07/31/2001
Text: White House Report, July 31: China, Mexico, the Middle East
(Fleischer in early morning, early afternoon briefings)

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CHINA'S RECORD ON PROLIFERATION MIXED, WHITE HOUSE SAYS

Asked about the reported sale by China of high-tech military equipment to countries such as Pakistan, Iran and Libya, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters July 31 that "the question of proliferation and China is always an important topic, and it's something that the administration has raised at the highest levels.

"As Secretary Powell has said, China's record on proliferation has been mixed, and that's a real source of concern. That is something that has come up, and will continue to come up."

BUSH VOWS TO WIN APPROVAL FOR MEXICAN TRUCKING

President Bush is "very pleased" that Senator John McCain (Republican-Arizona) and other senators are working hard to make certain that the Senate reverses an earlier vote in favor of restricting Mexican trucks in the United States, the White House Press Secretary told reporters.

The Mexican trucking measure is part of the overall transportation spending bill.

"The President continues to be worried about the impact any such measure would have on Mexico, on NAFTA, and he also worries that it's a real signal from the Senate that they're retreating into isolationism, and he will continue to work that issue hard," said Fleischer.

Asked if the Senate vote on the transportation bill might take place in September, at the same time that Mexico's President Vicente Fox will be in Washington on a state visit, Fleischer said:

"I'm not going to speculate about the timing of the vote. Whether the vote is today, whether the vote is in the middle of the visit of President Fox, or whether the vote is after that, it's wrong anytime for the United States Senate to take action that's unfair to Mexico and is anti-NAFTA, and that's what the President is dedicated to, is reversing the action in the Senate so that we treat our partners to the south in a fair fashion."

In June, the House of Representatives approved legislation that would impose even tougher restrictions than the Senate version on Mexican trucks seeking to enter the United States.

NAFTA provides for Mexican truck access to U.S. roads, but the United States under the Clinton Administration postponed implementation, citing safety concerns. Mexican carriers are currently restricted to a commercial zone just north of the U.S.-Mexico border.

In February, a NAFTA arbitration panel ruled that the U.S. policy violated NAFTA, and the Bush Administration announced plans to allow Mexican trucks to operate throughout the United States beginning in January 2002. The plans included hiring additional U.S. safety inspectors and having Mexican trucking companies file information on their vehicles' safety records.

SITUATION IN MIDDLE EAST DIFFICULT FOR ALL SIDES, FLEISCHER SAYS

Asked about the increasing violence in the Middle East and whether the White House blames one side over the other, Fleischer said "the situation in the Middle East remains very difficult for all sides. The recent violence is another reminder of the need for the two parties to engage in efforts to reinvigorate the cease-fire, so that a relative calm can be restored to the region. It's another tragic reminder of how difficult events in the region are."

Fleischer noted that President Bush "has called on all sides to break the cycle of violence and to show restraint."

"When the President talks about a cessation of violence and a cease-fire, it means no killing of anybody," Fleischer said. "And of course that applies to civilians. It applies to all. Violence is violence, and the President has deplored the violence in the region. And he has called on all parties to implement fully the terms of the Mitchell commission recommendations, which begins with a cease-fire. A cease-fire is a cease-fire is a cease-fire," said Fleischer.

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(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)