[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 5 (Monday, February 5, 1996)]
[Pages 137-138]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Welcoming President Jacques Chirac of France

February 1, 1996

    President and Mrs. Chirac, members of the French delegation, to all 
the distinguished guests here, French and American alike, at the White 
House today, on behalf of the American people, it is my pleasure to 
welcome back to Washington the leader of a great nation and a great 
people, President Jacques Chirac.
    Let me begin by saying that I know I speak for all Americans when I 
express our condolences to the people of France on the loss of our 
friend, President Mitterrand, a leader and statesman whose half-century 
of public service made a vast contribution to France and to the world.
    The friendship we celebrate today, the friendship we strengthen 
today, was forged in the very infancy of the United States. Two hundred 
and eighteen years ago this very week, our nations signed a treaty of 
alliance.
    Today, our partnership and the ideals at its core, life, liberty, 
and the pursuit of happiness--liberte, egalite, fraternite--are making a 
difference to people all around the world. From the Persian Gulf to 
Haiti, from Burundi to Bosnia, France and America, side by side, 
standing for democracy, for progress, and for peace.
    France was America's very first ally. Today, after all these years, 
France remains among our best allies and best friends. Now, at the dawn 
of a bright new century, we must build on our legacy of leadership. To 
expand opportunity for people within our borders, our vision and our 
strength must extend beyond our borders. We must unite our people around 
the promise of peace, as our predecessors joined against the peril of 
war, and that is what we mean to do.
    Together, we are raising the flag of an undivided Europe, where the 
language of democracy is spoken in every land. We are supporting the 
spread of strong market economies across the entire continent. We are 
transforming NATO to meet new challenges and opening its door to new 
members. And I welcome France's historic decision to participate once 
again in NATO's defense councils.
    Together, we are helping Bosnia find its way from war and 
devastation to peace and reconstruction. I salute France, its 
humanitarian organizations and especially its soldiers for the 
tremendous sacrifices they have made to help the Bosnian people. The 
United States is proud to work with you to help the peace take hold and 
endure.
    Together, we are leading the fight against the forces of 
destruction--the terrorists, the organized criminals, the drug 
traffickers--the forces that threaten our children, our communities, and 
our future.
    Together, we are bringing the great institutions of global 
cooperation into the 21st century, from renewing the United Nations to 
revitalizing the G-7, which France will host in Lyons later this year. 
France and America are partners for progress.
    Mr. President, in your inaugural address, you declared: ``France is 
an old country. But it is also a young and enthusiastic nation, ready to 
give its best as long as it has shown a horizon instead of walls.'' So 
let our two

[[Page 138]]

nations and our two great peoples march toward the future together, 
shaping those new horizons of hope and opportunity for France, for 
America and for the world.

Note: The President spoke at 10:47 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Bernadette Chirac, wife of 
President Chirac.