[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
[September 23, 2003]
[Pages 1195-1196]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a United States Reception in New York City
September 23, 2003

    The President. Thank you all very much. Please be seated. [Laughter]
    Audience member. Not everyone has a seat.
    The President. Unless you don't have a chair. [Laughter] For the 
sake of world harmony, I will give a short speech--[laughter]--and then 
we can all go to bed. [Laughter]
    First, I want to thank the American Museum of Natural History for 
their wonderful hospitality. We've got trustees here and the leadership 
of this fantastic place. It's such a wonderful opportunity for 
Laura and me and our delegation to show off one 
of the really fantastic landmarks of New York City. So on behalf of our 
delegation, thanks for your wonderful hospitality. It's a beautiful 
place to have a wonderful reception.
    Laura and I and the Secretary are honored to welcome the Presidents and Prime Ministers 
and Foreign Ministers and U.N. Ambassadors and anybody else who managed 
to sneak in tonight. [Laughter] We're glad you're here. It's been a 
fantastic reception for us, and thank you for coming.
    I really want to say quickly a word about Kofi Annan. I admire his decency and his vision and his compassion 
for our fellow human beings. He's a great leader of the United Nations, 
and we're proud to call him friend.
    Somebody whispered in my ear that Mayor Bloomberg is here. He is the mayor of New York City. Michael is 
the mayor

[[Page 1196]]

of a great city. On September the 11th, this Nation saw the remarkable 
spirit of the people who live in this city. We'll always remember how 
our fellow citizens who happen to be New Yorkers instantly rallied to 
help their neighbors in need. New York's famous skyline was wounded, but 
its spirit remained steadfast.
    In pursuing the terrorists, we honor the memory of the fallen, and 
we defend civilization itself. I want all the world leaders to remember 
that. In working to alleviate poverty, disease, and human suffering, we 
spread hope to millions, and we undermine the ideologies of resentment 
and hate and terror. The United Nations plays a vital role in all these 
efforts, and all our nations have a duty to advance its founding 
principles of tolerance and freedom and human rights.
    A wing of this building is named for Theodore Roosevelt. He was one 
of my predecessors. He was a warrior for peace who faced the world 
without illusions, and I want to quote what he said. He said, ``If we 
are to be a really great people, we must strive in good faith to play a 
great part in the world. We cannot avoid meeting great issues. All that 
we can determine for ourselves is whether we shall meet them well or 
ill.''
    He was speaking for Americans, but his words are true of every 
people in the world today. We're meeting great issues of security and 
compassion, and we must and we will meet them well.
    Welcome to New York. May God bless you all.

Note: The President spoke at 8:47 p.m. at the American Museum of Natural 
History. In his remarks, he referred to Secretary-General Kofi Annan of 
the United Nations.