    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
    [September 27, 1993]
    [Pages 1618-1619]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a United Nations Luncheon in New York City
    September 27, 1993

        [Inaudible]--of all the heads of state here, we thank you for your
    warm and eloquent words, for your gentle urging to us to do better by
    the United Nations, and for the hospitality and vision which you have
    brought to your work.
        We have seen so many changes in the world in the last few years,
    indeed in the last few weeks. I saw the Foreign Minister of Israel here

    [[Page 1619]]

    and could not help remembering again the magic ceremony on the South
    Lawn of the White House 2 weeks ago today and the handshake that
    electrified the world.
        Seven months from today, black and white South Africans will join in
    casting their votes for a genuine multiracial democracy and a new future
    for that long-troubled land. New possibilities for peace and progress
    unfold almost daily. And the United Nations will clearly play a central
    role in confronting the challenges and seizing the opportunities of this
    new era.
        Eleanor Roosevelt, a First Lady of ours who once played a vital role
    in the birth of the United Nations, described the United Nations as a
    bridge, a bridge that could join different people despite their
    differences. Today, the traffic across that bridge is brisk and crowded
    indeed. As with our own Nation and Russia, peoples who once rarely met
    each other halfway, now increasingly join to walk across that bridge
    shoulder-to-shoulder, joined in common efforts to solve common problems.
        As this grand bridge reaches nearly half a century in age, we need
    to modernize and strengthen it, but let us not lose sight of how
    dramatically the view from that bridge has improved. We can see new
    possibilities for conflict resolution. We can look toward new
    breakthroughs and the efforts to make progress against humankind's
    oldest problems: poverty, hunger, and disease. We can envision an era of
    increasing peace.
        Those are the sights which have driven the U.N.'s vision since its
    creation. Today, I suggest that we all raise our glass in a toast to
    make those visions new and real.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:23 p.m. at the United Nations.