[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 35 (Monday, September 4, 2000)]
[Pages 1965-1967]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the Signing Ceremony for the Tanzania-United States Open 
Skies Agreement in Arusha, Tanzania

August 28, 2000

    Mr. President, Secretary Slater, Minister Nyanda, members of the 
Tanzanian and American delegations, ladies and gentlemen. First, Mr. 
President, thank you for your warm welcome, and we'll save your speech. 
[Laughter] And thank you for your thoughtful and deep remarks.

[[Page 1966]]

    I'd like to begin by also thanking you for the warm welcome that you 
gave to Chelsea and to Hillary when they were here. They both fell in 
love with your country, and Hillary asked me to give you her regards. 
Since you've just started a campaign, you will understand that she is 
otherwise occupied. [Laughter]
    I am honored to be here in a place of peace, to visit a champion of 
peace. Tanzania's story is too often not the stuff of headlines. For 
that I say, congratulations. Think of the headlines you have avoided. 
Because you have avoided headlines about repression, famine, and war, 
and instead focused on the steady progress of democracy and development, 
being generous to your neighbors, and being a cause of peace and 
cooperation across the region, too many people in our country do not 
know enough about your country. I hope very much that my visit here, 
with so many Members of the United States Congress who are here with me, 
will help to change that.
    I look forward, Mr. President, to joining you and President Mandela 
and the other regional leaders shortly in your efforts to bring a 
lasting peace to Burundi, just the last chapter in the distinguished 
history that you have already made in such a short time.
    One of the tragic ironies of life is, sometimes the most terrible 
things happen to those who try to do the most good. You mentioned it was 
just over 2 years ago that the terrorist bombs went off at our American 
Embassies not far north of here in Nairobi, and not far south in Dar es 
Salaam. They claimed hundreds of Tanzanian, Kenyan, and American lives.
    I believe the terrorists went after Tanzania, Kenya, and the United 
States precisely because we are dedicated to tolerance, understanding, 
and cooperation across frontiers and lines of division. They took a lot 
of our loved ones, but as you pointed out, they failed utterly to deter 
us from advancing our common principles.
    So, 2 years later I would like to say again to the Tanzanian 
families and the victims who survived, we still share your sorrow and 
your determination to see justice done. But we are grateful that your 
nation has stayed on the course of peace and reconciliation.
    We also want to continue to support you during the current drought. 
We have already provided substantial food assistance and will continue 
to do what is needed. We are also trying to help both Tanzania and Kenya 
deal with your significant refugee problems, which we had a chance to 
discuss in our meeting just a moment ago. We will keep working with you, 
Mr. President, to promote education and health, to bring the benefits of 
the global information economy to your nation and to the developing 
world.
    I am glad that we were able to support Tanzania as one of the first 
three African countries to qualify for debt relief under the heavily 
indebted poor countries initiative. So long as these economic reforms 
continue, they will be worth the freeing of $100 million a year, which 
Tanzania can now invest in its greatest resource, your people.
    And I might say, Mr. President, I was very moved by what you said in 
our meeting about how you intend to invest that money. And I hope that 
the Members of our Congress will take home the powerful example that you 
have set as a good reason for us to fully fund our part of the global 
initiative to relieve the debt of highly indebted poor countries.
    I also want to do more to encourage foreign investment here. When I 
last met with you, Mr. President, you were just finishing a very 
successful tour of the United States to promote American investment 
here. It has doubled in the last 5 years. The Open Skies agreement, just 
signed, will strengthen our economic ties further, giving both our 
countries' airlines unrestricted international access from any airport 
to any airport in either country so that more people can travel and 
market their products to more places at lower cost. It was the first of 
six such agreements we have negotiated with African nations, and I am 
honored that the first was here in Tanzania.
    We will keep working with you, Mr. President, on all these issues, 
not only because your success is important in its own right and because 
your people deserve a chance to live their dreams, but because you 
inspire all those around you who are struggling to achieve freedom and 
peace and reconciliation. I urge you to continue to inspire them.

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    I thank you for the power of your example. I support the work you 
do. And again let me say on behalf of all the American delegation, we 
are delighted and honored to be here.
    Thank you very much.

 Note:  The President spoke at 4:17 p.m. on a veranda at the Kilimanjaro 
Airport. In his remarks, he referred to Minister of Communications and 
Transport Ernest Nyanda and President Benjamin William Mkapa of 
Tanzania; and former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa.