    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [March 25, 1993]
    [Pages 357-359]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Signing the Greek Independence Day Proclamation
    March 25, 1993

        I just wanted to ask Mr. Stephanopoulos to come up here so I could
    remove all doubt about how I know what to do. [Laughter] Please sit,
    ladies and gentlemen, Archbishop.
        I have a few remarks, but before I do, I want to formally sign this
    proclamation for Greek Independence Day and present it to the
    Archbishop.

    [At this point, the President signed the proclamation.]

        Thank you. Please be seated. I'd like to welcome all of you here to
    the White House and say a special word of welcome to Archbishop Iakovos,
    the spiritual leader of the Greek American community, with whom I have
    just had a wide-ranging discussion of many of the issues that I know
    that concern you. I'd also like to welcome the political leader of the
    Greek American community, my friend Senator Paul Sarbanes of Maryland,
    and to say how delighted I am to sign this proclamation recognizing
    Greek Independence Day and celebrating the democracy that we share in
    the United States with Greece.
        It is particularly timely that we celebrate democracy today at the
    very moment that our friends around the world who have been deprived of
    democracy are working hard against great odds to bring it to full
    flower. And I know, Archbishop, that our prayers are with the people in
    Russia today and throughout the world who are working hard to preserve
    and enhance their own democracy.
        Greece, the birthplace of democracy, and the United States have long
    had a history of friendship and cooperation. The authors of our Nation's
    Declaration of Independence and our Constitution were inspired by
    Greece's commitment to liberty, to freedom, and to democracy. Indeed,
    James Madison and Alexander Hamilton wrote in the Federalist Papers, and
    I quote, ``Among the confederacies of antiquity, the most considerable
    was that of the Grecian republics.'' Today, those ideas continue to
    strengthen the United States. And working together, Greece and the
    United States have worked to advance the cause of freedom around the
    world.
        It is against that backdrop of longstanding and close cooperation
    between the United States and Greece that I want to say a brief word
    about two issues that I know concern this audience greatly: Cyprus and
    the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
        On Cyprus, I want to give you my personal

    [[Page 358]]

    assurance that I and my administration will stay fully engaged in the
    U.N. process of negotiations, that we will give our full energies to
    helping reach a fair and permanent solution to the Cyprus dispute, and
    that we will not rest until a solution is found. Already, in the first 2
    months of my Presidency, I have had the opportunity to raise the issue
    of Cyprus in serious discussions in person with President Ozal of Turkey
    and by a long telephone conversation with Prime Minister Demirel. You
    can count on the United States to be there until this issue is resolved.
        On Macedonia: Here, also, I take seriously the concerns that have
    been raised by Greece. Like Athens, we believe that a solution to the
    dispute over the name of the former Yugoslav Republic must be found
    rapidly to avoid the spread of further instability. I have admired the
    steady hand of Prime Minister Mitsotakis, and I want to work closely
    with him to find an appropriate solution to this problem. Progress has
    already been made on this issue, as I'm sure you know, and I believe we
    can find a just solution with broad vision and flexibility. Again, you
    can be sure that the United States will not allow the security of such a
    close friend and ally as Greece to be threatened in any way.
        You know, I come from a State where Greek Americans make up only
    one-tenth of one percent of our population, and about half of them are
    in this room today. [Laughter] But their contributions to our State and
    to my life have been enormous.
        Last night, my good friend from the time I was 9 years old, David
    Leopoulis, spent the night with me in the White House. He campaigned
    with me all over America. He became the symbol of an ordinary American
    who was for me. Think of it: Here I was, a WASP, not ordinary, supported
    by a Greek American who was ordinary. [Laughter] He appeared on
    television all over the country and worked with our campaign basically
    to talk about a lifetime of friendship and shared values. And our
    relationship, in that sense, is a mirror image of the relationship
    between the United States and Greece.
        My personal health for many years has been in the hands of Dr. Drew
    Kampuris, whose father, Dr. Frank Kampuris, is an appointee of mine to
    the University of Arkansas board of trustees. There are others here in
    this audience and back home in Arkansas without whom I would not be here
    today.
        My campaign and my administration have gained much from the talents
    of Greek Americans, including my close assistant and Director of
    Communications, George Stephanopoulos, who came up here a moment ago,
    who has become the heartthrob of the teen set of America. George's
    parents are in the audience today, and they did such a good job raising
    him I would like to ask them to stand up.
        We did a little search for Greek Americans on the President's staff,
    and we discovered, notwithstanding some of their last names, the
    following fully qualify: my staff secretary, John Podesta; Sylvia
    Mathews, on the National Economic Commission staff--she hails from a
    little town in West Virginia, which just proves that you really are
    everywhere; Peter Pappas, my Associate Counsel; and George Tenet, my
    Special Assistant and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs at the
    National Security Council. Indeed, you might argue that I could have a
    reverse affirmative action suit for the over-representation of Greeks on
    the White House staff. [Laughter]
        My good friend from New Jersey, Clay Constantinou, is here, who was
    with me from the beginning. There are others here in the audience who
    helped so much in the election. I want to note the presence of Angelo
    Zicapulous and many others who worked in the campaign for whom I'm very,
    very grateful.
        And I also would like to ask us all to remember in our prayers my
    most formidable opponent in the Democratic primary, Paul Tsongas, as we
    pray for his recovery.
        American politics has benefited greatly from the involvement of
    Greek Americans. In the Democratic Party, we had last year two great
    State party chairmen: Phil Angelides in California and Chris Spirou in
    New Hampshire. They each played an integral part in that election. And I
    can't help but say, and I hope the Republicans in the audience will
    forgive me, that it was rather unusual for a Democrat to carry either
    California or New Hampshire, and at least they think it was the Greek
    influence that put us over the top.
        The Greek American community has always taken pride in and has been
    known for its commitment to the values that our country desperately
    needs more of today: commitment to family and neighborhood, to education
    and hard work, to freedom and the rule of law. These

    [[Page 359]]

    are the values that built America, shared still by the vast majority of
    Americans. But we know that for America to go where it needs to go, all
    Americans will have to embrace them again.
        And so even as we look beyond our Nation's borders to the problems
    around the world, I ask those of you here in this wonderful house and
    those whom you represent throughout the country to lead our Nation in a
    re-embrace of these values born in the democracy of Greece, nourished in
    the democracy of the United States, now desperately needed in every city
    and hamlet in this country.
        To Greece, the Nation that first shaped the political ideals we
    cherish, and to Greek Americans who help us every day, we are greatly
    indebted. And as I turn to the Archbishop for his remarks, let me say,
    courtesy of my distinguished language instructor, Mr. Stephanopoulos,
    Zeto e Hellas.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:38 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these
    remarks. The proclamation is listed in Appendix D at the end of this
    volume.