[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
[October 16, 1994]
[Pages 1782-1783]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the Return of the United States Delegation to Haiti
October 16, 1994

    Good afternoon. Secretary Christopher, Mr. Gray, distinguished 
members of Congress, and members of the delegation who went to Haiti. 
Let me welcome you back to the United States from your historic trip. We 
are here today to continue this remarkable celebration of freedom over 
fear that all of you witnessed yesterday in Port-au-Prince and here to 
look ahead to the hard work the people of Haiti now have to do in order 
to rebuild their nation.
    But first let me say a few words about the situation this morning in 
the Persian Gulf. I was pleased that the United Nations Security Council 
yesterday passed a very strong resolution and unanimously condemned the 
recent provocative actions by Iraq near its border with Kuwait. The 
Security Council resolution makes clear that the international community 
will not allow Iraq to threaten its neighbors or to intimidate the 
United Nations as it ensures that Iraq does not again possess weapons of 
mass destruction.
    The message is clear: Iraq must complete its withdrawal. It must not 
threaten its neighbors in the future. It must comply with all relevant 
Security Council resolutions. The troops, ships, and attack aircraft I 
have ordered to the Gulf area will continue to remain there until the 
crisis passes.
    As our troops in the Gulf are helping to enforce the will of the 
international community, our young men and women in uniform in Haiti are 
doing so as well. And as all of you saw yesterday, they're doing so in a 
brilliant fashion. When we sent our armed forces to Haiti just 4 weeks 
ago, their mission was to pave the way for President Aristide's return. 
Yesterday that mission was completed, as the President returned home in 
joyous atmosphere that we all watched so happily from here. Now Haiti is 
a nation where violence is down and the Parliament is back, a nation 
where men and women freely chosen by the Haitian people are once again 
leading their country, where a long night of fear is giving way to a new 
day of promise.
    A few moments ago, I was briefed by Secretary Christopher and Bill 
Gray on yesterday's events. I asked a lot of questions about what 
happened and what would happen in the future. But let me just say, 
yesterday I was moved--as I know all of you were, even more moved being 
there on the ground--by the incredible

[[Page 1783]]

sight of President Aristide addressing the people from the Presidential 
Palace and saying again and again, ``No to violence, no to retribution, 
yes to peace, yes to reconciliation.''
    We know there is a long road ahead, that dangers still remain. Now 
that the democratic government has been restored, it must be nourished, 
and the country must be rebuilt. Many nations around the world are 
already pledging to do their part, starting with a $550 million 
reconstruction and recovery fund to provide humanitarian relief, 
development assistance, and support for democratic institutions. The 
United States will work with these countries, with the international 
financial institutions, with private organizations, all together, over 
the next several months to make sure this work succeeds.
    In the end, of course, only the people of Haiti can rebuild their 
country. They have waited a long time for the chance to do so. Now, 
thanks to the efforts of the men and women of our Armed Forces, those of 
our coalition partners, and the supporters of freedom, they are being 
given the chance to do it.
    Several of you have commented on the freshly painted signs you 
noticed in Port-au-Prince. I understand that the most popular one had 
three words: ``Thank you, America.'' So let me conclude by saying a few 
thank-yous. Thank you to all of you who worked so long and hard to help 
to put Haiti back on the track to democracy. As he ends his mission, let 
me say a special word of thanks to Bill Gray, who at a critical time 
brought energy, focus, credibility, and great skill to this task. Thank 
you, sir. Thank you to the men and women of our Armed Forces and their 
families, from General Shelton to every last enlisted man and woman who 
are there. All of them are the power behind our diplomacy. Thank you to 
the nations from our hemisphere who have worked with us and those beyond 
our hemisphere who have worked with us on this project. Thank you to the 
people of our country who time and again have been willing to stand up 
for others because it is the right thing to do. And finally, thank you 
to President Aristide and the freedom-loving people of Haiti who never 
gave in to despair and who today stand in the warm, bright sunshine of 
freedom. Thank you all.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 12:10 p.m. at the North Portico of the West 
Wing at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Special Adviser 
on Haiti William H. Gray III.