Exchange With Reporters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

New York Times Article

The President. Yes, Terry [Terry Moran, ABC News], what is it?

Q. Do you have any response—there's this columnist in the New York Times today who says that your role on the board of Harkin Energy back in the 1980s and its sale of Aloha Petroleum, your sale of stock, that amounts to the same kind of corporate misbehavior you're now criticizing.

The President. Everything I do is fully disclosed. It's been fully vetted.

Any other question?

International Criminal Court

Q. Excuse me, sir. Do you think you'll be able to work out that logjam, or is our participation in Bosnia coming to an end?

The President. The International Criminal Court is troubling to the United States. It's troubling to the administration and obviously trouble with the United States Senate as well.

President Clinton signed this treaty, but when he signed it, he said it should not be submitted to the Senate. It therefore never has been, and I don't intend to submit it either, because it—you know, as the United States works to bring peace around the world, our diplomats and our soldiers could be drug into this court, and that's a very troubling—very troubling to me.

And we'll try to work out the impasse at the United Nations. But one thing we're not going to do is sign on to the International Criminal Court.

Corporate Responsibility

Q. Mr. President, as you contemplate new penalties for corporate malfeasance, do you think that the laws on the books are insufficient to prosecute CEOs, or——

The President. I will make a statement on that at the appropriate time, Dick [Richard Keil, Bloomberg News].

Independence Day Celebrations

Q. How should Americans celebrate July Fourth this year, given the anxieties about more attacks?

The President. They should celebrate heartily because we have freedom, and we love freedom. And I—they should also know our Government is doing everything they can to make the homeland secure, that people ought to be joyous in their celebration and celebrate the fact that we're fortunate enough to be Americans. I'm going to do that in West Virginia.

Thank you all.