[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.