As prepared for delivery....

   July 3, 2008

Independence Day Reception Remarks

Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Your Beatitude, your excellencies the ministers, your excellencies the ambassadors and diplomats resident in and accredited to Cyprus, your Graces the bishops, members of parliament, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends:

Thank you for joining us in the celebration of the 232nd anniversary of our Independence Day. We are truly delighted that you are with us this evening.

It has been an incredible year, and we have much to celebrate and be thankful for. We commemorate, of course, the founding of the United States. We also celebrate the deepening friendship and partnership with Cyprus, both bilaterally and as a member of the broader U.S.-EU partnership.

Tonight’s July 4 celebration is also special to me because it marks my farewell to the island. After three wonderful years, it is time for me to move on. I will soon be packing up my belongings, including some outstanding contemporary Cypriot paintings and sculptures I have collected. While these incredible works of art serve as constant reminders of the inherent beauty and talent abounding here in Cyprus, my memories of this island -- its people, places and specific events -- will remain my most treasured possessions.

I am truly gratified by all we have managed to accomplish by working together, specifically during some extremely challenging times.

Almost two years ago today, just a few weeks after my last July 4 message, my Embassy was faced with a daunting task: the assisted departure of over 14,000 Americans from Lebanon.

Hundreds of Cypriots opened their homes and hearts to help American citizens fleeing conflict in Lebanon. Indeed, your unfailing assistance and generosity not only helped us, but indeed enabled us to carry out the largest assisted departure of American civilians from foreign soil in history.

Last year, as we were set to host the celebration, our Embassy faced tragedy with the untimely passing of a dear member of our community, Lt. Col. Thomas Mooney. During an extremely difficult time, we were able to count on the local authorities, as well as the press, to handle the matter with the dignity and respect that Col. Mooney deserved. The larger Cypriot community also reached out to support us. We shall never forget this.

As U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus, the most important mission of my three-year tenure has been to work with all of you on realizing our common goal of finding a solution to the Cyprus issue within the context of a bizonal, bicommunal federation, supported by the majorities in both communities. My country has backed up these words with active diplomatic support. To be sure, we will continue in every way to help reach this common goal after my departure.

I am pleased that as I stand here this evening, we can celebrate a renewed level of diplomatic activity, one that has ushered in meaningful dialogue and movement towards a reunified Cyprus.

The opening of Ledra Street has once again brought Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots together in large numbers in the nation’s capital. Since Ledra Street reopened, dozens of thousands of people have crossed, and by doing so have witnessed a practical example of how reunification is possible and desirable.

For 45 years, Ledra Street was a prominent symbol of the unacceptable division of the island; it now represents a notable step towards its reunification. We hope that the increased person-to-person contacts and economic benefits from re-opening Ledra Street, along with other CBMs, will continue to build greater confidence between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, as well as lead to rapid progress in the ongoing negotiations.

The UN process underway is the vehicle to bring the two sides together and lead to the reunification of this island. This is the time for all Cypriots, be they politicians, journalists, civic leaders, or ordinary citizens to emphasize what unites rather than divides Cypriots.

This process will require painful sacrifices from both sides and the courage to explain to the public positions, which may be unpopular in one community or the other, but which will benefit Cypriots as a whole. The United States salutes this effort and the leadership demonstrated to date. We are ready to assist in any way we can.

The U.S. had its own share of difficulties in its early years. The fledgling democracy -- modeled after the ancient Greeks, the philosophy of the European Enlightenment, and the democratic traditions of Native Americans, such as the Iroquois -- was a grand and daring experiment. Some urged a confederacy, others a federation. There was no guarantee of success.

On July 4, 1776, the founders of our country declared independence from Great Britain and created a new country. The task facing them was daunting: there was no money in the treasury, there was very little organization, and the founders themselves came from very different backgrounds. In 1776, people were speaking Dutch in New Amsterdam, French in Maine, and English in Georgia. It was far from clear whether English would be the country’s principal language.

After wrestling with a variety of issues, the founders of our nation locked themselves into a hot, sweaty room with their woolen wigs and overcoats in the middle of the Philadelphia summer heat until they had forged a common understanding. (Not surprisingly given the heat, this took only three days.) It was messy. It was controversial. Moreover, there were many equally-hot questions, including states’ rights and representational issues, as well as those concerning taxation.

Indeed, America was founded on necessary and creative compromises. The two-house, or bicameral legislative model, is a perfect example, in that it balanced the demands of larger states – which wanted representation in Congress to be proportional to population – and those of smaller ones, which wanted political equality for all states. In order to create a new country, Americans had to dig deep within themselves and in some cases, create new models and innovative solutions to address very divisive issues.

