President Bush,

Congressman Lantos, Tom

Speaker Hastert,

Senator Frist,

Senator Reid,

Congresswoman Pelosi,

Mayor Williams,

Excellencies,

Rabbi Schneier,

Maléter Pali,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

What an honor it is for me to stand here in this great statuary hall, in the Congress of the United States where Lajos Kossuth our national hero stood 154 years ago. We Hungarians are deeply touched by the presence of President Bush, elected leaders in the Congress of the United States, other outstanding Americans and Hungarians. We are humbled by the fact that you are paying tribute to the Hungarian heroes and freedom fighters, to the champions of democracy.

Allow me first to convey the personal heartfelt greetings of our Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány to the President, to the Congress of the United States of America, to our fellow Americans and Hungarians.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The revolution in 1848 attempted to liberate the nation of Habsburg oppression and create a modern, democratic society. The revolution fell in 1849, Hungarians were defeated by overwhelming force. The great powers of Europe opted for the status quo. Hungary had only the United States on our side, the country on which our own republic was to be modeled. The US was going to recognize Kossuths government, but its representatives could not reach the country in time.

He visited America from his exile. At the dinner given in his honor by Congress on January 7th, 1851 this is what Kossuth said about America:

„Your principles will conquer the world. By the glorious example of your freedom, welfare, and security, mankind is about to become conscious of its aim. The lesson you give to humanity will not be lost. The respect for State rights in the Federal Government of America, and in its several States, will become an instructive example for universal toleration, forbearance, and justice to the future states and republics of Europe.”

It is telling about Kossuths popularity in America that in 1851 a child in Cleveland was named Éljen Kossuth Willcox, Long Live Kossuth Willcox in English.

A century later in October 1956 Hungarians revolted against foreign occupation and communist dictatorship. The spirit of March 1848 gave strength to the thousands that stood up against supression. The revolution was crushed, defeated in face of the power of the Soviet Military. The West, once again opted for the maintaining of the status quo, and the revolution bled. But we know that millions of American were ready to act. Tens of thousands fled a torn country and found refuge in the West, including the United States for which we are forever grateful. Many of those refugees are represented here today. I am particularly proud to see the son of one of my heroes Pál Maléter with us today, himself a refugee of 56.

The sacrifice of our freedom fighters was not in vain. There can be no doubt that in 1956 we created a crack on the wall of communism which grew to an opening through which 30 years later in 1989, once again led by the Hungarian spirit, Eastern Europe walked to freedom.

We rejoined the west, opened the floodgates of democracy. Victory would not have been possible without the strong will of our people, our love for freedom, without the perseverance of the Western democracies, the United States and Europe.

We are now a proud and free nation, ready to lend a hand together with our American and European allies to others who still live under tyranny. We have learned the lessons of the past. But our eyes are focused on the future, our common future.

We are proud of our heroes: Lajos Kossuth, Imre Nagy, Pál Maléter and thousands of others. But we are equally proud of your heroes: George Washington, Martin Luther King, Ronald Reagan and others who had dreams for all of us and kept going against all odds. We adopt them as our own.

The dreams of our heroes have been far surpassed by reality. We are a proud, prosperous country today a firm ally of the United States and a solid member of the European Union.

And we honor our heroes of today like Tom and Annette Lantos who have devoted their entire life to the cause of freedom and democracy.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As the President departed this is what I told him: we Hungarians are passionate about our revolutions, we are passionate about our freedom, and we are passionate about our friends. And I thanked the President for honoring us Hungarians today. This day will be noted with capital letters in the history books of the relationship between the United States and Hungary.

My countrymen are humbled by your attention. This is an extraordinary moment in my life. There was once a baker named Beck in the city of Pápa, Hungary who in 1848 was an enthusiastic purveyor to the troops of Lajos Kossuth. His great great grandson is today the proud representative of a free and democratic Hungary to the United States.

I would like to announce that Mayor Williams, Congressman Lantos and the Hungarian Government initiate the establishment of a memorial in Washington DC devoted to freedom fighters.

Our heroes will be remembered.

They would be proud of this event today.