    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
    [December 14, 2007]
    [Pages 1546-1549]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks With President Alan Garcia Perez
    of Peru on Signing the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement
    Implementation Act
    December 14, 2007

        President Bush. Thank you. Thank you. Please be seated. Good
    afternoon. Buenas tardes. President Garcia, thank you for being here.
        Peru and the United States are strong partners, and today we're
    making that partnership even stronger. In a few moments, I'll have the
    honor of signing a bill that approves the vital free trade agreement
    between Peru and the United States. The bill will help increase
    opportunities for workers, ranchers, farmers, and businessmen in both
    our countries.
        I want to thank the many Members of Congress, both in the House and
    the Senate, who came together to get this bill passed. I particularly
    want to thank the Members of Congress who are here today: the ranking
    member of the Ways and Means, Jim McCrery from Louisiana; Wally Herger from California; and Kevin Brady from the great State of Texas. [Laughter]
        I appreciate members of my Cabinet who have joined us today: the
    Secretary of State, Condi Rice; Hank
    Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury;
    Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez;
    Ambassador Sue Schwab, USTR; former
    Ambassador--I guess you still call him Ambassador, but he used to work for us--Rob Portman is here as
    well. [Laughter] And the reason the members of the Cabinet are here is
    because this administration is firmly committed to free and fair trade.
    We believe it's in the interest of the United States.
        I want to thank John Walters as well,
    who is with us today. He's a member of the Cabinet; there he is. I want
    to thank Chuck Conner, Acting Secretary of
    the Agriculture; Steve Preston, U.S.
    Business Administration.
        I welcome our Peruvian guests. I thank the Ambassadors from
    countries in our neighborhood; I'm glad you're here--Ambassadors from El
    Salvador, Honduras, Chile,
    Mexico, Canada, Guatemala, Dominican
    Republic. I thank the
    Ambassadors and other representatives from countries who have pending
    free trade agreements before the United States Congress: the Ambassador
    from Colombia, Panama, and as well the Republic of Korea.

    [[Page 1547]]

        I thank those from the--who care about trade, who've joined us
    today. I appreciate your hard work on getting these agreements signed
    and ratified. And you know what I know: That when we extend trade, when
    we expand trade, America advances our deepest values as well as our
    economic interests. Opening markets has helped expand democracy.
    Openings markets helps expand and strengthen the rule of law. And
    opening markets helps lift millions out of poverty.
        Open markets contribute to America's prosperity. Exports now account
    for a larger percentage of our GDP than at any other time in our
    history, which means that trade is a key driver for economic growth.
    Exports support higher paying jobs for our workers. This week, we
    learned that over the 12 months ending in October, U.S. exports
    increased by 13 percent.
        The bill I signed today advances free and fair trade with one of the
    fastest growing economies in the Western Hemisphere. Last year, Peru's
    economy expanded by more than 7\1/2\ percent, and I congratulate the
    President--wish he'd lend us a couple of percent. [Laughter] It's
    impossible to do. But trade will help growth. It will help the U.S.
    grow, and it will help Peru grow. Over the past 3 years, trade between
    our two nations has more than doubled to nearly $9 billion. With this
    free trade agreement, we will expand our trade even more and create new
    opportunities for citizens in both countries.
        The agreement creates new opportunities here in the United States.
    Once implemented, it will immediately eliminate duties on about 80
    percent of U.S. consumer and industrial goods sold in Peru. It will
    eliminate all remaining duties within 10 years. Once implemented, the
    agreement will also immediately eliminate the duties on more than two-
    thirds of U.S. agricultural exports to Peru and eliminate most of the
    remaining duties over the following 5 to 15 years.
        This agreement will also create new opportunities for the people of
    Peru. This is good for the people of Peru. After all, the agreement
    locks in access for Peruvian businesses, small-business owners, and
    agricultural folks to the largest market in the world. With more U.S.
    products available in their country, Peruvians will benefit from more
    choices and more lower prices--or better prices. The more a consumer has
    to choose from, the better off that consumer will be. Opening up markets
    to U.S. goods and services will help the Peruvian consumer by removing
    barriers to U.S. services and investment.
        The agreement will help create a secure, predictable legal framework
    that will help attract U.S. investors. The Peruvian people understand
    that expanding trade with the United States will improve their lives;
    that's what they understand. And so their representatives in the
    legislature approved this agreement by an overwhelming margin. And by
    his presence today, President Garcia is showing our common commitment to
    a hemisphere that grows in liberty and opportunity for all.
        I want to thank the Congress for passing this bill. They passed it
    with broad, bipartisan support. Earlier this year, my administration and
    Congress came together on a bipartisan approach to free trade
    agreements. Under this approach, we included enforceable labor and
    environmental provisions in our pending free trade agreements. This is
    the approach we applied to our agreement with Peru, and this agreement
    shows the American people that Congress and the administration can work
    together--and are working together--in following a bipartisan way
    forward on trade.
        I urge Members of Congress to continue on this path as they consider
    agreements with two other important partners in the region, Colombia and
    Panama. Across our hemisphere, people are watching what the Congress
    will do. They're watching to see what this Congress will do when it
    comes to how we treat our friends. They're watching carefully the
    actions of the Congress in regards to the free trade agreements

