    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [March 25, 2002]
    [Pages 497-498]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

     Remarks at a Greek Independence Day Celebration
     March 25, 2002

         Your Eminence, I can't spend enough
    time with you. [Laughter] I love your gentle soul, and I love your
    guidance and your advice. And anytime you want to come back, just give
    me a call. [Laughter] I'm so glad you're here. And I want to thank you
    all for joining us to celebrate this important day for Greece.
         I want to honor the heritage of liberty that both the Greeks and
    the Americans share. There's no better place to do this than in the
    White House, the symbol of liberty and the symbol of freedom.
         I want to thank the Greek Under Secretary of Foreign
    Affairs for being here as well. I
    appreciate you coming. I want to thank the Ambassador--the Greek
    Ambassador to the United States and the
    Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the United States as well. You all are welcome here.
    Thank you for coming. It's great to see you again. I'm glad to see
    Ambassador George Argyros is here as well. I
    never thought he'd get through the confirmation process. [Laughter] But
    he is my Ambassador to Spain and is doing a very fine job. I appreciate
    so much the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, George
    Tenet, for being here as well.
         One hundred and eighty one years ago, our Nation supported the
    cause of Greek independence. And we have admired the progress Greece has
    made since. Yet well before we recognized the independence of modern
    Greece, the Greek heritage had a great impact on American independence.
    Many of America's founders knew Greek history better than our own. They
    drew on Greece's political heritage in framing our Constitution.
    America's love for liberty has deep roots in the spirit of Greece.
         The spirit of liberty has always had enemies. It's important for us
    to remember our history, that there are some who can't stand liberty and
    freedom, as we learned so tragically on September the 11th. The
    terrorists who attack us hate the very idea of human freedom. They
    cannot stand the thought of freedom of religion. It must make them very
    nervous to know that a Methodist is standing next to His Eminence--[laughter]--in a free society, in a
    society that welcomes people to worship freely and as they so choose.
    They hate freedom of speech. They can't stand the thought of people
    speaking their minds. They hate our system.
         They also thought we were weak and soft. And they're wrong, and
    they're learning it every day. They learned it in Afghanistan, where we
    went into that country not to seek revenge but to seek justice. And this
    weekend, little girls went to school for the first time--some little
    girls went to school for the first time in Afghanistan, showing the
    world that we didn't go into Afghanistan as conquerors but as
    liberators.
         And they're going to find out how tough we are. Because I want to
    assure you all that we're going to hunt them down one by one until our
    homeland is secure, until freedom is secure, to make sure our children
    and our grandchildren can live in a free and peaceful world.

    [[Page 498]]

         One ancient Greek statesman put it this way. He said, ``We are free
    to live exactly as we please, yet we are ready to face any danger.'' He
    might as well have been talking about the United States of America.
    Fortunately, we don't face danger alone. There are other people who love
    freedom as well in this world. Greece and America have been firm allies
    in the great struggles for liberty. Greece was one of only a handful of
    countries that fought alongside the United States in every major 20th
    century war. And Americans will always remember Greek heroism and Greek
    sacrifice for the sake of freedom.
         As the 21st century dawns, Greece and America are--once again stand
    united, this time in the fight against terrorism. Greece is a part of
    the coalition of nations helping bring justice to those who would harm
    us, harm the people of Greece, harm anybody who loves freedom. The
    United States deeply appreciates the role Greece is playing in the war
    against terror. We thank Greece for access to the military base in Souda
    Bay, Crete, and for providing a naval frigate for patrolling the Arabian
    Sea.
         And just as Greece has stood side by side with the United States,
    the United States stands ready to encourage the continued warming of
    Greek and Turkish relations. We welcome the resumption of diplomatic
    talks on Cyprus and hope that they will lead to a final settlement that
    strengthens regional peace and stability.
         America and Greece are strong allies, and we're strategic partners.
    Our Nation has been inspired by Greek ideals and enriched by Greek
    immigrants. Today, about one million Americans claim Greek origin.
    They've made a mark in every field. America is better for the one
    million Americans who live here. In my administration, John Negroponte
    heads our United Nations, and he's doing a fine job. And as a part of my
    war council, the National Security Council, sits George Tenet, whose advice and steady hand have been invaluable
    to our success.
         Today we honor Greek independence and the Greek spirit, a spirit of
    liberty and a spirit of courage, a spirit that values family and
    education and public service and faith, a spirit that has helped make
    America what it is today.
         It is my honor to welcome you all here. May God bless Greece, and
    may God continue to bless America.

      Note:  The President spoke at 1:27 p.m. in Room 450 of the Dwight D.
    Eisenhower Executive Office Building. In his remarks, he referred to
    Archbishop Demetrios, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church of America;
    Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs Yiannis Magriotis of Greece; Greek
    Ambassador to the U.S. Alexandros Philon; and Cypriot Ambassador to the
    U.S. Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis. The Greek Independence Day proclamation
    of March 25 is listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.