The foundations of American democracy are rooted in the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the principles of liberty, freedom, equality under the law, inalienable rights, and representative government. By focusing on such a humanistic model of government, these foresighted founders were able to move beyond the narrow politics of identity and embrace more democratic guiding principles.

Indeed, those with power and authority had to relinquish some degree of control to the public and tolerate diverse opinions to an unprecedented degree in order to create a new model that would benefit the whole. For the first time in history, the seemingly outrageous claim that all men were created equal was asserted and legitimized within the creation of a government and a nation. Such actions demanded bold leadership, generosity of spirit and entrepreneurial vigor.

America was not always up to the challenge. The problems of our country were not solved overnight. Even after declaring its independence, the United States was invaded, the capital burned, and at one point, half of the country seceded, resulting in a civil war in 1861 that cost 600,000 lives. It took almost 90 years before African -Americans won emancipation in 1863, and then almost another 60 before women won the right to vote in 1920. While all Americans are now truly equal before the law, the principles of tolerance and civil rights simply cannot be taken for granted.

Bold compromise created America. America was and is a work in progress; the self-correcting mechanisms of a democracy continue to move us in the right direction.

We are seeing that happen here is Cyprus. It is my belief that the all too public disagreements that we have seen on this beautiful island in the past are beginning to fade. A reunified, reconciled Cyprus will no doubt require bold compromise and mutual accommodation, and the past few months have shown that this is possible. By continuing to focus on what unites us rather than divides us, by working together to solve problems that cannot be solved separately, and by agreeing to come to the table even though the outcome is not foreseen, we are able to retake our commonality.

There are strong ties that bind the U.S. and Cyprus. Indeed, we enjoy a close cooperation on a wide array of issues, including the fight against organized crime, terrorism, and Trafficking in Persons.

Working together, our countries have made progress on other fronts. The U.S.-Cypriot commercial relationship continues to grow and prosper. Almost every month a new American franchise opens. General Electric is providing and maintaining state-of-the-art turbines for the fourth unit of the Vasilikos Power Station, an arrangement that will ensure the growing Cypriot economy a reliable source of electricity. One of America's premier health groups may be opening a state-of the-art international hospital on the island, giving Cypriots access to the most modern health care available and attracting clients from throughout the region. A U.S. energy firm is planning to invest millions of dollars to explore Cyprus’ territorial waters for oil and gas, and one of the largest oil service firms in the world will open a factory in Larnaca this November, employing sixty people to start.

And, in a demonstration of how the private sector and the public sector can work together for mutual benefit, Microsoft signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Cyprus that will ensure that the government and students have access to the latest software as well as the necessary training to implement it.

Another area in which we are working together is Corporate Social Responsibility. Together with Cypriot companies, we are establishing sustainable island-wide projects that promote CSR, and we have excellent models from which we can take many lessons: companies such as Coca Cola, CYTA, and Paralik, to name a few.

Last summer, Cyprus and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding which will preserve Cyprus’ cultural, religious and archaeological heritage and help Cyprus battle those who would seek to sell that heritage illegally in the United States and in other countries of the world.

Indeed, the cultural heritage of Cyprus is one of the oldest, richest and most unique in the world. Where else can you find Phoenician architecture, Roman mosaics, Greek temples, Byzantine churches, Turkish mosques, and Gothic Cathedrals on one and the same island?

Together we have worked to make both our countries more safe and secure. Over the past year, more than 150 Cypriot officials have participated in U.S. government training programs designed to help Cyprus increase its capacity to detect, deter and respond to terrorist acts and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their components. We have provided equipment to the Police Department to help Cyprus prevent terrorist incidents, and technology to the Port of Limassol to ensure the safety and security of Cypriot shipping.

Our close cooperation with Cyprus extends to multilateral fora as well. Via its 2004 accession to the European Union, Cyprus joined the U.S.-EU partnership, arguably the most important political and economic relationship in the world. Our dialogue with Cyprus as an EU member-state has deepened to include a much broader range of topics. As our friends in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can attest, there are few international issues that we do not regularly discuss with our Cypriot partners, from Darfur to Colombia, or from intellectual property to human rights.

I stand before you tonight, proud not only of the accomplishments of my country, but of the increasingly close Cyprus-U.S. relationship as well, and of our shared values and experiences. I am especially proud of the experiences that we have shared these past 3 years and grateful for the life-long friends that I have made.

I welcome you to join me in tonight’s celebration, an opportunity for us to enjoy and rejoice in the friendship that we share. I will miss you all, but I will certainly remember you and this wonderful evening, and look forward to coming back to visit this lovely island.

Thank you and God bless.