George H.W. Bush: “Thank you very much. And let me read a brief statement before responding to your questions. Before I leave for Europe, I…”

“Thank you very much. And let me read a brief statement before responding to your questions. Before I leave for Europe, I want to say just a few words about why I believe it is so important to the American people that I make this trip. Thanks to the courage and the sacrifice of millions of Americans, we've won the cold war, we and our allies standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Our task now is to secure the peace, to build an expanding world economy, one that opens new markets abroad and creates new jobs here at home. Our task will not be completed on one 5-day trip. But we can, at these meetings, advance the well-being of all of our countrymen, my countrymen. In the new global economy now emerging, America's economic interests don't stop at the water's edge. And we will not prosper in a world stifled by trading blocs and tariff barriers. Seventy percent of our economic growth in the last 5 years has come from exports. And I will continue to fight for more economic growth, and that means free trade. Our progress so far has been substantial. Already the new democracies of the East are becoming attractive sites for U.S. investment, and nearly $2 billion committed this year alone. Those investments will help our allies secure democracy's great gains and create jobs for American workers. And that's my mission, to secure these benefits for America and the world. In Warsaw, birthplace of the Revolution of '89, I will stand with the Polish people, show our support for their efforts to consolidate their hard-won freedom. In Munich, I will work with leaders of the world's great industrialized democracies to build a new world economy. I'll also meet with President Yeltsin to build on the historic steps that we took right here at the White House and to underscore our strong support for Russia's reforms. On this one there can be no doubt: An investment in Russian democracy is an investment in world peace. And finally, in Helsinki, I will meet for the first time with members of a CSCE not divided East from West but united in a democratic community of more than 50 nations. So let me just add one point here on the eve of the Fourth of July: We must not forget, must never forget, that in Europe today rests 20 million American bodies--excuse me--20 American military cemeteries. I've been to a couple of them. And we must ensure that there will never be a 21st. Look at how far we've already come. When I took office 3 years ago, adversaries faced us across a divided Europe. Today, the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe are our partners. And the threat of nuclear war is more distant now than at any time since the advent of the nuclear age. And think of what that means, not for presidents or prime ministers, not for historians or heads of state but for parents and their children. It means a future free from fear. For much of this century, it's been America's destiny to stand for liberty and against intolerance and to fight for freedom against oppression. And now at long last the moment has come for the lovers of freedom around the world to reap the rewards of our vigilance. The opportunity we face is historic, the first chance in more than a half century to build democratic peace and prosperity for America and for the world. This trip will, in my view, bring us just one step, but another step, closer to our goal. Now I'd be glad to take some questions. Polish Reforms”