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 There are no restrictions on the republication of material ap- Week Ending Friday, July 27, 1990 Remarks at the Christening of the Thank you very much. What a great day in Newport News. And to all of you out there, thank you for the warm welcome. And Dick Cheney, our able Secretary of Defense, thank you, sir, for those kind words. You know, we're living in changing times, very exciting times for world peace. We're living in tough times in a lot of ways. But it is so important that we have an able Secretary of Defense leading for our country's best interests, our security interests. And I just want to say to this marvelous gathering today, I can think of no one better to be Secretary of Defense at this critical time than Dick Cheney. I am blessed to have him at my side. And I'm very proud to have other strong supporters of defense with us today: Our distinguished Senator from Virginia, Chuck Robb, a longtime friend and a strong supporter of all that the Navy undertakes. And it's a pleasure to see the Tidewater contingent from Congress-Herb Bateman and Owen Pickett, Norm Sisisky-all who understand the Navy's mission, all who understand national defense. And of course, I'll single out one other Member of Congress I recognize, though he's known as "B-1" Bob Dornan from California, he, too, a strong supporter-Congressman Dornan. I don't want to reminisce too long, but I see Senator Harry Byrd out here. Harry, stand up[applause a great Virginian and another one who has stood for defense. Ed Campbell, my thanks to you, sir, president of Newport News Shipbuilding. And then my dear friend from Houston, Jim Kettleson, who is the CEO of Tenneco. Secretary Larry Garrett-doing a superb job for the Navy. And of course, our new CNO [Chief of Naval Operations], my friend Admiral Kelso. All our other distinguished guests. I am very pleased to be here this morning with my daughter, Dorothy. She's today's matron of honor. And I know that Barbara the Silver Fox, we call her[laughter] is deeply honored that you've chosen her to christen this magnificent ship, the George Washington. Coming to the shipyards today put me in mind of my first government job that Dick referred to. I was commissioned at the age of 18, an ensign in the Navy and a carrier pilot, and things were quite different then. The planes were slower. The ships were smaller. And as I look around at these admirals and some of the enlisted men and women that I've been privileged to meet with, they all seem a lot younger today. Captain Nutwell looks too young to drive a great big ship like this. [Laughter] But what I think it sums up to is that I've been told by our Chief of Naval Operations, by General Powell [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff], by the other Chiefs, that we have never had finer officers or enlisted men and women in the armed services than we have today. And they look young to me, but they're the best, and we are very, very proud of them. I don't want to get too nostalgic here-notice my Navy tie, however. [Laughter] But on my ship, the San Ja cinto it was one of those "fast carriers," built atop a cruiser hull in the early months of our entry into the war-the deck wasn't much wider than the wing span of the plane I flew, a TBF Grumman Avenger. Now, looking up at the Washington, I'm not sure that the San Jacinto itself wouldn't fit on a hangar deck of this behemoth. For all of you-and I now speak to those who are doing the work of building this magnificent vessel, who have put months and years of your best work into this aircraft carrier-this has got to be a very proud day for you, as it is for me. The George Washington joins a noble line that begins with the first aircraft carrier built here that was the Ranger, back in 1934. Many of you out here are sons and daughters of shipbuilders. In some families, four generations have worked here, turning steel into ships-men like Edgar Davis, 80 years old now, who followed his father and four brothers into these yards, and whose son and two grandsons work here today. When Edgar started work in 1926, there were no portable electric lights, so the steel workers went down into the hull holding candles. And yet before he retired 48 years later, Edgar Davis and his fellow workers here at Newport News had helped launch the nuclear Navy. Edgar said he'd be here today if the weather was good. We tried to oblige him. He said, "I've seen so many launchings, but I'll tell you, I'm just as enthused about this one as I was about my very first." This magnificent ship is a tribute to your talents. Few realize the magnitude of your task: what it means to build a state-of-theart supercarrier-a warship, a floating city, an airport all rolled into one. But here she is, about to be launched, one step closer to service, one step closer to the sea. The carrier came of age, I think, in the Second World War. And the ships built in this yard helped us turn the tide in the Pacific: the Battle of Midway, the greatest naval contest in history; at Leyte Gulf, where our Navy captured control of the Western