[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[July 20, 1992]
[Page 1144]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on the Resignation of Vaclav Havel as President of 
Czechoslovakia

July 20, 1992
    Today President Vaclav Havel resigned from his post as the President 
of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic. President Havel is one of the 
outstanding statesmen of our time, and we regret his departure. 
President Havel's courage has come to symbolize the determination of all 
the peoples of Eastern Europe to reject communism and to accept the 
challenges of the transition to democracy and a free market economy. He 
energized, as he once wrote, ``the power of the powerless.'' President 
Havel has made a historic and heroic contribution to the cause of 
freedom. We are confident he will continue to do so whatever the future 
may bring.
    The future of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic is up to its 
people. We will respect their decision and are confident it will be 
peaceful, cooperative, and democratic. We look forward to sustaining our 
traditionally close relations with its people.