    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [March 12, 2007]
    [Pages 292-300]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's News Conference With President Oscar Berger
    Perdomo of Guatemala in Guatemala City
    March 12, 2007

        President Berger. Distinguished members of the media, welcome, and
    thank you for honoring us with your presence. A very fruitful,
    interesting, and productive day with President Bush. Today's visit to
    the Department of Chimaltenango, Iximche, the contact that we were able
    to have with our people, the cultural legacy that we were able to
    witness together, and that the special meaning that it is together
    closer to the Guatemalan people, and hear from them of their history
    with President Bush and Mrs. Bush, has been very important today.
        After that very interesting visit, we met with teams of Presidents
    Bush and Berger, and evidently, on the table were extremely important
    topics, particularly as regards Guatemala. And we were able to discuss
    security and our efforts to fight drug trafficking. In that sense,
    President Bush expressed his full support for--expressed his support,
    also, for the Maya Jaguar plan that is already in operation, and has
    told us that he is going to make a regional proposal to fight drug
    trafficking, regionally, where he is inviting Mexico and the Central
    American countries to join the United States in that fight. Part of this
    strategy seeks to train the security bodies that are in charge of
    fighting drug trafficking and the intelligence that is going to surround
    these teams, and then be able to identify these sources in a permanent
    strategy--and I insist, regional strategy--which I think is key: We
    should no longer work in isolation; we should work jointly, that is, the
    countries that face this very serious problem.
        Likewise, we talked about the Millennium Challenge Account. And
    Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told us that Guatemala continues to
    be among the countries that could be elected. In the coming 2 months, we
    are going to receive a response. We expect that it might be favorable
    for Guatemala.
        Today President Bush, who is participating in this productive
    effort, we were able to see how these Guatemalan workers produce the
    best vegetables in the world and have been able to enter a very
    important market, particularly the Central American market, the effort
    of whose integration President Bush is also aware of.
        Of course, President Bush's visit brings us closer to the most
    important and largest economic power and the largest market in the
    world, with many possibilities, through CAFTA, where we can have--give
    better access to the U.S. market to Guatemalan produce, where we
    highlighted snow peas and berries, chili peppers and tomatoes. We had a
    limitation, and there was--as of a couple of months, we are exporting
    significant amounts of Guatemalan produce. So we also mentioned support
    by U.S. Customs to control Guatemalan port and customs services. This
    gives us a better rating and makes it possible for us to exercise a more
    efficient trade effort.
        We've mentioned to President Bush, and we've invited the United
    States to become the partner of the Central American Economic
    Integration Bank--CABEI--one that he favored. And he is well aware of
    the fact that this bank and it's resources are used to build
    infrastructure, to promote investment, and to give support to
    governments as well.
        I believe that everyone will probably be waiting to hear from the--
    about the topic of migrants. This is a topic that we discussed at
    greater length with President Bush during the trip this morning and
    during this afternoon's meeting. It is a concern for President Bush; it
    is a concern for the Guatemalans and the 13 million illegal

