    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [May 16, 1996]
    [Pages 754-756]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Antipersonnel Landmines Initiative
    May 16, 1996

    Death of Admiral Jeremy M. Boorda

        The President. Thank you very much. Please sit down. I want to thank
    the members of the veterans organizations who are here. General Jones,
    thank you for your presence. All the members of the administration and,
    especially, I'd like to thank Secretary Perry and the Joint Chiefs who
    are here, not only for their presence and their help on this policy but
    for their determination to go forward with this announcement on this
    very difficult afternoon for all of us.
        I want to begin with a word about Admiral Mike Boorda, our Chief of
    Naval Operations, who died this afternoon. His death is a great loss,
    not just for the Navy and our Armed Forces but for our entire country.
    Mike Boorda was the very first enlisted man in the history of our
    country to rise to become Chief of Naval Operations. He brought
    extraordinary energy and dedication and good humor to every post he held
    in a long and distinguished career. From Southeast Asia to Europe, he
    devoted his life to serving our Nation.
        I am personally grateful for the central role he played in planning
    our mission in Bosnia, both when he commanded our forces in southeastern
    Europe and later when he came here to Washington. He was known for his
    professionalism and skill. But what distinguished him above all else was
    his unwavering concern for the welfare of the men and women who serve
    the United States in our Navy. We will all remember him for that, and
    much else.
        Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, to his wife, Bettie,
    and his children, David, Edward, Anna, and Robert. And I'd like to ask
    everyone to just join me now in a moment of silence in memory of Admiral
    Mike Boorda.

    [At this point, a moment of silence was observed.]

        The President. Amen.

    Antipersonnel Landmines

        Today I am launching an international effort to ban antipersonnel
    landmines. For decades the world has been struck with horror at the
    devastations that landmines cause. Boys and girls at play, farmers
    tending their fields, ordinary travelers--in all, more than 25,000
    people a year are maimed or killed by mines left behind when wars ended.
    We must act so that the children of the world can walk without fear on
    the earth beneath them.

    [[Page 755]]

        To end this carnage, the United States will seek a worldwide
    agreement as soon as possible to end the use of all antipersonnel
    landmines. The United States will lead a global effort to eliminate
    these terrible weapons and to stop the enormous loss of human life. The
    steps I announced today build on the work we have done to clear mines in
    14 nations, from Bosnia to Afghanistan, from Cambodia to Namibia. They
    build as well on the export moratorium on landmines we have observed for
    4 years, an effort that, thankfully, 32 other nations have joined.
        To pursue our goal of a worldwide ban, today I order several
    unilateral actions. First, I am directing that effective immediately,
    our Armed Forces discontinue the use of all so-called dumb antipersonnel
    mines, those which remain active until detonated or cleared. The only
    exception will be for those mines required to defend our American troops
    and our allies from aggression on the Korean Peninsula and those needed
    for training purposes. The rest of these mines, more than 4 million in
    all, will be removed from our arsenals and destroyed by 1999. Just as
    the world has a responsibility to see to it that a child in Cambodia can
    walk to school in safety, as Commander in Chief, my responsibility is
    also to safeguard the safety, the lives of our men and women in uniform.
    Because of the continued and unique threat of aggression in the Korean
    Peninsula, I have therefore decided that in any negotiations on a ban,
    the United States will and must protect our rights to use the mines
    there. We will do so until the threat is ended or until alternatives to
    landmines become available.
        Until an international ban takes effect, the United States will
    reserve the right to use so-called smart mines or self-destructing mines
    as necessary, because there may be battlefield situations in which these
    will save lives of our soldiers.
        Let me emphasize, these smart mines are not the hidden killers that
    have caused so much suffering around the world. They meet standards set
    by international agreement. They destroy themselves within days, and
    they pose virtually no threat to civilian life once a battle is over.
    But under the comprehensive international ban we seek, use of even these
    smart antipersonnel mines would also be ended.
        We're determined that lands around the world will never again be
    sown with terror. That is why I will propose a resolution at the 51st
    United Nations General Assembly this fall, urging the nations of the
    world to support a worldwide ban on landmines. I have instructed
    Ambassador Albright to begin work now on this resolution.
        Third, while the exceptions I have mentioned are necessary to
    protect American lives, I am determined to end our reliance on these
    weapons completely. Therefore I am directing the Secretary of Defense to
    begin work immediately on research and development of alternative
    technologies that will not pose new dangers to civilians.
        Fourth, as we move forward to prevent the minefields of the future,
    we must also strengthen the efforts to clear those that still exist
    today. At this moment, unbelievably, some 100 million mines still lie
    just beneath the earth in Europe, in Asia, in Africa, and in Central
    America. To help end the anguish they cause, the Department of Defense
    will expand its efforts to develop better mine detection and mine-
    clearing technology for use in the many countries that are still plagued
    by mines. We will also strengthen our programs for training and
    assisting other nations as they strive to rid their territory of these
    devices. For these efforts, as well as those to develop alternatives to
    antipersonnel mines, we will assure sufficient funding. I will
    personally work with Congress on this issue.
        Many have worked to bring us to this moment. I especially want to
    say a word of thanks to Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont. Although I
    know he has differences with our approach, his dedication and his moral
    leadership on this issue have played a vital role in alerting the
    conscience of our Nation to the suffering that landmines cause. I also
    want to thank the many nongovernmental organizations that have worked so
    hard to put this issue at the top of the international agenda.
        As we turn to the task of achieving a worldwide ban, we must work
    together, and we will be successful. Let me say, again, I greatly
    appreciate the time and the energy that General Shalikashvili and the
    Joint Chiefs have devoted to this important issue over the last few
    months. It may take years before all the peoples of the world feel safe
    as they tread upon the Earth, but we are speeding the arrival of that
    day with the decisions announced today. I will do everything I can to
    implement them all, including the international agreement to ban all
    antipersonnel mines, as quickly as possible.

    [[Page 756]]

        Now, I think it is important to turn the microphone over, first to
    Secretary Christopher and then Secretary Perry, to finish the
    presentation.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:27 p.m. in Room 450 of the Old Executive
    Office Building. In his remarks, he referred to Gen. David Jones, USAF
    (Ret.), former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The related
    proclamation of May 17 on the death of Adm. Jeremy M. Boorda is listed
    in Appendix D at the end of this volume.