Closing Address

Václav Havel
Ladies and gentlemen,
This year’s Forum 2000 is drawing to its end. I should like to thank all participants for their presence here and for their contributions to the debates. I also thank all the organizers of this Forum as well as all the sponsors who make it possible to hold such meetings every year; among them, my thanks go first of all to the Nippon Foundation.
With your permission, I should like to send from here - I hope you will join me in that - our greetings to three persons: to Elie Wiesel, who was unable to come on this occasion, but who helped to organize the first Forum 2000 last year; to Madame Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who was invited, but - much to her regret - has been prevented from coming; and to Mr. Sánchez from Cuba, who was also invited and could not come, for reasons similar to those that made participation impossible for Madame Suu.
I believe that Forum 2000 has been what it was meant to be - an occasion for reflection, for dialogue, for articulation of the manifold views of the state of our world today, of its chances, of the ways in which we can look at the dangers threatening it, and at its sources of hope.
It would be good if this Forum was an inspiration to different organizations, institutions and individuals, to various environments. It would be good if the friendships you have forged here continued to live and to bear fruit.
People from different continents, representatives of different religions, including senior religious officials, men and women of different professional backgrounds - political scientists, environmentalists, futurologists and philosophers have congregated here these past few days, and it seems to me that the prevalent spirit in their debates has been a spirit of understanding, of empathy, of dialogue and of responsibility. May this spirit continue to radiate beyond the walls of this hall and of Prague Castle.
I am gratified that you have enjoyed your visit to Prague and that you have found our city to be a congenial venue for this kind of gathering. Let me assure you that Prague is open to such open debates and will hopefully remain so for all time to come.
I thank you once again and am looking forward to the next Forum 2000 in 1999.