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    aliens who are currently living in the United States.
        President Bush has confirmed that there are no express instructions
    to persecute Guatemalan illegal aliens; that is, somebody is acting
    beyond the scope of the law, he has to be brought before the law. But
    if--there is no intention to persecute undocumented workers. He has
    convinced us that the best proposal is the migration law reform. He
    extensively explained the efforts that the--what the efforts will need
    to be engaged by the Democratic groups and the Republican groups in the
    Senate, but that should not be an issue that should be on the agenda
    next year. That should be taken care of, and he expects that by August,
    we will have a reform for the immigration act, where a legal status will
    be considered for those who are already living there and regulations of
    how to become a legal worker in the United States.
        I would like to take this opportunity, President Bush, to thank you
    for your visit. Guatemala feels honored. We feel highly satisfied and
    deeply committed with this effort. We have been in the eyes and the
    minds of the entire world during these couple of hours that we have been
    sharing with you. And what is most important, I believe that for the
    people in the highlands of Guatemala today, there was a message of
    closeness, of rapport with President Bush, and of a hope. Together, we
    can achieve great things, as Mariano Canu said in Tecpan, where he
    showed us what he can do with his work team, how he can give added value
    to the wonderful vegetables of the highlands of Guatemala, to be able to
    send it to the great U.S. market.
        Once again, for President Berger, this has been a wonderful
    opportunity to have been able to share with Mrs. Bush and President
    Bush. And for Guatemala, it is a reason for pride. Once again, thank you
    very much for your visit.
        President Bush. Senor Presidente, thank you very much for your warm
    welcome. I agree with you; it's been a great day for Laura and me. And we really loved traveling with you and
    Wendy, and it's just a wonderful
    experience.
        I appreciate your kindness on this first official visit to your
    country. Relations between the United States and Guatemala are stronger
    than ever. We're friends, and that's important. Our countries are fellow
    democracies. We're partners in trade. We're allies in the cause of
    social justice. Today President Berger and I discussed some of the ways
    that the United States and Guatemala can continue to work together to
    build a more hopeful future for the people in our respective countries.
        Guatemala is a strong and vibrant democracy of more than 12 million
    people. President Berger understands the importance of building a
    government that is accountable to all its citizens, and I appreciate
    that commitment. I appreciate the steps you've taken to increase
    transparency, to reduce corruption, to modernize the civil service, and
    to help improve Guatemala's record on human rights. You've got strong
    leadership, Mr. President.
        In September, you elect a new President, who will face the task of
    building on your successes. The United States and the international
    community will support the people of Guatemala in holding free and fair
    elections.
        Your President and I both believe that a strong democracy requires
    security from drug lords and violent criminals. So we spent a lot of
    time talking about that today. I appreciate the fact that you have
    renewed the fight against the drug trade, that you've worked to
    eradicate opium poppy, and you fired hundreds of corrupt police
    officers. That's what leaders do; you find problems and you address them
    for the good of the people. We appreciate Guatemala's commitment to this
    work, and we'll continue to stand with you.
        President Berger is working with the United Nations to form an
    international commission to help investigate and prosecute organized
    crime in Guatemala, and

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    the United States strongly supports this effort. Our countries are
    working together to fight transnational gangs. And the President was
    right: I suggested we think about this issue regionally. You've got to
    understand that these gangs are able to move throughout Central America
    and up through Mexico into our own country, and therefore, we've got to
    think regionally and act regionally.
        The first thing we can do is share information so we can help track
    down gang members, and we can increase communications; we can develop
    effective ways to protect children from gangs. There's a lot of work to
    be done, but it first starts with making a sincere commitment to
    addressing the problem.
        Improving education is an important goal for both our nations. We
    spent a lot of time today talking about education. And the President and
    First Lady of Guatemala are
    absolutely committed to extending education's reach beyond just the
    capital city. And I appreciate that commitment, Mr. President. More than
    40 percent of the population of this country is under 15 years old--it's
    an interesting statistic, isn't it?--which means that a more hopeful
    future depends on teaching the younger generation the skills necessary
    to be able to succeed in the 21st century.
        And we want to help. We've done some interesting work here, and the
    American people need to know that our commitment, our bilateral aid in
    Guatemala, goes toward helping meet education goals. It's in the
    interest of the United States that there be literate populations in our
    neighborhood. In the city, in the Department of Iximche, we established
    a project that helped raise the number of children who complete first
    grade from 51 percent to 71 percent. It's not a well-known program, but
    it worked. And this country of mine is committed to helping make these
    kind of programs successful, Mr. President.
        We also want to expand access to health care. Today, as the
    President mentioned, we went to Santa Cruz Balanya; it was a really
    interesting moment. The American people would have been incredibly proud
    of watching our military folks dispense with basic health care needs to
    people who needed help. And the people of Guatemala would be especially
    proud to have seen your military working side by side with our troops to
    do the same thing. There's a great mission of compassion, and it's
    making a difference to people's lives.
        Imagine not being able to see, and all of a sudden, somebody appears
    in your life, gives you an eye test, and fits you for glasses so you can
    see better. Or you have a perpetual toothache, and somebody shows up, in
    this case in military uniforms, and says, ``How can I help?'' It is in
    the interest of the United States to continue these kinds of missions,
    Mr. President.
        It is estimated that we have served more than 160,000 Guatemalans
    since 2001, providing health care, basic health care needs. And I was
    sharing with the President a little earlier that we're going to set up a
    health care training mission in Panama, so that we can train trainers,
    so that people in Guatemala can come and get just the basic skills
    necessary to take back to their towns and villages to be able to
    dispense with basic health care.
        The United States and Guatemala trade a lot, especially now that
    Guatemala has become a full member of CAFTA-DR. President Berger and I
    believe that CAFTA can spread opportunity, provide jobs, and help lift
    people out of poverty. We saw how trade can transform the small village
    of Chirijuyu, part of our experience in traveling with the President was
    to get outside the capital. It was really, really fun and really
    heartwarming. As a matter of fact, it was one of the great experiences
    of my Presidency. The town has grown from subsistence farming to selling
    high-value crops like lettuce and carrots and celery. As a matter of
    fact, I got to pack some lettuce. The President and I were hauling boxes

