[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 12 (Monday, March 25, 2002)]
[Pages 482-483]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With TCS

March 20, 2002

El Salvador-U.S. Relations

    Q. Ten years after the peace agreement in El Salvador, how do you 
evaluate the current relationship between the U.S. and my country?
    The President. Muy fuerte. I've got, first of all, a good personal 
relationship with El Presidente de su pais. He's a very good man. He's a 
young, strong leader, and I'm impressed by him. And everybody in America 
who's met him is impressed by him.
    Secondly, I believe we've got some great opportunities. There's a 
lot of people from your country living here in America, and so we get a 
better sense of your country from them--hard-working, good people. 
Secondly, obviously we've had a chance to cooperate during some of the 
unbelievable natural disasters that affected El Salvador--Hurricane 
Mitch. And our country was very glad to help. We--sorry it happened, but 
then it happened, glad to help.
    And I'm going to go down and talk about trade and the ability for us 
to work together to put together a free trade agreement with Central 
American nations. I think it's a great opportunity. I'm really looking 
forward to the trip. I can't wait to go to El Salvador. It's going to 
be--it's an honor to go.

Central American-U.S. Free Trade Agreement

    Q. Mr. President, do you consider that the free trade agreement 
between the U.S. and the Central American countries will indeed benefit 
the poorest people in our region?
    The President. Por cierto, por cierto. That's why I'm so anxious to 
do so. The best way to develop jobs, the best way to develop hope and 
opportunity is through trade. A country which trades with the United 
States, for example, or any other country, a vibrant marketplace is 
going to get 8 times more benefit from that trade than they would 
through any foreign aid program.
    Now, we're going to be generous with our foreign aid, and we'll 
help, but trade is really the best chance to help the poor. And that's 
what I'm interested in doing. I know that when somebody starts getting 
jobs available, there's better training. It will lead to better 
education; it will lead to better health care. And so we're anxious to 
promote prosperity, and the best way to do that is through a trade 
agreement.

Temporary Protected Status

    Q. Deeply inside you, Mr. President, have you made a decision over 
the future of 250,000 Salvadorans currently under TPS?
    The President. TPS? No, but I want--first of all, I was a strong 
supporter of TPS the last time it came up. The TPS authorization--or the 
renewal--won't come up until Septiembre. So this summer I, of course, 
will look at it. I haven't made up my mind yet, but I will tell you, the 
last time I was a strong supporter. I thought it was the right thing to 
do. And one might guess, if I thought it was the right thing to do last 
time--but I will make up my mind this summer.

War on Terrorism

    Q. Does El Salvador have an important role to play in the global war 
against terrorism?
    The President. Oh, of course, of course. And here it is: Al Qaida 
killers are trying to find places where they can move assets, train, 
move money. They're looking for weak spots. They found one in 
Afghanistan, and we're still bringing them to justice. Any country that 
appears weak or is welcoming to a terrorist organization is one where 
they're likely to go. And what El Salvador can do is continue to be 
strong and say, ``We're not going to tolerate terrorism. We're not going 
to let

[[Page 483]]

people come to our country or our neighborhood.'' And they've been very 
strong. President Flores has been great on this subject, and I look 
forward to working with him.
    You bet it's very important for all of us who love freedom to stand 
strong against terrorist organizations, so that they can have no place 
to go. We'll keep them on the run, and we're going to keep them running. 
And they're going to get tired of running. And then, when they do get 
tired of running, we'll bring them to justice.
    Q. People is very anxious, waiting for you, Mr. President, in El 
Salvador. Tiene un mensaje para pueblo Salvadoreno?
    The President. Si, al pueblo de El Salvador, quiero decir eso, tu 
pais es importante para el futuro de mi pais. Yo quiero decir que somos 
amigos, y muchos gracias para la opportunidad de viajar a este pais 
bonita, bella. Y quiero decir que tu Presidente--su Presidente es un 
amigo mio.
    Q. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
    The President. Si, thank you.

Note: The interview was taped at 10:54 a.m. in the Map Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, the President referred to President Francisco 
Flores of El Salvador. This interview was released by the Office of the 
Press Secretary on March 22. A tape was not available for verification 
of the content of this interview.