[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 42 (Monday, October 25, 1999)]
[Page 2065]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on the Award of the
Nobel Peace Prize to Doctors Without Borders

October 15, 1999

    Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans Frontieres) richly deserves 
the Nobel Peace Prize. They work around the world, under difficult and 
often dangerous conditions, to provide medical assistance to the victims 
of conflict and natural disasters. They have cared for the sick and the 
wounded at refugee camps in Kosovo and Timor, aided flood victims in the 
Philippines, treated disease in Sudan and Sierra Leone, Vietnam and 
Peru. Their work is emblematic of the commitment of so many people of 
good will today to build a global community where compassion, 
cooperation, and progress increasingly know no borders.
    I am proud that the United States Government has provided 
substantial annual assistance to Doctors Without Borders, and that we 
work together closely in times of crisis. Humanitarian relief of this 
kind is not only the right thing to do for our values; it also helps 
build peace and stability and thereby strengthens America's own 
security.

Note: This item was not received in time for publication in the 
appropriate issue.