[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.