28 August 2000
Clinton in Tanzania to Support Burundi Peace Efforts
Meets with President Mkapa, lauds Tanzanian people
Arusha, Tanzania -- On his last full day in sub-Saharan Africa,
President Clinton stopped in Arusha, Tanzania, to discuss and lend his
encouragement to the Burundi Peace Talks taking place there under the
leadership of former South African President Nelson Mandela.
The president also met with Tanzania President Benjamin Mkapa and
thanked the Tanzanian people for their support against terrorism.
Following is the text of President Clinton's remarks:
(begin text)
PRESIDENT CLINTON: 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
will save your speech. And thank you for your thoughtful and deep
remarks.
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.
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 two 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, two 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 five 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.
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.
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