Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 2006 (18. évfolyam, 1-50. szám)

2006-02-17 / 8. szám

Secretary Rice Commemorates 1956 Hungarian Uprising WASHINGTON, D.C.- A memorial celeb­ration was held at the State Department in Washington on Monday dedicated to the 1956 Hungarian revolution. The event was hosted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who noted in a speech that the bravery of Hungary’s freedom fighters in 1956 won respect throughout the world. As many as 200,000 Hungarians left the country after the revolution was crushed and the U.S. was among the recipient countries, she added. Since the collapse of communism in 1989, Hungary has put into practice the rule of law and freedom, serving an example to the whole world, she said. The event was attended, among other dignitaries, by Under Secretary responsible for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, Hungarian-born ranking Demo­crat Tom Lantos of the House of Representatives’ International Relations Committee, Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and President of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation Rabbi Arthur Schneier. In his speech, Ambassador Simonyi said that the sacrifice of 1956 was not in vain and Hungarians ended up achieving more than the heroes had ever dreamed of. Hungary is today a stable ally to the U.S. and the Euro­pean democracies, a member of NATO and the EU, he said. 1956 has become a symbol of freedom in Hungary and to us everybody is a “56-er” who is ready to fight for freedom and democracy in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Iraq, Afghanistan, or elsewhere in the world, said Ambas­sador Simonyi. The event marked the first celebration in a series to commemorate the 50th anniversary of 1956 this year. Last December, the U.S. House of Representa­tives unanimously approved a resolution to recognize the significance of the Hungarian revolution of 1956. The document, submitted by Hungarian-born U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos, declared that the 1956 revolution set the stage for the ultimate collapse of communism in 1989 throughout central and eastern Europe, including Hungary, and two years later in the Soviet Union itself. Remarks by Secretary Rice on the 50th Anni­versary Year of the Hungarian Revolution SECRETARY RICE: Thank Secretary Condoleezza Rice - Benjamin Franklin Room, Depart­­ment of State, Washington, DC, February 13, 2006 __________(Curtesy of the Hungarian Embassy, Washington D.C.) you very much. Welcome to the Department of State. We are here today to commemorate the Hungarian people’s journey toward freedom, a journey tested by great suffering and by great tragedy, but a journey that could not be deterred from its ultimate triumph. I am so grateful to be joined here by Ambassador Simonyi, by my great friend, Congressman Tom Lantos. I see many friends here, of course, members of the Diplomatic Corps. I see also the former Secretary of Defense, Bill Cohen, also a former sena­tor from Maine. Thank you for joining us. There are many, many friends here because we all want to cel­ebrate the triumph that the Hun­garian people ultimately had, but also to remember the tragedy that was endured. I’d like to recognize and welcome the religious lead­ers who are here, His Eminence Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington; Rabbi Arthur Schneier, the presi­dent of the Appeal for Conscience Foundation; and the Reverend G. Wilson Gunn, the General Presbyter of the National Capital Presbytery. And you may know that I’m also a Presbyterian. Thank you for being here. (Laughter.) I’m especially honored that with us this afternoon are also many proud Hungarians who witnessed and shaped the events of 1956. You imagined a free and democratic Hungary. You sacri­ficed and you’ve suffered for it. And I think that we owe, to each and every one of you, a round of applause and gratitude. (Applause.) For 12 days in 1956, the Hun­garian people caught a fleeting glimpse of their independence. Armed with little more than a love of liberty, the impatient patriots of Hungary rose up against the mighty Soviet empire. They stormed the jails and they freed political prisoners. They took back their country’s radio waves and broadcast the censored sounds of Mozart and Beethoven. And they imagined a new future for Hungary, where they and their fellow citizens would determine their own future in freedom with­out facing foreign oppression or fearing the midnight knock of the secret police. For 12 days, there was hope, but then came the response and it was terrible and ferocious. Soviet troops and tanks rumbled into Hungary, killing tens of thou­sands of people and condemning thousands of others to Siberian gulags. A desperate exodus began. Two hundred thousand Hungar­ians, men, women and children, fled the land of their birth and sought shelter in the West. The United States opened its doors to the driven sons and daugh­ters of Hungary. In time, these immigrants put down new roots and they started new businesses and they added to the diverse and wonderful character of America. 