[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
[March 10, 2007]
[Pages 274-279]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
The President's News Conference With President Tabare Vazquez of Uruguay in Anchorena Park, Uruguay
March 10, 2007
President Vazquez. Mr. President of the United States of America,
Madam Secretary of State, members of the delegation visiting us,
Ministers of State, the Ambassador of the United States of America in
Uruguay, the Ambassador of Uruguay in the United States of America,
ladies and gentlemen, journalists: Mr. President, I would like to
welcome you together with the very prestigious delegation that is with
you. Mr. President, you represent a people that is a friend of the
Uruguayan people. We have historical and friendly relations uniting
these two countries, these two peoples. These are firm, respectful
relations with solidarity.
In this sense, I would like to give an example with two elements
which I think are of significance. First of all, Mr. President,
thousands of Uruguayan citizens live in the United States of America and
have found in that country standards of living that they did not have in
our country, and that forced them to migrate. They bettered themselves
there; they have their own families, their work; they have studied; they
have health and education for their children. Therefore, this is a very
clear element of what the United States people has given to the
Uruguayan people.
Undoubtfully, there are many Uruguayans who are still waiting,
pending legalization of the situation in this country, but I believe
your solidarity will help our citizens to be able to live legally in
your country.
And the second example I would like to mention is something that we
Uruguayans recall very well. When we underwent the most severe economic
crisis of our history, where Uruguay was living a very moving and very
serious condition, your country, and you, in particular, Mr. President,
gave us a hand to help Uruguay to leave that situation in which it was
and start with the way to recovery that we are now trying to
consolidate.
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Sixteen years ago, another President of the United States visited
our country--it was 5 December 1990, and this President was your father.
At that time, I was the mayor of the city of Montevideo, and I handed
him the keys of the city of Montevideo. We had a brief exchange with
President Bush, your father, and I recall a statement: ``Let us,'' he
said, ``leave aside our differences--that we do have certain
differences--and let us follow the path of agreement and coincidences
that we also have.'' The defense of democracy as an organization and as
a functioning of our societies, but rather as a style of life, the
defense of freedoms and the determined struggle to improve the standards
of living of our people--giving them work, education, and health--are
common elements that permit us to think that we may continue working
beyond our differences, Mr. Chairman.
With these words, I would like to say that the path we have followed
and the dialog we had today with the President of the United States is
precisely this one: to try and increase our trade exchanges, the
possibility of placing the fruits of our worker in the markets of the
United States of America; try and increase the scientific,
technological, cultural exchange with our brother country; and see how,
together, we may have a better standard of living for our people.
Mr. Chairman, members of the U.S. delegation, I hope you may feel at
home here. Most welcome.
President Bush. Thank you, Mr. President. I feel very much at home.
You know, it's--in my State of Texas, when you invite somebody to your
estancia, it's a sign of respect. And I thank you very much for this
warm gesture of hospitality, but, after all, you are a Tejano.
[Laughter]
We've had--this is our second meaningful dialog. I remember so well
your visit to the Oval Office. You were very articulate about your
desire to improve the lives of all people in your country. I was
impressed then by your compassion and your care.
I was expecting to see a beautiful country when I came here, and
that is precisely what I have seen. Your capital city is magnificent.
The architecture is really beautiful. And then, of course, we come to
this beautiful place that is so peaceful and reminds me of the great
natural resources that your country has.
We discussed a lot of subjects. First of all, Mr. President, I
completely agree with the spirit of our conversations, that we will find
common ground, and we will advance that common ground for the benefit of
our respective peoples.
One place we have common ground is the respect for human rights and
human dignity, respect for rule of law; we welcome a free press--most of
the time. [Laughter] No, all the time. We honor elections. And Uruguay
is a strong example of the stability that can come with democracy. But
you also recognize that which I recognize, that you can't take democracy
for granted, that the people have to see tangible benefits.
And so on my trip to South America and Central America, I want to
remind people that the United States and its compassionate people care
deeply about issues such as education and health, issues that you're
concerned about. We spent a lot of time talking about education, and I
suspect most Americans don't know that we're actively involved in
helping the President institute a program for youngsters to become more
literate, particularly in English. We want to continue helping.
We spent time talking about how we can exchange students in a more--
in a better way. We talked about exchanging ideas, that our experts sit
down at the same table to discuss issues such as alternative fuels. In
my trip to Brazil yesterday, we spent time talking about alternative
fuels and the need for the United States and Brazil to work together--
it's the same conversation we had in Uruguay.
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We talked about the fact that--or at least I talked about the fact--
the President is a modest man, but I talked about the fact that the
Uruguayan economy is growing at--estimated at 7 percent. And I
congratulate you, sir, on creating the conditions so that people feel
comfortable making investments that cause economies to grow, and that we
want to work together to continue to advance the progress we have made
on trade and investment at a pace that both our peoples will be
comfortable with.
I want to thank you very much for your commitment to democracy and
peace in our neighborhood. I congratulate you and the people of Uruguay
for providing peacekeepers to Haiti and to the Congo. It is a gesture of
a strong nation to reach out to help others realize the benefits of a
free society. And you've sent a strong and powerful message.
