Good evening to you all!
First, on behalf of the 23 million people and government of Taiwan, I would like to extend my most sincere welcome to the eminent statesmen and champions of democracy who have graced us with their presence. Though we hail from different parts of the world--including Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America--our shared faith in democracy has tightly intertwined our fates.
President Kim:
Twenty years ago on June 29, 1987, at the demand of the people of the Republic of Korea, the military regime of that time consented to hold a presidential election the following year and restore power to the people. Two weeks later on July 15, 1987, Taiwan announced that it would end 38 years of martial law. At that time, each step the Republic of Korea made toward democracy inspired Taiwan's democracy activists to ponder the future of our own society.
President Walesa:
Under the shadow of the Soviet Union's imposing military intimidation, you led the Solidarity trade union in conducting a strike at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk. To countless people in Taiwan, your achievement epitomized courage, perseverance, and determination, and the subsequent collapse of the communist bloc in Eastern Europe proved that one-party totalitarian regimes are by no means indestructible.
President de Klerk:
When the new-era South African government was established in 1994, you humbly agreed to assume the vice presidency after having served as president. Your commitment and contributions to racial integration and national solidarity are highly admired by the people of Taiwan. And South Africa's creation of a new Constitution--both in terms of content and process--is regarded by emerging democracies, including Taiwan, as an extremely successful model to be emulated.
President Flores:
The political, economic, and social reforms carried forward by your administration have enabled El Salvador to heal the wounds inflicted by civil war and natural disasters. These reforms have also elevated El Salvador's status in Latin America.
President Ochirbat:
Despite Mongolia's being sandwiched between two major powers, Russia and China, your unwavering faith in democracy succeeded in safeguarding the independence of Mongolia's national policies. Your country has successfully transformed itself from a centrally planned economy into a free-market system, bringing your people unprecedented prosperity.
The outstanding contributions each of you has made to the cause of democracy, and the struggles of your nations' people in the pursuit of freedom, democracy, human rights, and social justice, have provided encouragement and inspiration to people all over the world who yearn for freedom and democracy. We have the responsibility to share these precious experiences with more people, and to spur more countries to move toward freedom and democracy.
We have all, in the past, suffered the inequities and injustices of authoritarianism. We have also tasted the sweet joy of the initial dawning of democracy. Close on the heels of this short-lived elation, however, we have been confronted by a succession of formidable tasks and challenges.
Some describe pursuing democratic reforms as being like trying to piece a broken egg back together. In addition to the difficulty of mending the holes, there remains a deep fear that the egg might utterly shatter if one is not very careful. Such is the fragility of democracy.
In 2001, thirty-five government leaders and over one hundred scholars and policy experts from around the world gathered in Madrid, Spain to participate in the Conference on Democratic Transition and Consolidation. The conference provided a forum for established democracies to discuss in depth problems they all have encountered. After the conference, the Club of Madrid was launched to continue the work of promoting democracy around the world.
The founding of the Club of Madrid marked an important milestone in the history of democratic development. Were there a similar organization with a vision more closely focused on emerging democracies, however, it would have greater foresight and responsiveness to future needs. In addition, its actions would be more appealing and persuasive to the vast majority of people around the world who still live under non-democratic political systems.
It is with this in mind that we now prepare to launch the Global Forum on New Democracies. Our aim is to integrate the strengths of everyone who cares about the development of democracy in newly emerging democracies by creating a platform for dialogue and exchange.
We are extremely pleased and honored that these five great statesmen, who have devoted their lives to leading their respective countries down the path of democracy, are actively supporting our call for such a forum. Working together, we will celebrate tomorrow the birth of the Global Forum on New Democracies, which will carry forward the work of spreading democracy to every corner of the planet.
In closing, please join me in a toast:
To the success of tomorrow's conference, and to the rapid and vigorous growth of democracy around the world!
And may all of our distinguished guests and dear friends enjoy good health, success in all your endeavors, and triumph in your pursuit of democracy!
Thank you!