European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 11, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 the stars and stripes Naftal debate thursday. November 11,1993. -. Inton presses lawmakers on pact Gore prof keep up War of words after bitter to Battle Washington apr one Day after the big de Bate president Clinton lobbied congressional members one by one with Uncertain results for the North american free Trade agreement. Help us win this fight next week Clinton urged. Vice president Al Gore and Texas tycoon Ross Perot kept up their verbal Duel after tuesday night s contentious televised debate. Perot complained that we were supposed to have discussion on Naftal and it turned into just a person Al  his part Gore said i was t offended. I knew going into the debate that it would be rough and Tumble the president pressed his arguments in private meet ing with lawmakers. Yet reps. Robert g. Torricelli,d-n.j., and Jay Kim r-Calif., emerged from their meetings saying they were still undecided. It is difficult to argue with people that there is going to be Long term Benefit when they Are feeling a very real immediate pain Torricelli said. It s the first time in my life i be Ever been in the Oval office said Kim a freshman congressman. He said retold Clinton he would be willing to vote for the Trade Accord if Clinton would support a prisoner Exchange treat to Send criminal illegal aliens Back to Mexico. Clinton opened a news conference by announcing that four previously undecided House members would support the  United states has enormously increased influence in the world Community if Naftal is approved the president said. Clinton called Gore in Denver at a rally of naft supporters. The president congratulated the vice presi Dent and urged the audience to help us win this fight next  the members of Congress that this Means american jobs and a better and brighter future for our country the president said. We need your help. We be got to have Hope win out Over fear next week in this Naftal  tuesday night s encounter on can s Larry King live Gore and Perot traded Sharp words. The politics of negativism and fear Only go so far Gore said he suggested that billionaire Perot s opposition resulted in part from his political ambitions and business interests. Our problem is we do the world s dumbest Trade agreements countered Perot a one time presidential candidate. He said that despite the backing of Clinton and All living former presidents the agreement remains unpopular because it will destroy american jobs. For All the one liners and disagreements Over Trad policy though there was no Clear connection Between the debate and the Fate of the agreement that would link Canada the United states and Mexico in the world s largest free Trade zone. The votes that count will be cast wednesday in the House where supporters concede they Are Well Short of a majority and later in the Senate if the legislation makes it that  sides Are lobbying intensely in a Battle that has divided the democratic party and thrown Linton and Many republicans into an unlikely coalition. Fighting from behind the White House trumpeted five declarations of support tuesday then arranged for rep. Jim Bacchus 0-fla., to announce his support within moments of the end of the debate. Clinton arid Naftal backers hoped for momentum from the debate a confrontation in which Perot and Gore sat Elbow to Elbow for 90 minutes around King s vice president Al Gore and Ross Perot talk during a break in their debate tuesday on Nyki Nguc in Washington. Interview table. Perot famous for using charts in his 30-minute Campaign commercials came to the debate with one de signed to show that the american Trade surplus with Mexico was less beneficial than Naftal supporter claim. But Gore had a Chart of his own designed to show the  had a photograph As Well a picture of slums sur rounding a mexican manufacturing Plant and he said it demonstrated his claim that Mexico exploits its workers. Gore countered with a photograph of two Long ago lawmakers who sponsored restrictive Trade legislation in the 1920s. Gore said that the 1930 Smoot Hawley act was one of the principal causes of the great de pression and that rejection of Naftal amounted to the same protectionist approach. In Gore s vision of Naftal declining mexican tariffs will produce thousands of jobs for american work ers. Mexicans Are hungry for american products he said adding that Wal Mart recently had opened its largest store in Mexico City with "72 Cash registers ringing constantly with people from Mexico taking products out of that store. Perot saw it differently. You will hear the giant sucking sound of jobs flooding to Mexico if the agreement becomes Law he said uttering his Trade Mark anti Naftal  debate was charged throughout. Guys implored Call in show Host King at one Point struggling to keep the combatants from interrupting each other during their appearance. Gore said Perot supported the Trade Deal in 1991 Burthen reversed course last year to bring out the politics of  he also said Perot stood to gain financially either Way Naftal goes but he said a Perot family business in Texas would reap huge gains As a Trade Center should the agreement  it s Good enough for him Why in t it Good enough for the rest of the country Gore said. I am putting my country s interests far ahead of my personal business Perot countered. He said he stood Only to make Small gains something like the trickled Waters coming Over Niagara  then he turned on the vice president. Would you even know the truth if you saw it he asked Gore. I Don t believe you would. You be been up Here too  when Perot told the viewing audience that paid lobbyists were trying to ram this thing Down your Throat Gore pounced. He said Perot had legally hired lobbyists to influence the tax writing House ways and Means committee inthe 1970s. Perot swiftly shot Back you re lying. You re  but Gore challenged him to deny it and Perot never did. Hey that a Coo l like a Naftal shave lotion by the associated press no it s not a Petroleum item. Or a widget from outer space. And it s not a potato Topping. While most americans have at least heard of the fuss Over the North Ameri can free Trade agreement some peo ple on the Street Are at a loss when it comes to Naftal. "1 always thought Naftal was a by product of gasoline said Paul Choc a75-year-old Retiree from Helena Mont. No. Paul. That s naphtha. But it should t be confused with rocket fuel either. Sounds like something on the space  said Bernice Wilkerson a Tele phone installer who was watching peo ple ice skating in new York City on tuesday. Her knowledge of Naftal ended with the admission that she knew vice president Al Gore and billionaire Ross Perot were debating its merits i read something in the paper about it but i did t go into  what is it said Robert Forcelli 24, who runs the potato King baked potato stand in Midtown Manhattan. You re asking the wrong guv. And i pretty much on top of things 1 Many of the people interviewed had at least heard of Naftal even if they did t understand the nuances of a three nation Trade agreement that would eliminate tariffs and Trade barriers. I be heard of it. But i Don t know what it is exactly said Fred Johnson,27, of Dorchester mass. I would t have a clue said Home maker Vivian Berger 39, of Fresno Calif. Some needed just a Little bit of prod Ding. Remind me i know i be heard of it said Mike tranor 26, of Manches Ter England who was Selling hats from a Boston Street cart. Reminded he said of yeah. I sup pose i m for it but i Don t know that much about the ins and  a window Washer at work on the ground floor of a san Francisco build ing said he did t know what Naftal stood for. But it has something to do with try ing to move jobs to Mexico said the Man who would identify himself Only Sjohn. Tim Pollock a new York City Sale executive came close. It s the North american free Trad association said Pollock just one word  he did t Stop there. Yeah. I m against  Pollock ? when they Send All these Busi Nesses Down there they said that going to bring Money Back into the Economy but it s not because when they re making 38 cents an hour they re not going to afford to buy our product sunless we sell them Bubble gum. So it s a very bad