[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.