[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
[May 7, 1997]
[Page 565]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Arrival in San Jose, Costa Rica
May 7, 1997

    President Figueres, Mrs. Figueres, members of the Costa Rican 
delegation, and let me say a special word of thanks to the students and 
to the National Youth Symphony for giving us such a warm welcome. Thank 
you very much. I am pleased and honored to be in Costa Rica for the very 
first time and to experience firsthand your unique tradition of greeting 
foreign leaders not with a military salute but with the cheers of your 
wonderful young people.
    Costa Rica's steadfast devotion to peace and democracy and your 
commitment to education and to the preservation of your marvelous 
environment have long been a model for the stable, democratic, and 
prosperous hemisphere we are working to build together.
    This is a moment of great opportunity and hope for all the Americas, 
but especially here in Central America where decades of conflict and 
division have given way to peace and cooperation. That new reality helps 
to open a new era of partnership between the United States, the nations 
of Central America, and the Dominican Republic. Over the next 2 days, I 
look forward to working with President Figueres and our fellow leaders 
to strengthen democracy, expand the reach of free and fair trade, and 
improve the life of all of our people.
    Mr. President, I honestly believe the young people here and in my 
country and throughout our region will have more opportunities to live 
out their dreams than any generation of young people in history, if we 
do our jobs.
    On behalf of Hillary and myself and our entire American delegation, 
let me thank you again for making us all feel so at home. Muchas 
gracias. Nos vemos manana. [Thank you very much. We'll see you 
tomorrow.]

Note: The President spoke at 10:26 p.m. at Juan Santa Maria 
International Airport. In his remarks, he referred to President Jose 
Maria Figueres of Costa Rica and his wife, Josette Altmann de Figueres.