[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 44 (Monday, November 2, 1998)]
[Pages 2155-2156]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Welcoming President Andres Pastrana of Colombia

October 28, 1998

    President Pastrana, Mrs. Pastrana, members of the Colombia 
delegation, I am proud to welcome you to the United States and to the 
White House.
    Two months ago when Andres Pastrana stood in historic Bolivar Plaza, 
the people of Colombia inaugurated not just a new President but a new 
spirit of hope: Hope for change; hope for reconciliation; hope for the 
fulfillment of his citizens' most profound dreams.
    President Pastrana was inspired to public service by his father, who 
was Colombia's President a generation ago and by the enduring spirit of 
the liberator, Bolivar. He was already working for the public good while 
still a teenager, backpacking across the country to collect money for 
the poor and raising funds for young burn victims.
    Now, Mr. President, as Colombia's leader, you have made it your 
mission to renew your country for all your citizens, to revive the 
economy, to lead in the global fight against narcotics, to bring relief 
and progress to people caught in the crossfire of violence among rebels, 
paramilitaries, and drug traffickers--to bring peace.
    Colombia is the last site of major civil strife in our hemisphere. 
In recent years, the violence and suffering have grown; the struggle has 
become intertwined with the deadly drug trade. The conflict has claimed 
the lives of many dedicated public servants. It has forced Colombians to 
flee their homes and made it difficult for others to run their 
businesses and farms.
    Mr. President, we admire your courage and determination to end the 
violence, to heal the wounds of the past, to build a better future. We 
call on the insurgents and paramilitaries to respond to your bold 
initiative for peace by ending terrorism, hostage taking, and support 
for drug traffickers.
    All around the world today, men and women who have suffered too long 
from the poison of hatred are choosing the path of peace: in Ireland, in 
Bosnia, in Southern Africa, and Central America, now with renewed hope 
in the Middle East, and just this week

[[Page 2156]]

with the agreement to end their longstanding conflict in Peru and 
Ecuador. With your leadership, Mr. President, peace can come to 
Colombia, too.
    As you embark on your mission to build an honorable and enduring 
peace, count on the United States as a friend and partner. Count on us, 
too, as you work to bring prosperity to all Colombians. We will work 
together to create jobs and improve opportunities for both our peoples. 
We already are your largest trading partner and foreign investor. But 
there is much more we can do together. And as part of the extraordinary 
process of integration now taking place all across our hemisphere, we 
will work together, and with our other friends throughout the Americas, 
to uphold human rights, root out corruption, fight crime, advance 
education and health care, overcome poverty, and protect our common 
environment. We will work together to combat illegal drugs. We have 
worked together, but we must do more. For both our peoples have suffered 
greatly from the drug trade and its brutality. The battle against drugs 
is a common battle. It must unite our people, not divide them.
    Colombians deserve normal lives. They deserve to live free in their 
homes with their families, to enjoy the phenomenal richness of their 
culture, the vallenato music, the paintings and sculptures of Botero, 
the fantastic writings of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
    Mr. President, we in the United States watched with pride as you 
took the oath of office in August, wearing the suit of clothes your 
father had worn when he was inaugurated President of Colombia 28 years 
ago. You said then, ``This is not my day, but the day of all Colombians. 
Change begins today.''
    This is a new beginning for Colombia. It is also a new opportunity 
to strengthen the bonds between our peoples. So let us begin today. 
Again, Mr. President, welcome, and welcome back to the White House.

Note: The President spoke at 9:50 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Nohra, wife of President Pastrana. 
The transcript made available by the Office of the Press Secretary also 
included the remarks of President Pastrana.