News

USIS Washington File

07 January 2000

Transcript: Clinton Remarks on Cyberterrorism on January 7, 2000

(Announces plan to increase training in computer security) (1320)

President Clinton January 7 announced a new national plan to protect
America's cyberspace infrastructure from the threat of terrorism.

"Thanks to the hard work of many people, our computer systems were
ready for Y2K. But that experience did underscore how really
interconnected we all are. Today, our critical systems -- from power
structures to air traffic control -- are connected and run by
computers. We must make those systems more secure so that America can
be more secure," he said.

"Today, we are releasing a national plan to defend America's
cyberspace, the product of a three-year effort," Clinton said. "This
plan is not the end of the discussion, but the beginning of a dialogue
with Congress, with the American people and especially with the
private sector."

The plan proposes a new program to offer college scholarships to
students in the field of computer security in exchange for their
public service afterward, and a new institute to bring together
computer scientists and engineers from the private sector,
universities and research facilities to accelerate and broaden
research into computer security.

Clinton said he is requesting that Congress appropriate $91 million
for these and other reforms as part of an overall $2 billion budget in
fiscal year 2001 to help meet the nation's security challenges.

Clinton spoke from the South Lawn of the White House as he departed
for the fifth day of talks in Shepherdstown, West Virginia on the
Israeli-Syrian peace track.

He was asked if he was satisfied with the cooperation he is getting
from the Israeli and Syrian delegates.

He responded: "Yes. This is difficult stuff. This is very hard. But
let me say, they're working hard and they're trying to find ways to
resolve their differences. And they're trying to imagine the end of
the road here. It's a difficult, difficult set of negotiations, but
we're working in a steady way and I'm satisfied that everybody is
working in good faith."

Following is the White House transcript:

(begin transcript)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

January 7,2000

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON CYBERTERRORISM

UPON DEPARTURE

The South Lawn

9:28 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I want to thank Secretary Daley and
President Rose, of James Madison University, who has worked with eight
other institutions of higher education to do information technology
security training; and Dick Clarke from the NSC, and all the others
who worked on this project.

I want to talk just a moment about steps we are taking today to defend
our citizens from those who would use cyberspace to do us harm. There
has never been a time like this in which we have the power to create
knowledge and the power to create havoc, and both those powers rest in
the same hands.

We live in an age when one person sitting at one computer, can come up
with an idea, travel through cyberspace and take humanity to new
heights. Yet, someone can sit at the same computer, hack into a
computer system and potentially paralyze a company, a city or a
government.

Thanks to the hard work of many people, our computer systems were
ready for Y2K. But that experience did underscore how really
interconnected we all are. Today, our critical systems -- from power
structures to air traffic control -- are connected and run by
computers. We must make those systems more secure so that America can
be more secure.

Today, we are releasing a national plan to defend America's
cyberspace, the product of a three-year effort. This plan is not the
end of the discussion, but the beginning of a dialogue with Congress,
with the American people and especially with the private sector. We
need to do more to bring people into the field of computer security.
That's why I am proposing a new program that will offer college
scholarships to students in the field of computer security in exchange
for their public service afterward. This program will create a new
generation of computer security specialists who will work to defend
our nation's computers.

We also need to accelerate and broaden our research into computer
security. Today, I am proposing to create a new institute that will
fill research gaps that neither public nor private sectors are filling
today. The Institute for Information Infrastructure Protection will
bring to bear the finest computer scientists and engineers from the
private sector, from universities and from other research facilities
to find ways to close these gaps.

As part of the 2001 budget, I am requesting $91 million for these and
other reforms as part of an overall $2 billion budget to help meet our
security challenges. I will work hard to get these measures passed. I
will continue to work equally hard to uphold the privacy rights of the
American people, as well as the proprietary rights of American
businesses. As I said before, it is essential that we do not undermine
liberty in the name of liberty.

Information technology has helped to create the unprecedented
prosperity we enjoy at the end of the 20th century. This morning, we
will announce that the unemployment rate for all of this past year was
4.2 percent -- that's the lowest in 30 years, the lowest annual
unemployment rate since 1969; the lowest annual minority unemployment
rates for African Americans and Hispanics ever recorded. It is
important to recognize the role technology has played in this
remarkable economic prosperity. But it is also important to recognize
the challenges that we face out there in the security area.

I hope that this will be a completely nonpartisan issue and that we
will work together to ensure that information technology will create
unprecedented prosperity in the 21st century, in an atmosphere and
environment that makes all Americans more secure.

Thank you very much.

Q: Sir, Governor Bush of Florida is appealing to you to rescind the
INS order regarding Elian Gonzalez. Is that something you would even
consider?

THE PRESIDENT: I believe that they followed the law and the
procedures. This is a volatile and difficult case. And those who want
to challenge it will have to follow the law and the procedures. I
think that's the only way to do this. We need to keep this out of the
political process as much as possible, within the established legal
channels.

Q: Are you satisfied with the cooperation that you've been getting
from the Israeli and Syrian negotiators in Shepherdstown?

THE PRESIDENT: Yes. This is difficult stuff. This is very hard. But
let me say, they're working hard and they're trying to find ways to
resolve their differences. And they're trying to imagine the end of
the road here. It's a difficult, difficult set of negotiations, but
we're working in a steady way and I'm satisfied that everybody is
working in good faith.

Q: How long do you expect this to take?

THE PRESIDENT:  I don't know -- until we finish.

Q: Mr. President, how do you see your role in Shepherdstown to get
these talks moving?

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, I don't want to characterize that. I just try to
get people together and identify what they have in common and identify
what their differences are, try to get people to keep in mind the big
picture at the end, what we want the -- in this case, what we hope and
pray the Middle East will look like in five years or 10 years from
now. And then try to work these things through to the end. But we're
just trying to be helpful and I hope we are and we're working at it.

I hope you'll wish us well, and I've got to get up there. Thank you
very much.

END

9:35 A.M. EST

(end transcript)