THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary _________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release: August 13, 1993 Announcement of NAFTA Supplemental Agreements Statement of President Bill Clinton I am pleased that the United States, Mexico and Canada have reached agreement on the supplemental accords to the North American Free Trade Agreement. Last fall, I pledged that I would not submit NAFTA to Congress until my Administration addressed shortfalls in the areas of environmental protection, worker rights and import surges. Early this morning we fulfilled that promise. Today I pledge my strongest commitment to a major effort this fall to secure NAFTA's passage. With the completion of the side accords, we have turned NAFTA into a pathbreaking trade agreement. NAFTA is strongly in the interest of the United States. This agreement helps our workers, our environment, our businesses and our consumers. With these agreements on environmental quality and labor standards, the North American Free Trade Agreement has become a fair trade agreement as well. NAFTA will create thousands of high paying American jobs by unlocking access to Mexico -- a growing market of 90 million people that thirst for American products and services. The old rules marked by high trade barriers and preferences for companies manufacturing in Mexico have been pushed aside. In their place NAFTA establishes a level playing field, low tariffs and a tough mechanism for resolving environmental and labor problems. NAFTA is part of my broad economic strategy to gear the American economy for a changing world, to channel change for the benefit of working men and women. I look forward to working with the Congress and the American people to make NAFTA a reality. -30-