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REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT ENTEBBE SUMMIT FOR PEACE AND PROSPERITY Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel Entebbe, Uganda THE PRESIDENT: President Museveni, President Moi, Prime MinisterMeles, President Bizimungu, President Mkapa, President Kabila, SecretaryGeneral Salim; to our distinguished guests, all. Let me, first of all,thank the representatives of all the governments who are here, and theleaders who have come to Entebbe to share a common vision of a brighterfuture for this region. We seek to deepen the progress that has been made and to meet thetough challenges that remain. We came to Entebbe because we share acommitment to strengthen our cooperation, to build a partnership for the21st century that will benefit all our people. We understand, and the last statement I made at our meeting was thatthese goals will not be met in one meeting or one day or one year, but wehave formed a solid foundation for progress in the future. Our challengeas we leave Entebbe is to bring to life the commitment in the remarkabledocument we have just signed. What is in the document? First, we have agreed to deepen our effortsto promote democracy and respect for human rights, the precious soil inwhich peace and prosperity grow. When men and women alike are treated with dignity, when they have a say in decisions that affect their lives,societies are better equipped to seize the opportunities of the future. We have emphasized the importance of freely elected, accountablegovernments; affirmed the vital role of civic organizations in buildingstrong and vibrant societies; and pledged to uphold humanitarianprinciples, including the protection and care of refugees. America knows from our own experience that there is no singleblueprint for a successful democracy. We're still working in our countryto create what our founders called a more perfect union. We've been at itfor 222 years now. But we also know that while there is no singleblueprint, freedom, nonetheless, is a universal aspiration. Human rightsare not bestowed on the basis of wealth or race, of gender or ethnicity, of culture or region. They are the birthright of all men and womeneverywhere. If we work together to strengthen democracy and respect human rights,we can help this continent reach its full potential in the 21st century --its true greatness, which has too long been denied. We can deepen the ties among our peoples. We can be a force for good together, and all ournations can be proud. Second, we have agreed to work together to build a new economicfuture, where the talents of Africa's people are unleased, the doors ofopportunity are opened to all, and countries move from the margins to themainstream of the global economy. We committed to work on finding newstrategies to hasten Africa's global integration. We pledged to speed theregional cooperation that is already underway, to encourage commonstandards for openness and anticorruption, to continue to be responsive tothe burden of debt. A key part of our effort is expanding the ties of trade and investment between our countries so that African development and Asian growth -- andAmerican growth, excuse me --reinforce one another. We want to reward each other for working together. Before I left for Africa I told the Americanpeople that it was in our interest to help Africa grow and blossom andreach its full potential. I believe that. I want to thank the members of the United States House ofRepresentatives who are on this trip with me for their leadership in thepassage in the House of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. I amcommitted to the swift passage of that act in the United States Senate andto signing it when I return home. I am very pleased that our OverseasPrivate Investment Corporation will be targeting half a billion dollars for infrastructure and investment in sub-Saharan Africa. Third, we have agreed to work together to banish genocide from thisregion and this continent. Every African child has the right to grow up in safety and peace. We condemn the perpetrators of the continued atrocities in Rwanda, and pledge to work together to end the horrors of this region. That means reviving the U.N. Arms Flow Commission, acting on therecommendations of the OAU study on the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath; encouraging accelerated progress in bringing criminals against humanity to justice; denying safe havens or services to extremist organizations; anddeveloping durable justice systems that are credible, impartial, andeffective. Our efforts come too late for yesterday's victims. They mustbe in time for tomorrow's victims. Here today -- and this is very important -- we have pledge to find new ways to work together to solve conflicts before they explode into crisesand to act to stop them more quickly when they do. We have pursued our discussion in a spirit of candor and neutralrespect, and I want to thank all the participants for being honest and open in our conversations. America shares a stake in Africa's success, as Isaid. If African nations become stronger, as they surely will, if theybecome more dynamic, as they clearly are, we can become even betterpartners in meeting our common challenges. Your stability, your security,your prosperity will add to our own. And our vitality can and mustcontribute to yours. I've learned a lot here in Entebbe today, listening -- and will carryback to Washington, as I'm sure the rest of our delegation will. We'veagreed to build on this summit with regular, high-level meetings. We willlook for results of our efforts not only in statements like this one today, with very high visibility, but in quiet places far from the halls ofgovernment; in communities and households all across our countries, whereordinary men and women strive each day to build strong families, to buildgood jobs, to pass on better lives for their children. They are the reason we are here. And it is because of them that we all leave Entebbedetermined to put our partnership into practice, to make our dreams andideals real. Thank you very much. End 7:22 P.M. (L)
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