Bill Clinton: “Good morning to all of you, and welcome. In just a moment Secretary Perry and General Shalikashvili will brief you on…”

“Good morning to all of you, and welcome. In just a moment Secretary Perry and General Shalikashvili will brief you on the status as of this morning of Operation Uphold Democracy and the situation in Haiti as we see it unfolding. But before they begin, I'd like to touch on just a few points. This is a very different and a much better day than it would have been had we not been able to successfully combine the credible threat of force with diplomacy. I want to thank President Carter, General Powell, and Senator Nunn again for their mission to Haiti and for their work in securing an agreement that will permit the peaceful departure of the military leaders. Our troops have already entered Haiti peacefully. Under the command of Lieutenant General Hugh Shelton, our troops are working with full cooperation with the Haitian military. We must be prepared for the risks that remain to the troops, but we should recognize that we are in a much stronger and safer position to achieve our goals in Haiti today. The de facto leaders are leaving power, and the democratically elected government will be restored. I want to emphasize that, in a matter of months, the United States troops will hand over to the United Nations the responsibility for completing this mission and for maintaining basic security. A much smaller contingent of United States forces would take part in the United Nations mission which will end after the next elections in Haiti in 1995.…”