[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
[April 20, 1996]
[Pages 602-604]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
April 20, 1996

    Good morning. Today I speak to you from Russia, the final stop in a 
journey that has focused on my first priority as President: increasing 
the security and safety of the American people. Today, though the cold 
war is over, serious challenges to our security remain. In fact, the 
very forces that have unlocked so much potential for progress--new 
technologies, borders more open to ideas and services and goods and 
money and travelers, instant global communications,

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and instant access to unlimited amounts of important information all 
across the world--these very forces have also made it easier for the 
forces of destruction to endanger innocent lives in all countries.
    Because so many threats to America's security are global in scope 
and because no nation is immune to them, we simply must work with other 
nations more closely than ever to fight them. Whether the threat is the 
aggression of rogue states or the spread of weapons of mass destruction 
or organized crime or drug trafficking or terrorism, no nation can 
defeat it alone. But together we can deal with these problems and we can 
make America more secure. That's what I have worked hard to do this 
week.
    In Korea, President Kim and I proposed a new initiative to promote 
peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, where 37,000 American 
troops stand watch on the last cold war frontier. In the last 3 years we 
have dramatically reduced North Korea's nuclear threat. Now the four-
party peace process we call for among North and South Korea, China, and 
the United States can lead to a permanent peace. We hope and we expect 
that North Korea will take it seriously.
    In Japan, Prime Minister Hashimoto and I signed a Joint Security 
Declaration adapted to the 21st century, after a year of very hard work. 
It strengthens the commitment of the world's two largest economies to 
work together to maintain peace in the Asia-Pacific region, a region 
that buys one-half of America's exports and supports over 3 million 
American jobs.
    Here in Moscow, I am working with other world leaders in a summit to 
improve nuclear safety, protect the environment and public health 
against nuclear accidents, and prevent nuclear materials from falling 
into the wrong hands. Again, in the last 3 years we've done a great deal 
to reduce the number of nuclear weapons, the number of countries holding 
nuclear weapons; and there are no nuclear weapons pointed at the 
American people anymore. Still, there is a great deal of work to be 
done. We need a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty, greater 
protections against environmental and public health damage, and we have 
to do even more to ensure the security of the nuclear materials that are 
out there now.
    Just as we work with our friends and allies to protect the security 
of our people, we also must do our part at home, making sure that we're 
as well-prepared as possible to do what needs to be done to combat the 
forces of destruction, whether they are homegrown or whether they come 
from beyond our borders. This is especially true of our efforts against 
terrorism. That's why I'm very pleased that Congress has agreed to give 
the American law enforcement people important new tools to fight 
terrorism.
    Yesterday was the first anniversary of the bombing in Oklahoma City. 
We owe it to the fine Americans who were killed there, those who were 
wounded, and their families to do all we can to fight terrorism. Last 
year I sent Congress a bill to strengthen law enforcement's ability to 
protect Americans from terrorism. Right after the Oklahoma City bombing 
I strengthened the proposals, and congressional leaders promised swift 
passage of the legislation. This past Thursday, Congress passed the 
antiterrorism bill at last. Now, my fellow Americans, there will be no 
more delay. I will sign this bill into law early next week, and by 
Wednesday, law enforcement will have new tools to crack down, track 
down, and shut down terrorists.
    Even though I'm pleased with what Congress, both Republicans and 
Democrats together, did, I am disappointed that some of my proposals 
were left out of the bill. I believe we should help police keep 
suspected terrorists under surveillance. I believe we should give law 
enforcement more time to investigate and prosecute terrorists who use 
machineguns, sawed-off shotguns, and explosive devices. These and other 
important antiterrorism measures were left on the cutting-room floor.
    But this bill still makes important progress. It will make it easier 
for police to trace bombs to criminals who made them by requiring 
chemical taggants in some explosive materials. It will make it much 
harder for terrorists to raise the money they need to fund their crimes. 
It may not go as far as I would like, but it does strike a real blow 
against terrorism, and I will be happy to sign it.
    From Egypt to England, from the Tokyo subway to the World Trade 
Center, from the heart of Jerusalem to America's heartland, terrorism 
ignores borders and strikes without discrimination. As we recognize 
crime victims everywhere this National Crime Victims' Rights Week, we 
must vow never to relent against these forces of destruction.

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    By working with other nations, we can put terrorists on the 
defensive and make the world a safer place. And by working together at 
home, we will keep America strong and secure as we move into the new 
century.
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 11 p.m. on April 19 at the Radisson 
Slavjanskaya Hotel in Moscow for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on April 20. 
The National Crime Victims' Rights Week proclamation of April 19 is 
listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.