waterfowl population and other wildlife. In recognition of the contributions of the Federal Duck Stamp Program, the Congress, by House Joint Resolution 599, has designated July 1, 1990, as "National Ducks and Wetlands Day" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this day. Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 1, 1990, as National Ducks and Wetlands Day. I encourage the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities and to support the Duck Stamp Program and other conservation efforts. In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fourteenth. George Bush [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:14 a.m., July 2, 1990] Note: The proclamation was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on June 30. Exchange With Reporters in Upcoming NATO Summit Q. Mr. President, are you changing your policy on nuclear use? The President. We're discussing the NATO agenda here today, and we'll discuss it with our colleagues when we get over there. Q. Well, it sounds like your proposal changes from flexible response and no first use. The President. I'm anxious to hear from Secretary [of Defense] Cheney and General Powell [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] and others on this matter that you've raised. And then we've got a wide array of other issues we're talking about there-economic and political dimension of NATO. So, we're trying to get our act totally together. We're in good shape for the meeting. I think our side is generally agreed on the big questions. And then, before we com ment on these items, we're going to talk to our allies. That's the way I've tried to do it from the very beginning with NATO, and I'm going to continue that. We don't dictate; we just say, Here's our views, and then represent them as best we can. Q. But your views seem to represent a change. The President. Well, we'll wait until we see what comes out of the NATO meeting; we're not going to prejudge it. But I'm encouraged because I think we've got a good position here. You know, the other day Marlin [Marlin Fitzwater, Press Secretary to the President] bawled me out. I said there's nothing earthshaking about all of this. [Laughter] But he and Scowcroft [Brent Scowcroft, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs] went into a frenzy, saying, Well, maybe others will interpret it as this. So, I don't want to understate where we're going or overstate it, but some will look at it as this major change in direction and others won't. But I want to take this opportunity to get myself off the hook. Q. Have you had any responses from the allies here? The President. Oh, sure. That's one of the things I want to hear about from Secretary Baker [Secretary of State James A. Baker III] today. They've been in close contact. And he'll go off and-what, tonight do you head off? Secretary Baker. Tomorrow morning. The President. Tomorrow morning, and iron out some of the differences before we get there. Q. Do you expect policy changes to be made at the summit? The President. Well, what I expect is a document that is unanimously agreed to that will set the course for the future. And as conditions have changed, NATO will change. And I've addressed myself to that. But some will call it dramatic policy changes, and others won't. And so, I don't want to understate it. I don't want to be in trouble saying, Well, you said there would be no changes. But there will be some changes, but I don't happen to believe that it's of a bombshell dimension. Remember the last time we went over there we had a troop policy change. And so, I don't want to mislead you, but there will be some very interesting developments out of it. Q. Are the allies in agreement with you in the responses that you've gotten to your proposals? The President. Well, as I say, Jim's going over. We've gotten broad general agreement on a lot of issues, but there's still some work to be done. That's one of the things we're talking about in here today. President Gorbachev of the Soviet Union Q. Have you had any contact with Mr. Gorbachev going into his party congress? The President. No, I haven't talked to him since he was over here or been in telegraphic. Now, maybe Jim has with Mr. Shevardnadze [Soviet Foreign Minister]. Secretary Baker. Not since Q. What are the keys to watch for in terms of that congress? What are your expectations? The President. Stay tuned to CNN [Cable News Network]. [Laughter] We've got to go to work. Note: The exchange began at 8:45 a.m. at the President's home at Walker's Point. Statement by Press Secretary Fitzwater on the President's Meeting With Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu of Japan Prior to the Houston Economic Summit July 7, 1990 President Bush and Prime Minister Kaifu have just finished 2 hours of wide-ranging discussions on our bilateral relationship and the global partnership of international cooperation between our two countries. The two leaders have a very warm, personal relationship, calling each other by first names. They agreed that the state of U.S.-Japan relations today is excellent and that both countries need to continue to work together in a spirit of cooperation to strengthen their bilateral relationship and support democracy, freedom, and economic liberty around the world. The President took this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister for his outstanding leadership, which contributed so much to achieving an excellent joint report in our Structural Impediments Initiative (SII). The commitments for reform in this report, when implemented, will strengthen the economies of both our countries and lead to a better life for the Japanese and American peoples and a healthier economic relationship. The progress we have made these past 4 months in the SII process and our other trade discussions has laid a firmer foundation for our overall relationship. But we cannot become complacent in the days to come; we must ensure that our relationship continues to rest on a solid economic base. The President and the Prime Minister emphasized that the time has come for the United States and Japan, as two of the world's greatest trading nations, to devote their full energy to securing the benefits of an open world trading system through successful completion of the Uruguay round this year. The President took this opportunity to brief the Prime Minister on the results of the NATO summit just concluded in London. The Prime Minister and the President reaffirmed in this, the 30th anniversary year of the security treaty, the continuing importance of the alliance to peace and stability in Asia. Japan and the United States agreed to continue to promote important global cooperation in this era of great change, in cooperation with our other summit partners. The President welcomed and encouraged Japan's growing international role, as evidenced by the contributions it is making in support of political and economic freedom in Eastern Europe, Central and South America, and elsewhere. Cooperation among Japan, the United States, and their summit partners in support of common goals will form a central part of the talks to be held during the next few days and is a manifestation of the trialog to which both leaders committed themselves at their meeting in Palm Springs. The President and the Prime Minister discussed the issue of lending to China. They had useful talks on this matter and agreed to continue these discussions with the other summit leaders. Finally, the President and the Prime Minister, looking back at the progress our two governments have made toward the goals at the Palm Springs summit last March, agreed to continue to work to build the kind of economic, security, and political relationship between our two countries that will be appropriate to our two great nations in this dramatically changing world. Note: The President met with the Prime Minister at approximately 11:30 a.m. at the Houstonian Hotel's Manor House in Houston, TX. Later, the two leaders were joined by U.S. and Japanese officials and participated in a working luncheon. Remarks Announcing Canada-United States Air Quality Negotiations and an Exchange With Reporters in Houston, Texas July 8, 1990 The President. Well, we're here to comment on the acid rain agreement. The joint statement that we're issuing today on beginning negotiations is long overdue. I know that this is very important for the Canadian side; and I want to say to you, sir, I appreciate your patience and understanding. Both Houses now in the United States Congress have passed clean air bills, similar to mine, by huge margins; and the HouseSenate conference will begin this week. And I think it will be of enormous benefit to both our countries. Bill Reilly, the head of the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency], plans to be in Ottawa on July 16th and will be prepared to open preliminary discussions. We should be able to begin formal negotiations shortly after that. And we've made great progress. And I think we ought to both be very pleased about that. Great progress has been made, but we still have a long way to go. We recognize that. And I pledge to my Canadian friends that we want to do our part, and I think this clean air legislation-that I hope I'll be able to sign soon-is but one manifestation of that. Welcome to Houston, sir. And the floor is |