Senator Danforth Sworn in as Ambassador to the United Nations
Remarks by the President in Swearing-In of John CA Danforth as Representative of the United States to the United Nations
Dwight David Eisenhower Executive Office Building
2:40 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Please be seated. Good afternoon. It's an honor
to welcome Jack and Sally Danforth and their wonderful family to the
White House. I want to thank Justice Thomas and Ginny, Deputy
Secretary Armitage, and all the other distinguished guests for joining
us here today.
In his remarkable career, Jack Danforth has been called attorney
general, senator, special counsel, special envoy, and reverend.
(Laughter.) He's been called "Saint Jack." It's a little beyond my
power to confer. (Laughter.) Today, I am very proud to name this good
man and superb public servant America's next Ambassador to the United
Nations. (Applause.)
As our Ambassador, Jack Danforth will succeed a good man with an
important new mission. On Tuesday, former U.N. Ambassador John
Negroponte presented his credentials to President al-Yawar as America's
first Ambassador to Iraq since 1990. We appreciate his continuing
service to our country.
For his own new assignment, Jack Danforth is exceptionally
well-prepared. During his years on Capitol Hill, he earned the
admiration of colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Jack is a man of
strong convictions, unquestioned integrity, and great decency. He is a
man of calm and judicious temperament who goes about his work with
deliberation and a goodwill that draws others to his cause. These
qualities were evident during his 18 years as Missouri's United States
senator, and during his recent assignment in the Sudan. I'm confident
that his good judgment and wisdom will serve America well at the United
Nations.
Jack Danforth now heads to New York at a critical time, when the
United States and the United Nations are facing new tests. We are
called to defend the peace against ruthless terrorist networks and
against outlaw regimes that support and shelter them. We are called to
preserve the peace by building good relations among the great powers.
We're called to extend the peace by replacing poverty and repression
and resentment around the world, especially in the broader Middle
East. America is determined to lead all in these great objectives.
Yet, no nation can achieve them alone. Global challenges must be
answered by active, effective, multilateral institutions. So we're
working with many nations on the proliferation security initiative, for
example, to interdict dangerous weapons and materials in transit.
We're helping to transform the NATO Alliance, which is now acting
beyond Europe, bringing security to Afghanistan and soon providing
training assistance for Iraqi security forces. And we're challenging
the United Nations to rise to its responsibilities in a changing
world.
The U.N. must fulfill its mission of peace by holding outlaw states
to account, by aiding the rise of stable democracies, and by
encouraging development and hope as alternatives to stagnation and
bitterness. The U.N. is serving these great purposes in many different
places. In Iraq, the U.N. is helping that newly sovereign nation to
prepare for free and fair elections, and will help to draft a new
constitution. From Africa to the Caribbean, the U.N. is helping to
turn societies away from old conflicts, to overcome persistent poverty,
to fight AIDS and other diseases.
America supports all of these efforts, and we know that more will
be necessary. So I'm sending Jack Danforth to the U.N. with a clear
mandate. America will work closely with the United Nations to confront
terror, and to fight the suffering and despair that terrorists
exploit. In all our work at the U.N., Ambassador John C. Danforth will
be a strong voice for the humane and decent conscience of America.
One of Jack's many virtues is an eye for talent. Three decades
ago, in Jefferson City, he took a chance on a promising lawyer from
Pinpoint, Georgia. Since then, Attorney General Danforth has moved on
to some other impressive jobs -- and so has his young assistant. Today
it is my honor to ask Justice Clarence Thomas to swear in Jack Danforth
as the representative of the United States to the United Nations.
(Applause.)
(Ambassador Danforth is sworn in.)
AMBASSADOR DANFORTH: Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you,
Mr. President, for the confidence you have placed in me by your
nomination for this important position. I look forward to working with
you and the Secretary of State to advance the U.S.'s interest at the
United Nations.
Thanks also to my friend, Clarence Thomas, for honoring me by
administering the oath. And thanks to my family and friends for your
steady support and for being here today.
Mr. President, nearly three years ago, you appointed me your
Special Envoy for peace in Sudan. That is still a tragic country and a
new crisis has followed the old. Yet, the parties have agreed on a
framework for peace, ending a decades-long North-South civil war. And
that is a major achievement.
From the outset, we made clear that the role of the United States
in the Sudan peace process would be catalytic. Instead of tabling our
own plan, we worked closely with interested African and European
countries. However, both sides have said that American participation
has been crucial, and both sides have told me that your personal
engagement, Mr. President, has been decisive in their agreement for a
framework for peace.
Throughout our efforts to bring peace to Sudan, my role was to be
your spokesman. The parties wanted to know what you thought, and that
was what I tried to express. The same will be the case in my new
position. The job of permanent representative is to express to the
world the views of the President, and that is what I intend to do. It
will be my job to state what you have made clear. The United Nations
is important, indeed, it is essential to winning the war against
terrorism.
The threats of the 21st century are so different from anything we
have faced in the past that it is little wonder nations have had
difficulty agreeing on how to respond to new crises. Not long ago, we
feared that the Soviet Union, which, while immensely powerful, was, at
least, sane and manageable by military deterrent.
Now, the threat is fanatical groups and rogue states, capable of
killing thousands at a time, and seeing glory in their own martyrdom.
Too often, disagreements among nations on how to confront this new
threat have been bitter, as though the enemy were ourselves, not those
who fly planes into buildings or build the power to destroy cities.
But last month, the unanimous adoption of Resolution 1546 by the
Security Council demonstrated how nations can come together. All
members agreed on the transfer of sovereignty to a new interim Iraqi
government. All members agreed to the central role to be played by the
United Nations in Iraq.
Now the task is to build on the momentum begun by Resolution 1546.
By seeking consensus and working together, there is much the United
Nations can do, certainly, in Iraq, but also in combating terrorism, in
preventing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in bringing
peace to the Middle East and stability to Africa, among others. We
face a conflict between civilization and the forces of chaos. The task
before the United Nations is for civilization to find ways to pull
together to meet the common challenges we face. It is with this task
firmly in mind that I go to the United Nations.
Thank you, Mr. President, for this great honor and this great
opportunity. (Applause.)