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Skriven 2005-05-07 23:33:38 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (050507) for Sat, 2005 May 7
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President's Radio Address
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For Immediate Release
May 7, 2005

President's Radio Address


ÿÿÿÿÿAudio


THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. On Sunday and Monday, I will attend ceremonies
in The Netherlands and Russia, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of V-E
Day.

These events will celebrate a great triumph of good over evil. We will
never forget the acts of courage that made possible the liberation of a
continent, or the heroes who fought in the cause of freedom. And we honor
the brave Americans and allied troops who humbled tyrants, defended the
innocent, and liberated the oppressed. By their courage and sacrifice, they
showed the world that there is no power like the power of freedom -- and no
soldier as strong as a soldier who fights for that freedom.

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The defeat of Nazi Germany brought an end to the armed conflict in Europe.
Unfortunately, for millions of people on that continent, tyranny remained
-- in a different uniform. In Latvia, where I'm also visiting on this trip,
free people were taken captive by another totalitarian empire. Germany was
split into free and un-free halves. And countries like Poland,
Czechoslovakia and Hungary were cut off from liberty by an Iron Curtain.
The people of these countries survived the Cold War through great courage,
and then they took history into their own hands and reclaimed their
freedom.

The result is the continent of Europe, wounded by decades of conflict and
oppression, is today whole, free and at peace for the first time in its
history. The wave of democracy that swept Central and Eastern Europe in
1989 has now swept to nations like Georgia and Ukraine. And the victory for
freedom represented by V-E Day has become a reality for millions of people.

On my trip, I will visit Freedom Square in Tbilisi, Georgia, to applaud the
people there for the Rose Revolution that advanced democracy in their land.
Georgia has survived oppression, fought for liberty and taken its place
among free nations. America is proud to call Georgia our partner in
freedom, and we will help the people of that country enhance prosperity,
improve security and spread liberty at home and abroad.

The new democracies of Europe still have much work to do. Free elections
are a significant achievement, yet they are only part of a fully
functioning democracy. Democratic governments must be committed to
providing full and equal rights for minorities, resolving conflicts
peacefully, encouraging a vibrant political opposition, and ensuring the
rule of law. As the nations of Central and Eastern Europe work to build up
the institutions necessary for a free society, America will stand by their
side.

Today, these nations are standing with us as we defend liberty abroad.
Freedom has no better friends than those with a fresh memory of tyranny.
That is why countries like Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Georgia have been
partners in our coalition in Iraq and Afghanistan. We're grateful for their
contributions, and especially for the example they are setting for other
aspiring democracies.

America and these new democracies are bound together by history, by the
universal rights we have defended together, and by our deepest convictions.
All of us understand that the advance of freedom is the concentrated work
of generations -- from the brave Americans who fought against Nazi Germany
sixty years ago to those who struggle for liberty today. And by working
together, we will ensure that the promise of liberty and democracy won on
V-E Day will one day reach every person and every nation in the 21st
century.

Thank you for listening.

END

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