Remarks Before Her Meeting With Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Nordic Cooperation Ilkka Kanerva

QUESTION: Chairman Lantos, as you know, died this morning. Is there anything you might want to say about that?

SECRETARY RICE: Yes. First of all, Tom Lantos was a true American hero. He was the embodiment of what it meant to have one’s freedom denied and then to find it and to insist that America stand for spreading the benefits of freedom and prosperity for others. He was also a dear, dear friend, and I am personally quite devastated by his loss and I want to say to his wife, Annette, and to his family, and particularly to his children and grandchildren who he loved so much, that they have so much to be proud of. This was a – he was the genuine, genuine article and he’s going to be really, really missed.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

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