    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [October 16, 1997]
    [Pages 1388-1389]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1388]]

    Remarks at the State Dinner Hosted by President Carlos Menem of
    Argentina in Buenos Aires
    October 16, 1997

        Mr. President, Zulema, to the members of Congress and the Supreme
    Court, Mr. Mayor and governors, former President Alfonsin, members of
    the diplomatic corps, distinguished guests. Mr. President, thank you for
    your fine statement, your warm welcome, and the extraordinary
    hospitality that Hillary and I and our entire delegation of Cabinet,
    administration, and congressional members have received from the people
    of Buenos Aires and Argentina.
        Mr. President, as you know, like you, I come from a small rural
    State, where some people still value their horse more than their
    automobile. [Laughter] And with this remarkable feast, you have reminded
    us with barbecue that we are truly at home.
        Exactly 150 years ago, in the autumn of 1847, a young man from
    Argentina visited the United States and was profoundly affected by the
    experience. He thought that we Americans ate our meals too quickly--
    [laughter]--that our young people had strange courtship habits, and that
    the White House was not big enough for the President. [Laughter] Still,
    he was impressed by a nation in which individuals were valued for their
    capacity and their work, where education was prized as the great
    equalizing force of democracy, where a multitude of people of different
    backgrounds and languages came together, in his words, ``as if they were
    one family, joining one another, mixing with each other, parts of old
    societies forming the new, most daring republic in the world.'' Mr.
    President, that young man was Domingo Faustino Sarmiento.
        Today, 150 years later, America looks across the great expanse of
    our hemisphere at Argentina and we are inspired by Argentina today as
    Sarmiento was by America then. We see a nation shaped, like us, by waves
    of immigrants from the Old World and the experience of frontier life in
    the New World. Here, where so many languages are spoken, from Basque to
    Ukrainian, from Arabic to Welsh, we see a nation drawing strength from
    its remarkable diversity. Today, we see an Argentina grounded in
    democracy, committed to economic reforms that have put it on the road to
    more widespread prosperity and to educating its people for the demands
    of the new economy.
        I speak for all Americans when I say how very pleased I am that in
    the last decade our nations have built a strong, new relationship,
    driven by shared values, based on partnership and respect. Argentina and
    America have joined together in common cause. We pledge to create a
    free-trade area of the Americas by 2005; to bring new prosperity to all
    people of our hemisphere; to turn the revolution in information
    technology to our children's advantage by opening a world of knowledge
    to all--all--our children. One hundred fifty years ago, education was
    Sarmiento's great passion. Today, it is central to our ability to prove
    that democracy works for all people and to the future we are trying to
    build together.
        We are also partners in helping those around the world who take
    risks for peace. I thank the people of Argentina for sending
    peacekeepers into troubled places all over the Earth and setting an
    example for all nations. The robust bonds of friendship between
    Argentina and the United States are rooted in our shared commitment to
    peace and freedom, to prosperity and security, to the integrity of the
    individual, the family, and the community. They are at the heart of all
    we dream for our future.
        President Menem, I salute you for the extraordinary leadership you
    have shown in helping our nations turn this corner in history. No one in
    our hemisphere has done more to seize the opportunities of this new era.
    Generations to come will remember this as a moment when our two nations
    served the deepest interests of our people. And tonight the United
    States is proud to work alongside Argentina, an Argentina that is
    fulfilling Domingo Sarmiento's greatest hopes.
        Ladies and gentlemen, let us raise a glass to the new partnership
    between our people for peace and prosperity, here and throughout the
    world.

    Note: The President spoke at approximately 9:40 p.m. in the ballroom at
    the Rural Center. In his

    [[Page 1389]]

    remarks, he referred to President Menem's daughter, Zulema Maria Menem;
    Mayor Fernando de la Rua of Buenos Aires; and former President Raul
    Alfonsin of Argentina.