[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 8 (Monday, February 28, 2005)]
[Pages 313-315]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in Bratislava

February 24, 2005

    Thank you all. Dobr den. Mr. President, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Prime 
Minister, thank you for your strong leadership and friendship. Mr. 
Mayor, distinguished guests, citizens of a free Slovakia, thank you for 
your hospitality. Laura and I are honored, extremely honored, to visit 
your great country. We bring greetings, and we bring the good wishes of 
the American people.
    With us here today is a group of remarkable men and women from 
across Central and Eastern Europe who have fought freedom's fight in 
their homelands and have earned the respect of the world. We welcome 
you. We thank you for your example, for your courage, and for your 
sacrifice.
    I'm proud to stand in this great square, which has seen momentous 
events in the history of Slovakia and the history of freedom. Almost 17 
years ago, thousands of Slovaks gathered peacefully in front of this 
theater. They came not to welcome a visiting President but to light 
candles, to sing hymns, to pray for an end to tyranny and the 
restoration of religious liberty.
    From the hotel to our left, Communist authorities watched thousands 
of candles shining in the darkness and gave the order to extinguish 
them. The authorities succeeded in crushing that protest. But with their 
candles and prayers, the people of Bratislava lit a fire for freedom 
that day, a fire that quickly spread across the land. And within 20 
months, the regime that drove Slovaks from this square would itself be 
driven from

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power. By claiming your own freedom, you inspired a revolution that 
liberated your nation and helped to transform a continent.
    Since those days of peaceful protest, the Slovak people have made 
historic progress. You regained your sovereignty and independence. You 
built a successful democracy. You established a free economy. And last 
year, the former member of the Warsaw Pact became a member of NATO and 
took its rightful place in the European Union. Every Slovak can be proud 
of these achievements. And the American people are proud to call you 
allies and friends and brothers in the cause of freedom.
    I know that liberty--the road to liberty and prosperity has not 
always been straight or easy. But Americans respect your patience, your 
courage, and your determination to secure a better future for your 
children. As you work to build a free and democratic Slovakia in the 
heart of Europe, America stands with you.
    Slovaks know the horror of tyranny, so you're working to bring hope 
of freedom to people who have not known it. You've sent peacekeepers to 
Kosovo and election observers to Kiev. You've brought Iraqis to 
Bratislava to see firsthand how a nation moves from dictatorship to 
democracy. Your example is inspiring newly-liberated people. You're 
showing that a small nation, built on a big idea, can spread liberty 
throughout the world.
    At this moment, Slovak soldiers are serving courageously alongside 
U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some have given their 
lives in freedom's cause. We honor their memory. We lift them up in our 
prayers. Words can only go so far in capturing the grief of their 
families and their countrymen. But by their sacrifice, they have helped 
purchase a future of freedom for millions. Many of you can still recall 
the exhilaration of voting for the first time after decades of tyranny. 
And as you watched jubilant Iraqis dancing in the streets last month, 
holding up ink-stained fingers, you remembered Velvet Days. For the 
Iraqi people, this is their 1989, and they will always remember who 
stood with them in their quest for freedom.
    In recent times, we have witnessed landmark events in the history of 
liberty, a Rose Revolution in Georgia, an Orange Revolution in Ukraine, 
and now a Purple Revolution in Iraq. With their votes cast and counted, 
the Iraqi people now begin a great and historic journey. They will form 
a new Government, draft a democratic constitution, and govern themselves 
as free people. They're putting the days of tyranny and terror behind 
them and building a free and peaceful society in the heart of the Middle 
East, and the world's free nations will support them in their struggle.
    The terrorist insurgents know what's at stake. They know they have 
no future in a free Iraq, so they're trying desperately to undermine 
Iraq's progress and throw the country in chaos. They want to return to 
the day when Iraqis were governed by secret police and informers and 
fear. They will not succeed. The Iraqi people will not permit a minority 
of assassins to determine the destiny of their nation. We will fight to 
defend this freedom, and we will prevail.
    Victory in this struggle will not come easily or quickly, but we 
have reason to hope. Iraqis have demonstrated their courage and their 
determination to live in freedom, and that has inspired the world. It is 
the same determination we saw in Kiev's Independent Square, in Tbilisi's 
Freedom Square, and in this square almost 17 years ago.
    We must be equally determined and also patient. The advance of 
freedom is the concentrated work of generations. It took almost a decade 
after the Velvet Revolution for democracy to fully take root in this 
country. And the democratic revolutions that swept this region over 15 
years ago are now reaching Georgia and Ukraine. In 10 days, Moldova has 
the opportunity to place its democratic credentials beyond doubt as its 
people head to the polls. And inevitably, the people of Belarus will 
someday proudly belong to the country of democracies. Eventually, the 
call of liberty comes to every mind and every soul. And one day, 
freedom's promise will reach every people and every nation.
    Slovakia has taken great risks for freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. 
You have proved yourself a trusted friend and a reliable ally.

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That is why I recently announced a new Solidarity Initiative for nations 
like Slovakia that are standing with America in the war on terror. We 
will help you to improve your military forces so we can strengthen our 
ability to work together in the cause of freedom. We're working with 
your Government to make it easier for Slovaks to travel to the United 
States of America. Hundreds of thousands of our citizens can trace their 
roots back to this country. Slovak immigrants helped build America and 
shape its character. We want to deepen the ties of friendship between 
our people, ties based on common values, a love of freedom, and shared 
belief in the dignity and matchless value of every human being.
    The Velvet Generation that fought for these values is growing older. 
Many of the young students and workers who led freedom's struggle here 
now struggle to support families and their children. For some, the days 
of protest and revolution are a distant memory. Today, a new generation 
that never experienced oppression is coming of age. It is important to 
pass on to them the lessons of that period. They must learn that freedom 
is precious and cannot be taken for granted; that evil is real and must 
be confronted; that lasting prosperity requires freedom of speech, 
freedom to worship, freedom of association; and that to secure liberty 
at home, it must be defended abroad.
    By your efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq and across the world, you 
are teaching young Slovaks these important lessons. And you're teaching 
the world an important lesson as well, that the seeds of freedom do not 
sprout only where they are sown; carried by mighty winds, they cross 
borders and oceans and continents and take root in distant lands.
    I've come here to thank you for your contributions to freedom's 
cause and to tell you that the American people appreciate your courage 
and value your friendship. On behalf of all Americans, dakujem, and may 
God bless you all.

Note: The President spoke at 12:17 p.m. in Hviezdoslavovo Square. In his 
remarks, he referred to President Ivan Gasparovic and Prime Minister 
Mikulas Dzurinda of Slovakia; Chairman Pavol Hrusovsky of the Slovak 
Parliament; and Mayor Andrej Durkovsky of Bratislava.