Finally, I do want to say something about immigration in the United
States. The President has spoken eloquently to me about the need for
there to be a immigration policy that upholds the values of America. I
explained to him that it is my interest to get a comprehensive
immigration bill out of the United States Congress as soon as possible.
I look forward to working with both Republicans and Democrats, Mr.
President, to do what is right to uphold the laws of the United States,
but, at the same time, recognize that, on the one hand, we can't grant
automatic citizenship, nor, on the other hand, can we kick people out.
And so therefore, there's got to be a rational way forward.
And I pledge to you, as a man who is concerned about people from
your country that may be living in the United States, that I will work
as hard as I can to have a compassionate and rational immigration law
that respects the rule of law, but also respects the great traditions of
the United States, a tradition which is a welcoming society, a tradition
that says, you know, that we welcome our diversity. Because we believe
in our diversity, we can find the strength of our Nation.
And so I've been--I'm really looking forward to this trip. I'm
especially looking forward to the asado. I appreciate the--I appreciate
your willingness to cook some Uruguayan beef. You've told me all along
how good it is, and after we answer a few questions, we're about to find
out.
So, Mr. President, thank you for your hospitality.
Uruguay-U.S. Relations
Q. My question is addressed to President George Bush. Bearing in
mind the regional context governed by Presidents such as Vazquez or
Chavez, especially, what similarities and what differences do you find
amongst them? And what is your opinion about President Vazquez and
Uruguay?
President Bush. The temptation is to try to get people to talk about
their differences. I want to talk about our commonalities. We share
respect for each other. We respect our countries, we respect our history
and traditions, and we share a great respect for a government that--
where the people decide who's in charge.
Interestingly enough, we both have gotten rid of colonial powers in
our past, and it is--I think it is that heritage that makes Uruguay and
the United States such natural partners. We talk about the need to
invest and to grow economies through investment. That's a common ground
that leads to a positive relationship.
We both recognize that education is vital for the success of our
respective countries. When we find illiteracy in the United States,
that's where we find poverty, oftentimes. And therefore, education
policy is focused at improving the lives of all by giving people the
skills necessary to compete in the 21st century.
I think many people in my country don't know that Uruguay is the
leading exporter of software in South America. It means that one of the
great assets of this country is the brainpower of the country.
Oftentimes
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when you think of a country like Uruguay, you think of natural
resources--fantastic farms, a lot of cows and lambs and blueberries--
which, by the way, came up today in our conversation. But I think it is
hopeful for both our countries to know that a friend is a leading
exporter of something that requires the ingenuity and brainpower of its
citizens. And so we find common ground there as to how to work together.
This is a--I would call this meeting very constructive and very
hopeful and very positive. And that's--the reason why is because we've
got so much in common. There's a lot more that unites us than divides
us, Mr. President, and I appreciate the chance to visit with you.
Tony.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Q. Bret Baier [FOX News].
President Bush. Bret Baier.
Q. President Bush----
President Bush. So the guy--I'm 60 years old, and he thinks I can't
hear. [Laughter]
Q. Sorry about that. Mr. President, the FBI acknowledged that some
agents used post-9/11 powers to demand personal information on
Americans. What do you say to people who are concerned about the use of
these national security letters? And in the wake of how these letters
were used, do you still have confidence in Attorney General Gonzales and
FBI Director Mueller?
President Bush. I was briefed by the Attorney General and the Director of the FBI on this subject last week. We spent a lot of time talking
about the IG report. First of all, I want to
compliment the IG for good and necessary work. They brought the findings
of this good work to my attention. My question is, what are you going to
do to solve the problem, and how fast can you get it solved?
And I was pleased by Director Mueller's answer, that he had already begun to address some of the
problems, but there's more work to be done. I thought his testimonies
the other day were very good; he took responsibility, as he should have.
And I have confidence in Director Mueller, as I do in the Attorney
General.
I want to remind you, Bret, and others, that the IG report, which justly made issue of FBI shortfallings, also
made it clear that these letters were important to the security of the
United States. And so we'll address the problems in the report, and
those problems will be addressed as quickly as possible.
International Trade
Q. Good afternoon. The first question is addressed to President
Bush. You recognize the protectionist obstacles in your Government. How
flexible may your administration be on making progress in a trade
agreement with Uruguay, and what agreement has been reached today?
And the second question for both Presidents. President Vazquez, did
you ask President Bush to intercede in the differences that Uruguay and
Argentina have about the mill plants?
President Bush. We spent a lot of time talking about how to address
Uruguayan concerns about market access for certain products. The
President talked about a variety of issues when it comes to trade. He
felt like the quotas on certain items, such as cows and sheep, was not
fair, and I told him I would absolutely consider requests he made.
You thought I was teasing about blueberries, but I wasn't. It turns
out, Uruguay produces a fantastic blueberry. And the fundamental
question is, will that blueberry--will the blueberry grower be able to
sell product into the United States?
So we talked about a variety of produce. And, you know, I told the
President; I said: You can't solve problems unless you put the problems
on the table, and that where we could help, we would; and where we
couldn't, I would give an explanation as to why not.
