[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 48 (Monday, November 29, 2004)]
[Pages 2855-2858]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia 
in Cartagena, Colombia

November 22, 2004

    President Uribe. Mr. President, Mrs. Laura Bush, Lina Maria, members 
of the delegations of the U.S. and Colombia, friends from the media, 
citizens of the United States, and my fellow citizens of Colombia: Mr. 
President, Mrs. Bush, welcome to the historic city of Cartagena de 
Indias, an expression of this Colombia, full of possibilities, with many 
problems to resolve, and with citizens who are happy, who are joyous, 
and who have not been made bitter by terrorism and the poverty that it 
has brought with it. Thank you, President Bush, and thank you, Mrs. 
Bush, for honoring us with your visit. We greatly appreciate the support 
of your Government and of the U.S. people.
    While the Colombian people fight for democracy, terrorism has 
assassinated democratic fighters. While the Colombian people fight for 
growth, employment, and social justice, terrorism has halted our 
economy. It made poverty more acute and produced internal displacement 
and a stampede towards other countries. While the Colombian army 
destroys the antipersonnel landmines and gives the world the example of 
facing the terrorist threat by following the rule of law and respecting 
human rights, the terrorists have killed 600 Colombians over the last 
year, especially members of law enforcement forces. While the Colombian 
people love to live in peace and respect the ethical rule of not hurting 
your neighbor, terrorism only wreaks havoc and destruction.
    The drugs that finance terrorism have sacrificed generations of 
Colombians, with thousands of young people who have been assassinated or 
put in jail, and their families are saddened. The drugs that finance 
terrorism threaten to destroy the Amazonian jungle. They already tried 
this by eliminating 1.7 million hectares of tropical forests in 
Colombia.
    The support of the United States left behind speeches and has become 
an effective type of help. And we trust that the United States and 
President Bush will continue with that help until Colombia is free of 
the scourge of terrorism and drugs. We cannot stop this task halfway 
through. We will win, but we have not won yet. We have made progress, 
but the serpent is still alive.
    President Bush, our success against terrorism will be the success of 
the people, of democracy, of the supremacy of law. Our success will be 
the guarantee for the happiness of our children and future generations. 
Our success will avoid contagion to other neighboring countries, and our 
success will be a reason for pride in the U.S. and Colombia for those 
who have suffered from the scourge of drugs.
    The negotiation of a free trade agreement is a step in the process 
to unify the Americas, and we are sure that it will be an agreement 
reached with equity, offering opportunity for the agricultural sector, 
for small business, activities that we need to bolster in order to 
provide true alternatives of revindication for the poor and to foster 
the creativity of our social enterprises that are based on our 
capitalist society. The respect for intellectual property must be joined 
to the rights of researchers so that science can move forward and so 
that the people will have the right to have universal access to new 
medications and welfare.
    We attach great importance to this visit, President Bush, just after 
your new victory and at the beginning of your second term. This is a new 
example of your friendship for Colombia and a clear indication of a 
renewed interest in Latin America. Latin America needs social cohesion, 
good governance, and trust in integration. The role of the United States 
in the multilateral institutions, in the IMF, your signals to the 
markets will be definitive so that this continent can build social 
justice. The role of the United States in the struggle against terrorism 
and in the respect for the tolerant debate of opposing ideas is 
definitive for good governance on the continent. The equity we need to 
guarantee in the free trade agreement is going to be a beacon to 
establish the necessary confidence for all the Americas to become 
integrated.
    In this same spot your father stood, President George Bush, along 
with President Virgilio Barco, at a summit meeting against drugs. This 
historic city is pleased to show you its past and its promise for the 
future.

[[Page 2856]]

