speeches
Remarks by Ambassador Anne W. Patterson at U.S. Independence Day Reception – July 4, 2007
07/04/2007
INDEPENDENCE DAY RECEPTION
JULY 4, 2007
REMARKS BY AMBASSADOR ANNE W. PATTERSON
Good evening. Salum alaikum.
Senior Federal Minister for Defense Rao Sikander Iqbal, distinguished members of the United States Congress, other distinguished guests, friends:
I would like to welcome you to the U.S. Embassy for this celebration of the 231st anniversary of the independence of the United States of America.
The Fourth of July is a special day for Americans. I am very pleased that my first opportunity to host our friends in Pakistan, as well as my fellow Americans, falls on the Fourth. The history of friendship and close relations between the United States and Pakistan is as old as Pakistan’s independence. Both nations were born in a struggle against adversity. Both nations were founded on ideals, not just geographical happenstance.
Both nations are pluralistic and ethnically diverse. And both nations are now joined in the fight against extremism and terrorism.
Today, Americans in ceremonies like this throughout the world recall the enduring principles from the Declaration of Independence: “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
When Thomas Jefferson wrote these words in that hot summer of 1776, we Americans began our imperfect but profoundly hopeful journey as a nation. And as citizens, we have debated for 231 years exactly what our founders intended in the Declaration of Independence, in our Constitution, and in our Bill of Rights, which Thomas Jefferson insisted be added to our constitution.
As in Pakistan and many other countries, Americans are struggling now, more than at most times in our history, to find the right balance between individual rights and collective security.
We have struggled with the treatment of our minorities, racial and religious, and most recently, of our immigrant population. We have struggled with the definition of a free press, the role of religion in public life, and the relative importance of our branches of government. These debates are a normal and essential part of any democracy, and most Americans firmly believe our institutions eventually will find the right answers.
Soon, elections in both the United States and in Pakistan will give a renewed voice to the governed. Just as we in the United States constantly seek to improve our own imperfect institutions, we are committed to helping our friends develop their own societies and their own democratic institutions. As Pakistan continues on its own path toward democratic elections, I want to assure you of America’s support for this process.
Last week, President Bush visited the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C. to honor its 50th anniversary. He reaffirmed America’s strong commitment to diversity, particularly diversity of religious belief. He expressed appreciation and respect for the Muslim faith, which has enriched the world for centuries, and whose American adherents, coming from all parts of the Muslim world, have become an integral and valued part of the United States. At that ceremony, President Bush reaffirmed our commitment to help the countries of the Islamic world find their own paths to prosperity, peace, and democracy.
I would like to mention one area where America’s commitment to assisting its friends has been clear. When Pakistan suffered an earthquake in October 2005, the United States joined with Pakistanis and others in the international community to help with relief, and later with reconstruction. Today, we are proud to continue working to help Pakistan rebuild, and to rebuild more securely, in the area devastated by the earthquake.
In the last two weeks, Americans were saddened by the devastating impact and human cost of the cyclone that struck much of Pakistan. Our hearts and prayers have gone out to the victims of this tragedy, to their families and to their loved ones. The United States looks forward to assisting the people of that area recover from the storm and flooding.
Pakistan is a key ally of the United States. It is a relationship based not solely on our joint efforts to fight extremism, although that is critically important, nor on Pakistan’s key geographical location, nor on an obligation America has to help a friend that has suffered blows from both nature and history. Our relationship is based on shared values and on principles which our own Founding Fathers articulated so well, the desire of all peoples for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
So thank you for joining us. I look forward to getting to know you and working with you.
Let me in closing again recognize the 231st birthday of the United States of America and the enduring relationship between the United States and Pakistan. May God grant us all the prosperity, peace and liberty that we all seek.