August 13 , 2007
Embassy of the United States of America
Belgrade

Ambassador Cameron Munter is Sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia

On July 26, 2007, Cameron Munter was sworn in by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia.

In her remarks, Secretary Rice noted that the U.S. and Serbia have been close partners with warm relations for most of the last 125 years. Secretary Rice noted that in naming Cameron Munter as the U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, the President has reiterated the United States' confidence in this key relationship and support for a Serbia as part of a Europe whole, free and at peace.

Ambassador Munter's remarks follow:

Thank you, Madame Secretary, for your kind words, for your confidence in me, and for your personal example of graciousness and commitment.

Thanks as well Ambassador Vujacic who truly honors me with his presence;

And thanks to my parents, Leonard and Helen-Jeanne, whose love and moral bearings have guided my decision making from their Kissingerian and Wilsonian viewpoints, respectively;

To my wife Marilyn, whose love and ability to make the difficult choices that define service at home and overseas, has guided me in the last quarter century;

And to my children Dan and Anna for their grace in accepting those choices and flourishing either because of or despite them.

I will speak briefly today, not about love or even about policy, but about friendship.

American and Serbian friendship recently celebrated a milestone, 125 years of diplomatic relations. During this time our two countries have shared the sacrifices of two world wars, shared the benefits of strong family ties among our citizens, and even shared a similar image of ourselves as warm and generous people, images we believe others have of us as well. As friends, we have been and will be very direct and very honest with one another, even in difficult times. And these are difficult times. Yet the underlying quality of this friendship is such that I am optimistic about our future, that we will continue a fundamental partnership of peoples committed to freedom and prosperity.

Let me, on this occasion, reflect on the friendship I see in this room. I look out at Jeremy Rosner and Wendy Sherman, who taught me that you can be both tough and generous. I look at Chris Hill and Dan Fried, who taught me how to get things done the right way.

I look also at friends among us today from throughout my life, collected from college days to the present, who have taught me the value of patience and loyalty.

I make special note of those friends which whom I served in Iraq, whose idealism and commitment inspired me: General Rick Rife, who showed me leadership, and Colonel Mike Shields, a brigade commander who showed me how diplomacy really works on the streets of Mosul.

For all my talk about friendship, and how much I value it, I do know that it’s not the task of a diplomat to make friends. It’s the task of a diplomat to further interests and values of his country, and there are times when making friends and furthering those interests and values clash. Fortunately, as an American diplomat, I’m lucky enough to represent values that resonate world-wide. What a privilege, and what an opportunity, one which only increases my idealism in this job as the years go by.

But just as friendship is not a diplomatic end in itself, neither is it irrelevant to our craft. It is, in my opinion, it is through friendship that we can be most effective. From you in this room, from my friends, I’ve learned how to speak, how to listen, and how to stand fast in the defense of principle. With you, with my friends, I’ll serve our interests in values in Serbia in the coming years as I’ve attempted to do in the past.

Ultimately, when I think of the last twenty years, I’ve sought to contribute to stronger bonds between Europe and America – and what is friendship if not stronger bonds? I’ve worked with others toward the common goal of completing the great task of integrating the people of Europe into a democratic and prosperous whole – and what is friendship if not working with others toward a common goal? This task is not complete, and there is an important role for both Serbia and America in seeing it done. It can and, I am certain, will be done in part because of our friendship. I’m grateful to my personal friendships for showing me the way ahead. Thank you, my friends, for being here today, and for being with me in the future as well.

13. avgust, 2007
Ambasada Sjedinjenih Američkih Država
Beograd

Ambasador Kameron Manter položio zakletvu kao ambasador SAD u Srbiji

Kameron Manter je 26. jula položio zakletvu pred državnom sekretarkom Kondolizom Rajs kao novi ambasador SAD u Srbiji.

U svom govoru, sekretarka Rajs je pored ostalog istakla da su SAD i Srbija najvećim delom imale veoma bliske i dobre odnose u poslednjih 125 godina. Sekretarka Rajs je istakla da je imenujući Kamerona Mantera za ambasadora SAD u Srbiji, predsednik Buš ponovio izrazio poverenje koje SAD imaju u ovaj značajan odnos i pružio podršku Srbiji kao delu celovite, slobodne i mirne Evrope.

Govor ambasadora Mantera:

Hvala gospođo sekretarka, za Vaše ljubazne reči, za poverenje koje ste mi ukazali kao i za Vaš lični primer ljubaznosti i angažovanja.

