THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FACT SHEET
AMERICAN SECURITY PRESIDENT CLINTON'S COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO FIGHT TERRORISM
As we enter a new era of remarkable possibility, those of us who live in free and open societies have a duty to face up to its perils, especially terrorism. No one is immune from the forces of destruction evidenced on the Tokyo subway, the buses of Tel Aviv, the streets of London and Moscow, the federal building in Oklahoma City, Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia and, most recently, in Atlanta. America, the indispensable leader, has a responsibility to act and to lead as a result. Our responsibility is to do everything we can to prevent terrorist attacks, to bring to justice those who commit them, and above all, to never let terrorism stop us from moving forward with our lives. An open society can never be free from risk. But we can reduce the risks to our freedom by fighting back, step by step, with our resources, our will and our strength. That's our challenge. And we will prevail.
PRESIDENT CLINTON HAS AND WILL CONTINUE TO LEAD THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM -- AT HOME, ABROAD, AND IN OUR AIRPORTS
President Clinton has made the fight against terrorism a national security priority. His past and recent efforts have advanced a concerted strategy to fight terrorism on three fronts: (1) beyond our borders by working more closely than ever with our friends and allies; (2) at home, by giving law enforcement the most powerful counterterrorism tools available; and, (3) in our airport and airplanes by increasing aviation security. These efforts are part of the President's comprehensive strategy to ensure that Americans enjoy the safety and security they deserve and that America enters the 21st century as the greatest force for peace and prosperity on earth.
FIGHTING TERRORISM ABROAD: In order to ensure American security at home, we must devote considerable resources to fighting terrorism abroad. This means working more closely than ever before with our allies and taking other measures when necessary to eliminate activities by states that sponsor terrorism.
Working with Other Countries: The United States plays
the leadership role in the international fight against
terrorism. Our intelligence services are sharing more
information than ever before with other nations. The U.S.
has opened a law enforcement academy in Budapest that is
training people from 23 countries. We have opened an FBI
office in Moscow, and, with recently approved funds from
Congress, will open others in Cairo, Islamabad, Tel Aviv and
Beijing. The President Clinton has requested more money for
intelligence in 1997 than was appropriated last year and has
called for an increase in training and assistance programs
to foreign nations. This assistance is intended to
strengthen other nations' law enforcement capabilities -- a
major obstacle to our international anti-terrorism efforts.
Together, these measures led the Senate Intelligence
Committee to commend U.S. intelligence agencies'
counterterrorism work, calling it an example of "effective
coordination and information sharing."
Last Fall, President Clinton called on all nations to join
in the fight against the threat to their citizens' security
posed by terrorism. Since then, the UN Crime Commission
passed a U.S. co-sponsored "International Declaration on
Crime and Public Safety" which will extend world-wide the
goals of regional anti-crime and counterterrorism measures.
The President also imposed an embargo against Iran,
depriving it of the benefits of trade and investment with
the U.S. until it changes its unacceptable behavior.
Working with Other Countries, con't: Following the
assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and
terrorist bombings in Israel, President Clinton called for
and co-chaired the historic Summit of the Peacemakers at
Sharm el-Sheikh. This summit brought together twenty-nine
delegations, including Israel, most Arab countries, and our
European and Japanese allies, to pledge their support
against terrorism. President Clinton also sent $50 million
in counterterrorism assistance to Israel, and has proposed
to Congress that we provide another $50 million in FY 1997.
These funds allow for the purchase and shipments of
counterterrorism equipment and training
Most recently, the President put anti-terrorism
proposals at the top of the G-7 agenda in Lyon. He then
sent Attorney General Reno to the Paris Terrorism
Ministerial to take the next steps. The Eight made
significant strides in turning the proposals into action.
They agreed to 25 specific measures, including to: better
protect mass transportation by toughening and standardizing
security measures; develop means of lawful government
access to coded communications transmitted by terrorists;
make it a crime for individuals
to possess biological weapons; and, speed up and share R &
D regarding explosive detection methods. Reno also directed
the FBI to study the creation of a terrorism forensic
science database and to report their findings in 90 days.
