[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
[January 16, 2002]
[Pages 77-81]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the World Affairs Councils of America Conference
January 16, 2002

    Well, thank you for that very warm welcome. It's such a pleasure to 
be here tonight for this gathering. I want to thank the World Affairs 
Council for promoting citizen interest in global issues, especially an 
interest in our own hemisphere and its importance to our country.
    Eldon, thank you very much for your fine 
introduction. Backstage he was wondering whether or not I could 
understand his accent. I said, ``That's not the problem. The problem is, 
can you understand mine?'' [Laughter] I want to thank Jerry 
Leach, as well. I want to thank the leadership 
here at the OAS. Cesar, thank you very much 
for your continued hospitality and leadership. It's good to see my 
friend Luigi again. I want to thank Enrique 
Iglesias, as well.
    I want to thank members of my Cabinet who are here, in particular, 
Mel Martinez, the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development. Thank you, Mel. I'm pleased to see Roger 
Noriega, el Embajador de los Estados Unidos 
a la OAS, for being here. Thank you, Roger. A new member of my team is 
Otto Reich, Assistant Secretary for the Western 
Hemisphere. I appreciate Otto being here. And of course, I want to thank 
the members of my National Security Council who are here, Condi 
Rice and John Maisto, for their sound and solid advice. Thank you all for 
coming.

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    In September of last year, I welcomed my good friend the President 
of Mexico to the White House. Standing together 
on the South Lawn, President Fox and I spoke of building a hemisphere of 
freedom and prosperity and progress. That was 5 days before the 
terrorists attacked the peace and security of the world, murdering 
thousands of citizens from over 80 nations, including almost every 
nation in this hemisphere.
    Since the attacks, the United States has received incredible 
sympathy and support from our neighbors and friends. I've been in close 
contact with democratic leaders such as Prime Minister 
Chretien and President Fox and President Cardoso, President Lagos and 
President Toledo, to name a few. We've been 
talking on a regular basis about our common interests. Democratic 
leaders throughout the Americas have offered help and wisdom, 
friendship, and even peacekeepers, and for that this country is very 
grateful.
    The nations of the Western Hemisphere are resolved: We refuse to 
live in fear, so we will fight terror wherever it is exists. And we're 
committed to building a prosperous and free and democratic hemisphere. 
Nothing will distract us; nothing will deter us in completing this great 
work.
    We meet, however, at a time when there are some who question the 
path to prosperity and stability. Some wonder whether free market 
reforms are too painful to continue. Some question the fairness of free 
and open trade, while holding out the false promise of protectionism. 
And there's even greater danger, that some may come to doubt democracy 
itself.
    Our answer to these questions and doubts must be clear, and it must 
be consistent: The hopes of all our peoples, everybody who lives in this 
hemisphere, no matter where they live, lie in greater freedom. Free 
markets and open trade are the best weapons against poverty, disease, 
and tyranny. And democracy is the nonnegotiable demand of human dignity.
    The future of this hemisphere depends on the strength of three 
commitments: democracy, security, and market-based development. These 
commitments are inseparable, and none will be achieved by half-measures. 
This road is not always easy, but it's the only road to stability and 
prosperity for all the people--all the people--who live in this 
hemisphere.
    Our first commitment is to democracy and political freedom. This is 
affirmed in the Democratic Charter of the Americas, which holds this: 
Only democracies can be a part of our inter-American dialog and system. 
And these governments cannot be democratic in name only. Citizens and 
businesses must know that the townhall, the alcaldia, is free from 
bribery and cronyism and all forms of corruption. These old attitudes 
and habits are a form of theft, stealing from people their money and 
their trust and their hopes for a better life. For freedom and 
prosperity to come, corruption must go. Freedom--the freedom to vote, 
the freedom to speak your mind, the freedom to worship an Almighty God, 
the freedom to own your own property--is the great idea of our time; it 
is the great idea of all time. And by building governments that are more 
open and honest and fair, we will make freedom more meaningful for all 
our citizens.
    Our second commitment is to security, security against acts of 
terror. It is the great calling of the 21st century. And I can assure 
you this Nation will not tire; we will not fade; we'll be resolute in 
our determination to rout out terror wherever it exists--in our 
neighborhood or neighborhoods around the world--security against the 
lawless violence of drug cartels and their accomplishments--accomplices. 
Our citizens must know that they can exercise their freedoms in security 
and in peace.
    And that is why, for example, the United States, Canada, and Mexico 
are cooperating in unprecedented ways to build smart borders for the 
21st century that ensure safety

