[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
[July 12, 1997]
[Pages 954-956]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the Citizens of Copenhagen
July 12, 1997

    Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister and Lone and 
Madam Vice Prime Minister and Mr. Jelved, Lord Mayor, Madam Chair of the 
Council. Ladies and gentlemen of Denmark, thank you for the wonderful 
welcome. I would also like to express my thanks for all of those who 
entertained you with music before we began. Thank you all very much.
    Let me say I am delighted to be the first sitting American President 
ever to visit Denmark. I had planned to come earlier, as some of you 
know, but I injured my leg. And I thank you for allowing me to wait 
until my leg healed, so the first sitting American President could also 
be a standing American President. [Laughter] When I first visited 
Copenhagen in 1969, I was just one student among many who were traveling 
here. But in all the years since, I have never forgotten the beauty of 
this city or the warmth of the Danish people. And it is very good to be 
back.
    We gather today at the end of what will long be remembered as a week 
in which a new era of promise was launched for all Europe. It is the 
bond between our two nations and the bond of the alliance of all nations 
in the North Atlantic alliance that has brought us to this moment of 
hope and possibility at the dawn of a new century.
    This week in Madrid, we adapted NATO to meet the new security 
challenges of the 21st century. They will face us all: ethnic hatreds, 
the weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, drug running, things that 
cross national borders. We invited three new nations from Central Europe 
to join NATO. We opened the door to all the

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region's new democracies. We forged closer ties with our partners 
throughout the continent. Together we have now moved closer to realizing 
our 50-year-old dream: a Europe undivided, democratic, and at peace for 
the very first time since nation-states arose on this continent. And I 
thank the Government and the people of Denmark for their leadership in 
realizing this vision.
    America's unbroken ties with the Kingdom of Denmark are the oldest 
we have with any nation in the world. The American people have benefited 
beyond measure, in the stories of Danish writers like Karen Blixen and 
Peter Hoeg; in the philosophy of Kierkegaard, who I am told once lived 
on this very square; in the fables of Hans Christian Andersen who 
teaches our children that emperors sometimes have no clothes but that 
ugly ducklings can turn into swans. [Laughter] It is said that every 
Dane has a relative in America. Today I can tell you, all Americans know 
they have a friend in Denmark.
    Above all, I want to thank Denmark for the extraordinary example you 
have set for being a force for good far beyond your numbers. Denmark may 
be a small nation, but you are a very large reason why I believe we're 
on the verge of a great new age of possibility.
    First, Denmark has been a pioneer in showing the world how a nation 
can succeed, both in creating a strong economy and a good society that 
provides opportunity for all its citizens and supports those in need, a 
society bound together by shared values and respect for real 
differences. We can all learn from your efforts to educate your people 
for a lifetime, to give them the tools necessary to make the most of 
their own lives in a time of global, economic, and technological change.
    Second, you have shown us the power of a nation to act with 
compassion and humanity. During World War II, Denmark's rescue of its 
Jewish citizens from deportation and death camps set a standard for 
moral courage that will stir the hearts of free people forever.
    Denmark has always made overcoming barriers a national mission, and 
that is the third point I want to make. A thousand years ago, your 
seafaring ancestors pushed back the barriers of the known world. You are 
still doing that. Just as Tycho Brahe mapped the structure of the 
heavens and Niels Bohr charted the inner workings of the atom, the 
Danish people time and time again reach beyond borders and go on.
    Over the last half century, you have looked past the borders of this 
prosperous land and made the freedom and well-being of others your 
concern: leading the global effort to lift people out of poverty far 
away from here, standing up for human rights around the world, as the 
Prime Minister said, sometimes almost alone--standing against those who 
would practice terror against the innocent. Denmark provides more 
peacekeepers proportionally than any other nation in the entire world, 
and I hope you are all very proud of that.
    You were among the first to heed Bosnia's call. Despite the loss of 
brave Danish soldiers while the war raged, you have never wavered. For 
your unshakable commitment to peace and for all you do, I have come here 
to say on behalf of the American people, we thank you.
    Now we must draw on your example to finish the work of overcoming 
one of the greatest barriers of our time, the division of Europe. And 
this past week we have shown we can do it not by force of arms but by 
the power of peace. This week we have seen the face of the new Europe. 
In Madrid, during our NATO Summit, we saw 44 countries from all corners 
of the continent come together to forge a common future. We saw the most 
successful defensive alliance in history reach out its hand to new 
members and extend its hand to Ukraine and to Russia, now our partners 
in building a bright future.
    We saw nations large and small, new democracies and old ones, join 
to clear away the debris of old blocs of nations to build new bonds of 
partnership. In Poland, one of three nations invited to join the 
alliance, we saw the joy of a people at last secure in their freedom and 
sure of their place in Europe, people who seized their moment and 
changed the course of their history and who now sound ready to guarantee 
a future of freedom to others. Yesterday in Bucharest, Romania, a nation 
we believe that will soon be ready to join our alliance, we saw the 
faces of a people--over 100,000 of them--who freed themselves from 
yesterday's tyranny and are just as determined to seize the promise of 
tomorrow.
    I thank Denmark for rising to this moment; especially I thank you 
for reaching out to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, for helping them to

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fortify their economies, to strengthen their democracies, to establish 
their Baltic Battalion, and to take their place in the new Europe. By 
bridging the expanse of the Baltic Sea, you helped to close a great gap 
in history.
    Throughout the nations of our alliance, there is a Europe of 
visionary leaders with a profound sense of mission and a unity some said 
could not be sustained. NATO has succeeded beyond any expectations. 
Today, America is grateful to our 15 remarkable allies for their 
perseverance and friendship, for their leadership in turning the 
bloodiest continent of the 20th century into a continent free, 
undivided, at peace, and full of hope for the young people in this 
audience and far beyond these borders in the 21st century.
    Today I ask all of you assembled here, throughout this land, across 
Europe, and in America, let us all keep freedom's bright light and 
advance the work of the extraordinary Atlantic community. Let us bring 
down the barriers to a better future for all people on this continent. 
Let us close history's divide. Let us create a 21st century of 
opportunity, security, peace, and freedom for the children of Denmark, 
Europe, and the United States. It can be the greatest time in all human 
history. We must follow your past example into the future.
    Thank you, and God bless you.

Note: The President spoke at 4 p.m. in the Ny Torv Square. In his 
remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Rasmussen's wife, Lone Dybkjaer; 
Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Economic Affairs Marianne Jelved 
and her husband, Jan; Jens Kramer Mikkelsen, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen; 
and Bodil Jensen, chair, Copenhagen City Council.