    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [March 20, 1991]
    [Pages 291-292]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Welcoming Ceremony for President Lech Walesa of Poland
    March 20, 1991

        President Bush. Mr. President, to all our Polish and American
    friends here today: A poet once wrote, ``Let me address you in the name
    of millions.'' Today, I address you in the name of millions who convey
    their admiration and love--the people of the United States.
        Two years ago, Lech Walesa became only the second private citizen
    from abroad to address a joint session of the Congress. And he impressed
    us then with his commitment to goodness, his passion for the hard-fought
    necessity we call democracy. Today he returns as his nation's first
    democratically elected President.
        Mr. President, you have led by principle and example. You created a
    solidarity of spirit that inspired millions of Poles to risk their lives
    in steel mills, shipyards, and tenements and towns. And after winning
    the fight for independence, you instilled the sense of tolerance
    essential for letting democracy set down roots in an unsettled world. No
    wonder your countrymen sing to you, ``Sto lat, sto lat''--may he live
    100 years.
        But you also understand that the cause of freedom cannot end at your
    own borders, and you proved it during the war in the Persian Gulf. You
    joined us in demonstrating to the entire world that we cannot permit
    aggression to stand. And you taught your countrymen that the answer to
    tyranny is international solidarity. And in the process, you helped
    shape a new world order.
        That order, of course, began in Europe with the end of the cold war
    and the emergence of a continent whole and free. You played a key role
    in helping Central and Eastern Europe join the commonwealth of freedom.
    And you have worked hard to build a prosperous land upon tyranny's
    ruins.
        This is not an easy task. In your New Year's Eve message, you talked
    of reform: political reform--you've called for fully free parliamentary
    elections; intellectual reform that can help man begin the hard work of
    freedom; spiritual reform, honoring the One through whom all things are
    possible; and finally, you've spoken of economic reform, upon which so
    much depends. In your address to Congress, you said, ``We are not
    expecting philanthropy. But we would like to see our country treated as
    a partner and friend.''
        Today we rededicate ourselves to the success of free democracy in
    Poland and throughout Central and Eastern Europe.
        Last week, the Paris Club agreed to cut Poland's official debt
    burden by at least 50 percent. The United States worked long and hard to
    achieve that unprecedented agreement, and we encourage other creditors
    to join us in going beyond that 50-percent level. We certainly shall. We
    will reduce your indebtedness to us by a full 70 percent, a portion of
    which will help Poland fund a new foundation for the environment.
        I am pleased to tell you, Mr. President, that I've asked the
    Congress to increase next year's grant assistance to these new
    democracies to $470 million, half again last year's request. And since
    the real engine of progress is not aid but trade, I am pleased to
    announce two new economic initiatives designed to help the nations of
    Central and Eastern Europe proceed along the path to growth and
    prosperity.
        The American Business Initiative and the Trade Enhancement
    Initiative will encourage businesses to invest in your future. In
    addition, Commerce Secretary Robert Mosbacher will lead an investment
    mission to Poland this summer, letting U.S. businesses see the great
    opportunity the new Poland offers.
        So, as you can see, Mr. President, we want your economic
    transformation to succeed, your new democracy to flourish. And we call
    on other nations to follow our example.
        For two centuries, the love of liberty has linked our lands.
    General Kosciusko was a friend to our Founding Fathers, just as you

    [[Page 292]]

    and His Holiness Pope John Paul II are our steadfast friends today. Mr.
    President, our nations and heroes have long fought together to defend
    the rights of man. This historic commitment forms the core of the Joint
    Declaration of Principles that we will sign later today.
        Two hundred years ago, gallant Polish freedom fighters praised these
    principles when they sang, ``Poland is not lost while Poles still
    live.'' Today we rejoice. Poland is not lost but has once again been
    found because men like you still live.
        God bless you, your beloved land, and our United States of America.
        President Walesa. Honored Mr. President, thank you for such a nice
    welcome. Thank you for your friendly words. I am happy that I stepped
    again on the hospitable American land.
        I come as the President of a sovereign and democratic Republic of
    Poland, the country which was the first to challenge communism and today
    is building a system of freedom, democracy, and free enterprise.
        It is not a coincidence that it is America which is the target of
    one of my first trips in my Presidential term of office. The United
    States has, for over 200 years, been exemplifying to the world how to
    build a system of freedom. The United States led the free world
    defending values of democracy and humanism. Your determination and your
    civilizational bloom were the hope of Poles opposing alien domination.
    It was America, in the name of the international community, that
    restored recently peace and justice in the Persian Gulf.
        Poland is not a world superpower; her actions do not have a global
    dimension. But it was Poland first in Central Europe to step upon the
    path of freedom. Poland is the country which paves the way for other
    nations liberating themselves from communism.
        Poland also took upon itself the burden of leading in the
    structuring of a market economy. We used in the past the assistance of
    the United States of America--political, economic, and first of all,
    moral.
        Today, a major part of our debt burden was reduced. Your personal
    involvement in this cause has, for Poland, a historical dimension. It
    gives us new, great possibilities. For this help, I most cordially thank
    the great American Nation.
        The changes in Poland are not completed yet. The political victory
    of Solidarity should be reflected in economic success. Our success is
    important not only to us; it is needed for Europe because it is a
    condition of order and stability. It is needed by the whole free world,
    for it extends its boundaries by the central region of the continent, it
    extends the zone of democracy and security.
        The relations between the Republic of Poland and the United States
    have today reached their peak after the war. One could even say that
    they reached their peak in the whole of history. Our countries are
    linked by common values and the same ideals. We are linked by friendly
    collaboration on the international arena. I would like this to be
    followed by a development of mutually advantageous economic cooperation.
        Free Poland is becoming a country of new economic opportunities. It
    is worth to broaden the cooperation with it, to trade and to invest. I
    invite you to this cooperation, for it is going to be advantageous to
    both sides.
        I know, Mr. President, that you're a sincere friend of Poland. I'm
    grateful to you for your extremely goodwill interest in our problems.
    Our talks shall contribute to the strengthening of cooperation and the
    friendship of our nations.
        God bless you, Mr. President. God bless America.

                        Note: President Bush spoke at 10:12 a.m. at the
                            South Portico of the White House, where
                            President Walesa was accorded a formal welcome
                            with full military honors. In his remarks,
                            President Bush referred to Secretary of Commerce
                            Robert A. Mosbacher. President Walesa spoke in
                            Polish, and his remarks were translated by an
                            interpreter. Following the ceremony, the two
                            Presidents met in the Oval Office.