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Address by Chancellor Helmut Kohl at the Celebration of the Day of German Unity at the German Ambassador’s Residence in Washington October 3, 2006 (simultaneous translation from German) Mr. President, Dear George, For me and I think for many of you, it is an emotional moment to celebrate the Day of German Unification together with you, our American friends. And it is a special pleasure for me, and I think also for all of you, that my special friend, George, is here among us. In a very modest way, he mentioned the role he played and the strength it took him in making sure that German unification became possible. But this is the truth, George, without you, without your assistance and the assistance of your staff, your American staff today, this day would not be possible. For me, the 3rd of October 1990 and the 9th of November 1989, the day the wall came down, are among the happiest days in all of German history. The 3rd of October was a gift to us, the Germans. It was a stroke of luck. And with the help of God, and with the help of many friends in Europe, in the U.S. and in other parts of the world, we were able to achieve German unification. The fall of the wall and reunification of our fatherland demonstrate above all that even after 40 years of being divided, the majority of Germans was not willing in East and West to accept the division of our homeland. The fall of the wall in Berlin, in Germany, and in Europe if you want to say it that way represents a triumph of liberty. This triumph became possible because of the people’s courage and strength, the people who rose up against the dictatorship in the cities and communities all over the German Democratic Republic. They were not intimidated by threats and violence. They demonstrated peacefully until the wall and the dictatorship fell. Let me reiterate: the fact that reunification was achieved peacefully and in liberty is also due to the support we received from abroad. Let me mention Mikhail Gorbachev, who with his innovative thinking and
perestroika caused a change of course in Soviet policy and he showed tremendous
courage in doing so. During the historic times, it was truly a stroke of luck when the iron curtain slowly lifted that we Germans were able to rely on you, George Bush, who was president of the United States. When the opportunity for reunification became clearer and drew closer, and when others were still skeptical and hesitant, it was you and your government who encouraged and supported us and helped us on the road toward unification. Mr. President, you will always have a special place in the book of German history. The assistance and support we received at that time is an expression
of our Atlantic partnership that has grown over 40 years, and also an
expression of German-American friendship. It began 60 years ago in Stuttgart when then Secretary of State Byrne called on us to return to civil society, to return to the community of nations, and he said: “We want to help your people.” U.S. support and assistance will never be forgotten during the time of reconstruction after the war when we were building a new house and when we tried to reestablish our economy. The Americans, our friends, of course were there in an hour of need when Stalin tried to occupy Berlin. The Berlin Blockade of 1948/49 was a major act of European history. The Americans of course were there to assist us in German unification. And for me and for us we draw the following conclusion: We Germans, and we Europeans fully support our transatlantic partnership. For us Germans, there is no “either-or” in choosing between the transatlantic partnership and our friendship with the United States and in the construction of our House of Europe. Ladies and Gentlemen the time has come that many understand that Europe needs the United States and the United States needs Europe. Our partnership is based on a solid foundation of common values; on the values of democracy, human rights, and liberty, and the common roots of major cultural history-heritage. Therefore, I think it is wonderful that today in memory of those days,
Americans and Germans are gathered here together to celebrate the Day
of German Unification.
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