[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 7 (Monday, February 25, 2008)]
[Pages 244-246]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks During a United States Embassy Dedication Ceremony in Kigali

February 19, 2008

    Well, thank you very much. Thank you. Please be seated--unless, of 
course, you don't have a chair. [Laughter] Mr. President, thank you for 
joining us. Madam Kagame, we're so thrilled you're here. Laura and I are 
honored to be with you. I appreciate the members of the diplomatic corps 
joining us as well.
    I had a speech; I'm not going to give it. [Laughter] Guys like me 
always like to cut ribbons. There's nothing more special than cutting 
the ribbon on a new Embassy, particularly in a country like Rwanda.
    Rwanda has come--it's amazing. You know, Laura and I just came from 
the--well, we came from a beautiful lunch with the President and the 
First Lady. But we went to the holocaust museum. It's hard to believe 
that a country could recover so quickly from such a horrible moment. 
It's hard to believe that there can be hope after a devastating period 
of time like that, and yet there is. And

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so cutting the ribbon here really is a chance for America to say, we 
stand with you as you hope for a better future.
    Plus, I like dealing with strong leaders who care about the people. 
I like courage and compassion. And that's what I believe your President 
has, courage and compassion. He cares deeply about the plight of the 
citizens.
    And I think when people get to know Americans, thanks to people who 
work here at this Embassy, they will find that we're a nation of 
courageous and compassionate people too.
    So my first call is to thank our fellow citizens for working in 
Rwanda. And thanks for serving the United States of America. I hope you 
have as much pride as I do in saying, I represent America. And the 
reason I do so is because we are a compassionate people. And when we see 
suffering, we just don't sit around and talk about it; we act upon it. 
And when we see the hungry, we feed the hungry, not because of its--you 
know, it's like we want to establish undue influence; it's because we 
all believe we're children of God.
    And so for those of you on the frontlines of saving lives with the 
malaria initiative, I say, thanks; good job; keep doing it. It's not 
that hard to spread out nets. It requires a government willing to 
cooperate with you. It's just not that difficult to figure out how to 
deal with the disease in which thousands of babies die. It's 
insecticides and nets and good strategies. And so thanks for working on 
that.
    For those of you who are dealing with HIV/AIDS, you know, people 
often ask why did I decide to get involved? I couldn't stand by and 
watch a generation of people eradicated with something that we could 
help, you see. And so I want to thank my fellow citizens for saving 
lives. And gosh, I hope it makes you feel good; it certainly makes me 
feel good to know you're out there working hard. And so thanks for being 
a part of what I call a mission of mercy. And thanks for showing the 
good heart of America.
    For the Rwandan citizens here, thanks for helping our Embassy go. We 
can't run our Embassies without the people from the host nations. And 
the Ambassador tells me that you're really fine people, and I know my 
fellow citizens thank you for working side by side with the people of 
the United States of America.
    For those of you wearing the uniform, God bless you. There's nothing 
better than being the Commander in Chief of such an outstanding group of 
men and women who selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves.
    I do want to thank Michael and Lesley for their service. I do want 
to recognize our great Secretary of State. I thought for a minute you 
were going to name that road after Secretary Condoleezza Rice. 
[Laughter] When they're talking about great Americans, and they're going 
on and on and on, I was certain it was going to say, ``Rice Boulevard.'' 
[Laughter]
    I do want to thank Cheryl Sim and her husband, Richard. He's from 
Texas. Any other Texans that are here? Yes, there you go. You know what 
it's like. [Laughter] Pretty lucky deal to be called Texan, isn't it?
    Finally, I do want to end by saying this: To whom much is given, 
much is required. That's a--Presidents must make decisions based upon 
certain principles that are timeless and universal. And that's one of 
the principles that stands in--it stands our Nation in good stead. We're 
a blessed nation, and I believe it is in our interests, our national 
interests and our moral interests, to help people like we're helping 
them here in Rwanda.
    And so it's an honor to be here to cut the ribbon for this new 
Embassy. It's an honor to be in front of people who've got compassion in 
their hearts and efficiency on their minds and willing to do the right 
thing to get to save lives. And it's an honor to be in a great friend 
and ally, Rwanda. God bless you.
    And now it's my honor to bring to the podium our President--your 
President and our ally, President Kagame.

Note: The President spoke at 2:25 p.m. at the U.S. Embassy Kigali. In 
his remarks, he referred to Jeannette Nyiramongi, wife of President Paul 
Kagame of Rwanda; U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda Michael R. Arietti and his 
wife, Lesley; and Deputy Chief of Mission Cheryl Sim, U.S. Embassy 
Kigali. The transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary 
also included the remarks of President Kagame.

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