October 1995 - Cedar Rapids

President Clinton and President Václav Havel participate in the dedication ceremonies for the Czech-Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

In October 1995, Presidents Havel and Clinton met to mark the dedication of a new building for the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. President Clinton said in his speech:

“We have to continue to stand by them by opening the doors to new NATO members, by supporting their integration into the other institutions of Europe, by improving access to our own markets and enabling them to move from aid to trade… The Czech and the Slovak people who came to the United States helped us to build our country. It’s time for us to return the favor.”

View Remarks by President Clinton at the Dedication of the National Czech and Slovak Museum.

Memorandum of Conversation between President Clinton and President Václav Havel of the Czech Republic.

In a bilateral meeting, Clinton and Havel discussed the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Czech involvement in the UN Peace Corps in the Balkans. As in the previous year, Havel emphasized the leading role played by the U.S. in the peace process.

“Let me continue by saying that I believe the United States is aware of its responsibility in Europe and the world. The United States won the Cold War but it has not yet won the peace. The new order of the world has still not emerged and it cannot emerge without the participation and leadership of the United States.”

They further discussed the Russian response to the possible extension of NATO, and Yeltsin’s role on the domestic and international scene. Two days later, President Clinton had a meeting with Yeltsin in Hyde Park, which is the subject of another digital library exhibit, "Laughter and Diplomacy: The 1995 Hyde Park Conference."