[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 44 (Monday, November 7, 2005)]
[Pages 1651-1652]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With President Nestor Kirchner of 
Argentina in Mar del Plata, Argentina

November 4, 2005

    President Kirchner. We have had an eventful meeting with the 
President of the United States. We have considered issues related to our 
bilateral relations between Argentina and the U.S. We have considered 
the situation in the region. We have listened to each other and what we 
have to say about domestic matters in our respective countries and how 
our countries are doing at the moment. I think we have been quite candid 
in our dialog, and we have spoken quite clearly with the President of 
the United States.
    And as President of the Argentine Republic, I am pleased to have had 
this meeting, during which we have been able to convey to the President 
of the United States our thoughts on a wide variety of issues.
    So in a nutshell, that's what we have dealt with, and I would now 
like to give the floor to the President of the U.S.
    President Bush. Thank you for your hospitality. Laura and I thank 
you and the Senator for such a warm welcome. This is my first trip to 
Argentina--I hope it is not my last trip. However, this is not our first 
meeting. This is our third meeting, and every time we have met, I have 
come away impressed by your candor, your passion for the people of this 
beautiful land.
    And as we discussed--the first time we met until now, the economy 
has changed in quite dramatic fashion, thanks to wise decisions you have 
made. So congratulations for dealing with a difficult circumstance and 
making decisions that have improved the lives of your people.
    Needless to say, the President was quite firm in his belief that the 
IMF ought to have a different attitude toward Argentina. He has been an 
outspoken person for reform. I listened very carefully to his point of 
view. I was pleased that the United States was helpful during the early 
part of his term at the IMF, and I suggested that his record is such now 
that he can take his case to the IMF with a much stronger hand. And so I 
appreciated the conversation there, and I appreciate your candor.
    I also want to thank you, Mr. President, for sending the White 
Helmets. These were people that came down, health specialists to help 
some of our folks deal with the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina 
and Rita. It was a gesture of grand friendship, and the American people 
are grateful. The American people are grateful for the contributions 
Argentines have made to our country. I mean, we've got all kinds of 
people in America--Ginobili--I don't know if you've heard of Manu 
Ginobili. [Laughter] He's made a vital contribution to the basketball 
team from the State in which I live. But he's also a good ambassador for 
your country, and people of Argentine heritage have contributed mightily 
to America, and we're grateful for that.
    We had a good discussion about a range of issues, as the President 
said. Argentina and the United States have a lot in common. We both 
believe in rule of law. We both believe in minority rights. We both 
believe in free press. We both believe in free religion. We both 
understand that institutions are important for the embetterment of the 
people, democratic institutions. At times, those institutions have been 
under assault in our two countries, and it's important as leaders of our 
countries--elected leaders--to stand up and defend those institutions.
    And so, Mr. President, thank you for that dialog, and thank you for 
that discussion. The President reminded me that U.S. involvement in the 
neighborhood is--can be constructive and positive, and I agree. And I 
reminded him that the best involvement that can happen is when countries 
make wise decisions to attract investment, that there be consistency in 
law, which he agrees with, that

[[Page 1652]]

contracts be honored, that when a person makes an investment, that there 
is not certainty of success but certainty that the rules won't change, 
that when a government fights corruption, that government sends a signal 
to investors, large and small, that this is a good place to take risk.
    I also reminded the President, we wouldn't be having this discussion 
if our respective economies weren't strong. And the United States 
economy is strong. It's healthy. We've overcome some serious challenges 
recently. But the investor climate in the United States, the willingness 
for people to invest is good. And the fact that Argentina is picking up 
additional direct foreign investment is positive. It shows that the 
country is making wise decisions.
    We're going to talk about jobs later on, and that's an important 
subject. We discussed the need to make sure education systems were 
strong and vibrant, in order to make sure people can take advantage of 
opportunities when they arise.
    I was pleased that the President was talking about a very ambitious 
education program, in terms of increasing expenditures, the percentage 
of GDP by, I think he said 2010, to be a significant increase. And 
that's wise. That's called leadership. And it seems like to me that at 
this summit, that if you believe in the values we discussed and if you 
understand how to make rational decisions, we ought to share those 
concepts with other countries. And that's why I'm glad to be down here. 
This is an opportunity to positively affirm our belief in democracy, in 
human rights and human dignity.
    And so I want to thank you for being a good host. It's not easy to 
host all these countries. It's particularly not easy to host, perhaps, 
me. [Laughter] But thank you for doing it; you're doing a fine job. 
[Laughter] I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to our 
meetings. I'm looking forward to this evening's cultural event and 
dinner, and I've been looking forward to our discussion. It was a good 
one.
    Mr. President, thank you very much. It's an honor to be here.
    President Kirchner. Thank you very much for being here. Again, we 
had a very clear, open, candid meeting. We clearly expressed our own 
thoughts. And as President of Argentina, I'm leaving this meeting 
feeling very satisfied because it wasn't a meeting looking for nice 
words but to speak the truth, and each of us did just that. Thank you 
very much for being here.

Note: The President spoke at 11:02 a.m. at the Hermitage Hotel. In his 
remarks, he referred to Senator Christina Fernandez de Kirchner of 
Argentina, wife of President Kirchner; and Emanuel D. ``Manu'' Ginobili, 
guard, National Basketball Association's San Antonio Spurs. President 
Kirchner spoke in Spanish, and his remarks were translated by an 
interpreter. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of these remarks.