    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
    [May 15, 1991]
    [Pages 516-517]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement by Press Secretary Fitzwater on the President's Meeting With
    Prime Minister Michael Manley of Jamaica
    May 15, 1991

        The President met today with Prime Minister Michael Manley of
    Jamaica, who is in the United States on a private visit. The two leaders
    discussed bilateral and regional issues, including economic cooperation,
    antinarcotics measures, and Caribbean economic integration. The
    President and the Prime Minister last met in May 1990, in the

    [[Page 517]]

    Oval Office.
        The President commended the Prime Minister for his courageous
    leadership in pursuing an economic reform program, including
    deregulation, privatization, and monetary policies. Both leaders
    expressed their conviction that these measures are key to future
    investment and economic growth in Jamaica.
        The President thanked the Prime Minister for his strong endorsement
    of the free-trade agreement with Mexico and the Enterprise for the
    Americas Initiative (EAI). Prime Minister Manley briefed the President
    on the CARICOM [Caribbean Community] proposal for a multilateral trade
    and investment framework agreement with the United States, which is
    currently being negotiated by the U.S. Government and CARICOM. The
    President is encouraged by the efforts of the Caribbean nations to move
    toward greater integration. The President noted that Jamaica has played
    a constructive role in encouraging the participation of CARICOM members
    in the process of trade and investment liberalization through the EAI.
        The President noted that Prime Minister Manley has been a forceful
    proponent of democracy and human rights, and he expressed satisfaction
    with Jamaica's role in furthering democracy in the Caribbean region.