[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 13 (Monday, April 1, 2002)]
[Pages 511-513]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
 Remarks at a Celebration of Greek Independence Day

 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 any 
time 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

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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.
     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

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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 the Presidential Hall at 
the 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.