Bill Clinton: “Good morning. This week all of us watched with wonder as South Africa was reborn. Young men carried their elderly…”

“Good morning. This week all of us watched with wonder as South Africa was reborn. Young men carried their elderly fathers on their backs to the polling booths; black voters came on crutches and in wheelchairs, traveling for miles and waiting for hours in this great march to freedom. The miracle of South Africa's rebirth as a nonracial democracy is an inspiring testament to the courage and vision of its citizens. And I'm proud of America's role in helping to make the miracle happen. Private citizens, religious leaders, and Members of Congress worked for years to rally public opinion and impose economic sanctions against Johannesburg. When Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk reached their agreements to dismantle apartheid, we were one of the first countries to lift sanctions so we could help fuel the recovery of a new South Africa. Just in the last year we have supported unprecedented voter education and election monitor training programs. And this week I'll be announcing a substantial increase in our aid to South Africa to help it navigate a new course for all of its people. This morning I want to talk about why this kind of vigorous American engagement and leadership remains vital not only in South Africa but around the globe. Consider the former Yugoslavia, where American engagement today is essential. The breakup of that country, inflamed by Serbian aggression, has resulted in 3 years of bloodshed and ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and elsewhere.…”