Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen!

I am thrilled to see so many of our friends and colleagues join the American Embassy in Libya as we celebrate the two hundred and thirty third anniversary of the United States.  Good evening, and thank you for being here tonight.

This is a time of change in America and in the bilateral relationship between the United States of America and Libya.

When famous American singer Sam Cooke sang “A Change is Gonna’ Come,” he was speaking of hope for civil rights in America.  There is no better evidence of America’s fundamental belief in civil rights than the recent election of President Barack Obama. 
We as a people are coming that much closer to achieving the promise of our Declaration of Independence, which states that “all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

We also believe that these rights are shared by all people, all across the world, as President Obama recently said in Cairo.  We have made much progress in our relationship with Libya.  High level visits, academic exchanges, tourism, commercial ventures, and military exchanges now define our relationship.  We look forward to expanding all of these areas as the months and years go on.  

Finally, we will see big changes in our Embassy staff this summer.

I’d like to introduce some new faces who have recently arrived.  Please help me welcome our new Deputy Chief of Mission Joan Polaschik, Consul Yael Lempert, Political/Economic Chief Natalie Baker, and Public Affairs Officer Joshua Baker. 

I would also like to recognize our departing staff members, whose efforts serve as the foundation of the new Embassy.

Thank you, and have a wonderful evening.