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    of lettuce; we were putting them in the truck.
        I met Mariano Canu. See, I talked about
    this man, Mariano Canu, in my speech in Washington, DC. I'd never met
    him, but I was intrigued by his story about how a fellow had gone from
    being a subsistence farmer, just scratching out a living, barely making
    it, the father of six kids wondering whether or not they would have a
    future, and then he organized an organization of small farmers called
    Labradores Mayas. And they came together and became more efficient, and
    then they found markets. They found markets throughout Central America
    as a result of CAFTA, and into the United States as a result of CAFTA.
        And the guy is making a living. He's making
    more than a living; he's built a thriving enterprise. You should have
    seen the look on his face, about how proud he was to show to the
    President of his country and the President of the United States the
    great progress being made.
        As the President mentioned, I'm working with the United States
    Congress on comprehensive immigration reform. He asked me about an
    incident that took place up in Massachusetts the other day. I said,
    ``Yes, we're going to enforce the laws in our country, just like you
    should enforce the laws in yours.'' It is against the law for somebody
    to hire somebody who is in our country illegally to work. And therefore,
    the deportations took place as a result of law enforcement enforcing the
    law. This wasn't--they didn't say, ``Oh, maybe there's Guatemalans
    there; let's go get them.'' That wasn't what happened, just so you know.
    You've got to understand that when we enforce the law, we do so in a
    fair and rational way. It just so happened that Guatemalans were working
    there illegally.
        He also mentioned to me that there's some conspiracies about how
    children are being left behind in Guatemala. No es la verdad. That's not
    the way America operates. We're a decent, compassionate country. Those
    are the kind of things we do not do. We believe in families, and we'll
    treat people with dignity. And the system needs to be fixed. And so we
    spent time talking about our strategy to get comprehensive immigration
    reform out of the Congress.
        As I told the President, it seems like to me, we've got to get this
    done by August. I hope so. I don't want to put a timetable on the
    legislative process. Timetables are generally meant to be broken. We
    don't believe in timetables, but I do believe in pressing hard and
    working with Democrats and Republicans to get it done, Mr. President.
    And we want there to be a rational way for people to come and do jobs
    Americans aren't doing. We don't want people to feel like they have to
    get stuffed into the back of a truck and pay exorbitant fees to coyotes
    to come and try to realize dreams. There's got to be a better system.
        And I told him the biggest problem in the debate is going to be what
    to do with the people who are already in our country illegally. And I
    explained to him, there will not be amnesty, automatic citizenship; it's
    just not going to happen. Nor is it feasible to try to kick everybody
    out of our country. That's not possible. And so I'm going to work with
    members of both parties to find a rational middle ground to have a
    comprehensive plan, Mr. President. It's important to you, but it's
    important to the United States of America to do this as well.
        We also talked about adoption. I don't know if my fellow citizens
    understand this, but there are a lot of U.S. families who adopt babies
    from Guatemala--thousands of babies. This year, it is very important for
    the United States and Guatemala to implement the Hague Convention on
    adoptions to help protect children and families during the adoption
    process. We found common ground on that issue. And I appreciate your
    strong stand, Mr. President, and I assured the President we would follow
    through ourselves.
        I can't thank you enough for your leadership. I appreciate the
    vision you have for

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    your country. When you speak, you speak with passion, because you care
    deeply about the future of Guatemala, and you care deeply about the
    people of Guatemala. It's an honor to be with you. It's been a joyful
    trip for us. I'm looking forward to the dinner that you're hosting for
    Laura and me. I'm not going to talk too long
    because I might get too hungry. [Laughter] But thank you for your time.
        President Berger. Thank you, Mr. President. Very nice--[inaudible].
    Thank you. Thank you, President Bush. I have here a note where I'm asked
    to make reference to the members of the media who are going to ask
    questions.
        Go ahead, Francisco.

