    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [June 12, 1993]
    [Pages 839-840]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    June 12, 1993

        Good morning. Last night the United Nations, acting with American
    and other coalition forces, successfully attacked the military positions
    in Somalia of the warlord Mohamed Farah Aideed. Our forces, thankfully,
    have sustained no casualties.
        The U.N.'s action was a response to a savage attack this past week
    by Aideed's forces carried out on U.N. peacekeepers. Aideed's attack
    killed 23 Pakistanis and injured 3 Americans serving in the U.N.'s
    force. It was a cold-blooded ambush on U.N. forces who were delivering
    food and building peace for the people of Somalia.
        The United Nations and the United States refuse to tolerate this
    ruthless disregard for the will of the international community.
    Therefore, following a request from the U.N. and pursuant to a U.N.
    Security Council resolution, I ordered the participation of our troops
    in this action. I commend the decisive leadership of the U.N. Secretary-
    General Boutros-Ghali, the commander of the U.N. force, Turkish General
    Bir, and United States Major General Thomas Montgomery.
        With this action, the world community moves to restore order in
    Somalia's capital and to underscore its commitment to preserve the
    security of U.N. forces. For if U.N. peacekeepers are

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    to be effective agents for peace and stability in Somalia and elsewhere,
    they must be capable of using force when necessary to defend themselves
    and accomplish their goals.
        We need to recall why U.S. forces were in Somalia to begin with and
    how much has been accomplished since they first arrived. Last December
    the United States first sent troops to Somalia to help the United
    Nations answer a desperate call for help. By the time we arrived over
    350,000 Somalis already had died in a bloody civil war, shrouding the
    nation in famine and disease. Over 30,000 American men and women, both
    military and civilian, joined with troops and relief workers from all
    over the world in an effort to end the starvation and the hopelessness.
    They worked with courage and dedication to quell the violence, rein in
    the warlords, and deliver tons of urgently needed food and medicine.
    That humanitarian effort restored hope, advanced our interests, and
    represented the very best of America's ideals.
        Today in Somalia, crops are growing, starvation has ended, refugees
    are beginning to return, schools and hospitals are reopening, a civil
    police force has been recreated, and Somalia has begun a process of
    national reconciliation with the goal of creating the institutions of
    democracy. As a result, over recent months, we have been able to reduce
    our troop presence in Somalia down to fewer than 4,000, a small fraction
    of the total U.N. force.
        While American and U.N. efforts in Somalia have been successful,
    there remains a small but dangerous minority of Somalis who are
    determined to provoke terror and chaos. Last night's action was
    essential to send a clear message to the armed gangs, to protect the
    vast majority of Somalis who long for peace, to enhance the security of
    our forces still in Somalia, to hasten the day when they can safely
    return home, and to strengthen the effectiveness and the credibility of
    U.N. peacekeeping in Somalia and around the world.
        The U.N.'s action holds an important lesson about how our Nation can
    accomplish our own security goals in this new era. Although the cold war
    is over, the world remains a dangerous place. The United States cannot
    be the world's policeman, but we also cannot turn a blind eye to the
    world's problems, for they affect our own security, our own interests,
    and our own ideals. The U.S. must continue to play its unique role of
    leadership in the world. But now we can increasingly express that
    leadership through multilateral means such as the United Nations, which
    spread the costs and expressed the unified will of the international
    community. That was one of the lessons of Desert Storm. And clearly,
    that was one of the lessons last night in Somalia.
        On behalf of all Americans, I am proud of the American forces, who
    once again have demonstrated extraordinary courage and skill. The world
    thanks them and all of the U.N. forces in Somalia for their service, for
    striking a blow against lawlessness and killing, and for advancing the
    world's commitment to justice and security.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. from the Oval Office at the
    White House.