[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 45 (Monday, November 14, 2005)]
[Pages 1661-1665]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva 
of Brazil in Brasilia

November 6, 2005

    President Lula da Silva. Your Excellency, George Bush, President of 
the United States of America, and Mrs. Laura Bush; my dear wife, Marisa 
Leticia Lula da Silva; ladies and gentlemen; members of the delegations 
of the U.S. and of Brazil; the journalists from Brazil and journalists 
from the U.S. and journalists from other countries who are also here: 
The presence of President Bush here with us expresses to a very high 
degree the intensification of the dialogs between our governments.
    In December 2002, before I took office, President Bush was kind 
enough to receive me at the White House. In June 2003, I was with him 
once again in an important working meeting in Washington. We had several 
meetings also at international meetings during these almost 3 years that 
I've been in government. We have exchanged letters, and we have--we've 
spoke several times over the phone. Today's visit is a privileged 
opportunity for us to discuss many issues in our bilateral relations, as 
well as regional and global issues around which we can work together.
    I wish to express publicly a few considerations on relations between 
the U.S. and Brazil in the more general framework of our foreign policy. 
I have often said that our foreign policy is not just a way of 
projecting Brazil into the rest of the world; it is also a fundamental 
element for our nation's project of development.
    During these 34 months of my administration, we have worked very 
hard to come closer to our South American brothers. We have

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intensified bilateral relations with all countries in the region. We 
have expanded and strengthened the MERCOSUR. We have created the South 
American Community of Nations. We have maintained excellent relations 
with the countries of the Caribbean as well as Central and North 
America. We have pushed for very active policies in Africa, a continent 
I have visited several times and been to 14 countries. We are the--our 
country has the second largest black population in the world, and we 
have a historical debt to the African Continent.
    Brazil has also opened up to the Arab world, the main result of that 
opening being the summit between South America and Arab countries. We 
strengthened our relations with major emerging countries such as China, 
India, Russia, Korea, and South Africa.
    We have not stopped opening new frontiers. The results of that 
opening have been unprecedented growth in our foreign trade, the 
attraction of new investments, and the internationalization of our own 
companies. But that quest for new horizons has not compromised our 
relationships with major developed countries such as the European Union, 
Japan, and obviously, the United States of America.
    When I was elected President, there were those who foresaw the 
deterioration of relations between Brazil and the U.S. They were roundly 
mistaken. On the contrary, our relations today are going through one of 
their best moments ever. Economic and trade relations have expanded very 
much, and our political dialog has gained a much higher quality. We, the 
United States and Brazil, understand our economic and political 
importance as well as the responsibilities they imply. We defend our 
national interests and our general political values. Our self-respect 
strengthens our mutual respect. When each country values its own 
sovereignty, we are able to respect the sovereignty of other countries 
as well.
    The understandable differences and points of view on issues of the 
regional or global agendas have been discussed frankly, with no 
surprises or confrontations. I wish to recognize how President Bush, his 
Secretary of State, and other top officials of the U.S. administration 
have contributed to making this environment of cordial relations become 
even better.
    Mr. President, our peoples share common outlooks on absolutely 
fundamental issues, such as the defense of democracy, the spread of 
freedom, and respect for human rights. We have had dialog on crucial 
themes for two nations that are committed to the challenges of peace and 
of globalization. International security, development aid, the balance 
of trade rules, and the reform of the multilateral system in the United 
Nations, in particular, have been at the core of our conversations. We 
have been known how to emphasize our affinities. We are two major, 
multiethnic democracies, with the vocations for cooperating in promoting 
full citizenship and fighting all forms of discrimination.
    The presence of a large Brazilian community in the U.S. enriches the 
tradition of mutual contact and the admiration between our societies. 
Good dialog between our immigration authorities will be fundamental for 
guaranteeing fair and balanced treatment for those who are the true 
bridges between our countries.
    We also spoke very much about what we could do to promote the 
progress and well-being of other countries. We are working hard in favor 
of development, particularly in Africa. In Haiti, where Brazil is 
heading the U.N. stabilization mission, we have collaborated in 
emergency programs in the areas of health and basic sanitation. We are 
involved in achieving the full success of national elections that will 
open the way to normality, in political terms, and the return to 
economic and social development for Haiti. And we are involved--it is 
also important that the economic aid that's been promised to Haiti 
arrive quickly.
    President Bush and I have the same optimistic vision on our 
bilateral relations. There have been many advances following our first 
meeting in 2003. The working groups that we created on growth, 
agriculture, and energy have brought significant results. And we have 
now decided to advance in other strategic fields. We will begin high-
level cooperation in science and technology and intensify our 
educational partnerships in areas such as biodiversity and agriculture. 
In the

