(16 Sep 1998) English/Nat
Czech President Vaclav Havel has begun an official visit to the United States.
The trip started with a meeting between Havel and U-S President Bill Clinton at the White House.
U-S President Clinton welcomed his Czech counterpart President Vaclav Havel to the White House for talks on European security issues.
Top of the agenda will be the former communist nation's entry into the NATO alliance next year .
61-year-old Havel is on the mend after months of serious medical
problems.
He underwent surgery for a ruptured colon in April and in August came down with pneumonia and an irregular heartbeat.
After an arrival ceremony of a pomp and circumstance on the South
Lawn, Clinton spoke glowingly of Havel's role in turning his country to democracy after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"From South Africa to South Korea to South America, societies are redefining themselves, removing barriers to the imagination, struggling to find a new balance in a new world, cultivating the limitless resources of their people. This a universal phenomenon, neither American nor European, but instead universal. Nonetheless, it owes a very great deal in our time to the inspiration provided by a single man, Vaclav Havel."
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, U-S President
In his remarks, Havel said his country looked forward to becoming a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
NATO will formally welcome Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic as new members next spring.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I perceive the alliance with American presence in Europe as one of the most important guarantees of our democratic development. At the same time I firmly believe that the enlargement process will not end at the Polish, Czech and Hungarian borders. Mr. President, finally I am delighted to have arrived in your country at a time which I honestly believe to be characterized by the best relations to this point in history between your large and powerful nation and our state, in the very center of Europe."
SUPER CAPTION: Vaclav Havel, Czech President
During his U-S visit Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton are to honour Havel with a state dinner.
Havel will also meet Vice President Al Gore, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other U-S officials during the 5-day visit.
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