And he said we were running ten minutes ahead of schedule. And I think it's only a matter of coincidence that we're running ten minutes ahead of schedule because George is not here. But we are very proud of him and all of us have known what a great job he has done in promoting peace in Northern Ireland. I'd like to begin with a passage describing a defining hour in history. It's a solemn moment for democracy.
Opportunity is here now, clear and shining for our countries.
But with this primacy and this power is joined an awe-inspiring accountability to the future. Those words could, of course, well leap from the pages of today's newspapers, but in fact, the speaker was Winston Churchill in his legendary Iron Curtain speech back in 1946. Half a century later, the United States, Great Britain and our NATO allies stand at another solemn moment in history. Today, our accountability to the future compels us to stand together in the Balkans to ensure that the darkest chapters of this century do not cloud the shining opportunities of the next. For George Robertson, this visit to Maine may be at once foreign and familiar.