    [[Page 1548]]

    with Colombia and Panama. The champions of false populism will use any
    failure to approve these trade agreements as evidence that America will
    never treat other democracies in the region as full partners.
        Those who espouse the language of false populism will use failure of
    these trade agreements as a way of showing America doesn't--isn't
    committed to our friends in the hemisphere. It is vital that Congress
    send a strong message that the United States of America is committed to
    advancing freedom and prosperity in our neighborhood and approve these
    agreements with strong, bipartisan majorities.
        Congress also needs to move forward with a bill to implement a free
    trade agreement with one of our most important partners in the Far East,
    South Korea. This agreement will create jobs and opportunity on both
    sides of the Pacific. It will strengthen a democratic ally. I urge
    Congress to act quickly and send this good bill to my desk.
        As we work with Congress to approve trade legislation, we're also
    working to break down barriers to trade and investment at the global
    level. The best way to do so is through the Doha round of trade talks. A
    successful Doha round would open up markets for America's goods and
    crops and services. Doha also represents an historic opportunity to help
    lift millions of people out of poverty and despair. It's in our national
    interest to do so. It's in our moral interest to do so. My
    administration will continue to work to bring the Doha round of trade
    negotiations to a successful conclusion.
        By advancing free and fair trade, we strengthen ties with our
    friends, we help democracies build a better life for their citizens, and
    we show that so long as the rules are fair, American workers can compete
    with anyone, anytime, anywhere.
        Mr. President, I welcome you here to this important gathering. I ask
    you to give some words to the people of your country and our country.
    And after you finish speaking, it will be my honor to sign the United
    States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act.
        Welcome, Mr. President.
        President Garcia. Thank you. It's a great day for Peru, for the
    friendship between Peru and the United States. It's a great day for
    democracy and social justice and freedom. On the contrary, it's a bad
    day for the authoritarianism and those who--against the democracy and
    free trade.
        Your Excellency and dear friends, now that the implementation bill
    for the trade promotion agreement between the U.S. and Peru has been
    signed, I would like to thank the American people and the U.S. Congress.
    And especially, I wish to express my sincere recognition to Your
    Excellency, the great supporter of the treaty and a true--a real, true
    ally and friend of the Peruvian people.
        Today, the challenges to our societies are the consolidation of
    freedom, democracy, social justice, and peace, as well as the promotion
    of scientific and cultural development. The information and
    communication revolution allows countries to reach these goals and
    strengthen the links between our peoples by tearing down boulders and
    consolidating the foundations of human culture based in tolerance and
    respect to each other. Free trade agreements and world fora are
    important tools for these endeavors. More investment and more trade, as
    well as social policies, will contribute to eradicate poverty, protect
    the environment, and reduce and control migrations throughout the world.
        Your Excellency, this is a crucial opportunity to consolidate
    hemispheric relations. The ties between the U.S. and Latin America has
    been blocked by misunderstandings, but they are also full of great
    prospects for reaching democracy and consensus.
        Franklin Delano Roosevelt Good Neighbor Policy and John F. Kennedy
    Alliance for Progress come to my mind in this moment. Those initiatives
    were designed to contribute to a firm relationship between

    [[Page 1549]]

    our peoples based on justice and development. Unfortunately, those were
    lost opportunities.
        Today, I think, begins a new era. The free trade area of the
    Americas and the free trade agreements in the hemisphere open a third
    opportunity we must not squander. The treaty with Peru has been studied
    and discussed at length. First with your administration, then it has
    been enhanced in the dialog with the U.S. Congress, which lead to an
    extension for the environment and on labor chapters, which will favor
    the poor, the population in the Andes, and their small enterprises.
        Other Latin America countries should also benefit from the great
    American market and the investment opportunities. In that regard,
    Colombia is a country with great challenges ahead. The hurdles that are
    claimed to delay the agreement with Colombia will be swiftly solved if
    the treaty is approved, creating more jobs and investment and
    development. I take upon myself the Latin American responsibility to
    request Your Excellency and the U.S. Congress to pass this agreement as
    soon as possible.
        This treaty will contribute to our fight against narcotraffic and
    global terrorism. This would be critical to reaffirm democracy, freedom,
    investment, and prosperity for the Colombian people that I love very
    much. The same could be said about Panama.
        Let me finish, Your Excellency, reaffirming that we both are
    committed to peace and against nuclear proliferation that may threaten
    the future of our children. We both fight for freedom and democracy.
    Your Excellency, you should be sure, as well as the Members of the
    Congress and the American people, that in Peru this treaty would not
    exclude the poorest of the Peruvian workers. On the contrary, using the
    words of the great Abraham Lincoln, it will be a free trade agreement of
    the people, by the people, and for the people.
        Thank you very much.

    [At this point, President Bush signed the bill.]

        President Bush. Thank you all for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:52 p.m. in Room 450 of the Dwight D.
    Eisenhower Executive Office Building. In his remarks, he referred to
    former Office of Management and Budget Director Robert J. Portman; El
    Salvador's Ambassador to the U.S. Rene Antonio Leon Rodriguez;
    Honduras's Ambassador to the U.S. Roberto Flores Bermudez; Chile's
    Ambassador to the U.S. Mariano Fernandez; Mexico's Ambassador to the
    U.S. Arturo Sarukhan Casamitjana; Canada's Ambassador to the U.S.
    Michael Wilson; Guatemala's Ambassador to the U.S. Guillermo Castillo;
    the Dominican Republic's Ambassador to the U.S. Flavio Dario Espinal
    Jacobo; Colombia's Ambassador to the U.S. Carolina Barco Isakson;
    Panama's Ambassador to the U.S. Federico Antonio Humbert Arias; and
    South Korea's Ambassador to the U.S. Lee Tae-sik. H.R. 3688, approved
    December 14, was assigned Public Law 110-138. The Office of the Press
    Secretary released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.