    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [May 8, 1997]
    [Pages 565-566]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Central American Summit Welcoming Ceremony in
    San Jose
    May 8, 1997

        Thank you very much. President Figueres, thank you for bringing us
    all together. And to my fellow leaders from Central America and the
    Dominican Republic, thank you for coming. To all of you, to our
    distinguished guests, to all Ticos and all the people of Central
    America, let me say, Es realmente un nuevo dia.
        Less than a decade ago, much of the Americas was still dominated by
    civil war, repression, and hopeless poverty. Today, we celebrate the
    advance of peace, growing prosperity, and freedom across our hemisphere.
    And we honor the remarkable men and women of Central America who helped
    to lead the way.
        When the history of our region and our time is written, it will
    record your courage and your strength in ending four decades of
    conflict, braving the threat of bombs and bullets to cast ballots,
    embracing the challenge of economic reform, and opening the door to a
    new era of partnership among all our nations.
        President Figueres, in that epic struggle, Costa Rica, this nation
    of brothers, has been a wise leader and set a powerful example. Waging
    peace as tenaciously as others have waged war, Costa Rica has shown that
    a country does not need an army to be strong. We thank Costa Rica and
    its leaders for building a vibrant democracy that takes care of its
    citizens and shoulders its responsibilities in the world.
        Three years ago, our hemisphere's 34 democracies met in Miami at the
    historic Summit of the Americas to secure the hard-won gains our nations
    have made and to make them work for all our people. Today in San Jose,
    in the first summit between the leaders of the United States, Central
    America, and the Dominican Republic in almost three decades, we stand
    before

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    you united in our course, determined to advance together to help the
    daily lives of our people in better jobs, safer streets, cleaner air,
    brighter hopes for our children and their future.
        We are here to help our economies grow and to grow closer by opening
    our markets, protecting our workers, and sharing more fairly the
    benefits of prosperity. We are here to give all our people the tools to
    succeed in the global economy by making good education the birthright of
    every citizen of every country here. We are here to strengthen our
    democracies by standing against the criminals, the drug traffickers, the
    smugglers who exploit open borders to threaten open societies. And we
    are here to protect our future by launching new efforts to prevent
    pollution and protect our precious natural environment.
        When President Kennedy came to Costa Rica more than three decades
    ago, he said, ``Every generation of the Americas has shaped new goals
    for democracy to suit the demands of a new age. Our generation must meet
    that challenge, and we must do it together. We know that we must not be
    just neighbors but real partners, working together in a spirit of
    friendship, equality, and mutual respect.''
        My fellow citizens of the Americas, that is the partnership we have
    come here to build. Here in the heart of our hemisphere, let us go
    forward into a bright new century full of unlimited possibilities for
    our young, knowing that to realize those possibilities we must go
    forward together.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:27 a.m. at the National Theater Plaza.
    In his remarks, he referred to the following summit participants:
    President Jose Maria Figueres of Costa Rica; Prime Minister Manuel
    Esquivel of Belize; President Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican
    Republic; President Alvaro Arzu of Guatemala; President Carlos Roberto
    Reina of Honduras; President Arnoldo Aleman of Nicaragua; and President
    Armando Calderon of El Salvador.