[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 5 (Monday, February 3, 1997)]
[Pages 111-112]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Preface to the Report Entitled ``Support for a Democratic Transition in 
Cuba''

January 28, 1997

    The promotion of democracy abroad is one of the primary foreign 
policy objectives of my Administration. These efforts reflect our ideals 
and reinforce our interests--preserving America's security and enhancing 
our prosperity. Democracies are less likely to go to war with one 
another or to abuse the rights of their peoples. They make for better 
trading partners. And each one is a potential ally in the struggle 
against the forces of hatred and intolerance, whether rogue nations, 
those who foment ethnic and religious hatred, or terrorists who traffic 
in weapons of mass destruction.
    Today, freedom's reach is broader than ever. For the first time in 
history, two thirds of all nations have governments elected by their own 
people. As newly democratic nations have left the dark years of 
authoritarian government behind, millions of their citizens around the 
world have begun to experience the political and economic freedoms that 
they were so long and so wrongfully denied.
    Creating open societies and democratic institutions and building 
free markets are major tasks that call for courage and commitment. To 
face these challenges, many democratizing and newly democratic 
governments have turned to developed democratic nations and 
international institutions for assistance and support. The United States 
has been at the forefront of these efforts, lending help in numerous 
areas in which we have long experience--for example, building democratic 
institutions and the institutions of a market economy, and protecting 
human rights through an effective and impartial justice system.
    Cubans, like the other peoples of this hemisphere, of Eastern 
Europe, and of the former Soviet Union, desire to be free. The United 
States is committed to help the Cuban people in a transition to 
democracy. We will continue working with others in the international 
community who share our desire to welcome Cuba into the ranks of 
prosperous democratic nations, where it will proudly join the other 
thirty-four countries in this hemisphere.
    This document outlines the assistance that a democratizing Cuba is 
likely to seek during its transition, and the ways in which the United 
States and the international community will try to help. It draws from 
the experiences of other countries that have embarked upon similar 
transitions and highlights some of the lessons learned from those 
processes. It is my sincere hope that it will contribute to a better 
understanding of the international community's potential role in a 
transition to democracy and underscore the strong commitment of the 
American people to support the Cuban people when they embark upon that 
process of change.
                                            William J. Clinton

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