    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [April 30, 1998]
    [Page 653]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Senate Ratification of the Protocols of Accession to NATO
    for Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic
    April 30, 1998

        I am delighted that the Senate voted by an overwhelming margin to
    admit Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic into NATO. This vote is a
    major milestone on the road to an undivided, democratic, and peaceful
    Europe. The addition of these three democracies to our alliance will
    strengthen NATO, expand the zone of stability in Europe and reduce the
    chances American men and women will ever again be called into Europe's
    fields of battle. The message this vote sends is clear: American support
    for NATO is firm; our leadership for security on both sides of the
    Atlantic is strong; and there is a solid, bipartisan foundation for an
    active U.S. role in the world.
        I want to pay tribute to the indispensable efforts of the many
    leaders from both parties who brought us to this day, starting with
    Majority Leader Lott and Minority Leader
    Daschle. This vote stands in the tradition
    of Harry Truman, George Marshall, and Arthur Vandenberg and the other
    giants who kept America engaged in the world after World War II and were
    present at NATO's creation. Their lesson then is our lesson tonight--
    that our strength lies in a foreign policy guided by the interests and
    values that unite us as Americans.