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| I was working to bring the deficit down, and Germanys central bank had just lowered interest rates, but Japans willingness to stimulate its economy and open its borders to more foreign trade and com-petition remained unclearThat was progress Id have to achieve in our bilateral talks with the Japanese, which began right after the G-7 meeting
In 1993, because Japan was dealing with economic stagnation and political uncertainty, I knew it would be hard to get changes in trade policy, but I had to tryClearly our large trade deficit with Japan was due in part to protectionismFor example, they wouldnt buy our skis, saying they werent the right widthI had to find a way to push open Japanese markets without damaging our important security partnership, which was essential to building a stable future for AsiaWhile I was making these points in a speech to Japanese students at Waseda University, Hillary went on her own charm offensive in Japan, finding an especially warm reception among the increasingly large number of young, well-educated working women
Prime Minister Miyazawa agreed in principle to my suggestion that we achieve a framework agreement committing ourselves to specific measurable steps to improve our trade relationshipSo did the Japanese Foreign Ministry, whose senior civil servant, the father of Japans new crown princess, was determined to reach an agreementThe big obstacle was discount tiffany jewelry the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), whose leaders felt that their policies had made Japan a great power and saw no reason to changeLate one night, after we finished our talks, representatives of the two ministries were literally screaming their arguments at each other in the lobby of the Hotel OkuraOur staffs got as close as they could to an agreement, with Mickey Kantors deputy, Charlene Barshefsky, driving such a hard bargain the Japanese called her StonewallThen Miyazawa and I got together over a traditional Japanese meal at the Hotel Okura to see if we could resolve the remaining differencesWe did, in what was later called the Sushi Summit, though Miyazawa always joked that the sake we drank contributed more than the sushi to the final outcome
The framework agreement committed America to reduce its budget deficit and Japan to take steps over the next year to open its markets in automobile and auto parts, computers, telecommunications, satellites, medical equipment, financial services, and insurance, with objective standards for measuring success on specific timetablesI was convinced that the agreement would be economically beneficial to both the United States and Japan and that it would help Japanese reformers succeed in leading their remarkable nation to its next era of greatnessLike most such agreements, it didnt produce all one could hope for in either country, louis vuitton demin bags for sale in the uk but it was still a very good thing
As I left Japan for Korea, the press reports back home said that my first G-7 meeting was a triumph for my personal diplomacy with the other leaders and my outreach to the Japanese peopleIt was nice to get some positive press coverage, and even better to have met the objectives we set for the G-7 and the Japanese negotiationsI had enjoyed getting to know and work with the other leadersAnd after the G-7, I felt more confident in my ability to advance Americas interests in the world and understood why so many Presidents preferred foreign policy to the frustrations they faced on the home front
In South Korea, I visited our troops along the DMZ, which had divided North and South Korea since the armistice ending the Korean War was signedI walked out onto the Bridge of No Return, stopping about ten feet from the stripe of white paint dividing the two countries and staring at the young North Korean soldier guarding his side in the last lonely outpost of the Cold WarIn Seoul, Hillary and I were the guests of President Kim Yong-Sam in the official guest residence, which had an indoor swimming poolWhen I went for a dip, music suddenly filled the airI found myself swimming to many of my favorite tunes, from Elvis to jazz, a nice example of Koreas famous hospitalityAfter a meeting with the president and a speech to the parliament, I left South Korea grateful knock off chanel wholesale purse for our long alliance and determined to maintain it
I returned to the rigors of WashingtonIn the third week of July, on the recommendation of Janet Reno, I dismissed the director of the FBI, William Sessions, after he refused to resign despite numerous problems within the agencyWe had to find a replacementBernie Nussbaum urged me to choose Louis Freeh, a former FBI agent whom President Bush had appointed to the federal bench in New York after a stellar career as a federal prosecutorWhen I met with Freeh, I asked him what he thought about the FBIs assertion at Waco that they had proceeded with the raid because it was wrong to keep so many of their resources tied down in one place for so longWithout knowing what I thought, he said forthrightly that he disagreed: They get paid to waitI knew Freeh was a Republican, but Nussbaum assured me that he was a professional and a stand-up guy who would not use the FBI for political purposesWe scheduled the announcement for the twentiethThe day before, when word got out about the appointment, a retired FBI agent who was a friend of mine called Nancy Heinrich, who ran the Oval Office operations, to tell me not to do itHe said Freeh was too political and self-serving for the current climateIt gave me pause, but I sent word back that it was too late; the offer had been extended and acceptedI would just have to trust Bernie Nussbaums judgment
When we black prada bag announced Freehs appointment in a morning ceremony in the Rose Garden, I noticed Vince Foster standing at the back, near one of the grand old magnolia trees planted by Andrew JacksonVince had a smile on his face, and I remember thinking he must be relieved that he and the counsels office were working on things like Supreme Court and FBI appointments, instead of answering endless questions about the Travel OfficeThe whole ceremony seemed perfect, almost too good to be trueIt was, in more ways than one
That night I appeared on Larry Kings show from the library on the ground floor of the White House to talk about my battle for the budget and whatever else was on his and his callers mindsLike everyone else, I liked Larry KingHe has a good sense of humor and a human touch, even when hes asking tough questionsAbout forty-five minutes into the program, things were going so well that Larry asked me if Id do an extra thirty minutes, so that we could take more questions from viewersI agreed immediately and was looking forward to it, but at the next break Mack McLarty showed up and said we had to end the interview after an hourAt first I was irritated, thinking my staff was worried that I might make a mistake if I kept going, but the look in Macks eyes told me something else was going on
After Larry and I wrapped up the interview and I shook hands with his crew, Mack walked me upstairs to the tiffany style necklace resid |
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