    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [October 10, 2006]
    [Pages 1797-1799]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following Discussions With President Alan Garcia Perez of Peru
    October 10, 2006

        President Bush. Bienvenidos, Mr. Presidente, a la Casa Blanca. I'm
    proud to welcome the President of Peru to the Oval Office. We've had a
    fascinating and important discussion. First of all, I appreciated his
    experience, and I appreciated his advice on some key issues. He comes to
    the Oval Office as a friend, somebody with whom I can have good working
    relations.
        We talked about world issues, we talked about issues regarding South
    America and Central America, and we talked about our bilateral
    relations. The central issue facing us right now is the passage of a
    free trade agreement. I assured the President that I will work with
    Congress as soon as possible to get this agreement passed. We talked
    about the need for both countries to work closely to fight drugs, and I
    appreciated the President's attitude and understanding of this important
    issue.
        And we talked about the need to work together to help promote social
    justice. The President has a big heart. He cares deeply about those who
    suffer. And I assured the President it's in our Nation's interest that
    we work with our friends in the--in South America to promote good
    education and good health care and good opportunities.
        All in all, it was an excellent meeting. And, Mr. President,
    welcome.
        President Garcia Perez. Thank you. I am very happy to be here for
    the first time in the Oval Office. President Bush and I have agreed on
    the general topics that we discussed, in terms of strengthening
    democracy and also strengthening relations between developed countries
    and developing countries. And one basic tool for that goal is free
    trade. And we are very satisfied to have heard President Bush's promise
    to work with the Congress to push forward the passage of a free trade
    agreement with Peru.
        And we have explained today that in terms of free trade, we are
    looking for an agreement that does much as focus on the most modern or
    the most significant economic groups in the country. We are also looking
    to have a free trade agreement that is focused internally and that will
    benefit our entire population, all our productive sectors, including the
    less advantaged sectors, so that they may export to the world and to the
    United States in particular.
        We see the free trade agreement as one of our tools in our fight
    against poverty and also a tool for us to strengthen equality. Also,
    however, it is a tool that will help us achieve security through
    democracy and to give our population a road, a goal, and an aspiration
    in terms of economic development in the country.
        We see our role as a country in terms of helping strengthen
    democracy and achieving friendship without threat in our

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    region. And in this regard, Peru will continue to work towards the
    democratization of Latin America. As I said, it's a comprehensive
    democratization that we are looking for. We are looking to strengthen
    the options that our populations have in participating in the benefits
    of modernization and democratic civilization everywhere in the
    continent.
        And one issue that we need to work on is a full eradication of the
    threat of drugs. And this is a commitment that we share with the United
    States. It's a commitment that will be strengthened and revised. And at
    some point, we will propose a high-level meeting on this topic in order
    to relaunch the fight against drugs, in terms of offering other
    alternatives, such as alternative development, and the free trade
    agreement is one of these tools. And the goal is to allow the poorest
    sectors, the farmers in the Andes, to have access to the buying power of
    the U.S. market and other markets in the world.
        In the relationship between the United States and Latin America,
    there have been several missed opportunities in the 20th century. There
    was an opportunity that was put forward by President Roosevelt in the
    forties, with his proposal. There was also the Alliance for Progress,
    proposed here by the United States, by President Kennedy. And now we
    have a third possibility involving--or increasing world trade and the
    use of free trade as a tool to fight poverty. And it is an opportunity
    that Latin American countries must take advantage of this time. What
    could have been done almost 50 years ago with the Alliance for Progress
    is something that we can do now, thanks to the technological and
    computer revolution that we are experiencing. And this is a way also to
    reach the poor in our countries and give them access to the world
    market.
        And finally, I want to say that I'm a leader who belongs to a party
    that is a popular party, that believes in social justice and fights for
    sovereignty in our country. However, I recognize the opportunities that
    this time offers us in terms of our economies, and I believe it is
    important for our peoples to have specific and concrete gains in terms
    of the economy, education, and health. And I believe that this free
    trade agreement that we have been referring to is a very important tool
    in its regard.
        And we have told the President that even though we are coming from a
    more modest position, we believe that with our leadership, we can stand
    side by side with the U.S. and make contributions in order to strengthen
    democracy and peace in the world and social justice among nations and
    also within our societies.
        And I want to thank the President for his hospitality. I look
    forward to continuing to work together, and I hope that we will see the
    President soon in Peru. And thanks again for your invitation. Thank you
    a lot, Mr. President. Thank you very much.
        President Bush. Muchas gracias, senor. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:11 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. President Garcia Perez spoke in Spanish, and his remarks were
    translated by an interpreter. The Office of the Press Secretary also
    released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.

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