    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [May 8, 1997]
    [Pages 574-577]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Declaration of San Jose
    May 8, 1997

        We, the Presidents of Costa Rica, El Salvador, the United States of
    America, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and the
    Prime Minister of Belize, meeting in San Jose, Costa Rica on May 8,
    1997, hereby reaffirm the remarkable democratic transformation in
    Central America. Central America is now a region of peace, liberty and
    democracy, profoundly committed to a process of integration, in which a
    spirit of harmony, cooperation, pluralism and respect for human rights
    prevails. This spirit marks an unprecedented era of stability in Central
    America's history.
        We hold the conviction that the resources and potential of Central
    America and the Dominican Republic can now be focussed so as to ensure
    that our peoples are able to develop to their full potential within the
    framework of just and democratic societies. We are determined to march
    toward the future in a partnership based on friendship, understanding
    and ever stronger cooperation. This meeting marks the inauguration of a
    new stage in our relations, based on mutual respect and reciprocity
    which will give our nations greater advantages with which to
    successfully meet the challenges of the next millennium.
        We recognize that there are great challenges that we must jointly
    assume and that there are many opportunities which favor the creation of
    a great region of shared prosperity among Central America, the Dominican
    Republic and the United States, as well as the creation of a visionary
    and creative association among our nations.
        Inspired by the principles and goals of the Summit of the Americas
    and guided by the Central American Alliance for Sustainable Development,
    we recognize as the cornerstones of this renewed relationship the
    promotion of prosperity through the strengthening of democracy and good
    governance; dialogue on immigration and illegal migrant trafficking;
    economic integration and free trade; the continued development of just
    and equitable societies that provide opportunities for all people; and
    the development of responsible environmental policies as an integral
    element of sustainable development; all of which must be undertaken
    within a framework of mutual cooperation.

    Strengthening of Democracy and Good Governance

        We reaffirm our profound conviction that only democratically elected
    governments can guarantee the full existence of the rule of law, an
    indispensable prerequisite for the preservation of peace and harmony.
        We reaffirm our belief in the dignity of our people and our
    commitment to the rule of law. We maintain that crime is one of the
    principal threats to the democracy, public security and social stability
    of our countries. For this reason, we will redouble our efforts to
    combat crime and improve security for our people. Consistent with our
    constitutional provisions and recognizing the independence of our
    legislative and judicial branches, we are committed to the modernization
    of extradition treaties and their vigorous application to help ensure
    that criminals are brought to justice where the effect of their crime is
    felt most severely.
        We resolve to intensify our national efforts and to increase
    bilateral, multilateral and regional cooperation to combat drug
    consumption, drug trafficking, money laundering and illegal drug
    activity in all its manifestations. We reaffirm our commitment to fight
    corruption through mutual cooperation and the strengthening of oversight
    institutions and we agree to seek ratification of the Organization of
    American States' Interamerican Convention Against Corruption. We
    instruct our Ministers responsible for public security and law
    enforcement, and other appropriate authorities, to work together to
    develop a plan of action this year to combat these threats to the
    welfare of our people.
        The Presidents of the United States and the Dominican Republic, and
    the Prime Minister of Belize express their support for the progress
    achieved by the Central American Presidents in redefining regional
    security within a framework of the rule of law, the enhancement of
    democratic institutions by strengthening civilian authority, the
    limiting of the role of the armed forces and public security forces to
    their constitutional mandates, and the fostering of a culture of peace,
    dialogue, understanding and tolerance based on common democratic values.
    The strong commitment to these principles serves

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    as an important example to other parts of the world seeking transparency
    and mutual confidence in their relations.