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Now, you brought up protectionist tendencies, and I'm concerned
about protectionist tendencies, not only with our own country but around
the world. I happen to believe a world that trades freely and fairly is
a world that is more likely to be able to address poverty. And
therefore, I'm a strong supporter of completing the Doha round of the
WTO.
I shared with the President about our strategies as to advance the
Doha round. I spent a lot of time with President Lula; he was most interested in our conversations, and
I shared our conversations. I didn't betray any confidences, of course,
but I talked to him about how we need to advance the Doha round. The
United States is fully prepared to reduce agricultural subsidies, as I
explained to the President. We just want to make sure there is market
access for our products. And that's what I told President Lula; that's
what I've told the Europeans; and that's what I shared with the
President.
I'm optimistic we can get a deal done. As a matter of fact, our
trade minister is--Susan Schwab has remained
in Sao Paulo to talk to her Brazilian counterpart, all aiming at continuing to make progress toward
what is a complicated, but necessary deal.
Thank you.
President Vazquez. As an answer to your first question, I fully
agree with what has just been expressed by the President of the United
States. We have created a space, starting with this meeting, where our
experts, our ministers are going to discuss and make progress on issues
of bilateral relationships.
Now, concerning the general multilateral situation, Uruguay has made
clear its position in the defense of free trade and tried to have a drop
of tariffs and subsidies, which hinder the sale of our great cultural
products, particularly. But we have also analyzed the possibility of
making progress with the GSP, particularly on certain issues that are
going to be considered in the coming weeks.
As to the second part of your question, I have not talked about the
problems we have with the republic of Argentina with the President of
the United States, amongst other things, because in a few days from
now--in a few weeks, and thanks to the conciliation of His Majesty, the
King of Spain--we are going to get closer. We're not going to negotiate;
we're going to have a dialog between the two Governments in order to
find a friendly way out. We're going to try to come to an understanding
and to be able to solve the very sad differences that we have with our
brethren of Argentina.
President's Visit to Central and South America
Q. Thank you, Mr. President--Mr. President. For President Bush: Hugo
Chavez suggested that you are afraid to mention his name. So, are you?
And how much of a threat is he to the United States interests in the
hemisphere?
And, President Vazquez, can you discuss at all your position between
trying to broaden ties to the United States in terms of trade, but also
indicate to your other neighbors that you are--want to remain integrated
in South American trade?
President Bush. I've come to South America and Central America to
advance a positive, constructive diplomacy that is being conducted by my
Government on behalf of the American people.
My message to the people in our neighborhood is that we care about
the human condition and that we believe the human condition can be
improved in a variety of ways--one, investment. And so the question is,
how can we have constructive dialog with our neighbors as to how to
spread the benefits of investment?
I also am reminding people that the United States taxpayer is most
generous when it comes to bilateral aid. Since I've been the President,
we've doubled the amount of annual bilateral aid to Latin America from
$800 million a year to $1.6
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billion a year. And most of the money is aimed at social justice
programs, programs like education and health care.
I also know full well that--and I saw this firsthand yesterday in
Sao Paulo--that many American NGOs and faith-based groups and
individuals express their concern about the plight of the poor through
programs and activities all aimed at giving people a chance. Yesterday
in Sao Paulo, we went to a pretty wealthy neighborhood, but it was
surrounded by a favela. And there we found in the midst of hopelessness,
there was a little center of love. And some of the program money had
been raised as a result of concerts given in the United States, where
citizens, average citizens, contribute to make sure this program remain
viable.
And so the trip is a--it's a statement of the desire to work
together with people in our neighborhood. I've been to Central and South
America a lot since I've been the President, because I fully understand
a prosperous and peaceful neighborhood is in the interest of the United
States of America.
I would call our diplomacy quiet and effective diplomacy--diplomacy
all aimed at helping people, aimed at elevating the human condition,
aimed at expressing the great compassion of the American people.
And, Mr. President, I appreciate you giving me a chance to come and
visit with you, have a dialog about how we can advance our interests and
the interests of our neighborhood.
President Vazquez. Concerning your question, the strategy for
international insertion of Uruguay is quite well defined and quite
clear. We are in favor of an open integration process; we are strongly
in favor of the regional process. We are where we are, and we don't want
to leave this place. And the trade we have and the cultural, historical
relationships that we have with our brethren countries in the region are
very solid, very strong. But we don't want a closed integration process,
but an open integration process.
This MERCOSUR should be able to integrate to other blocks or other
countries of the world, and also each of the members of this process--
for example, Uruguay--might be able to exercise its sovereign right of
developing bilateral relations with other integration processes or other
countries. It is in this sense that we are working, and it is in this
sense that we are holding with the President of the United States.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Note: The President's news conference began at 11:53 a.m. in the
Visitors Center. In his remarks, he referred to President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva and Minister of Development, Industry, and Trade Luiz
Fernando Furlan of Brazil. President Vazquez referred to U.S. Ambassador
to Uruguay Frank E. Baxter; Uruguay's Ambassador to the U.S. Carlos
Gianelli Derois; and King Juan Carlos I of Spain. A reporter referred to
President Hugo Chavez Frias of Venezuela. President Vazquez 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.