THE PRESIDENT STOPS IN HAWAII

By Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin

President Clinton speaks at a brief stopover at Hickam Air Force Base
today about the threat of Hurricane Floyd to the Eastern Seaboard,
before boarding Air Force One and leaving for Washington, D.C.,
where he will monitor the huge storm's developments --
and damage -- along the East Coast.

Clinton stops by;
hopes to return
in March

Cayetano says. The president hoped
to golf here but Floyd cut his
visit to just 90 minutes

By Gregg K. Kakesako
Star-Bulletin

President Clinton had to cut short his sixth visit to Hawaii today, but he promised Governor Ben Cayetano that he would try to return here in March for a meeting of influential business leaders.

During Clinton's nearly 90-minute refueling stop at Hickam Air Force Base, Cayetano said he asked President Clinton to attend the Pacific Basin Economic Council meeting, which is expected to attract 1,100 leaders of world corporations.

"I'm expecting him to come here next year," Cayetano said after meeting with Clinton in the Hickam visitors lounge.

Other topics of conversation between Clinton, Cayetano and former govs. George Ariyoshi and John Waihee included politics, golf and other issues affecting Hawaii.

On the subject of East Timor, which has been torn by militia violence, Clinton told the governors that he was fearful that by the time United Nations peacekeepers arrive, more people will have been killed.

Cayetano also told the president that he continues to support Vice President Al Gore's bid for the presidency.

The governor reminded the president that this state gave him his biggest margin during the last election.

Ariyoshi said the president talked about world events including what was happening in China, North Korea and Indonesia. He said he also talked to the president about the East-West Center.

But, "generally this was a very relaxing stop for him. He missed the opportunity to play golf," Ariyoshi said.

"We all wish we were on our way to the golf course," Waihee added.

The president was supposed to have spent eight-hours here, but Hurricane Floyd put a damper on those plans and Clinton rushed back to Washington as soon as Air Force One was refueled.

Air Force One landed at Hickam at 8:26 a.m. It rolled up in front of the Hickam base operations building at 8:40 a.m. The president, dressed in a dark blue blazer, gray polo shirt and black slacks, stepped out of the aircraft by himself.

He greeted Cayetano, Adm. Dennis Blair, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, Mayor Jeremy Harris and his wife Ramona, Ariyoshi and his wife Jean, and Waihee and his wife Lynne.

After a 15-minute conversation on the tarmac, the official greeting party and the president retired to the visitors lounge at Hickam to wait while the plane was being refueled.

Accompanying the president to the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in New Zealand was his mother-in-law, Dorothy Rodham, and Clinton's daughter, Chelsea, a Stanford University student.

Although reporters were not able to confirm it, officials at the airport said that Chelsea Clinton got off Air Force One during the 90-minute layover and jogged around the base to shake off some of her jet lag.

The president and his entourage left at 10:15 a.m. for the nine-hour flight to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.