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As prepared for delivery...
Remarks by Ambasador Klosson
Independence Day Reception
The Residence
July 3, 2003
Mr. President, Your Excellencies, honored guests, friends from all over Cyprus, Boni and I are delighted to welcome you to this celebration of the two hundred and twenty-seventh anniversary of the independence of the United States of America. It’s the first time we celebrate our nation’s birthday in Cyprus.
Some of you have pointed out to me that today is only the third, and not the fourth, day of July. Before I joined the U.S. Foreign Service, I was a history teacher, so here's a quick lesson: it was actually July 2nd 1776 when the Second Continental Congress adopted a resolution that said the "United Colonies are, and of a right ought to be, free and independent States..." It took the Congress two more days to agree on the public declaration of that resolution. It is only by a quirk of legislative history that we celebrate July 4th as the anniversary of our freedom. July 3rd is thus close enough for government work!
On our Independence Day, both in the United States and around the world, Americans gather together to celebrate. They celebrate in many ways: with family picnics, barbecues and community parades, with flags waving proudly and fireworks against the night sky. These and other traditions help remind Americans of our country’s history and the values we cherish.
It is much more than our nation’s birthday, however, that we have celebrated these past two centuries. We celebrate the values that are the bedrock on which the United States was built, values that are enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Jefferson put it best when he wrote in the Declaration: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
These are not simply memorable words written on a piece of paper kept in a museum. These words have sunk into the American consciousness and permeate our society. These words have called Americans to service and, as we have seen in recent months, to sacrifice. They are the high ideals to which we aspire. They have been our nation’s beacon, the bright light that guides us and unites us.
We are united by our belief in individual rights, in the rule of law, in equal opportunity, and in the importance of tolerance and diversity. In a phrase, we believe in responsible freedom. The freedom to make your own life according to your talents and tastes, to live without fear, to move about freely, to speak your own mind, to practice your religion, and to assemble to express your grievances.
These are the values that built and now sustain America, but not only America. These values are shared with all democratic nations including Cyprus. Like Americans, Cypriots – Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots – cherish freedom and equality, tolerance, and the rule of law.
This evening we celebrate our shared values, not a piece of land or a political entity. These shared values are ties that unite Americans and Cypriots, Americans and Europeans – indeed all of us around the world who believe in freedom. Freedom and democracy are the rising tide around the world. And out of such freedom and government in the hands of the people can come peace and a better future for all.
Thank you.
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