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for ordinary people and trade and filters out terror and drugs.
    And that is also why the United States remains committed to helping 
nations like Colombia defend her democracy. Colombia and the Andean 
nations are strengthening law enforcement, reducing illegal crops, and 
expanding legitimate business opportunities as viable alternatives to 
drug farming and drug trafficking. The United States Congress and I 
recently approved $625 million to support these efforts. America will 
help all nations in the region in cutting off the supply of drugs. And 
just as importantly, America will help the nations of the regions by 
reducing the demand for drugs within our own borders.
    Our third commitment is to growing and stable economies where the 
benefits of growth are widely shared, economies where small-business 
owners and farmers and workers and investors are all able to build and 
earn their own prosperity. We must foster policies that reward, not 
punish, entrepreneurship, work, and creativity. We understand that 
sustained development depends on market-based economies, on sound 
monetary and fiscal policies, and on freer trade in our neighborhood.
    Recent events in Argentina do nothing to change this reality. 
America is deeply concerned about the difficulties facing our ally and 
our friend; we're deeply concerned about the effects of the economy on 
Argentina's great people. We share ties of commerce and culture and 
family. America is hopeful that Argentina will get through these tough 
times.
    It was an encouraging sign that the President, on taking office, expressed a desire to pursue a Free 
Trade Area of the Americas. Argentina and nations throughout our 
hemisphere need to strengthen our commitment to market-based reform, not 
weaken it. Shortcuts to reform only lead to more trouble. Half-measures 
will not halve the pain, only prolong it.
    The United States is prepared to help Argentina weather this storm. 
Once Argentina has committed to a sound and sustainable economic plan, I 
will support assistance for Argentina through international financial 
institutions. This assistance can soften the impact of the crisis on the 
lives of the Argentine people and help that country return to growth and 
prosperity.
    Success in the global economy comes to countries that maintain 
fiscal discipline, open their borders to trade, privatize inefficient 
state enterprises, deregulate their domestic markets, and invest in the 
health and education of their people. And those who promise painless 
protectionism or security through statism assure a bleak and stagnant 
future for their people.
    Countries that stay on the hard road of reform are rewarded. Just 
look at Chile. Chile has cut its poverty rate in half over the last 
decade. It has cut its child mortality rate by almost two-thirds since 
1980. Or Mexico, that's withstood the setbacks of the midnineties, and 
its economy has grown by more than 4 percent annually since 1996. Costa 
Rica's emphasis on education and attracting foreign investment has 
transformed its economy over the past decade. Costa Rica's exports of 
computer products are now almost 4 times greater in value than its 
banana exports and nearly 8 times greater than its coffee exports.
    My Nation is no stranger to the difficulties of reform and 
restructuring. A generation ago, our Government made a mistaken and 
failed experiment with wage and price controls. Later, during the 1970s 
and 1980s, millions of our workers were displaced as our industries 
adapted to the demands of a new global economy. We've grown through the 
pains of recession, inflation, and unemployment by strengthening our 
commitments to markets, by enacting sound monetary and fiscal policies, 
and by embracing free trade. In the end, each of these challenges made 
us stronger and more prosperous. With all its tests and difficulties, a 
faith in freedom is never disappointed.

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    This belief in markets is justified within our borders and beyond 
them. Open trade and investment bring healthy, growing economies and can 
serve the cause of democratic reform. From the success of NAFTA, we know 
these are facts, not theories.
    Acting on this belief, we went to Doha, and strongly support a new 
global trade negotiations. In this region, we are acting on a number of 
fronts. We're working to build a Free Trade Area of the Americas, and 
we're determined to complete those negotiations by January of 2005. We 
plan to complete a free trade agreement with Chile early this year. And 
once we conclude the agreement, I urge Congress to take it up quickly. 
And I ask the Senate to schedule a vote, as soon as it returns, on 
renewing and expanding the Andean Trade Preference Act.
    Today I announce the United States will explore a free trade 
agreement with the countries of Central America. My administration will 
work closely with Congress toward this goal. Our purpose is to 
strengthen the economic ties we already have with these nations, to 
reinforce their progress toward economic and political and social 
reform, and to take another step toward completing the Free Trade Area 
of the Americas.
    All of these efforts depend on one thing: Congress must pass trade 
promotion authority. The House of Representatives acted. In the Senate, 
the Finance Committee has given its strong bipartisan approval. Now it's 
time for the full Senate to approve trade promotion authority, so I can 
put it to work for the good of America--and all of the Americas.
    Markets and trade, development and democracy, rely on healthy and 
educated people. Therefore, we are also working to bring better health 
care and greater literacy to the nations of our hemisphere. The United 
States' funding for international basic education assistance programs 
this year will be over 45 percent higher than last year. And this 
spring, the first of our regional teacher training centers will open in 
Jamaica. Additional centers will be operating in South and Central 
America by year's end.
    I have called upon the World Bank and other development banks to 
increase the share of their funding devoted to education. The Inter-
American Development Bank has significantly increased this share over 
the past year. All the development banks should keep moving in the 
direction of making sure our neighborhood is well educated. I've also 
urged the World Bank to provide up to 50 percent of its assistance to 
the world's poorest nations in the form of grants rather than loans, 
grants for education, for health, for nutrition, for water supplies, and 
for sanitation.
    To this end, my next budget will include nearly $50 million increase 
in aid to the World Bank programs that assist the poorest countries. If 
the Bank demonstrates it can use the funds to achieve measurable results 
and helps move forward reform, I'm prepared to consider requesting 
increases over $100 million in each of my subsequent budgets. This would 
mean that the amount--the annual U.S. contribution to these World Bank 
programs would be 30 percent higher than 3 years ago.
    This hemisphere is on the path of reform, and our nations travel it 
together. We share a vision, a partnership of strong and equal and 
prosperous nations, living and trading in freedom. Together, we will 
defend that vision against lawlessness and violence. We will assert it 
against terrorism and protectionism. Especially in times of adversity, 
we'll maintain our vision, because it unleashes the possibilities of 
every society and recognizes the dignity of every person. Together--and 
I mean together--we will build and defend this hemisphere of liberty.
    Thank you for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 6:30 p.m. in the Hall of the Americas at 
the Organization of American States. In his remarks, he referred to Sir 
Eldon Griffiths, chairman,

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World Affairs Councils of America, who introduced the President; Jerry 
Leach, president, World Affairs Councils of America; Cesar Gaviria, 
Secretary General, and Luigi Einaudi, Assistant Secretary General, 
Organization of American States; Enrique V. Iglesias, president, Inter-
American Development Bank; Roger Noriega, U.S. Ambassador to the 
Organization of American States; President Vicente Fox of Mexico; Prime 
Minister Jean Chretien of Canada; President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of 
Brazil; President Ricardo Lagos of Chile; President Alejandro Toledo of 
Peru; and President Eduardo Alberto Duhalde of Argentina. The Office of 
the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these 
remarks.