Political Quotes

“In the first place, I believe that it is not fully realized that Japan has pledged $9 billion to Desert Storm in addition to the billion they spent before we were in the war, and Germany has now pledged $5 billion. Those are very generous contributions in my view--or appropriate contributions, in my view. And I am grateful to Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu and to Chancellor Helmut Kohl for doing this. So, the concept of burden-sharing that has concerned the American people on the costs of the war is in far better control than I think we've made clear. In other words, I feel comfortable where it is. Now, I think we have to recognize that Japan and Germany have constraints, constitutional constraints placed on them as a result of World War II. I think if you look around the world and you take a look at the Pacific countries, particularly the countries out there, the ASEAN countries, there still is some concern about a totally rearmed Japan. And that's a sentiment that is shared by many members of the Japanese Diet. So, we should not be saying to them, you've got to do more in the way of tanks and planes and military force. So, I'm hoping that the world will see that they are pitching in and will continue to pitch in as these costs mount, because clearly we are doing a lot of work that benefits the people in both those countries. They are both dependent on foreign sources for oil--both of them heavily dependent on oil from that part of the world. But I think they understand that. In terms of the long run, it is my hope that because we have taken this lead role in the coalition--because we have put together what I think history will show is an historic, albeit diverse, coalition--that the people of Germany and the people of Japan as well as others around the world will see a United States that has a vastly restored credibility, and that that will help us, I think, as we talk to them about other kinds of problems. So, I don't see anything out of this that should diminish our interest in continuing strong economic relations with them. Having said that, I'd go back to Dwayne's question. Both--particularly Japan has got to give us access, and Germany in agriculture as part of the EC has got to give us access to markets. But perhaps our credibility will be such because we've bitten off this really tough--decided to bite off this tough assignment and complete it, that we will have some--I wouldn't say leverage on them but persuasiveness that will lead to a more harmonious trading relationships. Soviet Union”