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area of health, we will be opening up new fronts for cooperation to 
fight diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, AIDS, and threats such as 
the avian flu pandemic.
    Our partnership is grounded on solid economic basis. The United 
States are the largest individual partner of Brazil as the largest 
market for our exports and our main source of direct overseas 
investment. Our exchange has grown at rates of 7 percent per year. In 
2004 alone, we received $4 billion in investments from the United 
States.
    We carry on tranquil and mature discussions on specific issues that 
always come up as part of any partnership on this scale--on a scale like 
this. We are working to negotiate the removal of unjustified barriers to 
our bilateral trade, and we are working in the same spirit to achieve 
multilateral economic and trade discussions.
    The successful conclusion of the Doha round by the end of 2006 is a 
priority for the United States as much as it is for Brazil. We agree 
that the reduction, with a view to the elimination of agricultural 
subsidies, will be a key to balance in that round. I thank President 
Bush for his words of support for Brazil's determination to contribute 
to development and stability in our region.
    It is for all of these reasons that we are very glad to see the U.S. 
willingness to include Brazil amongst those countries with whom Brazil--
the United States has a strategic and privileged dialog. President Bush, 
what we leave for history is more than our immediate decisions. What 
really matters are those initiatives that take into account future 
generations as well as the need for us to face and overcome the major 
challenges of our time. Brazilian foreign policy transcends governments.
    At the same time we defend our national interest, we pursue major 
democratic values in the international sphere. In that sense, I once 
again insist that U.S.-Brazil relations are fundamental, and their 
improvement is a legacy that we should leave to those who will come 
after us.
    Thank you very much.
    President Bush. Mr. President, thank you very much. Laura and I are 
really pleased to be here on our first visit to Brazil. My only regret 
is that I'm not able to travel around a lot of your country to see the 
vast beauty of Brazil. It's a spectacular part of the world, and I want 
to thank you for your invitation to come here. The President promised to 
take me fishing--of course, he said, after I'm President. The entourage 
is a little big to go fishing while I'm President.
    But Mr. President, Laura and I appreciate the hospitality that you 
and Mrs. Marisa have shown us. We're also looking forward to good old-
fashioned Brazilian barbecue. It will remind me of home.
    We--let me start off by saying that the President is right: 
Relations between Brazil and the United States are essential, and they 
are strong. We've had many constructive discussions. I remember the 
first time you came to the Oval Office, and I was most impressed by your 
strong commitment to your program of Zero Hunger. It struck me as not 
only sincere but reflecting your deep compassion for the people. And 
since then, we've had the capacity to sit down and talk about issues 
that are important for not only our respective countries but the world. 
And I want to thank you for that frank and open relationship.
    Brazil and America are interesting places, obviously, but one thing 
we have in common is that we are a country--two countries that are able 
to deal with our diversity in such a way as to strengthen our nation. 
Brazil is a very diverse country, as is America, and it's those common 
values that we both adhere to that make it feasible for people from 
different backgrounds to live in peace and harmony. And we discussed 
those values, the President and I did. He's a man who believes strongly 
in democracy, as do I, and rule of law and the right of free speech and 
the right to a free press and free religion. And I want to thank you for 
your strong belief and your willingness to stand strong on those 
principles.
    We're the two largest democracies in the world [Western world]. * 
Therefore, we have obligations to work together to promote peace and 
prosperity. We started what's called the Group for Growth, to find ways 
to develop economic possibilities and potential in our respective 
countries. I must say,

