[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.