Speech of the Prime Minister of the CR, Mirek Topolánek to members of the contingent of special forces in Prostějov on December 1st 2006

Speech to members of the contingent of special forces on the occasion of return from the operation "Enduring Freedom" at the territory of Afghanistan.

Soldiers,

I will be brief. I will not be brief because it requires the military sternness. I will be brief also because success, unlike failure need not be justified and explained in detail.

Your mission was a success, you have carried out your tasks, you have returned to you mother country with untarnished reputation. And you have returned alive! It is all right. In spite of the fact that newspapers will not report on you much. They will not report on you so much as it would do in case of your failure. In such a case, TV screens and newspapers would be full of such news. Comparable small number of pieces of information is evidence of smooth running. It will be certainly appraised by your families. But you should know that apart from your relatives there are also those here, who assigned you with this task and who were also waiting for your return.

In return to your performance, to extreme risk and hard work, I want to say one simple word: Thanks. Thank you for keeping our legionary tradition alive. Tradition, which accompanied birth of our modern state. Thank you for advocating right of this state to exist in the future by risking your lives. That you have given our words on freedom, democracy, responsibility, solidarity, and obligations content and sense.

We have disaccustomed in our world that one must deserve one's freedom. That there is no freedom without a fight. Thank you for remembering it. You are our hope. You are our hope for the future without bloody wars at our territory, but you are also our hope of global security. Yes, the fight in Afghanistan is the fight for Prague. That says everything.

In conclusion just a few words: You do your work well, I am proud of you.