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Mr. President, I'm impressed by the economic reforms you've put in 
place, by the achievements you had made through good government policy 
to encourage growth, not only here at home but to encourage exports.
    * White House correction.
    We're encouraged by the increase of bilateral trade between our 
countries. I met with some businesspeople earlier today, and they were 
talking about how important our markets are to each other and that trade 
is an important way for people to be able to find work in our countries. 
And good trade is trade where people benefit on both sides of the issue, 
that it must be equitable, it must be fair, and I'm convinced that's the 
trade relationship we have on a bilateral basis.
    I know you're concerned about creating jobs, and your country has 
done a very good job of doing so while keeping inflation down. And I 
appreciate your understanding that free trade and fair trade is the way 
to help the citizens of your country. We can have free and fair trade 
without losing national identity. We can have free or fair trade without 
penalizing local small businesses and entrepreneurs. And the President 
is working hard to make sure that the trade opportunities available to 
the citizens of Brazil are done in such a way that there's a spirit of--
there's an equitable spirit involved. And I want to thank you for your 
leadership on that.
    We've got some opportunities to continue to expand trade. I firmly 
believe that if one wants to eliminate poverty around the world, the 
best way to do so is to advance the Doha round of the WTO. Now, the 
President has made it very clear that it's difficult to get a Doha round 
going so long as there are countries that refuse to yield on 
agricultural matters, and I heard that loud and clear. And so recently, 
I made a statement, or a series of statements, that said the United 
States will reduce subsidies and tariffs, so long as we get the same 
treatment from trading partners such as Europe. In other words, I just--
if we lower the subsidies, we would very much like to be able to tell 
our farmers the same thing the President wants to tell his farmers, that 
there's access to markets. And so we made a very strong statement toward 
advancing the Doha round, the WTO. We've declared our intention, and I 
told the President I was very serious in that declaration.
    And we agreed to work together to advance the round. It's in the 
workers of Brazil's interest that WTO advance. This is a vast country 
with great resources and a workforce that's hardworking, and the more 
products that Brazilians can manufacture and sell overseas, the better--
more likely it is people will be able to find work. And so one of the 
interesting things that has come out of this meeting is a renewed 
commitment to working together to eliminate poverty by creating 
opportunity through international trade that's fair, that's fair for the 
people of Brazil and fair for the people of America.
    And along those lines, we continued our discussions that was taking 
place in Argentina. There is an opportunity to advance trade, and we 
agreed to speak about that and how best to work together, for example, 
to be able to compete with countries like China or India. It's in our 
interests that we work together on a trade agenda. I call it the Free 
Trade Agreement of the Americas; I think you refer to it as ALCA. And 
the President said, ``Look, let's work together on Doha and see how that 
goes, and we'll continue to working on the Free Trade Agreement of the 
Americas.''
    It's important for the people of Brazil to understand that such an 
agreement will not be done if the President thinks this isn't in the 
interests of the people. I've got to--he's got to be convinced, just 
like the people of America must be convinced, that a trade arrangement 
in our hemisphere is good for jobs, its good for the quality of life. 
And so I look forward to continue to work on international matters and 
regional matters as well as bilateral matters, Mr. President.
    I want to thank you for your leadership around the world and in the 
hemisphere. I want to thank you very much for your commitment to Haiti. 
There's elections coming up soon, and the Brazilian presence there has 
made it more likely those elections will go forward in a free and fair 
way. You're a--you've taken a responsible position, and I hope your 
country is proud of the fact that you've seized this moment.
    I want to thank you as well for working on HIV/AIDS with the United 
States. Like you, we share a deep commitment to help those who suffer 
from this pandemic. And

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like you, we do more than talk; we act. And as a result of our combined 
efforts, hundreds of thousands of people are getting antiretroviral 
drugs, and that's important, and I want to thank you for that.
    One of the things that I appreciate about the President is he fully 
understands that narcotrafficking and terrorism can disrupt the 
democratic way of life. And Brazil has been strong--strong in working 
with other countries to prevent a few criminals or thugs from disrupting 
our way of life, and done so with constitutional guarantees in mind. We 
always keep human rights in the forefront of our policy. But we also 
know that we must work together to prevent those who would murder the 
innocent or those who would pollute the bodies of our young from being 
able to do so. And I want to thank you again for your leadership on 
that.
    This has been a constructive trip, constructive because, Mr. 
President, I enjoy working with you, constructive because you're frank 
in our discussions, and constructive because together we can do some 
good for not only our own people but for the world. Thank you very much, 
sir.

Note: The President spoke at 1:22 p.m. at the Granja do Torto. In his 
remarks, he referred to Marisa Leticia Lula da Silva, wife of President 
Lula da Silva. President Lula da Silva spoke in Portuguese, and his 
remarks were translated by an interpreter. The Office of the Press 
Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.