    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [June 12, 1991]
    [Pages 640-642]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following Discussions With President Alfredo Cristiani Buckard
    of El Salvador and an Exchange With Reporters
    June 12, 1991

        President Bush. Mr. President, with your permission, let me just say
    that I was delighted to spend time talking and working today with a
    close friend of the United States, President Cristiani of El Salvador.
    And in greeting one of your predecessors, Dwight Eisenhower declared
    that: ``Friends and countries are not measured by the extent of
    territory or the size of their population. They are measured by their
    dedication to their friends, to common values, priceless values that
    free men possess above even life itself.''
        Thirty years later, those words still ring true. Through trying
    circumstances, El Salvador holds fast to its democratic traditions. And
    seven times in 10 years, your courageous countrymen have voted in free
    and fair elections, proving to the world that, in Lincoln's words, ``the
    ballot is stronger than the bullet.''
        Mr. President, time and again you and the people of El Salvador have
    proved your doubters to be wrong. Political rights have flourished
    despite hardship and despite war. And your people enjoy freedom of
    speech like never before. Exiles who once feared for their lives have
    returned, come back

    [[Page 641]]

    home to campaign for office and build parties.
        You also have begun to lay liberty's cornerstone, the rule of law.
    And you've strengthened the judicial system. You've expanded civilian
    authority over the police and military and you've committed yourself to
    dramatic reductions in armed forces. And you've strengthened protections
    for human rights.
        Soon, the trial of those accused in the 1989 Jesuit murders will
    begin, and we know that you will press to see justice done in the case
    of this despicable crime.
        But as newly-freed people around the globe are learning, political
    freedom is connected to economic freedom. And here, too, your nation has
    taken dramatic strides. When you freed exchange rates, wiped out price
    controls, and clamped down on government spending, your farmers, your
    workers, your investors responded with a burst of creativity and growth.
    Inflation fell last year, and exports rose by 17 percent. And in spite
    of guerrilla attacks on economic targets, your economy grew faster than
    it has since 1978, up 3.4 percent.
        This progress cannot continue indefinitely unless peace finally
    comes to El Salvador. Fortunately, you have led your people toward peace
    and reconciliation. You extended the hand of forgiveness in your
    Inaugural Address, and you told your country that time for negotiations
    had come and you offered to negotiate without precondition. Throughout
    your country and the world, people of goodwill agree that time for peace
    has come.
        And now the FMLN guerrillas must show in word and deed that they
    want peace and its natural counterpart, democracy. The guerrillas agreed
    to negotiate a cease-fire for September of 1989. They showed no
    eagerness at all to meet that deadline. And then they promised the
    foreign ministers of the European Commission a cease-fire by May 30th.
    But they were not truly committed to that deadline either. And the
    killing and destruction, regrettably, continues.
        So, the world must ask: How many more Salvadorans must die before
    the guerrillas understand that Salvadorans want peace and freedom, not
    violence and war? I urge the guerrillas to return to the negotiating
    table and stay there until a cease-fire is reached.
        Mr. President, difficult steps lie ahead. But the world understands
    your commitment to peace, and democracy. The United States and the
    international community fully support your efforts for peace, and we
    will support sound peace accords in your brave land.
        We both serve at a time when freedom and democracy are sweeping the
    globe. Here in the Americas we are building something unprecedented in
    human history--the world's first completely democratic hemisphere. And
    under your leadership, El Salvador has taken a place in that democratic
    community, and within your borders hope flourishes. People have gotten
    into the spirit of national reconciliation and they now tolerate
    opposing views and they support democratic institutions, and they have
    dedicated themselves to preserving human rights. These ingredients
    cannot help but produce peace. And when they do, your people will
    remember that your leadership made peace possible.
        Mr. President, I salute you, sir, for your courage and your
    leadership. You have my full confidence and support, the full confidence
    and support of our entire administration. And Godspeed you, and God
    bless your work on the road to peace for El Salvador. We are delighted
    you came here, sir.
        All yours.
        President Cristiani. Mr. President, first of all, I would like to
    not only thank your kind words that you have just expressed, and I
    certainly receive them not personally, but in the name of all
    Salvadorans.
        As you have expressed, the people of El Salvador have undergone
    quite a task. Hardship has been the name of the game in El Salvador for
    the past 10, 12 years. And the Salvadorans have always shown in general
    that they want peace, that they want democracy, and they want freedom.
    And the freedom of those who want their rights respected is also
    something that is cherished by all Salvadorans.
        And let me just say that the appreciation of the people of El
    Salvador because they have found that in this quest for peace, freedom,
    and democracy, that we have

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    found a true partner in the United States. And certainly under your
    leadership, Mr. President, this has been increased to levels where we
    cannot but be grateful forever.
        We believe that it has been with the support of the United States
    and other friendly nations that El Salvador has been able to overcome
    the hardships, and that, because of this support, it certainly motivates
    us to continue to work even harder to achieve what we all want to see in
    El Salvador, a truly peaceful society living and progressing as any
    other country in the world is doing.
        I would like to also thank you in the name of all our delegations
    for the kindness that you have shown and also the support that we have
    received from your words and that we go back encouraged to even work
    harder in order to get peace for our people as soon as possible.
        And just let me end by saying also that we lived through your
    endeavors in the Persian Gulf and that from the Salvadoran people there
    is nothing but admiration as to your leadership. The way you handled the
    situation in the Gulf war was something that should be copied by anyone
    who wants to become a leader in their own countries. And we certainly
    can understand the difficulty of that decision that you had to take when
    you had to send young people to die for a cause, but a cause that was
    just and was right. And a cause that we certainly respected, and not
    only respected but also supported fully from our position in El
    Salvador. And we certainly would like to say that there is great
    admiration for yourself and for the people of the United States for
    risking everything in order to preserve the rights anywhere in the
    world. And this is something that also encourages to move forward in
    this task.
        Please let me just end, Mr. President--I know that you have
    expressed once before that you do not like this to be remembered very
    often, but also we would like to wish you a very happy birthday. We hope
    that the difficulties that you just went by with your health are
    certainly over and gone with. And we hope that you can certainly say--we
    can certainly say happy birthday for many, many years more.
        Thank you very much, Mr. President.
        President Bush. Thank you, sir. Thank you so much.

    Address on Democratic Policy

        Q. Mr. President, are you going to bash the Democrats tonight?
        President Bush. Stay tuned.
        Q. They're saying all kinds of nasty things about you today.
        President Bush. Oh, it's so discouraging. All I have is pleasant
    things to say about them, because we've got to work together to get a
    lot done. That's what we're trying to do.
        Q. Are you going to release the other $40 million for El Salvador?
        President Bush. I'll tell you one thing--you're not going to hear
    anything if this thunderstorm comes through here and blasts us off our
    own lawn.
        Q. Sir, do you think you can change perceptions that you're more of
    a foreign policy President than a domestic President?
        President Bush. Well, the truth always will out--that's the way I
    look at it. It will be good. This isn't going to be a harsh attack--and
    that's what this is going to be about----
        Q. Are you going to take the high road?
        President Bush. ----feel the one I feel most comfortable on.
    However----[laughter]

                        Note: President Bush spoke at 1:21 p.m. at the South
                            Portico of the White House. Prior to his
                            remarks, the two Presidents met privately in the
                            Oval Office and with U.S. and Salvadoran
                            officials in the Cabinet Room, and then attended
                            a luncheon in the Old Family Dining Room. A tape
                            was not available for verification of the
                            content of the question-and-answer session
                            following the Presidents' remarks.