[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
[December 9, 1994]
[Pages 2168-2169]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Reception for Heads of State at the
Summit of the Americas in Miami
December 9, 1994

    Let's give all our distinguished guests a hand here. [Applause] To 
our distinguished heads of state, Vice President and Mrs. Gore, Members 
of the Congress and the Cabinet, Governor and Mrs. Chiles, Lieutenant 
Governor and Mrs. MacKay, Mayor Clark, to the distinguished leaders from 
the business community and nongovernmental organizations that work so 
wonderfully together, to the co-chairs and others from the host 
committee who have done such a wonderful job of putting together this 
extraordinary event, and to all of our distinguished guests from other 
lands, let me say a hearty welcome to this remarkable summit.
    Let me begin by thanking the wonderful city of Miami for rising so 
magnificently to the challenge of hosting the Summit of the Americas. If 
we leaders can match the dedication of the citizens of Miami and south 
Florida to the work of this week, we will truly bring our people and our 
hemisphere closer together.
    The end of the cold war has given all of us a great opportunity to 
build bridges where, for 50 years, only barriers stood. We in the United 
States have worked hard to seize this moment for peace and prosperity, 
from the Middle East to Northern Ireland to southern Africa to Haiti. 
And through our commitment to expanded trade through NAFTA and the GATT 
agreement, we are doing our best to demonstrate our willingness to reach 
out to the rest of the world to promote the peace and prosperity we all 
want.
    But here in our own hemisphere we are especially privileged, all of 
us, to live at a moment of great opportunity. And with that opportunity 
comes a heavy obligation upon all of us who occupy positions of 
leadership in this hemisphere. It is in the spirit of that opportunity 
and that obligation that I proudly welcome the 33 democratically elected 
leaders of the Americas to the United States and to Miami.

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    This week we have come together to build a better world and a better 
future for our children. Students of the Americas will recognize this as 
an old dream. In the 1820's, at the dawn of freedom for the new Latin 
American republics, Simon Bolivar dreamed the Americas could be the 
greatest region on Earth, I quote, ``not so much by virtue of her area 
and wealth, but by her freedom and her glory.'' Now, some 170 years 
later, Bolivar's dream for the Americas is becoming a reality. The 
people represented here are free, we are friends, and we are committed 
to creating the best century in our history. We can become true partners 
for prosperity, and we can begin this week.
    Our goals for the summit are clear: We want to extend free trade 
from Alaska to Argentina, we want to strengthen our democracies, and we 
want to improve the quality of life for all our people. It is clear that 
these goals are bound together. If we grow more prosperous through 
trade, we will strengthen our democracies and our friendship. If we 
confront our common problems, the common threats to democracy, in a 
spirit of genuine partnership, we will increase our chances at 
prosperity. And if together we can confront our common challenges in the 
environment, in health, and education to provide for long-term 
sustainable development, both our prosperity and our freedom will be 
secure.
    A partnership for prosperity, stronger democracies, improving our 
people's quality of life, these are the opportunities that lie before 
us. So, my fellow citizens of the Americas, let us make the most of 
them.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 8 p.m. at the Biltmore Hotel Country Club.