[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.