    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
    [October 29, 1994]
    [Pages 1903-1904]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Returning From the Middle East
    October 29, 1994

        Thank you very much, and good morning. Less than 24 hours ago, I
    stood with the brave men and women of our Armed Forces stationed at
    Tactical Assembly Area Liberty in the desert sands of Kuwait. I went
    there to express my pride and the pride I know all Americans share in
    the job our military is doing to protect our interests in the Persian
    Gulf.
        Our troops are living in difficult conditions. But I saw in their
    faces the pride they have in their work and the work of our coalition
    partners. And I can tell all Americans, their morale is high and they
    are prepared and ready to do their job, to do what they must to stand up
    for freedom. Anyone who doubts it should go and see what I saw in the
    sands of Kuwait.
        I also wish that all Americans could have been with me in the Wadi
    Araba, on the border between Israel and Jordan. There, in the middle of
    the Great Rift Valley, soldiers of the nations of Israel and Jordan
    reached across 47 years of hostility to shake hands in a true, genuine
    gesture of reconciliation, just as their leaders found the courage to
    sign a peace treaty, a crucial step on the road to a comprehensive peace
    in the Middle East.
        Israel and Jordan looked to America to help them to make peace. And
    they and other nations in the Middle East look to America as we travel
    the difficult road ahead, until we achieve peace throughout the Middle
    East. And as I said in every one of the six nations I visited, the
    United States will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those who
    seek the peace, with those who take risks for peace, with those who
    stand up for change in the face of terrorists and extremists who seek to
    destroy the peace by killing the innocent. They cannot, they must not,
    they will not succeed. They are the past; the peacemakers are the
    future.
        My trip to the Middle East is a reminder that we live in times when
    the spirit of America--our freedom, our vitality, our strength, our
    respect for others, our commitment to the fu-

    [[Page 1904]]

    ture--this is a driving force in the lives of millions and millions of
    peace-loving people all around the world. That is why we're trusted to
    support the people of the Middle East and the people from South Africa
    to Haiti to Northern Ireland to the former Soviet Union in their
    courageous efforts to escape the shackles of the past and realize their
    dreams for tomorrow.
        Our efforts in these places, of course, also advance our own
    interests, for their successes strengthen our security and promise us
    more prosperity in a world that daily grows more interdependent.
        As we support others in renewing themselves, we must continue the
    work of renewal here at home. For the source of our ability to lead
    beyond our borders is the strength of the American dream in the minds
    and hearts of our own people. In every community, every school, every
    workplace, we must deal with the changes and challenges, with the great
    problems and the much greater promise of the times in which we live. We
    must turn from the past and embrace the future, a future where ordinary
    Americans build strong families with good jobs and safe communities,
    served by a Government that neither interferes with our lives nor walks
    away from us but empowers us and challenges us to make the most of our
    God-given potential.
        That is exactly what we have begun to do here. We've made a start in
    putting Government on the side of ordinary Americans, creating jobs and
    stimulating growth, in building a world more secure, more free, more
    prosperous for ourselves and for our children.
        Like people all over the world who are drawing on our strength and
    our spirit to make their dreams real, we Americans must renew our own
    faith in the greatness and unlimited potential of our country. We must
    keep moving forward here at home with no thought of turning back. I have
    looked into the faces of millions of people elsewhere. I have seen how
    much they love our country, how much they share our dreams. We must do
    that as well.
        Thank you all for coming out this morning. It's been an exciting
    trip, but it's great to be home.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:08 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White
    House.