[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book I)]
[July 6, 1994]
[Pages 1207-1208]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Dinner Hosted by President Lech Walesa of Poland in Warsaw
July 6, 1994

    President and Mrs. Walesa, ladies and gentlemen, it is a tremendous 
honor for me and for our party of Americans and for my family to be here 
with you in Poland. In this short time, we have felt already your 
hospitality and friendship. And we see that, just as you rebuilt this 
wonderful city after World War II, you are now rebuilding this 
magnificent country after communism. You have enshrined freedom and 
democracy, and after a difficult beginning, you have achieved a high 
rate of economic growth. These are tributes to both your people and your 
leaders.
    Mr. President, your personal struggle ever since the events in 
Gdansk more than a decade ago have inspired people everywhere in the 
world. In a very real sense, Poland is the birthplace of the new Europe. 
And in so many ways, you are the father of that wonderful child.
    You and many other of your countrymen and women have proved that 
individual acts of courage can change the world. And in a time when 
ordinary people all over the world feel helpless in the face of forces 
shaping and changing their lives, you have proved that ordinary working 
people can transform their own lives.
    Poland has the moral support of all the American people but of two 
groups especially: first, the millions of Polish-Americans who share 
your heritage and the love of your soil and your history, and second, 
the members of the American labor movement who have supported your 
struggle from the beginning. And I might say, we are especially glad 
tonight to have the leader of our labor movement who has been your 
supporter from the beginning, Mr. Lane Kirkland, with us. Welcome, sir.
    As you said, Mr. President, it is now for us to build on what has 
been done. In Poland, that means a stronger economy and greater security 
and more concern for those who have been left behind. We know the path 
of reform is difficult, and special steps must be taken to help those 
who have not yet seen its benefits. Beyond Poland, it means building a 
truly united Europe, a Europe united economically and in its common 
support for democracy and freedom and territorial integrity.
    These things are important to the United States for many reasons. We 
are on our own journey of renewal at home. But we know that in the end, 
our success depends upon your success. We seek to be free in a world 
more free.

[[Page 1208]]

We know to be prosperous, the world must be more prosperous. We know to 
be secure, those who believe in the things that we believe in must also 
be secure.
    So tonight, I urge the people of Poland to take pride in your 
achievements and not to lose hope. The road to the future is not smooth, 
but you have known difficulties in the past far greater. The United 
States will stand with you. Our partnership will grow, and Poland will 
triumph.
    And so I raise my glass, Mr. President, in a toast to you and Mrs. 
Walesa and to the people of Poland.

Note: The President spoke at 9:14 p.m. at the Presidential Palace. A 
tape was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.