    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [May 28, 1997]
    [Pages 664-665]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Luncheon Hosted by Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands in The
    Hague
    May 28, 1997

        Your Majesty, Prime Minister Kok, honored colleagues, on behalf of
    the United States, I would like to thank Her Majesty and the people of
    The Netherlands for this deeply appreciated commemoration. And thank
    you, Your Majesty, for your very fine statement.
        The ties between our two nations are long and unbroken. When my
    country was first seeking its independence, The Netherlands was one of
    the first nations to which we turned. John Adams, America's first envoy
    to The Hague and later our second President, described the completion of
    a treaty of friendship with Holland as, quote, ``the happiest event and
    the greatest action'' of his life. More than 200 years later, America
    still takes pride in our friendship with this good land, whose
    compassion and generosity throughout the world is far disproportionate
    to its size.
        I also express my gratitude to all my fellow leaders for being here
    today. Your presence is a very great honor to the United States and a
    symbol of the age of possibility which we now inhabit, thanks in no
    small measure to the vision and work of General Marshall and his
    contemporaries in the United States and in Europe.
        The Marshall plan we celebrate today, as Her Majesty noted, was open
    to all of Europe. But for half the Continent, the dream of recovery was
    denied. Now, at last, all of Europe's nations are seeking their rightful
    places at our transatlantic table.
        Here in this room are freely elected Presidents, Prime Ministers,
    and officials from every corner of Europe, including Russia. We are the
    trustees of history's rarest gift, a second chance to complete the job
    that Marshall and his generation began. Our great opportunity and our
    enormous obligation is to make the most of this precious gift and
    together to build an undivided, democratic, peaceful, prosperous Europe
    for the very first time in all human history.
        The daunting challenge in Marshall's time was to repair the damage
    of a devastating war. Now we face the equally ambitious task of
    promoting peace, security, and prosperity for all the people of Europe.
        As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Marshall plan, let us
    commit ourselves to build upon its success for the next 50 years and
    beyond. And let us now join in a toast to Her Majesty and the people of
    The Netherlands in gratitude for this great and good day.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:53 p.m. in the Small Ballroom of
    Noordeinde Palace.

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