Hvala takođe ambasadoru Vujačiću koji me je istinski počastvovao svojim prisustvom;

I, hvala mojim roditeljima, Lenardu i Helen-Džin, čija su ljubav, moralna načela i pogledi na svet građeni još u periodu Kisindžera i Vilsona, usmeravali moje odluke;

Hvala mojoj supruzi Merilin, čija me ljubav i sposobnost da donosi teške odluke koje idu sa službom u Americi i van nje, vode u poslednjih 25 godina;

I hvala mojoj deci, Denu i Ani što su ljubazno prihvatali ove odluke i što su napredovali bilo zbog istih ili uprkos istima.

Govoriću veoma kratko danas, ne o ljubavi, čak ne ni o politici, već o prijateljstvu.

Američko-srpsko prijateljstvo nedavno je proslavilo važan događaj - 125 godina diplomatskih odnosa. Za vreme ovog perioda, naše dve zemlje zajednički su podnosile žrtve u toku dva svetska rata, uživale su prednosti jakih porodičnih veza između njihovih građana, čak su i gajile sopstvene imidže toplih i darežljivih naroda, imidže kakve verujemo da i drugi imaju o nama. Kao prijatelji, uvek smo bili i bićemo veoma direktni i pošteni jedni prema drugima, čak i u teškim vremenima. A ovo su teška vremena. Ipak, osnovni kvalitet našeg prijateljstva je takav da sam ja optimista kada je u pitanju naša budućnost, i verujem da ćemo nastaviti to temeljno prijateljstvo naroda koji su se opredelili za slobodu i prosperitet.

Dozvolite mi da ovim povodom spomenem i prijatelje koje vidim u ovoj sali. Vidim Džeremija Roznera i Vendija Šermana koji su me naučili da možete biti i čvrsti i darežljivi. Vidim Krisa Hila i Dena Frida koji su me naučili kako da se stvari urade na ispravan način.

Takođe danas ovde vidim svoje dugogodišnje prijatelje, od studentskih dana do danas, koji su me naučili vrednostima kao što su strpljenje i odanost.

Posebno bih spomenuo prijatelje sa kojima sam služio u Iraku, one čiji su me idealizam i posvećenost inspirisali: general Rik Rajf koji me je naučio rukovođenju i pukovnik Majk Šilds, komandir brigade koji je pokazao kako diplomatija zaista funkcioniše na ulicama Mosula.

Što se tiče mog govora o prijateljstvu i koliko mnogo mi ono znači, znam da nije zadatak jednog diplomate da sklapa prijateljstva. Znam da je zadatak diplomate da unapređuje interese i vrednosti svoje zemlje, a postoje periodi kada se sklapanje prijateljstava sukobljava sa unapređivanjem ovih interesa i vrednosti. Na svu sreću, kao američki diplomata, imam dovoljno sreće da predstavljam vrednosti koje su dobro primljene u svetu. Kakva privilegija, i kakva mogućnost, mogućnost koja samo povećava moj idealizam u ovu vrstu posla sa godinama koje prolaze.

Ali, kako prijateljstvo nije samo po sebi cilj u diplomatiji, tako isto nije ni nebitno za naš rad. Po mom mišljenju, uz pomoć prijateljstva mi možemo biti najuspešniji u onome što radimo. Od vas u ovoj sali, od mojih pirjatelja, naučio sam kako da govorim, kako da slušam, i kako da stojim čvrsto u odbrani principa. Sa vama, sa mojim prijateljima, služiću našim vrednostima u Srbiji u godinama koje su pred nama, kao što sam to pokušavao da radim i u prošlosti.

Na kraju, kada razmišljam o proteklih dvadeset godina, težio sam da doprinesem jačim vezama između Evrope i Amerike - a šta je prijateljstvo ako ne jače veze? Radio sam zajedno sa ostalima da postignemo zajednički cilj i integrišemo narode Evrope u jednu demokratsku i prosperitetnu celinu - a šta je prijateljstvo ako nije raditi sa ostalima na zajedničkom cilju? Ovaj zadatak nije završen i postoji važna uloga i Srbije i Amerike da ga dovrše. To može, i siguran sam, da će biti urađeno, delimično i zbog našeg prijateljstva. Zahvalan sam za sva moja lična prijateljstva koja su mi pokazala put napred. Hvala vam, dragi prijatelji, što ste danas ovde sa mnom i što ćete biti sa mnom i u budućnosti.

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