Endowed by nature like other parts of Colombia, it is grateful for the 
generous help of the United States. This beautiful city, which is now 
adorned by your visit, wants you to take back to the people of the 
United States an invitation to come and visit. In order to do so and 
with your help, we have made a major effort, Mr. President, which 
translates into greater security.
    We welcome you, President Bush, with gratitude and with friendship, 
in the midst of our emotional reflections of Abraham Lincoln and Simon 
Bolivar, both of them paradigms of a commitment to their peoples and the 
idea of authority and order to respect the law. In Gettysburg, President 
Lincoln made the democratic statement that establishes that the 
Government ``of the people, by the people, and for the people must never 
perish from the face of this Earth.'' The message to the Ocana 
Convention by the Liberator, Bolivar, is for us a proposal that the 
strength of the state must guarantee the life of the weak and must 
guarantee the Government and the strength of institutions as a warranty 
of virtue and the permanence of our Nation.
    Thank you very much, President Bush, for this wonderful visit. Thank 
you, Mrs. Bush.
    President Bush. I appreciate those kind words. Laura and I are so 
honored to be here. We want to thank you and Mrs. Uribe for such warm 
hospitality, such gracious hospitality. I want to thank your Cabinet and 
thank the Colombian people as well.
    I'm proud to be with my friend President Uribe. El es mi amigo. He's 
a strong--and he's courageous, like the nation he leads. He has been 
tireless in the fight against terror, and he's making progress on behalf 
of the people of Colombia. President Uribe and the Colombian people are 
dedicated to the triumph of democracy and the rule of law against the 
forces of violence. And the United States stands with you.
    Our two nations share in the struggle against drugs. The drug 
traffickers who practice violence and intimidation in this country send 
their addictive and deadly products to the United States. Defeating them 
is vital to the safety of our peoples and to the stability of this 
hemisphere. President Uribe and I also share a basic optimism. This war 
against narcoterrorism can and will be won, and Colombia is well on its 
way to that victory.
    During the President's tenure in office, he's built an impressive 
record. Kidnapings in Colombia are significantly down. Terrorist attacks 
and homicides have declined. Cocaine seizures have risen dramatically. 
And since July of last year, dozens of leaders and financiers of the 
FARC narcoterrorist organization have been killed or captured. President 
Uribe has also reformed Colombia's judicial system and is aggressively 
fighting corruption.
    My Nation will continue to help Colombia prevail in this vital 
struggle. Since the year 2000, when we began Plan Colombia, the United 
States has provided more than $3 billion in vital aid. We'll continue 
providing aid.
    We've helped Colombia to strengthen this democracy, to combat drug 
production, to create a more transparent and effective judicial system, 
to increase the size and professionalism of its military and police 
forces, to protect human rights, and to reduce corruption. Mr. 
President, you and your Government have not let us down. Plan Colombia 
enjoys wide bipartisan support in my country, and next year I will ask 
our Congress to renew its support so that this courageous nation can win 
its war against narcoterrorists.
    Full and final victory also requires the spread of prosperity and 
progress throughout this nation and throughout this region. President 
Uribe's economic reforms have created jobs and improved living 
standards. Investor confidence is up. Unemployment is down, and growth 
is strong.
    Our two nations also share a strong commitment to advancing free and 
fair trade and economic growth throughout the Americas. We're working 
hard on a free trade agreement that will link the United States and 
Colombia, as well as other Andean nations of South America, in a wider 
economic partnership. As hope advances, violence and extremism will 
retreat. President Uribe has a vision for a better Colombia, a vision of 
peace and prosperity that he is pursuing with skill and energy. He is a 
fierce opponent of terror and drug trafficking. He's a defender of 
Colombia's democracy, and I'm proud to call him friend.
    Gracias, Senor Presidente.

[[Page 2857]]

    President Uribe. Thank you, President. Thank you very much.

Plan Colombia/Free Trade Agreement

    Q. Mr. President, President Bush, good afternoon. How far are you 
willing to pursue the groups that you have labeled as terrorists in 
Colombia, including the self-defense groups? And how do you see the 
peace process that is being carried out here with the self-defense 
groups?
    And President Uribe, what did President Bush actually say to you 
about helping Colombia and being a little more flexible with regard to 
the FTA, especially with the farmers in our country? Thank you.
    President Bush. First, let me talk about the security situation and 
the President's strategy to defeat groups like the FARC. If I didn't 
think he had an effective strategy and the willingness to fight the 
FARC, I wouldn't be standing here in this great nation saying I'm going 
to work with Congress to continue the support. In other words, I believe 
in results. My administration is a results-oriented administration.
    And so when I first met with the President in the Oval Office a 
couple of years ago, we talked about how to achieve results for the good 
of Colombia and for the good of our hemisphere. And he said he was going 
to do the following things, and he did. And so to answer your question, 
we will support him in this strategy, because it's working.
    President Uribe. Thank you, President.
    Can I answer him first? The issue of the free trade agreement--we 
understand that the FTA has to be totally equitable. It has to be passed 
not just by the U.S. Congress but also by Colombia's Congress and also 
by the public opinion of the U.S. and of Colombia.
    President Bush has understood throughout this process in assisting 
Colombia how important it is for the legal farming business in Colombia 
to prosper so that we have opportunities for our farmers. We understand 
that it's very difficult to negotiate an agreement where everyone is 
working in good faith, but we will be able to get ahead for our people. 
And this will build more trust between our nations, and it will be a 
reason for prosperity, but also it will be a major step forward in 
uniting the Americas.

