[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 41 (Monday, October 13, 2003)]
[Pages 1330-1332]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Welcoming Ceremony for President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya

October 6, 2003

    President Bush. Mr. President, Madam First Lady, members of the 
Kenyan delegation, on behalf of the American people, Laura and I are 
pleased to welcome you to the United States. This is the first state 
visit by the leader of an African country during my administration and 
the first visit of President Kibaki since his historic election last 
year.
    Under President Kibaki's leadership, Kenya is pursuing important 
reforms and making the difficult and necessary and rewarding transition 
to permanent, multiparty democracy. Mr. President, your courage serves 
the Kenyan people well, and you honor the American people with your 
visit.
    Kenya is a nation of rich traditions and ancient history. The Great 
Rift Valley, which runs through Eastern Kenya from Lake Rudolf to Lake 
Victoria, is known as the ``cradle of civilization.'' The story of Kenya 
is inseparable from the story of mankind. And out

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of this proud past, Kenya is building a modern, prosperous, and peaceful 
future. In building that future, Kenya will have a partner in the United 
States.
    Our countries face common challenges, and we meet them with shared 
values. Both our nations are threatened by terrorists, and both have 
suffered. In one savage act 5 years ago in Nairobi, members of the Al 
Qaida network murdered more than 200 Kenyans and Americans. Our 
countries grieved together then and after September the 11th and after 
the attack last November in Mombasa.
    Yet we have done more than grieve. We are working together to defeat 
the terrorists, to cut off their funding, to deny them sanctuary, and to 
bring them to justice. There can be no compromise with this evil, and 
the Government of Kenya is a vital ally in the ongoing war against 
terror.
    We're also working together to create a better world, to end long-
simmering conflicts, and to alleviate the suffering caused by poverty 
and hunger and disease. Our goal is to end the hopelessness that feeds 
terror and to help spread the blessings of liberty that are the 
birthright of every man, woman, and child on this Earth.
    The partnership between our nations is sustained by the friendship 
between our people. Some 7,000 Americans live in Kenya. Thousands of our 
citizens love to travel to Kenya. One of the Peace Corps' largest 
programs is in Kenya, helping to encourage private enterprise, to fight 
AIDS, and to improve the nation's schools.
    Every year, thousands of Kenyans come to study at American 
universities, more than from any other African country, including two of 
the President's children. And the United States is enriched by the many 
Americans who trace their ancestry to Kenya, many of whom live right 
here in Washington. Kenya and the United States have been friends since 
the days of Jomo Kenyatta and John F. Kennedy.
    Mr. President, I'm proud to join you in carrying our friendship 
forward in this new century. Welcome to the White House, and welcome to 
the United States of America.
    President Kibaki. Mr. President, thank you for your kind remarks. I 
wish to thank you for--Mr. President, the Government, and the people of 
the United States, for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to me 
and my delegation since our arrival. I feel privileged to have been 
accorded such a great honor and look forward to successful deliberations 
on matters of mutual interest to our two nations.
    Mr. President, Kenya values the warm and cordial friendship that 
exists between the two nations. Following our successful democratic 
elections last December, my Government is determined to uphold 
democratic values, human rights, good governance, and the rule of law, 
and to empower our people.
    We thank the Government and the people of the United States for 
supporting Kenya to achieve democratic change. Mr. President, we are 
committed to deepening our ties with the United States.
    I commend you for your various initiatives for supporting 
development in Africa and, in particular, the recent announcement of 15 
billion U.S. dollars' assistance in the fight against HIV/AIDS, 
tuberculosis, malaria, of which Kenya is a beneficiary.
    We equally welcome your personal efforts in promoting trade and 
investment opportunities through AGOA. Your recent announcement of the 
Millennium Change Account Initiative will help promote sustainable 
development in Africa.
    Mr. President, our two nations have been victims of international 
terrorism. Kenya stands with the United States and the international 
community in fight against this global menace, in our conviction that no 
just cause can be served by taking away innocent lives.
    Finally, Mr. President, I look forward to fruitful discussions on 
the various issues affecting our two nations, the Horn of Africa, and 
the international community.

Note: The President spoke at 9:21 a.m. on the South Grounds at the White 
House, where President Kibaki was accorded a formal welcome with full 
military honors. In his remarks, President Bush referred to Lucy Kibaki, 
wife of President Kibaki.

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