    Dialogue on Immigration and Illegal Migrant Trafficking

        We are aware of the serious impact of new immigration provisions on
    groups that come from the region and who live and have roots in the
    United States. We therefore undertake to maintain an open, ongoing
    dialogue at the highest levels to find humane and adequate solutions to
    address the complexities of the immigration situation, and to ensure
    that each person's case is evaluated individually and fairly, taking
    into account his or her valuable contribution to the host country.
        Having expressed their concerns to the President of the United
    States, the Presidents of Central America, the Dominican Republic and
    the Prime Minister of Belize welcome the United States Government's
    initiation of consultations with its Congress on the scope,
    implementation and consequences of the recent immigration legislation
    approved by the United States, and are confident that the dignity and
    human rights of the individuals it may affect will be fully respected.
        We believe trafficking in migrants is an affront to human dignity
    and we are committed to increase cooperation to combat this degrading
    practice.

    Promotion of Prosperity through Economic Integration, Free Trade and
    Investment

        At the Summit of the Americas, we decided to move toward a
    hemisphere united through free trade by the year 2005. We reiterate our
    resolve to take all necessary actions to make this ``spirit of Miami'' a
    reality. With this in mind, we call for the commencement of negotiations
    at the Santiago Summit of the Americas that will lead to the
    establishment of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). We
    reiterate our intention to work cooperatively throughout these
    negotiations.
        The Presidents of Central America, the Dominican Republic and the
    Prime Minister of Belize welcome the decision of the Government of the
    United States to support the expeditious passage of a bill which
    enhances the benefits granted under the Caribbean Basin Initiative. We
    recognize that unilateral concessions have been of great importance in
    the initial phases of the process of economic liberalization. We now
    believe that it is necessary to move toward a commercial relationship
    which offers all parties mutually beneficial conditions.
        We are convinced that to promote and maintain democratic stability
    and to contribute to our joint prosperity it is necessary to have sound
    and dynamic economies. With this in mind and recognizing the advances
    that Central America has made in economic liberalization, we have
    resolved to deepen our economic and commercial relations. We will work
    jointly and expeditiously, consistent with the World Trade Organization
    (WTO) agreements and the FTAA process, to identify specific steps,
    including bilateral, multilateral and regional reciprocal trade
    agreements, that will intensify the economic relationships among our
    nations. To achieve these common trade objectives, we instruct our
    Ministers of Trade to constitute themselves as a Trade and Investment
    Council with a mandate to make specific recommendations. In support of
    these goals, our governments will continue efforts to conclude bilateral
    investment treaties and intellectual property rights agreements. In
    addition, under the aegis of the WTO, we will seek to liberalize our
    telecommunications, information technology and financial services
    sectors.
        The signing of Open Skies Agreements between the United States and
    Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua during our
    meeting in San Jose is a significant manifestation of this commitment
    and these agreements will serve to enhance our commercial relations and
    tourism among our people and productive sectors. In this regard, it is
    necessary to undertake additional actions that will strengthen and
    broaden technical cooperation in aviation matters.
        We underscore the importance of free market economies and private
    sector initiatives as a source of prosperity for our people and we
    reaffirm our goal of promoting business events and other complementary
    activities that expand trade and investment relations between the
    private sectors of our countries.
        We recognize that there are important challenges in this process
    that we must face to maintain suitable conditions for our economic and
    social growth, taking into account the particular circumstances of each
    country. Among these challenges are the need to maintain open markets
    for trade and investment, to ensure the participation of all our people
    in the benefits

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    of economic growth, and to maintain a stable macroeconomy and financial
    system. Within the framework of a market economy, the use of debt can
    supplement scarce domestic savings and support high rates of investment
    and growth. With this in mind, we declare our intention to utilize more
    fully modalities that allow for better management of debt burdens and
    the cost of external debt.

    Continued Development of Just and Equitable Societies that Provide
    Opportunities for All People

