[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 48 (Monday, December 2, 2002)]
[Pages 2085-2086]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to the People of Romania in Bucharest

November 23, 2002

    Salut! Thank you all. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for being 
out here in the rain. Thank you for such a warm welcome. Laura and I are 
honored to be in this great country. As we started speaking, a rainbow 
appeared. God is smiling on us today.
    I'm proud to stand in this great square and to bring the good wishes 
of the American people. Today we reaffirm the friendship between your 
country and mine. I'm honored to carry a message to the people of 
Romania: We proudly invite you to join NATO, the great alliance of 
freedom.
    All around us are reminders of Romania's history and the culture we 
share. Close by is a church, three centuries old, a symbol of the faith 
that overcomes all oppression. In this square we see monuments of 
Romanian patriots who lost their lives in liberty--for the liberty of 
your nation. And here, in December of 1989, you broke the silence of 
your captivity. From that balcony, the dictator heard your voices and 
faltered and fled. Two generations of bitter tyranny ended, and all the 
world witnessed the courage of Romania, the courage that set you free.
    Since those days of liberation, Romania has made an historic 
journey. Instead of hatred, you have chosen tolerance. Instead of 
destructive rivalry with your neighbors, you have chosen reconciliation. 
Instead of state control, you have chosen free markets and rule of law. 
And instead of dictatorship, you have built a proud and working 
democracy.
    The path of freedom you've chosen is not easy, but it's the only 
path worth taking. I know that your hardship did not end with your 
oppression. America respects your labor, your patience, your daily 
determination to find a better life. Your effort has been recognized by 
an offer to NATO membership. We welcome Romania into NATO.
    NATO's invitation to join was also a vote of confidence that you 
will continue the hard work of political, economic, and military reform. 
And as you do, you will have partners in all the nations of NATO. The 
promises of our Alliance are sacred, and we will keep our pledges to all 
the nations that join us. Should any danger threaten Romania--should any 
nation threaten Romania, the United States of America and NATO will be 
by your side. As a NATO Ally, you can have this confidence: No one will 
be able to take away the freedom of your country.
    NATO membership will make Romania more secure, and Romania will add 
to the strength of the NATO Alliance as we face unprecedented new 
dangers. Already, our troops are serving side by side in Afghanistan. 
Already, Romania has joined the global coalition against terror. And we 
thank you very much.
    The world has suffered enough from fanatics who seek to impose their 
will through fear and murder. The NATO Alliance and the civilized world 
are confronting the new enemies of freedom, and we will prevail.
    Your country also brings moral clarity to our NATO Alliance. You 
value freedom because you have lived without it. You know the difference 
between good and evil because you have seen evil's face. The people of 
Romania understand that aggressive dictators cannot be appeased or 
ignored; they must always be opposed.

[[Page 2086]]

    An aggressive dictator now rules in Iraq. By his search for terrible 
weapons, by his ties to terror groups, by his development of prohibited 
ballistic missiles, the dictator of Iraq threatens the security of every 
free nation, including the free nations of Europe. The United Nations 
Security Council and now NATO have spoken with one voice: The Iraqi 
regime will completely disarm itself of weapons of mass murder, or we, 
the United States, will lead a coalition of willing nations and disarm 
that regime in the name of peace.
    Every nation must confront danger. Every free nation has a 
responsibility to play its full and responsible role. And together, Mr. 
President, we will preserve our freedoms, and we will work together to 
keep the peace.
    In the peaceful future we're building, Romania will strengthen our 
lives in another way, as a bridge to a new Russia. For centuries, 
Romania's geography was a source of danger. Now, you can help our 
Alliance to extend a hand of cooperation across the Black Sea. Russia 
has nothing to fear from the growth of NATO, because Russia needs 
peaceful, stable neighbors, like Romania. As I told President Putin 
yesterday, a Russia that is fully part of Europe needs no buffer zone 
separating it from Europe. America and Romania are friends to the 
Russian people, and so is the NATO Alliance.
    Mr. President, citizens of Romania, Laura and my visit to your 
beautiful country has been short, but the friendship, and soon the 
Alliance, between our countries will endure.
    On this historic square, among the monuments to Romania's greatness, 
there's also a building left in ruins, the former offices of the secret 
police. It is a fitting reminder of all the cruelties done there and the 
justice that rose up against oppression. That grim monument also recalls 
the many brave Romanians who did not live to see this day. Our prayers 
are for them and their families. Yet, today, their hopes are being 
fulfilled. The nation they love is rising. Romania has won its freedom. 
Romania is resolute in difficulty and moving toward greater prosperity. 
And Romania is finding its place in the greatest--history's greatest 
alliance for freedom.
    I have come to tell you that the world and my country knows the 
character of the people of this great country. We respect your country. 
We love the fact that you love freedom. May God bless you and your 
families. May God bless Romania. And may God bless America. Thank you 
all.

Note: The President spoke at 4:35 p.m. at the Piata Revolutiei. In his 
remarks, he referred to President Ion Iliescu of Romania, who introduced 
the President; President Vladimir Putin of Russia; and President Saddam 
Hussein of Iraq.