Statement on the Resignation of Vaclav Havel as President of Czechoslovakia

Today President Vaclav Havel resigned from his post as the President of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic. President Havel is one of the outstanding statesmen of our time, and we regret his departure. President Havel's courage has come to symbolize the determination of all the peoples of Eastern Europe to reject communism and to accept the challenges of the transition to democracy and a free market economy. He energized, as he once wrote, "the power of the powerless." President Havel has made a historic and heroic contribution to the cause of freedom. We are confident he will continue to do so whatever the future may bring.

The future of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic is up to its people. We will respect their decision and are confident it will be peaceful, cooperative, and democratic. We look forward to sustaining our traditionally close relations with its people.