        We express our determination to continue making necessary social
    investments in order to improve the quality of life in our countries. We
    are convinced that the training of our labor forces, combined with
    access to health, education and basic housing services improves the
    well-being of our societies, while at the same time increasing the
    productivity and competitiveness of our economies. We are committed to
    share ideas, human resources and programs within mutually agreed
    guidelines to promote development and democracy.
        We underscore the importance of placing greater emphasis on the full
    participation of women in all political, social and economic spheres of
    development, especially in areas such as access to credit, community
    organization, and in the commercial sector and decision-making bodies.
        We reaffirm our commitment to human rights as stipulated in the
    Universal Declaration and to international and interamerican human
    rights instruments, to which we are parties, respectively. In
    particular, we recognize the importance of economic, social and cultural
    rights, and within these we underscore the rights of workers, and
    reaffirm our commitment to ensure compliance with the Constitution and
    Conventions of the International Labor Organization, as respectively
    ratified by our governments. We welcome the input of the labor sector in
    the hemispheric economic integration process.
        We recognize the efforts by interested parties such as employers and
    workers organizations to work together to promote respect for workers
    rights and enhance working conditions. We have asked our Labor Ministers
    to meet to exchange ideas with interested parties on this issue.
        The Presidents of Central America and the Dominican Republic and the
    Prime Minister of Belize note with interest the recent announcement by
    the President of the United States of the Apparel Industry Partnership.
        We agree that micro-, small- and medium-sized businesses are
    important for the social development of our countries. These
    entrepreneurial undertakings make it possible for a wide range of social
    sectors to expand productively and make a decisive contribution to the
    democratization of capital and the equitable distribution of wealth. We
    will broaden our efforts to promote such businesses and to increase
    their capabilities. We also request that the Interamerican Development
    Bank, the World Bank and other institutions and donors continue and
    strengthen their support of these activities.

    The Development of Responsible Environmental Policies as an Integral
    Element of Sustainable Development

        We renew our commitment to the promotion of the environmental
    principles and objectives of the Alliance for Sustainable Development,
    which inspired the signing of the Joint Central American-United States
    Declaration (CONCAUSA) and influenced the Conference on Sustainable
    Development in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Within this framework, we
    recognize the goals we have reached, the support we have received and
    are in agreement on the need to expand cooperation to new areas of
    action.
        We recognize the leadership of Central America in the protection of
    the environment and the preservation of biodiversity, in particular, the
    recovery and beneficial use of ancestral knowledge from our indigenous
    cultures, as well as innovative use of public-private sector joint
    ventures. In this context, we will renew our efforts to protect
    endangered species and make sustainable use of flora and fauna.
        We note actions already underway in Central America in the area of
    climate change, especially those which include the participation of our
    private sectors and will grant credit for Joint Implementation projects
    and other initiatives to limit and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In
    this regard, we urge the parties to the UN Framework Convention on
    Climate Change to make a determined effort to address these issues
    during the Third Conference.
        In this spirit, we resolve to support the promotion of investment in
    environmental projects such as ecotourism, the development of renewable
    energy sources, recycling, the transfer of clean technologies on terms
    mutually agreed by

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    all parties, and trade in organic products, among others. In particular,
    we highlight the importance of our joint efforts in the sustainable
    generation and use of energy in projects which, by combining our efforts
    with those of other nations, allow for taking greater advantage of our
    resources while at the same time fostering regional integration.

    Follow-Up Mechanisms

        In order to strengthen our relations as friends, neighbors and
    partners and to ensure an increasing and effective level of
    communication, coordination and follow-up among our governments, we have
    resolved to establish a consultative mechanism which will include
    periodic meetings at the highest level; an actual meeting of our Foreign
    Ministers, who will meet next during the October 1997 regular session of
    the United Nations General Assembly; a ministerial-level Trade and
    Investment Council, which will hold its inaugural session in Washington,
    D.C.; and an ongoing dialogue on immigration issues at the highest
    level.
        In addition, our Ministers responsible for public security and law
    enforcement and our Ministers of Labor will convene meetings in their
    respective areas this year.

    Jose Maria Figueres Olsen               Armando Calderon Sol
    President                               President
    Republic of Costa Rica                  Republic of El Salvador
    William J. Clinton                      Alvaro Arzu Irigoyen
    President                               President
    The United States of America            Republic of Guatemala
    Carlos Roberto Reina Idiaquez           Arnoldo Aleman Lacayo
    President                               President
    Republic of Honduras                    Republic of Nicaragua
    Leonel Fernandez Reyna                  Manuel Esquivel
    President                               Prime Minister
    Dominican Republic                      Belize

    Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of
    this joint statement.