TEXT: ALBRIGHT REMARKS TO EAST ASIA-PACIFIC FOREIGN MINISTERS
("The United States ... will remain a Pacific partner")

New York -- Much of the Clinton Administration's Asia-Pacific agenda -- security, prosperity, democracy and the rule of law -- is also on the world's agenda the United Nations, according to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

In remarks at a breakfast for East Asian and Pacific region foreign ministers September 23, Albright mentioned arms proliferation, the currency crisis in Southeast Asia, the security of the Korean Peninsula, as well as human rights and democracy in Cambodia and Burma as areas including where U.S. goals coincided with U.N. interests.

"The United States is and will remain a Pacific power and a Pacific partner because we recognize that shared opportunities beckon to us and shared dangers imperil us," Albright said. "We are on the same side in the battle to build lasting prosperity, secure human dignity and create a foundation for lasting human freedom."

Following is the text of Albright's remarks:

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
September 23, 1997

Opening Remarks by
Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright
at Breakfast For East Asian and Pacific Region Foreign Ministers

Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
New York, New York

I am very glad to welcome so many distinguished colleagues to New York.

Much of our Asia-Pacific agenda -- security, prosperity, democracy and the rule of law -- is also on the world's agenda here at the U.N.

The states of the Asia-Pacific region have played a crucial role in efforts to reduce the threat of arms races and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. That work continues. Today we share a responsibility to bring agreements already reached into force and begin negotiations on a fissile material cutoff.

On the Korean Peninsula, we were disappointed that the second round of preparatory Four-Party talks did not reach agreement on an agenda or starting date. This is a long-term process which demands long-term commitment. Meanwhile, we are reducing the threat posed by nuclear proliferation through the Agreed Framework. To maintain that pace, KEDO will require increased political and financial support from all of us.

We also have a common stake in working regionally and through the U.N. to address non-traditional security threats such as narcotics trafficking, international crime, terrorism and environmental damage.

The December Kyoto Conference on Climate Change will be central to the success -- or failure -- of efforts to safeguard our physical environment. We can move toward national commitments to limit emissions and innovative solutions to ensure that all countries do their part to make development truly sustainable.

The November APEC meetings will also be an important moment for Asian economic leadership in two specific areas: approving concrete measures to open markets among APEC members, and taking significant steps to increase trade in financial services.

We share your concern with the recent currency crisis in Southeast Asia. With billions of American dollars invested in the region, we share your desire that the economies of the region succeed economically, socially and politically. We will work actively with you in the IMF and elsewhere to support your efforts to maintain stability and growth.

This year we have seen some progress and some setbacks in promoting democracy, respect for the rule of law, and human rights in the region. You have heard me talk about them before.

We strongly support ASEAN's leadership and support for a negotiated settlement to restore legitimate government to the people of Cambodia. We have all agreed -- following ASEAN -- to focus our efforts on holding free, fair and credible elections in Cambodia next year. For that to happen, political exiles must be able to return home to a climate free of intimidation. In the meantime, we should do nothing to legitimize the status quo. That is why the United States opposed seating Hun Sen's delegation to the General Assembly.

In Burma, too, the lack of a legitimate government has led to a breakdown in the rule of law that threatens regional stability. The United States will again cosponsor a resolution in the General Assembly urging the SLORC to engage in dialogue with the democratic opposition, including Aung San Suu Kyi. Our goal is a factual, up-to- date resolution for adoption by consensus. I urge you to join us -- not to pass judgment on a U.N. and ASEAN member, but to accept the judgment of the Burmese people that the status quo in their country is unjust, unstable, and unlikely to improve without international pressure.

We believe that a major priority of our work here must be reforming the U.N. itself. As you know, our Congress is considering legislation that would authorize payment of most of America's dues and debts to the U.N., as the U.N. adopts financial and management reforms. The President looks forward to having a bill he can sign soon. We ask your support for the reforms that would enable the U.S. payment to go forward.

To meet this and all of the challenges we face, we must work together with respect and creativity, with imagination and common sense, and with confidence that together we can achieve a better world for all our citizens.

The United States is and will remain a Pacific power and a Pacific partner because we recognize that shared opportunities beckon to us and shared dangers imperil us. We are on the same side in the battle to build lasting prosperity, secure human dignity and create a foundation for lasting human freedom. To that end, I look forward to working with each of you here and in the years ahead.

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