Pacific. When Jimmy Doolittle led his legendary raid on Tokyo, he took off from the deck of the Hornet, built right here at Newport News. Today the carrier remains an indispensable element in the American arsenal, projecting power, preserving the peace. Today, fortunately, is not a time of war. A new chapter is opening, a day of great promise, a time of triumph for the ideals all Americans hold dear. But while freedom has made great gains, we have not entered an era of perpetual peace. What George Washington said in the 18th century is truer today than it ever was: "To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving the peace." American power is still the world's paramount force for freedom. And as in time of war, when America waged the fight for freedom far from our shores, so today we must maintain a policy of peacetime engagement and armed forces sufficient to sustain our national interest. We are inescapably the leader of free world defense, the connecting link in a global alliance of democracies, the pivotal factor of stability. We will not shrink from this responsibility. Let the George Washington proclaim America's commitment to remain forever free. Once again, Barbara, Dorothy, and I thank you for this warm welcome. We are pleased and honored to be a part of these proceedings. May God bless the George Washington and all who sail in her and all who fly from her deck. Thank you very, very much. Note: The President spoke at 11:21 a.m. in the Newport News Shipbuilding Yard. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these remarks. Statement by Press Secretary Fitzwater on the Importation of Semiautomatic Weapons July 23, 1990 The importation of weapons that meet the legal criteria for sporting purposes will continue to be allowed. The current ban on semiautomatic assault weapons was implemented last July, after comprehensive review, because these weapons have features which render them unsuitable for sporting purposes under the 1968 Gun Control Act. As manufacturers redesign these weapons to eliminate the undesirable features, the manufacturers may reapply for approval to import the redesigned weapons. If the redesigned weapons meet the criteria of the 1968 Gun Control Act, the application will be approved by ATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms]. Thus, the requests for imported weapons reported in today's Washington Post were granted because the weapons had been redesigned. This is entirely within the law. The crime bill which the administration proposed limits the number of rounds in detachable magazines. However, it will not influence the redesign of weapons within the configuration of traditional sporting rifles. I was wrong to suggest that the new crime bill will influence redesigned weapons. The goal of keeping firearms out of the hands of felons is deeply held by this administration. The crime bill will go a long way toward ensuring the right of every American to be free from fear of violent crime. Proclamation 6162-To Modify Duty- By the President of the United States A Proclamation 1. Pursuant to Title V of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (the 1974 Act) (19 U.S.C. 2461 et seq.), the President may designate specified articles provided for in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS) as eligible for preferential tariff treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) when imported from designated beneficiary developing countries. 2. Pursuant to sections 501, 503(a), 504(a), and 604 of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2461, 2463(a), 2464(a), and 2483), in order to subdivide and amend the nomenclature of existing provisions of the HTS for the purposes of the GSP, I have determined, after taking into account information and advice received under section 503(a), that the HTS should be modified to adjust the designation of eligible articles. In addition, pursuant to Title V of the 1974 Act, I have determined that it is appropriate to designate specified articles provided for in the HTS as eligible for preferential tariff treatment under the GSP when imported from any designated beneficiary developing country. I have also determined, pursuant to section 504(a) of the 1974 Act, that certain beneficiary countries should not receive preferential tariff treatment under the GSP with respect to certain articles designated as eligible for preferential treatment under the GSP. 3. Section 604 of the 1974 Act (19 U.S.C. 2483) authorizes the President to embody in the HTS the substance of the provisions of that Act, and of other acts affecting import treatment, and actions thereunder. Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, acting under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including but not limited to Title V and section 604 of the 1974 Act, do proclaim that: (1) In order to provide benefits under the GSP to specified designated eligible articles when imported from any designated beneficiary developing country, the HTS is modified as provided in Annex I to this proclamation. (2)(a) In order to provide benefits under the GSP to specified designated eligible articles when imported from any designated beneficiary developing country, the Rates of Duty 1-Special subcolumn for each of the HTS subheadings enumerated in Annex II(a) and (b) to this proclamation is modified as provided in such Annex II(a) and (b). (b) In order to provide benefits under the GSP to specified designated eligible articles when imported from designated beneficiary developing countries and to provide that one or more countries should not be treated as beneficiary developing countries with respect to such eligible articles for purposes of the GSP, the Rates of Duty 1-Special subcolumn for each of the HTS subheadings enumerated in Annex II(c) to this proclamation is modified by inserting the symbol “A*” as provided in such Annex II(c). (3) In order to provide that one or more countries should not be treated as beneficiary developing countries with respect to certain eligible articles for purposes of the GSP, general note 3(c)(ii)D) of the HTS is modified as provided in Annex III to this proclamation. (4) In order to provide for the continuation of previously proclaimed staged rate reductions on goods originating in the territory of Canada in the HTS subheadings in Annex I to this proclamation, effective with respect to goods originating in the territory of Canada which are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after the dates specified in Annex IV to this proclamation, the rate of duty in the HTS that is followed by the symbol "CA" in parentheses set forth in the Rates of Duty 1Special subcolumn for each of the HTS subheadings enumerated in such Annex shall be deleted and the rate of duty provided in such Annex inserted in lieu thereof. (5) In order to provide for the continuation of previously proclaimed staged rate reductions for products of Israel in the HTS subheadings in Annex I to this proclamation, effective with respect to products of Israel entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after the dates specified in Annex V to this proclamation, the rate of duty in the HTS that is followed by the symbol "IL" in parentheses set forth in the Rates of Duty 1-Special subcolumn for each of the HTS subheadings enumerated in such Annex shall be deleted and the rate of duty provided in such Annex inserted in lieu thereof. (6) Any provisions of previous proclamations and Executive orders inconsistent with the provisions of this proclamation are hereby superseded to the extent of such inconsistency. (7) Except as provided for in paragraphs (4) and (5) of this proclamation, the amendments made by this proclamation shall be effective with respect to articles both: (i) imported on or after January 1, 1976, and (ii) entered, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after August 1, 1990. In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifteenth. George Bush [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 4:48 p.m., July 23, 1990] Note: The annexes to the proclamation were printed in the "Federal Register" of July 25. Remarks Following Discussions With President Rodrigo Borja Cevallos of Ecuador July 23, 1990 President Bush. It has been a great pleasure to talk once again to my colleague, President Borja, with whom I had this marvelous tennis game yesterday. You know, when we met in Costa Rica, we enjoyed some good conversation, and we also found time to work in a little tennis. And so, today we had stimulating, substantive talks, and yesterday we worked in a little tennis. And I can say unequivocally that we thoroughly enjoyed the rematches on both fronts. For many years, the whole world has been watching the progress of this courageous Pacific nation. A little over a decade ago, Ecuador became one of the first to set sail in the rising tide of democracy in Latin America, and like so many of its neighbors, it's raised our hopes for a fully democratic hemisphere. And today the people of Ecuador can be proud of their free press and their exemplary record on human rights, hallmarks of both true democracy and true leadership, I might say. When he first came to office, President Borja faced difficult economic challenges. Inflation was up at about 100 percent; a debt, a staggering 110 percent of GNP, all payments suspended. But undaunted by the great political pressures he faced, President Borja began taking the kind of courageous steps that characterized the new generation of democratic leaders in this hemisphere. He made important economic reforms, such as improving the tax and tariff systems, and there's also been movement toward reforming market mechanisms and government programs, including steps taken toward the elimination of price controls that have created serious distortions in the past. As a followup to the Cartagena [antidrug] summit and because of my special concern for the needs of the Andean countries, I am today announcing a package of new measures for the Andean region. These measures will build on my Enterprise for Americas Initiative and will be steps en route to achieving our ultimate objectives of trade and investment liberalization and economic reform in the region. |