    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [November 16, 1996]
    [Pages 2126-2127]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 2126]]

    The President's Radio Address
    November 16, 1996

        Good morning. As I've said many times, America is the world's
    indispensable nation, the one the world looks to for leadership because
    of our strength and our values. This week I've taken two important
    decisions that are part of America's responsibilities in the world. The
    first is agreement, in principle, for our troops to take limited part in
    a mission to ease the suffering in Zaire. The second is approval, again
    in principle, for our troops to be part of a follow-on security presence
    in Bosnia. Today I want to tell you why our role in these missions
    matters.
        Two years ago, following genocide in Rwanda, more than a million
    Rwandan refugees fled for Zaire. Recently their plight has worsened as
    fighting among militant forces has driven them from their camps. Relief
    agencies have been unable to provide food and water. Disease is breaking
    out.
        As the world's most powerful nation, we cannot turn our back when so
    many people, especially so many innocent children, are at mortal risk.
    That is why, when Canada proposed to lead an international humanitarian
    force, I agreed that, under appropriate circumstances, America would
    participate. I've set out clear conditions for American participation to
    minimize risk and give our troops the best possible chance to make a
    difference.
        The mission's aim must be to speed delivery of humanitarian aid and
    to help refugees who want to go home. Our contribution will reflect our
    special capabilities, such as providing airport security and helping to
    airlift forces. We know the mission is not risk-free, but hundreds of
    thousands of people are in desperate need. This is the right thing to
    do.
        In Bosnia, because of our leadership, nearly 4 years of brutal war
    are over, and American troops, through the NATO-led force called IFOR,
    have helped to create conditions in which the Bosnians could start to
    rebuild. IFOR has completed its mission more successfully than anyone
    expected, ending the fighting, separating the forces, creating security
    for democratic elections. But these remarkable achievements on the
    military side have not been matched, despite all our efforts, by similar
    progress on the civilian side.
        Rebuilding the fabric of Bosnia's political and economic life is
    taking more time than anticipated. NATO has been studying options to
    help give the Bosnian people more time with a new security presence in
    Bosnia when IFOR withdraws. Having carefully reviewed these options, I
    have agreed that America should take part.
        Before making a commitment, I must be satisfied that the new mission
    is clear, is limited, and is achievable. Its focus should be preventing
    a renewal of fighting so that reconstruction and reconciliation can
    accelerate. That will require a strong but limited military presence in
    Bosnia, able to respond quickly and decisively to any cease-fire
    violations. This new mission will be more limited than IFOR, charged
    with maintaining the stability that IFOR created.
        Our military planners believe the mission will require less than
    half the troops our Nation contributed to IFOR, about 8,500. There will
    be an American commander and tough rules of engagement, and every 6
    months we will review whether stability can be upheld with fewer forces.
        By the end of 1997, we expect to draw down to a much smaller
    deterrent force, half the initial size. We will propose to our NATO
    allies that by June 1998 the mission's work should be done and the force
    should be able to withdraw.
        As Zaire and Bosnia remind us, differences among people can fuel the
    most vicious and violent hatreds. Whether these differences are ethnic,
    tribal, or religious, the result is tragedy and despair. In our own
    country, we have seen the price we all pay whenever discrimination and
    hatred occur. But we also know how much is possible when people find
    unity and strength in their diversity. The world looks to America as a
    living example of how people can triumph over hatred and fear and come
    together as one nation under God.
        This week, we lost a great American who taught us the importance of
    this lesson and whom people all over the world looked up to as the
    embodiment of the values that keep America strong, Cardinal Joseph
    Bernardin of

    [[Page 2127]]

    Chicago. As one of the most influential Roman Catholics in modern
    history, Cardinal Bernardin devoted himself to bringing out the best in
    humanity. He taught us that what unites us is more important than what
    divides us, that we can meet our challenges, but only by coming together
    across our differences. As he said shortly before he died, ``It is wrong
    to waste the precious gift of time given to us on acrimony and
    division.''
        This true man of God spent his entire life helping people to find
    their way to common ground. That was, in fact, the project he was most
    involved with when he died, the common-ground project to unite Catholics
    of different views. Hillary and I counted him as our friend, and we'll
    miss him very much.
        So let us all strive to find that common ground where all Americans
    can stand in dignity and help one another make the most of their dreams,
    and let us be ready to share our strength, when our values and our
    interests demand it, with others around the world who need a hand to
    help themselves to reach their dreams.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 1:02 p.m. on November 15 in the Oval
    Office at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on November 16.