T H E   W H I T E   H O U S E

Remarks by the President Upon Departure

Help Site Map Text Only

Trip to Africa


THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Kampala, Uganda)

For Immediate ReleaseMarch 25, 1998



REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
UPON DEPARTURE

Entebbe Airport
Entebbe, Uganda


11:05 AM (L)

THE PRESIDENT: Just before I left the hotel this morning, I talked tothe Governor of Arkansas and extended my personal condolences and sorrowabout the terrible incident in Jonesboro yesterday. I attempted to callthe mayor, who is an old friend of mine, but I haven't reached him yet.

I just want to say again how profoundly sad I am and how disturbed Iam. I've been thinking about this for the last several hours. This is thethird incident in the last few months involving young children and violencein schools, and I'm going to ask the Attorney General to find whateverexperts there are in our country on this and try to analyze this terribletragedy to see whether there are any common elements in this incident andthe other two, and wether it indicates any further action on our part.

Today the people in my home state and a town I know very well aregrieving. They're suffering losses. And we should focus on that. But Ido think in the weeks to come we have to analyze these incidents and seewhether or not we can learn anything that will tell us what we can do toprevent further ones.

Q Do you have any thoughts about how to stop this? I mean, ifyou've been thinking about it, anything come to mind, sir?

THE PRESIDENT: I don't want to say too much until we have a chance toanalyze them. I don't want the American people to jump to any conclusions,but when three horrible tragedies like this involving young people who takeother people's lives and then in the process destroy their own, we have tosee if there are some common elements. And we'll look and do our best todo the right thing.

Q Do you suspect that there are some common elements, sir?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, the circumstances certainly seem to have a lot incommon. What we need to know is what's behind the circumstances. As Isaid, I think that the American people today should send their thoughts,their prayers, their hopes to the people in Jonesboro. But in the weeksahead we need to look into this very closely and see what, if anything, wecan find. And then if we do find some patterns, we ought to take whateveraction seems appropriate.

Q Your trip to Rwanda, could you give us just a little advance wordof what you hope to accomplish there, sir?

THE PRESIDENT: Obviously, I hope that my trip there will help to avoidfurther killing along the ethnic lines, and bring the attention of theworld to this in a way that will have an impact on ethnic conflicts inother parts of the world. And then I'm going to come back here to theregional meeting that President Museveni has agreed to host, and I hopewe'll come out with a statement there that will allow us to make furtherprogress.

Thank you.


President and First Lady | Vice President and Mrs. Gore
Record of Progress | The Briefing Room
Gateway to Government | Contacting the White House
White House for Kids | White House History
White House Tours | Help | Text Only

Privacy Statement

Africa Trip Speeches

First Lady Remarks at December 31st Women's Movement Daycare Center

First Lady Remarks at Makerere University

Remarks to the People of Rwanda

FINCA Women's Project

Remarks to the People of Ghana

Opening of the Ron Brown Center

Remarks at TechnoServe Peace Corps Project Site

Interview by the Discovery Channel

Remarks to the Community of Kisowera

Remarks at Reception

Photo Opportunity with the Presidents

Remarks in Photo Opportunity

Remarks with Village Business Owner

African Environmentalists and Officials

Remarks at Regina Mundi Church

Photo Opportunity with President Abdou Diouf

President Clinton and President Mandela

Remarks Upon Departure

Remarks at the Entebbe Summit

Remarks during visit to Victoria

Remarks in Robben Island

Interview of the President by BET

Africa Trade Bill

President to the Parliament of South Africa

Videotaped Remarks to the People of Africa