[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 12 (Monday, March 25, 1996)]
[Pages 512-514]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

March 16, 1996

    Good morning. I have recently returned from an historic meeting in 
the Middle East. Twenty-nine leaders from the region and around the 
world came together in support of peace and against terrorism. Our 
summit was called to confront an urgent threat. Recent terrorist 
atrocities in Israel have taken scores of innocent lives, including 
those of two young Americans. They have jeopardized the hopes of 
Israelis and Palestinians who long for peace, and they menace the dreams 
of all the mothers and fathers there who seek a better life for their 
children.
    But the merchants of terror will not succeed. By their acts of 
violence they have only reinforced the determination of the peacemakers. 
Whatever the effort, whatever the time it takes, we will prevail because 
we must.
    The violence in Israel is a terrible reminder of the challenges we 
all face to protect the security of our Nation and our people. For while 
we live in an age of great possibility, we face new perils as well. Open 
societies and open markets are on the march. And the dawn of the 
information age is creating exciting new opportunities to build a 
brighter future. But as barriers fall the free- 

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dom and openness that make our Nation strong can also make us 
vulnerable. The freedom and openness that will bring Americans almost 3 
million new jobs in the next few years in telecommunications alone, 
spurred on by the telecommunications bill I signed just a few weeks ago, 
also mean that our democratic societies which have to be open to new 
people and products and information are also more vulnerable because 
they're open to threats that all too easily can cross national borders.
    Terrorism is a part of the growing web of threats that include the 
spread of weapons of mass destruction, drug trafficking, and organized 
crime. I have made our fight against terrorism a national security 
priority. And in order to defeat these forces of destruction, we need 
every tool at our disposal. The United States maintains strong sanctions 
on states that sponsor terrorism. We have stepped up cooperation with 
other nations to root out terrorists before they act and to capture them 
when they do. We have increased funding, manpower, and training for our 
law enforcement agencies to combat terrorism. And our efforts are 
yielding results.
    We made swift arrests after the attacks on the World Trade Center 
and Oklahoma City. Today those responsible for the World Trade Center 
bombing are behind bars. In the last 3 years the United States has 
arrested more terrorists than at any time in our history, plucking them 
from hiding all around the world and bringing them to justice for their 
crimes. This progress is dramatic, but we must do more.
    Yet on the same day I was in the Middle East rallying the world 
community to fight terrorism, some in Congress, led by Republicans, were 
taking apart piece by piece the tough legislation designed to beat back 
that very threat. More than a year ago I sent a bill to Congress that 
would strengthen our ability to investigate, prosecute, and punish 
terrorist activity. After the Oklahoma City bombing I made that 
legislation even stronger. My efforts were guided by three firm goals: 
first, to protect American lives without infringing on American rights; 
second, to give law enforcement officials the tools they need to do the 
job; and third, to make sure that terrorists are barred from our 
country.
    The congressional leaders promised to send me that bill by last 
Memorial Day, 6 weeks after the Oklahoma City tragedy. The Senate passed 
counterterrorism legislation last June. But now, less than 6 weeks 
before the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, the House has 
finally acted to gut the bill. The House took the teeth out of our 
efforts to fight terrorism. Unbelievably, the House voted to give law 
enforcement officials fewer tools to fight terrorism than they have to 
fight far less horrible crimes here at home.
    First, the bill had a provision to chemically mark the explosive 
materials terrorists use to build their deadly bombs. If we know where 
explosives come from, we have a better chance of figuring out who used 
them. The House voted to strip this law enforcement tool because for 
some reason the Washington gun lobby opposed it. The House and the 
Washington gun lobby are against giving law enforcement the ability to 
trace explosives. I know we should be able to keep up with materials 
terrorists use to build bombs.
    The House also voted to let terrorists like Hamas continue to raise 
money in America by stripping the Justice Department's authority to 
designate organizations as terrorist and thereby stop them from raising 
funds in the United States. The House voted against allowing us to 
deport foreigners who support terrorist activities more quickly, and it 
voted to cripple our ability to use high-tech surveillance to keep up 
with stealthy and fast-moving terrorists.
    At the same time the bill went easy on terrorists, it got tough on 
law enforcement officials. The House stripped a provision that would 
have helped protect police officers from cop-killer bullets. And it 
ordered a commission to study not the terrorists but the Federal law 
enforcement officials who put their lives on the line to fight 
terrorism. Even the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, 
Henry Hyde, couldn't believe what his colleagues did, saying the House 
eviscerated the terrorism bill. I urge the Senate to stand firm and turn 
this bill back into the strong antiterrorism legislation I want to sign 
and America needs.
    Our Nation has felt the lash of terrorism. We know its terrible 
costs, and we know that

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only America can lead the world's fight against it. We can't let the gun 
lobby turn America into a safe house for terrorists. Congress should get 
back on track and send me tough legislation that cracks down on 
terrorism. It should listen to the cries of the victims and the hopes of 
our children, not the back-alley whispers of the gun lobby.
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 5:08 p.m. on March 15 in the Roosevelt 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on March 16.