Increasing Pressure on States that Support Terrorism -- Iran
and Libya: President Clinton signed the Iran and Libya
Sanctions Act of 1996 today. The bill allows him to impose
sanctions on foreign companies that engage in specified
economic transactions in Iran or Libya. It will help deny
Iran and Libya revenues that can be used to finance
international terrorism or obtain weapons of mass
destruction, and, pressure Libya to comply with resolutions
that, among other things, call for Libya to extradite the
accused perpetrators of the Pan Am 103 bombing for trial.
Protecting Troops in Saudi Arabia: President Clinton has taken
extensive measures to increase security at our facilities in
Saudi Arabia. After the November Riyadh bombing and the attack
at Khobar Towers, he expanded Americans' protection by extending
the security perimeter around our bases, added new barriers,
made it tougher for cars and trucks to get close to our housing
and relocated some troops within our bases. He also ordered
investigations by the FBI and General Downing, due to report his
findings this month. Most recently, with the cooperation of the
Saudi government, we are moving troops to other bases to better
protect them from terrorists.
FIGHTING TERRORISM AT HOME:
Pushed Congress to Pass Tough Anti-Terrorism Legislation:
In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, President Clinton
toughened a terrorism bill he had already sent to Congress.
This bill made terrorism a federal offense, expanded the
role of the FBI in solving such crimes and imposed the death
penalty for terrorism. The President signed the
Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 into
law in April.
Continuing to Push for Additional Tools to Fight Terrorism
at Home: When Congress passed this legislation, they failed
to include other important measures to give our law
enforcement the tools they need to make Americans as secure
as possible. Following the recent bombing in Atlanta,
President Clinton requested new legislation to give our law
enforcement the resources he has asked for initially:
increased wire tap authority and chemical markers for the
most common explosives -- including black and smokeless
powder -- so that we can more easily track down bomb makers.
President Clinton will continue to fight for the passage of
these additional measures to better protect the American
people.
Introducing the International Crime Control Act of
1996: Because terrorism, international organized crime and
drug trafficking are increasingly interconnected, the
President will submit legislation next month that: expands
our fight against money laundering so criminals and
terrorists have a tougher time financing their activities;
strengthens our border controls to keep more criminals and
terrorists out of America; and, increases the penalties for
violent crimes committed against Americans abroad.
Cutting Chemical Weapon Stockpiles: President Clinton
continues to urge the Senate to ratify the Chemical Weapons
Convention so that we can cut chemical weapons stockpiles
and control the transfer of lethal materials. Once the CWC
is in force, it will be much more difficult for terrorists
to acquire chemical weapons like the Sarin gas that injured
thousands in the Tokyo subway.
Expanding the Role of the FBI: President Clinton has worked
to expand the role of the FBI, the leader in
counterterrorism efforts around the world. Since the
President expanded the FBI's budget and staff, the FBI now
provides counterterrorism training to over forty countries
in the international law enforcement community.
Furthermore, the FBI has created a Counterterrorism Branch
that acts as the center for information collection, analysis
and dissemination to better combat terrorism at home and
abroad. Personnel assigned to such programs has increased
approximately 50%.
FIGHTING TERRORISM IN OUR AIRPORTS AND AIRPLANES:
Took Immediate Measures: Despite the fact that the cause of the TWA 800 tragedy is yet to be determined, Americans are anxious about aviation safety and security. President Clinton ordered new measures to increase the safety and security of air travel on international and domestic flights. Specifically, he called for more hand searches and machine screening of luggage and pre-flight inspections for every plane flying to or from the United States.
Established Aviation Safety and Security Commission Headed by Vice President: This Commission, which will report its findings to President Clinton in 45 days, has a three part mandate:
review and identify possible changes to airline and airport security operations, with a specific action plan due to the President on deploying new technology capable of detecting the most sophisticated explosives; review and identify possible changes to aviation safety regulations; and, examine and identify possible changes to the air traffic control system.
These Steps Build on Previous Actions: The President has been improving aviation security since the beginning of the Administration. The Administration has field tested new explosive detection machines in Atlanta and San Francisco; increased security vigilance at our airports; and, the FAA formed a private sector/government commission to review aviation security.
THESE EFFORTS HAVE AND WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP AMERICANS SECURE