    Illegal Immigrants

        Q. President Bush, good afternoon. Mr. President, deportations
    continue. At the end of 2006, and only a week ago, this practice of
    deporting, of arresting immigrants and beginning a process of
    deportation, continued. In Guatemala, information of abuse of authority
    and lack of respect for the right of the Guatemalan immigrants has been
    disseminated. My question is, now that you are in Guatemala, is there a
    commitment from your country to the 13 million Guatemalans to cease
    these deportations since you expect to have a comprehensive immigration
    reform?
        President Bush. The commitment is, people will be treated with
    respect, but the United States will enforce our law. It's against the
    law to hire somebody who is in our country illegally, and we are a
    nation of law.
        The best way to solve the concerns of the citizens of Guatemala--
    listen, I fully understand that the citizens of Guatemala are concerned
    about their relatives or friends who are in the United States. And I
    appreciate that. The best way to address the concerns inherent in your
    question is for me to work with Congress to get a comprehensive bill.
    And I'm optimistic we can do so. It's going to be tough work--don't get
    me wrong--but I believe we can get a comprehensive bill out of the
    Congress.
        And I think you'll find that--let me say, I certainly hope you'll
    find that people who are in the--that are interfacing with our
    Government are treated with respect and decency. That's certainly the
    instructions. Now, I'm sure they don't want to be sent home, but,
    nevertheless, we enforce laws. And I readily concede the system needs to
    be changed, and I hope I can convince the majority of both the House and
    the Senate to change the law in a rational way.
        Massimo [Massimo Calabresi, Time].

    Congressional Action on Immigration Reform

        Q. Thank you, Mr. President. May I extend good wishes to your
    father's health.
        President Bush. Thank you.
        Q. You've spoken throughout this trip about the----
        President Bush. That's actually a kind gesture. Thank you.
        Q. You've spoken throughout the trip about the need for
    comprehensive immigration reform. It's been a big subject here in
    Guatemala City. Can you provide a little more detail, sir, if you would,
    about how you intend to overcome congressional opposition? There is
    opposition in both parties, specifically at the moment. A bill has been
    expected for some time now. You've been working with Senators, and your
    staff have been working with Senators. Is there a holdup? How are you
    tackling the problem at the moment, sir?
        President Bush. Yes. No, I appreciate that. He's referring to the
    process at this point in time, about why hadn't a consensus bill in the
    Senate began to emerge. And it's because this is a complicated issue
    that requires both parties learning to work together on this issue. I
    believe it is, first of all, incumbent to find, as best as possible, a
    coherent Republican position in the Senate. And that's where we're
    spending a lot of time right now. And then, as I

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    understand it, Senator Kennedy will be
    carrying the bill on the Democrat side, and then once we can get a
    coherent Republican position, one that most Republicans are comfortable
    with, then we'll start working with the Senator.
        As you know full well that if we don't have enough consensus,
    nothing is going to move out of the Senate. And if nothing moves out of
    the Senate, nothing is going to happen in the House. And so therefore,
    the initial stages of getting a bill that meets objections is time
    consuming, but it is worth it and necessary in order for us to be able
    to address the concerns, many of which were expressed during the last
    debate on immigration reform.
        Now, I'm optimistic, I really am. I believe we can get something
    done, and I believe we're beginning to find consensus. I think there is
    pretty widespread consensus that there ought to be a temporary-worker
    plan that says, you can come legally to the United States to do a job
    Americans are not doing, for a period of time. That will help a lot of
    the Guatemalan citizens. It will mean somebody, first of all, doesn't
    have to sneak in the country in the first place and pay a coyote or buy
    forged documents or sleep in some sleazy place hiding from authorities
    until you're able to make destination. You'll be able to come in, in a
    rational way.
        Secondly, that once you're in the United States, if you have to come
    home to be with your family, you'll be able to do so in a legal way; in
    other words, you'll be able to come back and forth without fear. Now,
    you won't be able to--there will be a time limit on the amount of time,
    and that's part of the negotiations.
        The hard issue, as the President noted and I just talked about, was
    what to do with the people who've been in our country for more than a
    limited period of time. And that's a difficult issue, and it's one
    that's got a lot of politics in the country. The idea of giving someone
    automatic citizenship is just not acceptable. It's not acceptable to a
    lot of people in our country, and, Massimo, you understand that. And yet
    the fundamental question is, how do you design a system that doesn't
    raise those fears? And yes, obviously, he didn't like my answer. Oh, you
    did like it? Well, good. [Laughter]
        My dad had been ill, and he kindly
    brought greetings, for which I am grateful.

