    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [September 14, 1996]
    [Pages 1566-1567]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    September 14, 1996

        Good morning. Today I know the thoughts and prayers of every
    American are with our men and women in uniform serving in the Persian
    Gulf, standing up for America's interests. I want to speak with you
    about why 10 days ago I ordered our Armed Forces to strike Iraq, what we
    have accomplished, and where we go from here.
        America's vital interests in the Persian Gulf are constant and
    clear: to help protect our friends in the region against aggression, to
    work with others in the fight against terrorism, to preserve the free
    flow of oil, and to build support for a comprehensive Middle East peace.
    Any group or nation that threatens the stability of the region threatens
    those interests.
        For the past 5 years, Saddam Hussein has repeatedly threatened the
    stability of the Persian Gulf and our allies Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
    Time and again, he has lashed out recklessly against his neighbors and
    against his own people. America's policy has been to contain Saddam, to
    reduce the threat he poses to the region, and to do it in a way that
    makes him

    [[Page 1567]]

    pay a price when he acts recklessly. That is why when Saddam sent his
    troops into the Kurdish city of Irbil in northern Iraq 2 weeks ago, we
    responded strongly, immediately, and strategically.
        If we had failed to answer Saddam's provocation, he would have been
    emboldened to act even more recklessly and in a manner more dangerous to
    our interests. That is why we did respond and why we did so in a way
    that made our interests more secure. We acted in southern Iraq, where
    our interests are the most vital and where we had the capacity to
    increase the international community's ability to deter aggression by
    Saddam against his neighbors.
        I ordered the attacks in order to extend the no-fly zone in Iraq,
    the air space through which Iraq's military is not allowed to fly. Now
    we control the skies over Iraq from the border of Kuwait to the southern
    suburbs of Baghdad. This action tightened the strategic straitjacket on
    Saddam, making it harder for him to threaten Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and
    easier for us to stop him if he does. In so doing, we advanced America's
    fundamental interests in the region.
        Of course, our interests also must include protecting the safety of
    our own pilots who are patrolling the expanded no-fly zone. That is why
    our cruise missiles struck the bulk of Saddam's air defense system in
    southern Iraq. The United States will take whatever steps are necessary
    to protect our pilots as they enforce the expanded no-fly zone and to
    defend our strategic interests. I have ordered sufficient forces to the
    region to give us that capability.
        On another note, let me say that I deeply regret the very week our
    Armed Forces advanced America's interests halfway around the world, here
    at home, the Senate missed an historic opportunity to make our soldiers
    and citizens safer by failing to vote on the Chemical Weapons
    Convention. The fact that our troops are facing off against Saddam
    Hussein, who once amassed stockpiles of chemical weapons and still seeks
    to develop them, should have underscored the importance of this treaty.
    But the treaty seems to have gotten caught up in election-year
    politicking.
        It's been nearly 4 years since the Bush administration signed the
    Chemical Weapons Convention and 3 years since I submitted it to the
    Congress. We've been at this a long time, and I have no intention of
    letting this treaty die. Our military supports it; leaders of our
    Nation's foreign policy, both Democrats and Republicans, including
    President Bush, General Colin Powell, and Senator Dick Lugar, support
    it.
        We all agree that we should be sending a strong message as a united
    country that America will do its part to banish poison gas from the
    Earth. And meanwhile, we must do everything we can to protect our
    soldiers and to keep such weapons out of the hands of terrorists. The
    Chemical Weapons Convention will clearly help us to do that.
        So I want the American people to know that I will work with the
    Senate to pass the Chemical Weapons Convention when a calmer political
    climate prevails. We cannot afford to play partisan politics with
    America's security. Our troops who are doing such an outstanding job in
    the Gulf and all around the world and all the American people deserve
    better than that.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 9:25 p.m. on September 13 in the Map
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on September 14.