    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [May 10, 1997]
    [Pages 586-587]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Address to the People of Central and South America
    May 10, 1997

        Good morning. I'm speaking to you today from Bridgetown, Barbados.
    I'm proud to be the first American President to meet with Caribbean
    leaders in the heart of the Caribbean. This was not a meeting between
    Caribbean nations and the United States, it was a meeting among
    Caribbean nations including the United States.
        We are charting a roadmap for how we can work together for the
    benefit of all of our people as we move into a new century. Today, every
    nation in the Americas but one has embraced free elections and open
    markets. This hopeful moment gives us real opportunities to improve the
    lives of all our people, but it also demands that we work together to
    bring the benefit of change to all our citizens and to band together to
    meet the transnational threats that respect no borders.
        That's what the Partnership for Prosperity and Security in the
    Caribbean that we signed today is all about. It lays out an ambitious
    action plan to expand trade with the Caribbean; to launch the Caribbean
    clean energy initiative to better protect the environment; to create a
    Caribbean scholars program so students have access to specialized
    training; to support the banks that make low-interest loans readily
    available to workers, farmers, and women's groups; and to deepen

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    our cooperation to fight drugs and organized crime.
        Working as partners, we can help build a future of peace and
    prosperity for all our children to enjoy. That's what we've committed to
    do at our summit in Barbados; that's what we'll continue to do as
    neighbors, friends, and partners.

    Note: The address was recorded at approximately 3 p.m. on May 9 aboard
    Air Force One for later broadcast by Voice of America to Latin American
    outlets. A tape was not available for verification of the content of
    this address.