    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [April 1, 1998]
    [Pages 482-483]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to Senegalese Troops Trained for the African Crisis Response
    Initiative in Thies, Senegal
    April 1, 1998

        President Diouf, distinguished leaders of
    Senegal and the United States, members of the Senegalese and American
    Armed Forces, ladies and gentlemen. We have just seen a training
    exercise involving dedicated soldiers from our two nations, part of the
    African Crisis Response Initiative.
        I'd like to thank the Senegalese soldiers and the United States
    Armed Forces. I'd like to especially thank the distinguished officers
    who briefed us, Lieutenant Colonel Diallo
    and Major Erckenbrack. And I'd also
    like to express my appreciation to the other Senegalese soldiers and
    gendarmes who were standing there who have served with multinational
    peacekeeping forces in Haiti and Bosnia, Africa and the Middle East.
        Senegal is respected around the world for its tradition of
    peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts. You are a leader among the more
    than 15 African countries that regularly contribute troops to United
    Nations peacekeeping missions. I thank Senegalese troops for their
    commitment to peace, and I thank our American troops for your work here.
        Africa and America have a great stake in the success of the soldiers
    like those President Diouf and I have seen here
    today. Where bullets and bombs prevent children from going to school and
    parents from going to work, amid chaos and ruin, these soldiers and
    other like them can bring security, hope, and a future.
        Terrible violence continues to plague our world, and Africa has seen
    some of the worst. In some cases, children, often against their will,
    have stood on the frontlines of armies as cannon fodder for the
    ambitions of others. A few days ago, I met in Rwanda with some of the
    survivors of the 1994 genocide there. As I said to them, let me say
    again: We must find better ways to prevent such horrors from occurring.
        While peace has started to take hold in many nations that once knew
    only violence--Ethiopia, Mozambique, Angola, Liberia, and elsewhere--
    tensions linger in some of these nations, and

    [[Page 483]]

    violence continues in others, like Burundi, Somalia, and Sudan. Buried
    landmines prevent children from walking in safety in too many African
    countries. Millions of refugees still remain driven from their homes. In
    the debris of war, poverty and disease thrive.
        The international community needs new tools to keep the peace in
    volatile areas and cope with humanitarian crises. The African Crisis
    Response Initiative program, which President Diouf and I have seen in action here today, provides
    peacekeeping training and nonlethal equipment to African soldiers, with
    the goal of helping African nations to prepare their military units, led
    by African commanders, to respond quickly and effectively to
    humanitarian and peacekeeping challenges in Africa and around the world.
        Senegal was one of the first nations to support the African Crisis
    Response Initiative, and along with Uganda, the first to participate in
    its training exercises. Mali and Malawi participated soon after. We are
    about to begin an exercise with Ghanaian troops, along with Belgian
    soldiers. Later this year, we will conduct exercises with Ethiopia, and
    we look forward to other countries participating soon.
        Our purpose is not to dominate security matters in Africa or to
    abandon America's role in Africa's security but, instead, to build on
    existing efforts, including those of African nations, the Organization
    for African Unity, the United Nations, France, Britain, and others, to
    strengthen the capacity for preserving peace here. With our African
    partners we will also establish a center for security studies in Africa,
    modeled on the Marshall Center in Germany, to provide programs for
    civilian and military leaders on defense policy planning and the role of
    militaries in democratic societies.
        America will continue to be involved on this continent as long as
    African nations desire our assistance and our partnership in building a
    safer future.
        Mr. President, I want to thank you and your
    military leaders for being such partners. And I would like to thank the
    members of the American military, and one in particular,
    General Jamerson, for his efforts,
    relentless over the past couple of years, to build closer ties between
    African militaries and our own.
        To meet the threats to peace and freedom we will face in the 21st
    century, we must strengthen our resolve in the face of hatred and
    violence. We must tell the aggressors and those who tear societies
    apart, ``You will not prevail.'' We must prove that the peacemakers are
    getting stronger. And above all, we must demonstrate that the
    peacemakers are working together.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:45 p.m. at Thies Military Base. In his
    remarks, he referred to Lt. Col. Abdoulaye Diallo, Senegalese commander,
    African Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI); Maj. Adrian E. Erckenbrack,
    USA, Commander, Operational Detachment Bravo; and Gen. James L.
    Jamerson, USAF, Deputy Commander in Chief, European Command.