Statement by Senator Bob Dole on President Clinton's NATO Speech

Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole today released the following statement in response President Clinton's speech in Detroit:

"Bill Clinton was in Detroit today campaigning. Campaign time means that it's time for Bill Clinton to make promises, or, in the case of NATO enlargement, renew the promises he has not kept. Of course, Bill Clinton is hoping that everyone -- in particular, Americans of Central and Eastern European descent -- will think that his Detroit speech is news -- and not the re-run it really was.

"Bill Clinton said that NATO must 'take in new members.' This is not news. It is the same shop-worn message -- just another photo-op. Clinton said it back at the 1994 NATO Summit. Nothing has happened -- just meetings and speeches, and of course, photo-ops. He still refuses to name the countries which will be welcomed to join NATO. Moreover, Clinton did not outline a timetable for enlargement. He only said that the first countries invited to join 'should be' full fledged members of NATO by 1999.

"'Should be' is not American leadership and that is the reason NATO enlargement has not yet occurred. And, make no mistake, Bill Clinton had the opportunity and the ability to make enlargement a reality during his administration. But why should we be surprised? After all, it is this administration's Secretary of State who said that he did not realize 'how essential U S. leadership' is to the conduct of American foreign policy.

"The only thing Clinton's remarks on NATO make clear is that he is still waffling and still unwilling to assert American leadership in NATO. Under Bill Clinton, NATO enlargement will never happen.

"The contrast between Bob Dole and Bill Clinton on this critical issue couldn't be clearer. Earlier year, I named Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary as the countries who should be invited to join NATO now. I set 1998 as the target date for a NATO summit in Prague to welcome these countries into the Alliance. Before I left the Senate, I introduced the NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act to facilitate and speed up the process. There should be no doubt that I am committed to American leadership within NATO. My pledges have been matched by action. When I am President I will make sure that NATO enlargement is reality and not rhetoric. During his speech, Bill Clinton did something else he does so well -- re-write his own record, this time in the area of foreign policy.

"Amazingly, Bosnia topped this morning's list of false triumphs. For three years, Clinton watched what he called 'the bloodiest war in Europe since World War II' -- and failed to keep his promise to arm the Bosnians. Yes, elections have been held, but they were un-free, unfair and corrupt. This sham process simply legitimized extremists -- Bosnian Serb parliamentary representatives and the Bosnian Serb member of the three-man presidency promptly refused to take the oath of office. Meanwhile, most of the more than two million refugees still cannot return home. And President Clinton's pledge to arm and train Bosnian forces -- the realistic exit strategy for American forces -- has not been fulfilled.

"Haiti is another so-called Clinton 'success.' Since when are death squads -- rooted in the American-trained so-called security force -- a sign of success? If the Clinton White House is so proud of its Haiti record, it should not have refused to turn over the 47 documents which a House of Representatives committee recently requested.

"North Korea was also on Clinton's success list this morning. While Clinton confidently declared that North Korea 'has frozen' its nuclear program, he cannot know that because his deal with the North Koreans does not provide for the reestablishment of full inspections as required by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The American public must be reminded, however, that Clinton's deal did reward North Korean treaty violations with oil and two nuclear reactors worth billions of dollars -- paid for in part by the American taxpayer -- that will ultimately produce more plutonium than the reactor that is supposedly frozen.

"With respect to nonproliferation, Clinton claims to have reduced the threat of weapons of mass destruction. Russian missiles that Clinton claims are no longer targeted at the United States -- which cannot be verified -- can be re-targeted in a very short time. More frightening, this morning's Washington Times reported that the CIA has concluded that control over Russia's nuclear arsenal is growing weaker and a political crisis could lead to an unauthorized nuclear missile launch. Moreover, there is no evidence that countries like Iran, Iraq, Libya, and North Korea are reducing their efforts to acquire or develop nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons and the means to deliver them. In fact, it is just the opposite. The Clinton Administration is acquiescing to Saddam Hussein's defiance of nuclear weapons and missiles inspections. All this highlights why Bill Clinton's refusal to develop and deploy a national missile defense system is inexcusable and irresponsible."

--Bob Dole