    Legislative Agenda on Immigration Reform

        Q. Thank you, sir. That was very specific. That's a lot, though. Do
    you think you can get that done by August?
        President Bush. Well, I--you know, August is a date that I was
    musing about, and that date came to mind because I understand how
    difficult it can be coming down the stretch in the legislative session
    in a calendar year, because the appropriations bill--you're learning
    more about this than you probably want to know--but the appropriations
    bills begin to crowd out the calendar in the latter part of the year.
    And they can consume a lot of time.
        And therefore, my hope is--it's certainly not a promise, but my hope
    would be-- that we'd be able to get something out of the Senate and then
    into the House, and something--then they can work the conference in the
    fall. That would be the hope.
        And--but I'm not the person that sets the calendar. I'm just a
    simple member of the executive branch. [Laughter] It's the legislative
    branch that decides the calendar.
        And--go ahead.
        President Berger. I would like to say that, in fact, the Guatemalan
    people would have preferred a more clear and positive response, no more
    deportations, so to say. But, as the President has said, there is a
    legal framework that needs to be respected. But historically, I think
    that we have never been so close to finding a solution to this problem
    as now.
        I was very pleased to hear President Bush say that this is a problem
    that they

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    also have. It is not only a problem for migrants, it is a problem for
    the American citizens who have--and a problem that has to be resolved.
    We have never before been as close as we are at this time of seeing a
    light at the end of the tunnel and, in a near future, in getting the
    undocumented status changed for 13 million illegal aliens who are living
    in the U.S.

    Narcotics and Drug Trafficking/Death of Salvadoran Congressmen

        Q. Good afternoon, President Bush and President Berger. President
    Bush, in Guatemala, there is a very serious problem of drug trafficking.
    You talk about a regional strategy to tackle it. I would like to ask you
    to expand on this topic, also taking into account that the latest
    reports produced by the United States on Guatemala have not been very
    favorable. And also, the issue of drug trafficking has led to very
    serious security problems in Guatemala. The latest was the murder of
    three Salvadoran Congress Members. The U.S. is also participating in
    this investigation. How far will the U.S. cooperation go? Because there
    is also the request for a mini-Colombia Plan to face it.
        President Bush. Yes. The drug trafficking is very serious--a serious
    problem for the United States, and so--most of the drugs end up in the
    United States, which really says that we need to do a better job of
    convincing our citizens not to use drugs. If demand for the drugs went
    down, it could make it more difficult for the drug traffickers to find
    markets.
        Secondly, drug trafficking is a serious problem because
    narcotrafficking destabilizes areas. It's in our interests, in our
    country, to promote prosperity and peace and stability. Narcotraffickers
    promote instability and tensions, which make it hard for the general
    populous to become prosperous. It also turns out, narcotraffickers
    oftentimes leave behind the poison as they head to other markets; in
    other words, the local population can become deeply affected by drogas.
        And so this is a serious issue. We've had experience in dealing with
    one state that obviously had to deal with the potential of
    narcotraffickers undermining democracy, and that's Colombia. This is--in
    my judgment, the best way to deal with this problem and to convince
    others throughout our country that it makes a lot of sense to commit
    assets is to think regionally, because as the President mentioned, he
    said, one of the interesting dynamics that's taking place here is that
    people and goods are moving quite freely across borders. Well, if people
    and goods are moving quite freely, drug traffickers will be moving quite
    freely. And there's kind of almost a borderless domain for these people.
        And therefore, thinking regionally--and that includes the United
    States and Mexico and Central America. Now, I'll bring this up with
    President Calderon
    tomorrow, about how we can work constructively. A lot of this has to do
    with sharing of information; in other words, we pick up pretty good
    information at times. After all, the United States, oftentimes, is the
    endpoint, is the end of the distribution chain. And sometimes our DEA or
    folks can trace back movements of drugs, which might then be able to
    help the region be able to disrupt and affect.
        Look, I am a ``if they break the law, arrest them'' person. I think
    we ought to go find these people and bring them to justice. And it's
    tough, because the richer they become, the more lethal they become and
    the more dangerous they are to democracies. And that's why there needs
    to be a collaborative effort, the details of which will emerge as we
    continue to strategize. But step one is to share information.
        As to the Salvadorans, of course, I'm deeply concerned about their
    death, as is the President. And we have sent, I think, four FBI agents
    down here to help with forensics and to help track down the leads, so
    that wherever those killers may light,

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    the authorities can go get them. And that's what we need to do.
        But this is a serious issue, and we spent a lot of time talking
    about it.
        Elaine [Elaine Quijano, Cable News Network].
        This will be your last question, Mr. President, and then we can
    start thinking about dinner, la cena. Que vamos a comer?
        President Berger. Tortillas.
        President Bush. Tortillas? Que bueno. [Laughter]
        President Berger. We have tortillas with guacamole and beans.
        President Bush. Con almuerzo, hoy.

