Remarks at the Arrival Ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal

Mr. President, Mrs. Sampaio, Mr. Prime Minister, members of the Portuguese Government, citizens of Portugal. Here at this historic point of embarkation, from which Portuguese explorers led an entire continent to see beyond the horizon, we find ourselves again, as you said, Mr. President, on a new voyage of discovery.

And at the dawn of a new century, Portugal again is leading the way, strengthening the European Union while preserving our transatlantic partnership, building peace in the Balkans, supporting democracy in Russia. Portugal has been a clear, strong voice for peace and stability throughout the world, and we have been proud to stand with you in responding to floods in Mozambique, in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations from Kosovo to Africa to East Timor.

I thank Portugal, especially, for its constant commitment to East Timor's freedom. Just before the ceremony began today, the President told me that some of the troops who marched for us soon will be sent to join the peacekeeping mission in East Timor. I know that this nation is proud of those troops and their mission, and on behalf of the American people, I thank you for it.

The United States has always considered Portugal an especially good neighbor, thanks in no small part to the shared pride we both feel in the numbers, the character, and the accomplishment of Portuguese-Americans who have done so much to shape our Nation.

I look forward to my meetings with the President and the Prime Minister. I want to learn more about new Portuguese initiatives on education, science, and technology. I applaud Portugal for the work it is doing to give all its people the tools they need to succeed in this global information age.

I also look forward to the U.S.-EU Summit. I hope we will use these meetings not just to strengthen our own ties but to address challenges beyond our borders. Mr. President, you mentioned many of them, the AIDS epidemic in Africa and Asia, the economic gulfs separating the wealthiest from the rest of the world. These problems require innovation, imagination, and courage. Portugal's history is filled with those qualities, and I believe Portugal again will lead the way.

When Vasco da Gama left here to explore Africa and India, he built on the previous experiences of Portuguese explorers like Bartholomeu Dias, the first European to go around the Cape of Good Hope. That beautiful promontory briefly had a different name. It was called Cabo das Tormentas, Stormy Cape, after the storms that gathered round it. But after further reflection, its name was changed to Cabo da Boa Esperanc¸a, the Cape of Good Hope, to reflect the unbounded confidence with which Portugal faced the future.

Well, we have a few stormy waters still to navigate. But we should do it with good hope, and we should do it together.

Thank you very much.