Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - Tuesday, November 26, 1996 04:07:00 PM

In a speech summarizing a lengthy trip that included stops in Australia and the Philippines as well as private talks with the leaders of China, Japan and South Korea, Clinton praised the progress made in the Pacific Rim but said many problems remained.

"We must deepen our partnership for the demands of the 21st century," Clinton said in a speech at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, where several thousand people waited outside to cheer him.

"For all its promise, the 21st century will not be free of peril," said Clinton, speaking at the same university where President Lyndon Johnson addressed students 30 years ago, during the height of the Vietnam War.

"Let us not be blind to the fact that as barriers crumble, and borders blur and progress spreads quickly, so too can troubles spread quickly in this new world," he said.

Citing such problems as environmental threats, AIDS, drug trafficking and the rise of organized crime, Clinton warned that "these forces of destruction defy traditional defenses ... no nation is immune to the forces of destruction and none can defeat these threats alone. Therefore we must work together."

Thailand has cracked down on its heroin producers, but it remains a major route of traffickers smuggling illegal drugs out of Southeast Asia.

As he has throughout his 12 days away from Washington, Clinton stressed U.S. interest in the Asia Pacific, saying "that commitment is stronger than ever, for in the 21st century, America's future cannot be secure if Asia's future is in doubt."

Clinton, who arrived in Thailand Monday night following a summit in the Philippines of the leaders of the 18-member Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, praised the group's final declaration as an example of the spirit that drives the region heading into the next century.

He met privately with outgoing prime minister Banharn Silpa-archa and also was due to meet the Thai premier's successor, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, whose New Aspiration Party won a slim victory in the country's November 17 election.

During his speech, Clinton praised the democratic process in Thailand, calling this month's elections a "milestone in your democratic journey."

Noting that he has experienced victory and defeat at the hands of voters, Clinton said that "while losing is not as good as winning, whenever power is transferred peacefully and democratically, everyone in that nation is a winner."

Earlier, at an outdoor ceremony, Clinton witnessed the signing of a tax treaty between the two nations that took more than a decade to negotiate. It eliminates double taxation on the earnings of U.S. firms operating in Thailand and on their counterparts in the United States.

Clinton said during the ceremony that the "signing reminds us that governments do not create wealth, but governments can create the climate in which our workers, our entrepreneurs, our investors and business people can thrive."

Clinton and his wife Hillary, who made a separate visit to northern Thailand Sunday and Monday, were to return to the United States Wednesday.
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