    Border Security/Immigration Reform/Trade

        Q. Thank you. President Bush, your decision to sign legislation
    authorizing construction of a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border was not
    viewed positively here in the region. How would you respond to critics
    who feel that that sent a message that Latin Americans are not welcome
    in the United States?
        And, President Berger, what are your thoughts on the idea of a
    fence, the U.S. border policy in regard to a fence?
        President Bush. I did sign legislation modernizing our border. It
    was more than just fence; it was infrastructure--kind of a novel
    infrastructure, like detection devices, berms. We've got a very long
    border, and it needs to be enforced. It needs to be enforced not only to
    stop coyotes, but it needs to be enforced to stop drugs. It needs to be
    enforced to stop potential terrorists, and it needs to be enforced to
    stop arms--by the way, arms that sometimes go the other way--I'm told.
    And so we've got to have border. That's what countries do; they enforce
    their borders.
        And so we modernized the border. It was more than just fence. And I
    understand it sent a signal that said, you're not welcome. Quite the
    contrary; people are welcome, but under the law. There are thousands of
    people in our country who are not citizens who are there legally. The
    question is, what do we do with people who have been there over years,
    the result of a law that isn't working well? And I've already given that
    answer.
        I will also explain that part of convincing people that a
    comprehensive plan can work is to assure the American people that we're
    doing our duty by enforcing law. In other words, a lot of citizens said,
    ``You just don't care about whether or not we have a border that's
    secure.'' And the Congress responded by saying, ``Of course, we care.''
    It is the first step toward a comprehensive bill. In other words, people
    in Congress were saying, ``Let us do something about border enforcement,
    and then let's go comprehensive.'' I hope that's what they're saying.
        In other words, that's what I'm pressing them to say. Okay, we've
    responded to the needs of border enforcement; there are people being
    sent back. As a matter of fact, I think it's interesting--and frankly, I
    didn't anticipate this--that the good press corps of Guatemala,
    reflecting the concerns of the Guatemalan people, and the President of
    Guatemala reflecting the concerns, asked me about deportations. I mean,
    that was a primary concern. It means that something is--the law is being
    enforced, is what that means.
        The American people need to be persuaded, Elaine, that the
    Government takes our responsibilities seriously, which then will make it
    easier to convince reluctant Members of Congress to come up with a
    comprehensive plan.
        Now I've always been for a comprehensive plan. You might remember,
    if you look back at some of my speeches--I know you didn't listen to any
    of them, but you might want to go back and read them. [Laughter] Well,
    that's not fair. Okay, anyway, but I've always felt it was important.
    And I learned firsthand how important it was as the Governor of Texas. I
    used to say, family values do not stop at the Rio Grande River and

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    that people are coming to do jobs Americans are not doing because they
    want to feed their families. That's why I said that.
        By the way, the reason why trade is important in helping the
    programs like Labradores Mayas is that I also believe most citizens in
    Guatemala would rather find meaningful jobs at home instead of having to
    travel to a foreign land to work. And therefore, the more we can enhance
    prosperity in our neighborhood, the more we can encourage trade that
    actually yields jobs and stability, the less likely it is somebody who
    is worried about putting food on the table for their family will be
    coming to the United States.
        Anyway, I thank you for your interest on the topic, Mr. President.
    It's been a wonderful press conference. Thank you.
        President Berger. I would like to close with that topic: the
    American Dream for everyone. And we can have that American Dream in our
    own countries by promoting education, by improving infrastructure, by
    implementing CAFTA, which is a very interesting tool to produce and to
    export and also to attract investment and generate jobs. I would believe
    that we are firm along those lines and that the American Dream is going
    to be the dream for all the Americans living in the American Continent.
        Thank you very much.
        President Bush. Thank you all.

    Note: The President's news conference began at 3:37 p.m. at the National
    Palace. In his remarks, he referred to Wendy Widmann de Berger, wife of
    President Berger; and President Felipe de Jesus Calderon Hinojosa of
    Mexico. President Berger and some reporters spoke in Spanish, and their
    remarks were translated by an interpreter.