[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 17 (Monday, April 30, 2001)]
[Pages 639-640]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Prior to Discussions With Central American Leaders and an 
Exchange With Reporters in Quebec, Canada

April 20, 2001

    The President. I want to thank the Presidents from some of the 
Central American countries for coming here. It's my honor to say once 
again hello to the President of El Salvador, the President of Panama, 
and the President of Honduras. Thank you all very much. I look forward 
to wide-ranging discussions on the benefits of trade, the need for us to 
continue to think about how best to have in place measures that will 
help in the case of future natural disasters, ways to continue to 
cooperate on issues of trafficking of people and arms and drugs.
    So I look forward to a very fruitful discussion. I'm honored you all 
are here. El placir es mio.
    I'll try to answer a few questions. Sandra [Sandra Sobieraj, 
Associated Press], have you got something?

Quebec Demonstrations

    Q. Sir, the protests have really flared up outside. What do you have 
to say to the protesters?
    The President. Well, if they are--if they're protesting because of 
free trade, I would say I disagree. I think trade is very important for 
this hemisphere. Trade not only helps spread prosperity, but trade helps 
spread freedom. And so I would just disagree with those who think that 
trade--somehow trade is going to negatively affect the working people 
and people for whom hope doesn't exist in some places. So we need trade. 
And I am convinced that the leadership that I met with agrees. And we 
can work together, because they understand that working together we can 
bring prosperity throughout our entire hemisphere.
    Secondly, I would hope that those out there expressing their opinion 
realize how important it is for the United States and Canada and Mexico 
to extend our agreements beyond our borders, to Central America and 
South America, where it's important to keep our neighborhood intact and 
to have a strong neighborhood. And these are our neighbors.
    I grew up in a world where if you treat your neighbor well, it's a 
good start to developing a wholesome community. So I understand some 
people don't like trade; I just strongly disagree with them.

Trade Promotion Authority

    Q. Mr. President, what are you telling summit leaders when they ask 
you how likely are you to get fast-track?
    The President. Well, first of all, they understand that trade 
promotion authority, or fast-track, will be very important for us in 
order to make sure that we can fulfill our hopes to have a free-trading 
hemisphere. But we also can and will discuss bilateral agreements or 
agreements with groups of countries. So it's a dual-track strategy.
    I hope Congress understands the hope and promise of trade promotion 
authority. It's important for the President to have trade promotion 
authority. It will make it a lot easier for us to complete the 
agreements that we're all discussing here in summits such as this.
    Press Secretary Ari Fleischer. Final question.
    Q. Mr. President, when you met with the President of Brazil----
    The President. You again.
    Q. Yes, it's me again--and the other Andean leaders, were they--just 
following up on fast-track--the fact that you don't have fast-track, did 
they express that as a concern?
    The President. Well, not really. They were more interested in, one, 
our commitment to the neighborhood. Secondly, they were--we spent a lot 
of time talking about

[[Page 640]]

drugs and drug trafficking, and I assured them I understood that our 
Nation must do a better job of reducing demand and, at the same time, 
working with the Andean nations to eradicate supply.
    An issue that came up, and one that I was aware of is that Plan 
Colombia could have the opportunity to spread the problems to 
neighboring countries outside of Colombia. And therefore, we have to put 
together an Andean initiative which recognizes that. And thirdly, that 
relations are--that we must have relations beyond just drug eradication. 
In other words, that we've got to work together to make sure the 
education systems in our respective countries fulfill their promise, 
that legal reforms are needed in some parts of the world.
    And so we had a very wide-ranging discussion, and I was most 
pleased, by the way, that the President of Brazil joined in the 
discussion, because it was--I thought it was a very good signal of his 
understanding the importance of the Andean region. And he plays a very--
his country plays a very important part and a very important role in 
that part of the world.
    Q. Thank you.
    The President. You got your wish. [Laughter]

Note: The President spoke at 5 p.m. in the Montcalm Room at the Loews el 
Concorde Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to President Francisco 
Flores Perez of El Salvador; President Mireya Moscoso of Panama; 
President Carlos Flores of Honduras; and President Fernando Henrique 
Cardoso of Brazil. Prime Minister Said Wilbert Musa of Belize; President 
Miguel Rodriguez of Costa Rica; President Arnoldo Aleman of Nicaragua; 
and President Alfonso Antonio Portillo of Guatemala also participated in 
the discussions. This item was not received in time for publication in 
the appropriate issue. A tape was not available for verification of the 
content of these remarks.