WILLIAM J. CLINTON

President of the United States


[President Clinton message in Unix .au format] (~748K) [President Clinton message in PC .wav format] (~748K)
Good morning. I want to thank you all for attending this important White House Forum which offers an opportunity to consider how we can best put science and technology in the service of our national security, economic prosperity, and sustainable development. Our ability to put science and technology to work for us will play a vital role in ensuring our success as a nation in the years ahead and in the 21st century.

First of all, our economic prosperity will depend upon our mastery of emerging technologies. We must invest wisely in science and technology to produce the quality jobs of tomorrow, as well as new markets for American goods and services.

Second, improving global stability demands that we put scientific insights in technology into action to promote sustainable development. In that way, we can work toward a world of free citizens, consumers and producers, instead of combatants and victims.

Third, we must also stay at the cutting edge of new developments to preserve our national security so that our Armed Forces remain the best trained, best equipped, and best prepared in the world, and so that we have the intelligence and monitoring capabilities we need.

The post-Cold War world has revealed a web of trans-national problems and demands that require vigorous action and innovative solutions: Overpopulation, environmental degradation, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and new and dangerous health threats. Our Administration is working hard to meet all these challenges. To give just one example, we are advancing an ambitious agenda of nonproliferation efforts. We are working for ratification of START II and the Chemical Weapons Convention, as well as for the indefinite extension of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. We are working for a comprehensive test ban and a fissile materials ban, and we want to strengthen the Biological Weapons Convention. We must do more, and our success will depend upon making wise choices in the areas of science and technology, which is why your work is so important.

The report of your discussions and the conclusions will form the basis for a new national security science and technology strategy. I look forward to reading your report, and I hope that these two days are productive ones for your efforts to put science and technology in the service of our national security and global stability. Thank you.


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