    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [November 14, 1997]
    [Pages 1560-1561]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Signing Ceremony for the Organization of American States
    Hemispheric Arms Trafficking Convention
    November 14, 1997

        Thank you very much, Mr. Gurria, Secretary General Gaviria,
    President Zedillo, distinguished permanent representatives of the
    Organization of American States, to all my fellow Americans who are
    here, and especially to two Members of our Congress, Senator Dodd and
    Congressman Gilman.
        Today our 34 democracies are speaking with one voice, acting with
    one conviction, leading toward one goal, to stem the flow of illegal
    guns, ammunitions, and explosives in our hemisphere. Three years ago at
    the United Nations, the United States called on others to work with us
    to shut down the gray markets that outfit terrorists, drug traffickers,
    and criminals with guns.
        Here at home we have prohibited arms dealers from acting as
    middlemen for illicit sales overseas, strengthened residency
    requirements for gun purchasers, banned foreign visitors from buying
    guns here in the United States, tightened export licenses to make sure
    that legally exported weapons are not diverted to illegal uses. But in
    an era where our borders are all more open to the flow of legitimate
    commerce, problems like trafficking in weapons and explosives simply
    cannot be solved by one nation alone.
        Last May in Mexico, President Zedillo and I pledged to work together
    for a hemispherewide agreement to curb the illegal arms trade. I thank
    President Zedillo for Mexico's leadership. Mr. Secretary General, I
    thank you and the OAS member states for concluding this agreement in
    record time. We understand the magnitude of the problem. In the last
    year alone, thousands of handguns and rifles, hundreds of thousands of
    rounds of ammunition destined for illegal export have been seized in our
    nations.
        The illegal export of firearms is indeed not just a hemispheric but
    a worldwide problem and demands an international response. Last year,
    the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms received
    approximately 30,000 requests just from OAS member states to trace
    weapons used in crimes. Gun trafficking is an issue of national security
    for all of us and a matter of neighborhood security for the Americas.
        This convention will neither discourage nor diminish the lawful
    sale, ownership, or use of

    [[Page 1561]]

    guns, but it will help us to fight the unlawful trade in guns that
    contributes to the violence associated here in America with drugs and
    gangs.
        If we want also here in America to see the powerful trend of
    democracy and free markets and peace in our hemisphere continue, we must
    also help our neighbors to fight the illegal trade in guns so that the
    foundations of democracies will not be eroded by violent crime and
    corruption.
        Now, this convention mandates four key steps to achieve our common
    goals:
        First, it requires countries to establish and maintain a strong
    system of export, import, and international transit licenses for arms,
    ammunitions, and explosives to make sure that weapons won't move without
    explicit permission from all the countries concerned.
        Second, other nations will join us in putting markings on firearms,
    not only when they're made but also when they're imported. If guns are
    diverted from legal purposes, we will then be better able to trace their
    path and find out exactly when and how they got into the wrong hands.
        Third, nations will adopt laws that criminalize illicit arms
    production and sales as we have already done, so that those who seek to
    profit from illegal trade in guns know they will pay a stiff penalty in
    jail.
        Fourth, we will step up every level of information sharing from
    common routes used by arms traffickers to ways that smugglers are
    concealing their guns and tips on how to detect them. If we work
    together, we can put the black market in weapons out of business.
        Let me say in a larger sense to all of you that this agreement
    underscores the new spirit of the Americas and the new dynamism of this
    organization. The mood of the negotiations was not one of recrimination
    but of cooperation on behalf of a common goal. We need more of that. Our
    hemisphere is setting a new standard for the world in taking on global
    challenges, last year with our pathbreaking convention against
    corruption, today with this arms trafficking agreement. Together, we're
    showing the way of the 21st century world: democratic partners working
    together to improve the prosperity and security of all their people.
        I'm especially pleased to be joined today, and to join you today,
    with President Zedillo. The United States and Mexico are working hard to
    forge a true partnership founded on mutual respect, a partnership as
    broad as our border is long. We see it taking shape in the creation of
    NAFTA, in our common commitment to the firearms convention, in our
    alliance against drug-trafficking, in our work with other American
    nations to increase multilateral cooperation and strengthen our
    hemispheric institutions to combat the scourge of drugs.
        Over the last 2 days, the United States and Mexico have reached an
    agreement on extradition that will allow cross-border criminals to be
    tried in both countries while the evidence is still fresh. We've pledged
    to build a new Rio Grande bridge to help link our people together. We've
    taken an important step to fully demarcate our common border and agreed
    to promote environmental commercial cooperation. We've agreed also to
    work together to combat climate change, because developed and developing
    countries must reduce greenhouse gas emissions, together, that are
    warming the atmosphere.
        Witnessing the signing of this important convention, I am especially
    proud of the renewed vitality of the OAS and the renewed deep
    cooperation between the United States and Mexico. It can make a
    difference for our entire community of nations, to build a better, safer
    future for all our people.
        And now I'd like to ask you to join me in welcoming our good friend
    President Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:32 p.m. in the Hall of the Americas at
    the Organization of American States. In his remarks, he referred to Jose
    Angel Gurria, Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs; and Cesar Gaviria,
    Secretary General, Organization of American States.