1956 was a year of unspeak­able tragedy for the Hungarian people, but 50 years later, from the vantage point of history, we see that 1956 was also the begin­ning of something greater, some­thing far more promising. In the Hungarian Revolution, the world saw that hope was alive behind the Iron Curtain. In 12 days of freedom, impatient patriots throughout Eastern Europe drew inspiration for their own struggles and in the stories of oppression that Hungarian refugees told, free nations learned the true character of the Soviet regime and their will to resist it grew stronger. The hope for independence was never extinguished in the Hungarian people. They resisted Soviet imperialism to the very end and they were the first in their region to make the transi­tion to democracy. Immediately, Hungary’s free government began realizing the goals that all Hun­garians had longed for during the dark days of communism: liberty and human rights, the rule of law and equal justice, free enterprise and growing wealth. Today, the nation of Hungary is a model for all the world of the security and the prosperity and the success that come with freedom and democracy. From its earliest years, a young, demo­cratic Hungary also worked for the freedom of others. In 1989, as the Soviet Union tottered beneath the weight of its own contradic­tions, East German citizens fled their country in large numbers and sought sanctuary in Hun­gary. Though the Warsaw Pact required the return of all refu­gees, the citizens of Hungary refused to be Erich Honecker’s border guards. They spurned imperial commands and sheltered East Germans fleeing persecu­tion. Through their actions, the Hungarian people added to the great momentum of freedom that finally swept away the Berlin Wall and helped reunite the German people and ultimately, transformed Europe into a conti­nent, whole, free and at peace. (Applause.) Hungary’s support for the freedom of others now stretches throughout the world, from the Balkans to Afghanistan to Iraq and beyond. In Budapest, the Hungarian Government has cre­ated the International Center for Democratic Transitions, which pools the knowledge and experi­ence of democratic nations to help countries across the world navigate their own transitions to democracy. These lessons are accelerating the march of free­dom in our time, yet the lessons of Hungary’s history also point toward timeless principles that transcend the challenges of today. In Hungary’s journey toward freedom, we see that justice can be delayed, but it cannot be denied. In Hungary’s experience of freedom, we see that liberty unlocks the God-given potential of all people to rise as high as their talents will take them. And in the actions of the Hungarian democracy, we see that liberty, once achieved, is not a scarce resource to be hoarded, saved selfishly. It is the universal right of all humanity summoning all free peoples to service and sacri­fice on behalf of those still denied that liberty. The United States values our Hungarian partners and we still have much work to do together. So, let us rededicate ourselves today to a common mission of ensuring freedom at home and defending free­dom abroad. The memories of the fallen, the memories of the heroes, the memories of his­tory demand no less of us. Thank you very much. (www. huembwas.org) ********** Ambassador Simonyi’s speech DUNA Travel 8530 Holloway Dr. #102 W. Hollywood, CA 90069 SPECIÁLIS ÁR LAX-BUD-LAX $439.­­+TX. Információért hívják ZSUZSÁT TEL: (310) 652-5294 FAX: (310) 652-5287 1-888-532-0168 Február 17, 2006~^^ Visiting Dignitary in Los Angeles Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, and Los Angeles City & County Commissioner Andrew Friedman hosted a reception at Sheriff’s headquarters for visiting dignitary László Hajdú. Mr. Hajdú is a member of the Hungarian Parliament and also Mayor of Budapest. The topic of discussion was primarity Homeland Secu­rity and the threat of terrorism.

Next

/
  • Elrendezés
  • Igazítás
  • Forgatás
Oldalképek
Tartalom