Iran

    Q. The IAEA, Mr. President, has said that they apparently believe 
that Iran's claim they've suspended uranium enrichment is true. Are you 
skeptical at all of that, and if so, why?
    President Bush. Well, let's say I hope it's true. And I think the 
definition of truth is the willingness for the Iranian regime to allow 
for verification. You know, they have said some things in the past, and 
it's very important for them to verify and earn the trust of those of us 
who are worried about them developing a nuclear weapon. And that's just 
not the United States. It's France and Great Britain and Germany and 
other nations around the world who understand the dangers of the Iranian 
Government having a nuclear weapon.
    And so it looks like there is some progress, but to determine 
whether or not the progress is real, there must be verification. And we 
look forward to seeing that verification.

Plan Colombia

    Q. President Bush has committed himself here broadly to extend Plan 
Colombia and to continue helping Colombia. I'd like to know how you're 
going to convince your Congress to continue helping us at a time that's 
so difficult with your own deficit after the war in Iraq, and how much 
assistance will there be? Is it going to be as much as the 3 billion 
that has been given over the last 4 years? [Laughter]
    President Bush. Well, I thought I'd go to the Congress--look, here's 
what you've got to do with the Congress. You say, first of all, it's an 
important issue. And the issue is whether or not we're willing to stand 
with a friend to help defeat narcotrafficking. Most Members of Congress 
understand it is important to help Colombia defeat the narcotraffickers. 
And so the first question is whether or not there will be a consensus 
about the importance. I think there will be.
    And secondly, do we want to continue spending money on the project 
that's important? And the answer to that question is, only

[[Page 2858]]

if there are results. And there have been significant results. the 
number of acres under cultivation are down significantly. The number of 
arrests are up. The number of murders is down. In other words, this 
man's plan is working. And there is a focused strategy. How do we know? 
Because our Ambassador is working closely with the Government. Southern 
Command is working closely with the Government. We're very aware of not 
only the strategy but the will of this Government to implement the 
strategy.
    And so, to answer your question, I'm very optimistic about continued 
funding. And I look forward to working with Congress to achieve a level 
that will make the plan effective.
    Martin--Morgan [David Morgan, Reuters], I mean. Morgan. Martin, 
Morgan--what the heck.

President's Visit to Chile

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Last night in Santiago, a dinner for 
200 guests had to be scaled back dramatically after the Chileans 
objected to U.S. security plans that must have been in place for some 
time. And the night before that, you had to come to the rescue of your 
own security man. Why do you think there was such friction between the 
U.S. delegation and the Chilean delegation?
    President Bush. This is a question? [Laughter] Look, we had a 
fabulous dinner last night. It was really wonderful to be in the 
presence of President Lagos and his Cabinet, and I thought the visit was 
a spectacular visit. And I appreciated the hospitality of our Chilean 
friends, just like I appreciate the hospitality of our Colombian 
friends.
    You know, we're making good progress, thanks to strong leadership. 
The President said, ``Thanks to America, things are going well.'' No, 
he's got it backwards. It's not thanks to America, things are going 
well; it's thanks to strong leadership that things are going well. It's 
thanks to a strategy that's working. It's thanks to a Cabinet that is 
dedicated to what's best for the interests of the Colombian people.
    Thank you very much.
    President Uribe. Thank you, Mr. President.
    President Bush. I appreciate it.
    President Uribe. Do you want to get in one more?
    President Bush. That's plenty. No, thank you.

Note: The President's news conference began at 2:40 p.m. at the Escuela 
Naval de Cadetes ``Almirante Padilla.'' In his remarks, he referred to 
Lina Maria Moreno de Uribe, wife of President Uribe; U.S. Ambassador to 
Colombia William Braucher Wood; and President Ricardo Lagos of Chile. He 
also referred to FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. 
President Uribe spoke in Spanish, and his remarks were translated by an 
interpreter.