[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 49 (Monday, December 12, 1994)]
[Pages 2465-2466]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to the American Community in Budapest

December 5, 1994

    Thank you, Ambassador Blinken and Mrs. Blinken, ladies and 
gentlemen, and boys and girls, and people associated with the American 
Embassy, with our CSCE delegation, to the Peace Corps volunteers, the 
American-Hungarian Chamber of Commerce members who are here.
    I am delighted to be here on this all-too-brief trip. I'd like to 
point out some of the people who came with me: Our Ambassador to the 
United Nations, Madeleine Albright, is here; and from the United States 
Congress, Senator Dennis DeConcini from Arizona, Congressman Steny Hoyer 
from Maryland, and Congressman and Mrs. Tom Lantos from Hungary--and 
California.
    This is a very important trip for the United States because I came 
here to reaffirm our Nation's commitment to a secure and united Europe. 
As the Ambassador said, we put the START I nuclear reduction treaty into 
effect today, and Ukraine has joined Belarus and Kazakhstan in acceding 
to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. We strengthened the CSCE to help to 
prevent ethnic and regional conflicts. So as a result of what has 
happened today, this world is a safer place.
    The START I treaty alone will permit us to reduce the nuclear 
arsenals of the United States and the former Soviet Union countries by 
9,000 nuclear warheads, to destroy delivery systems with the best 
verification systems ever. It will permit us to now start work on START 
II, which will cut our arsenals by another 5,000 warheads. This means 
that when we finish this work, we will have reduced the nuclear arsenals 
of the world by more than two-thirds over their cold war height. That's 
good news for the children in this audience and for the rest of us as 
well.
    One of the things that we have got to do now is to keep working 
until we achieve next year an indefinite extension of the Non-
Proliferation Treaty, so that we can continue to keep down the risks of 
the development of nuclear weapons, especially in an era in which the 
biggest problem may be the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction 
to heretofore unusual and unconventional hands.
    I'd like to say a brief word about this CSCE meeting. The United 
States believes the CSCE has a vital role to play in promoting democracy 
and diminishing conflict throughout Europe. We believe it can help

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nations work together to bring democracy and prosperity to their peoples 
and to continue our effort of promoting European unity.
    Our host, Hungary, like its democratic neighbors, is making steady 
and strong progress toward full integration into Europe. I believe it 
can and will complete its transformation to a free market. I believe its 
commitment to playing an important, responsible role in the new Europe 
is good news for all of us.
    Last January, almost a year ago, I went to Brussels and then on to 
Prague and on to Russia to begin the work of building a new and united 
Europe. In the nearly one year since, I have come back to this continent 
three times to work toward that goal.
    From our initiatives to open and to expand NATO, to reducing the 
threat of nuclear weapons, to making trade more free and fair, to 
building up institutions like the CSCE, to working toward preventing 
conflicts before they get out of hand, through all these efforts, this 
European Continent is becoming more secure, more prosperous, and more 
united.
    Yes, there are problems, and there always will be as long as human 
beings populate the globe. But we are clearly moving in the right 
direction, and that is good for the United States.
    As I close, let me say a special word of thanks to the American 
missions in Hungary and to the CSCE staff. I didn't want to leave 
Budapest without having a chance just to tell you how much we appreciate 
your service, your sacrifice at a time of very great challenge. I also 
thank the Peace Corps volunteers for their important contributions. They 
represent the best of our country around the world. I'm very proud of 
all of you. I thank you for the warm welcome today. I wish I had longer 
to stay, but this is a wonderful way to end the trip.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 2:45 p.m. at Hangar LRI-1 at Ferihegi 
Airport. In his remarks, he referred to Donald M. Blinken, U.S. 
Ambassador to Hungary, and his wife, Vera; and Annette Lantos, wife of 
Representative Tom Lantos.