Dear Mr. Chairman:
I am pleased to transmit herewith the 1997 Annual Report to the Congress on Peacekeeping. The report is required by section 407(d) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995 (Public Law 103-236).
The report provides an account of how the United States used peacekeeping last year to promote regional stability and to advance U.S. interests. Our support for United Nations and other peacekeeping operations allowed us to protect our interests before they were directly threatened and ensured that other nations shared with us the risks and costs of maintaining stability in the post-Cold War world.
Working together, we brought greater discipline to decisionmaking in national capitals and at the United Nations regarding multilateral peace operations. Tough questions about mandate, size, cost, duration, and exit strategy for proposed missions were answered before operations were approved. Careful attention was also given to ensuring that those responsible for leading peacekeeping missions—the United Nations, NATO, or a coalition of concerned states—were capable of successfully achieving the intended objective.
I look forward to working with you to ensure that peacekeeping remains a viable option for dealing with international conflicts of interest to the United States.
Sincerely,
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
NOTE: Identical letters were sent to Floyd Spence, chairman, House Committee on National Security; Robert L. Livingston, chairman, House Committee on Appropriations; Benjamin A. Gilman, chairman, House Committee on International Relations; Jesse Helms, chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; Strom Thurmond, chairman, Senate Committee on Armed Services; and Ted Stevens, chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations.
William J. Clinton, Letter to Congressional Leaders Transmitting a Report on Peacekeeping Operations Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/225610