    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [May 9, 1996]
    [Pages 723-724]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 723]]

    Remarks at a Dinner Honoring President Konstandinos Stephanopoulos of
    Greece
    May 9, 1996

        Good evening. Ladies and gentlemen, President Stephanopoulos,
    Foreign Minister Pangalos, Education Minister Papandreou, members of the
    Greek delegation, to all of our distinguished guests from the United
    States and from Greece.
        Hillary and I are delighted to welcome President Stephanopoulos to
    the White House. Mr. President, throughout your long career in public
    life, you have shown an extraordinary devotion to democracy and to
    serving the people of Greece. As a Member of Parliament as well as
    Minister for the Interior, Welfare, and State, you established a record
    of exceptional integrity and judgment. As President of the Hellenic
    Republic, you have represented Greece with dignity and wisdom, befitting
    the history of your great nation. Hillary and Chelsea were so warmly
    received by you and by all the Greek people recently. I thank you for
    that, and it now gives us very great pleasure to return the hospitality
    to you.
        We are especially happy to have the President here at this
    particular point in the friendship between our two nations. Aristotle
    speaks at length about how friends strengthen one another by sharing
    virtues and characteristics. Well, Greece has turned to President
    Stephanopoulos for leadership, and I have my own Stephanopoulos.
    [Laughter] Mr. President, I think we're both doing pretty well.
        Though thousands of miles separate our two nations, America has very
    deep roots in Greece. The evidence is all around us. Most of you came to
    dinner through the North Portico, built in Greek revival style during
    the Presidency of Andrew Jackson. Next door, the Treasury is the largest
    Greek revival building in the world. There are many other examples
    nearby. The Lincoln Memorial was originally modeled on the Parthenon.
    And the architecture we see outside is only the most visible expression
    of the values we share.
        The earliest generations of our leaders who founded our traditions
    and built our institutions, as the President said earlier today, were
    deeply influenced by Greek thought, by the passion for truth and justice
    that had been handed down from the ancients. They studied history's
    first democracy in the original Greek. I wish I were as well educated.
    Some were so moved by the struggle of modern Greece for independence
    that they left home to join in that distant fight for freedom. In 1824
    Daniel Webster asked on the floor of the House of Representatives,
    ``Does not the land ring from side to side with one common sentiment of
    sympathy for Greece?''
        In this century, the relationship between our nations deepened as we
    fought together in two World Wars. Then the desire to help preserve
    freedom in Greece moved President Truman to stand firm against
    isolationism and for our postwar engagement abroad. His actions led to
    the Marshall plan, the establishment of NATO, and a half century of
    unparalleled success for democracy. We stood together in Korea and the
    Gulf war. We continue to work shoulder to shoulder today in the former
    Yugoslavia. Our alliance shows the truth of the Greek proverb: Ou
    thaneeskee zeelos eleutherias; the passion for freedom never dies.
        Tonight we also thank Greece for the greatest of all gifts it has
    given us, wonderful Greek-Americans. Our society has been enriched
    beyond measure by them, whether an aria sung by Maria Callas, films by
    Elia Kazan, the brilliant tennis of Pete Sampras. In business, in the
    arts, in our public life, Greek-Americans have brought such energy and
    grace to the life of our Nation, and we are all profoundly grateful. In
    public life, we treasure men and women like Senator Sarbanes and Senator
    Snowe, former Governor Dukakis, and former Senator Paul Tsongas, people
    who have shown a deep dedication to serving the United States. And I
    know that all America is grateful to the more than one million Greek-
    Americans who have built our communities, our businesses, and our
    cities. Because of what they have done, America is a stronger and a
    greater nation.
        Ladies and gentlemen, let us raise a glass to the great partnership
    between our nations, the heritage we share, and the Greek-American
    community that is one of our greatest blessings.
        Zeeto ee Hellada, and God bless America.

    [[Page 724]]

    Note: The President spoke at 8:25 p.m. in the State Dining Room at the
    White House. In his remarks, he referred to Foreign Minister Theodoros
    Pangalos and Education Minister Yeoryios Papandreou of Greece, and
    Michael S. Dukakis, former Governor of Massachusetts.