My dear fellow citizens, In late 1989, the profound transformation that took place in this country brought me here to Prague Castle. It all happened so suddenly that I did not even have time to properly consider whether or not I was up to the task, and I was sincerely of the opinion that I…

Yesterday towards evening, the North Atlantic Alliance began its attacks against military objectives in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It is such an important event in the history of the Alliance that it deserves a commentary. I understand the contemporary attacks not only as a reaction to the latest events in Kosovo, but also to…

Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, Ladies and gentlemen,< It is a very special honour to receive today, from the hands of His Royal Highness, an award that enjoys so much esteem not only here in Spain, but also throughout the Latin American community as well as on the European continent. The list of past laureates…

Your Majesty, Mr. President of the Generalitat, President von Weizsacker, Mr. Porcel, Ladies and gentlemen, The fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II has once again made me think about the eventful modern history of my country. Once again I came to the realization that the central motif of this period is an…

My dear fellow citizens, For forty years you heard from my predecessors on this day different variations on the same theme: how our country was flourishing, how many million tons of steel we produced, how happy we all were, how we trusted our government, and what bright perspectives were unfolding in front of us. I…

Dear Mr. Speaker, Dear Mr. President, Dear senators and members of the House, Ladies and gentlemen: My advisors have advised me, on this important occasion, to speak in Czech. I don’t know why. Perhaps they wanted you to enjoy the sound of my mother tongue. The last time they arrested me, on October 27 of…