[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 8 (Monday, February 28, 2000)]
[Pages 358-359]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Welcoming Ceremony for King Juan Carlos I of Spain

February 23, 2000

    Your Majesties, members of the Spanish delegation, ladies and 
gentlemen, on behalf of the people of the United States, I am delighted 
to welcome the King and Queen of Spain back to America.
    A quarter century ago the very first trip King Juan Carlos made 
overseas after his proclamation as King was to the United States. Your 
Majesty, we are honored that you have decided to celebrate the 
anniversary of that journey and the friendship between our nations by 
making America your first stop overseas in the new century.
    In the life of every democracy there are defining moments that stand 
above the rest--Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg; Lech Walesa raising a 
fist in a Polish shipyard; students standing with sledgehammers atop the 
Berlin Wall; Nelson Mandela taking the oath of office as President of 
South Africa. Nineteen years ago, on this very day, Spain had one of 
those moments. In the early evening hours of February 23, 1981, 200 
armed militia in Madrid stormed the Parliament in a coup. They fired 
automatic weapons. They took every major elected figure in Spain 
hostage. Many feared Spain's 2-year-old experiment with democracy was 
over.
    But when angry generals urged King Juan Carlos to join their 
rebellion, he replied defiantly, ``Your coup will succeed over my dead 
body.'' He rallied the people of Spain. He appealed to the military 
sense of honor. He stood strong, and less than 24 hours after it began, 
the coup was over.
    Freedom was secure in Spain. And less than a decade later, when 
freedom was reborn in Eastern Europe, the newest democracies could look 
to Spain as their example. When the task of building an undivided, 
democratic, peaceful Europe is completed, all friends of freedom will 
owe a very great debt to King Juan Carlos.
    Your Majesty, for more than five centuries now, our two nations have 
been united by a common history. Today, we also are united by common 
values and common responsibilities. In Kosovo, Spanish pilots, soldiers, 
and police have performed with great bravery, and in April, a Spanish 
commander will assume the command of KFOR. In Latin America, we have 
stood together, supporting hurricane victims in Honduras and Guatemala 
and flood victims in Venezuela, promoting a better life for the people 
of Colombia, advancing the cause of human rights in Cuba.
    Your Majesty, on this lawn almost a quarter century ago, you said 
that your greatest wish then was that your visit--and I quote--``would 
contribute to reinforcing the bonds of friendship between us, for the 
good of our two countries and all those who aspire to attain the same 
ideals of faith, freedom, and justice.'' Your Majesty, your visit then, 
and all your work since, have strengthened our bonds of friendship. As 
you continue to lead your nation and to stand against the forces of 
terror and the enemies of peace and freedom, may your words be our hope 
and our

[[Page 359]]

guide as we walk together in this new century.
    Again, we thank you for the honor of your visit, and we welcome you 
warmly--your friends in the United States.

Note: The President spoke at 10:22 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House, where King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia were accorded a formal 
welcome with full military honors. The transcript released by the Office 
of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of the King.