
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, November 15, 1994                   TAG: 9411150104
SECTION: NATL/INTL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Newsday
DATELINE: JAKARTA, INDONESIA                                LENGTH: Medium

CLINTON DEFENDS GATT

As Pacific Rim leaders opened an economic summit focused on expanding free trade Monday night, President Clinton found himself forced to battle growing threats back home to an important worldwide trade agreement the White House once thought it had in hand.

Administration officials are increasingly concerned that the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, a 123-nation accord to lower trade barriers, could become a victim of Democratic election losses and Republican presidential politics when Congress considers ratifying the accord in a lame-duck session at the end of the month.

Before the 18-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit opened its first business session this morning, Clinton sought to reassure foreign leaders in a series of separate meetings Monday that his ability to conduct U.S. foreign policy hadn't been impaired by last week's election returns.

Clinton, Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama and South Korean President Kim Young Sam issued a joint statement Monday night endorsing the accord with North Korea to freeze and ultimately dismantle its nuclear program, which is suspected of building atomic weapons, and the Asian summit group seemed ready to approve an agreement today that would commit the organization to building ``open and free trade'' throughout the region by the year 2020.

But at a news conference Monday, Clinton once again had to address questions about his working relationship with House Speaker-in-waiting Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., and incoming Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., saying his ``strategy will be to have an open door and to have a lot of contact.''

He continued to lobby for GATT, which is scheduled for a vote Nov. 29 in the House and Dec. 1 in the Senate.

``In each of the meetings today there was also strong agreement that the early ratification of GATT would be absolutely essential to maintaining the climate that promotes global economic growth and expanding trade,'' Clinton said. ``It was clear to me that the rest of the world is looking to the United States for leadership on the issue.''

Senior White House officials said the administration now believes it has the votes in the House to win approval of GATT, but they are worried that they are far short of the necessary votes in the Senate. Dole seems to be backing away from the accord, they said, and one of his likely rivals for the 1996 Republican presidential nomination, Texas Sen. Phil Gramm, already is considered a sure ``no'' vote.

by CNB