*EPF401 07/06/00
White House Report, Thursday, July 6, 2000
(Defense, diplomacy, Colombia, Kosovo) (850)
CLINTON ON WORLD LEADERSHIP ON BOARD USS INTREPID IN NEW YORK HARBOR
President Clinton discussed the importance of U.S. world leadership in the late evening of July 5 at a gala dinner aboard the U.S. Naval Ship Intrepid, docked at Pier 86 in the Hudson River.
The veteran World War Two aircraft carrier, that also served during the Korean War and in the Vietnam War, is now a museum devoted to U.S. sea, air and space programs.
In his remarks, Clinton said the United States must have today, as in the past, "a strong defense" and "a strong diplomacy" to shape the first several decades of the 21st century world.
"A strong defense, no less than in the past, is still a force for peace and stability in the world," he said, and he urged Congress to support a strong diplomacy as part of that defense.
(Following are excerpts of his remarks)
(begin excerpts)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary (New York, New York)
July 5, 2000
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT INTREPID GALA
Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum New York, New York
9:10 P.M. EDT
There's not a person in this audience tonight, over the age of 30 anyway, who can't remember at least one time in your life when you made a serious mistake, not because things were so bad, but because things were so good you thought there was no penalty to the failure to concentrate. And so it is that our nation today is confronted with the chance of a lifetime to shape the future of our dreams for our children, and with wise leadership, to shape the first several decades of the 21st century world, because of the gift of our prosperity.
A big part of that will depend upon whether we're prepared to give wise and generous leadership to the rest of the world -- for peace and freedom, for security and prosperity. And that will depend in no small measure on whether we do the right things in meeting the military challenges of the 21st century.
The Congress this year is passing a defense budget that I believe will meet those challenges -- to modernize our forces, to strengthen our readiness, to give our men and women in uniform the training they need, the equipment they need, and even more than we have done in the past, to give them the quality of life they deserve. A strong defense, no less than in the past, is still a force for peace and stability in the world.
I also hope the Congress will support a strong diplomacy as a part of that defense. Congress recently approved our package for aid to Colombia, which I know has been somewhat controversial, but I believe it is profoundly important. Colombia is the oldest democracy in all Latin America. About a third of her land today is besieged by drug traffickers and guerrillas. There are people there every day who put on military uniforms and police uniforms, and put their lives at risk simply by doing their jobs, in a way that is almost inconceivable for Americans to imagine in this year. And so we are going to help them, and in so doing we hope they'll keep more drugs out of the bodies of our own children.
I hope we will continue to support peace in the Balkans. Our military won a war in Kosovo and ended another one in Bosnia, and stood up for the proposition that people in Europe in the 21st century will not be murdered because of their religion or their ethnic background. We saw it happen before --it led to the Holocaust in World War II -- and the United States will not let it happen again in this new century.
We are doing our best to free the poorest countries of the world from the burdens of crushing debt and disease; to support peacekeeping in Europe, Asia and Africa; to support peace from Northern Ireland to the Middle East.
I announced today that early next week, the peace talks will resume between the Israelis and the Palestinians in Washington, with the Prime Minister and Chairman Arafat. I ask for your prayers and support for these brave people as they come here to try to end an old conflict. But if they are willing to make a sacrifice for peace, then the United States must lead the way in helping to make the investments necessary to ensure that the peace has a positive impact in ordinary people's lives.
The challenge of securing peace did not go away with the end of the Cold War; it only became more complex. It still requires our leadership -- not just from the White House and from Congress and our military leadership, but also from our scholars, our scientists, our engineers, our business leaders, and from ordinary citizens....
(end excerpts)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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