Remarks by NDI President Kenneth Wollack at the Library of Congress/National Endowment for Democracy event honoring President Václav Havel.

20 February 2007:

Sixteen years ago, in 1991, NDI recognized Václav Havel with its W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award, honoring him for his years as a dissident, political essayist and leading figure in the Velvet Revolution of 1989—the bloodless end to communism in Czechoslovakia.

On Jan. 17, an NDI convoy was attacked in Baghdad, leaving four dead including staff person Andrea “Andi” Parhamovich of Perry, Ohio, and three dedicated security personnel from Unity Resources Group (URG). The names of the security personnel, including additional wounded, have been withheld at the request of URG management.

The Institute expresses its deepest condolences to its Iraq staff and the families who are facing this tragedy.

On Jan. 21, Serbia held its parliamentary elections on the eve of the international community’s decision about Kosovo’s future status. While Serbia’s political culture has long been blemished with periodic bouts of ethnic strife and nationalism, these elections offered an opportunity for the country to demonstrate its commitment to the democratic process and a more diverse and representative government.