[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.