[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
[February 23, 2000]
[Pages 295-296]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at the State Dinner Honoring King Juan Carlos I of Spain
February 23, 2000

    Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome His Majesty King Juan Carlos and 
Majesty Queen Sofia; members of the Spanish 
delegation; to all the rest of you. It is a great honor in this house of 
the American people to welcome a King and Queen who are truly of their 
people.
    Your Majesties, on behalf of all Americans, 
let me begin by expressing my condolences to the families of the two victims of yesterday's 
car bombing in northern Spain. We stand with Spain in condemning this 
cowardly act and call on those responsible to renounce the violence and 
terrorism which have taken too many innocent lives in recent years. In a 
democracy, we must settle our differences through dialog, not 
destruction.
    One of the greatest pleasures of the last 7 years has been the 
opportunity that Hillary and I have had on many occasions to be with 
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. Five years ago, 
I welcomed them to the White House on the occasion of their son's graduation from my alma mater, the Georgetown 
University School of Foreign Service. On that day, the King and Queen 
also received honorary doctorates.
    The King joked that day that the reason the university had given him 
the degree was that if his son started 
bragging about his masters, he could always say, ``Yes, but I am a 
doctor.'' [Laughter]
    Two years later, the King and Queen hosted 
Hillary, Chelsea, and me just a few weeks after Chelsea graduated from 
high school. For me, it was the fulfillment of a long dream. When I was 
a young graduate student, more than 30 years ago, I first went to Spain 
in the spring of 1969. I went to Granada to visit the Alhambra. I never 
got over it, and I promised myself that one day, somehow, I would 
return. Well, thanks to the King and Queen, I was once again able to see 
the Sun set over the plains of Granada, in a style slightly better than 
that which I enjoyed as a graduate student. [Laughter]
    It is a special honor for us to have the King and the Queen here today on the anniversary of the day in which the 
courage of the King literally saved democracy for Spain.
    Our friendship is just the latest chapter in a long history of 
friendship between our two nations. Five centuries ago, the vision of 
Queen Isabella guided sailors across vast oceans to discover a new 
world. The Spanish of that day left their language, their religion, and 
much of their culture on these shores. The State in which I was born 
once was part of the Spanish Empire. And I suppose, Your 
Majesties, I am, in a sense, one of your 
subjects. [Laughter]
    Today, five centuries later, Christopher Columbus is the only 
foreign citizen America honors with a national holiday. For some time 
now, Spanish has been our second most spoken language, and all across 
America, Spanish-speaking men and women, many of whom are here tonight, 
enrich our Nation and our lives. Today, five centuries after Spain 
helped to lead the world through the age of exploration, it is the 
vision of a direct descendant of Queen Isabella, His Majesty King Juan 
Carlos, who is helping to lead this new world through a new age of 
information.

[[Page 296]]

    Spain is spreading the values of democracy, respect for human 
rights, and free markets across the globe, from Latin America to the 
Balkans, Europe to the Middle East. Your Majesties, we are proud in America to be your partners, your 
allies, and your friends.
    Saint Isidore once wrote, ``Spain is the most beautiful of all the 
lands extending from the West to India, for through her, East and West 
receive light.'' Today, may the light of our friendship continue to 
inspire and enlighten nations from East to West as we work to build a 
world that is more democratic, more open, more free, and at peace.
    I ask you all to join me in a toast to the King and Queen of Spain and the people of their wonderful country.

Note: The President spoke at 8:45 p.m. in the State Dining Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, he referred to Queen Sofia, wife of King 
Juan Carlos I, and their son, Crown Prince Felipe; and Spanish 
politician Fernando Buesa and his bodyguard Jorge Diez, who were killed 
in a car bomb explosion on February 23. The transcript released by the 
Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of the King.