[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 45 (Monday, November 14, 2005)]
[Pages 1665-1669]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Democracy in the Americas in Brasilia

November 6, 2005

    Thank you. Boa tarde. Thank you for coming. This is my first trip to 
Brazil, and Laura and I are really pleased to be here in your capital 
city. We've had a magnificent stay, had a great visit with President 
Lula. It's an important visit because Brazil and the United States are 
close friends. And that's the way it should be. Plus the President and 
the First Lady gave us an unbelievably good barbeque. [Laughter] I also 
commend the President for his commitment to improving the lives of the 
people here in Brazil.
    Our two nations share many things in common. We are both children of 
the New World, founded in empire and fulfilled in independence. We're 
united by history and geography. We share the conviction that the future 
of our hemisphere must be a future of justice and freedom.

    Only a generation ago, this was a continent plagued by military 
dictatorship and civil war. Yet the people of this continent defied the 
dictators, and they claimed their liberty. We saw the dramatic evidence 
at the Summit of the Americas that President Lula and I just attended. 
The delegates from 34 countries that came to this conference all 
represent democratic governments.

    Freedom is the gift of the Almighty to every man and woman in this 
world, and today, this vision is the free consensus of a free Americas. 
It is a vision that is written into the founding document of the 
Organization of American States, which calls this hemisphere--calls on 
the hemisphere ``to offer to man a land of liberty and a favorable 
environment for the realization of his just aspirations.'' It is the 
vision that is given clear direction in the Inter-American Democratic 
Charter, which declares, ``The peoples of the Americas have a right to 
democracy and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend 
it.'' And it is a vision that puts what was once a distant dream within 
our reach, an Americas wholly free and democratic and at peace with 
ourselves and our neighbors.

    As the largest democracy in South America, Brazil is a leader, and 
today, Brazil is exercising its leadership across the globe. In Africa, 
Brazil is working to defeat the scourge of HIV/AIDS by partnering with 
America to improve treatment and care and prevention in Portuguese-
speaking nations like Mozambique. In this hemisphere, Brazil leads the 
coalition of the United Nations peacekeeping forces who are helping to 
restore peace and stability in Haiti. And here at home, Brazil aspires 
to set an example for the continent by building a just social order 
where the blessings of liberty are enjoyed by every citizen of this 
great nation.

[[Page 1666]]

    Ensuring social justice for the Americas requires choosing between 
two competing visions. One offers a vision of hope. It is founded on 
representative government, integration into the world community, and a 
faith in the transformative power of freedom in individual lives. The 
other seeks to roll back the democratic progress of the past two decades 
by playing to fear, pitting neighbor against neighbor, and blaming 
others for their own failures to provide for their people. The choices 
we make will determine which vision will define the Americas our 
children inherit, and we must make tough decisions today to ensure a 
better tomorrow.
    As you work for a better tomorrow, Brazil must know you have a 
strong partner in the United States. Like you, we aspire for a 
hemisphere where the dignity of every human being is respected. Like 
you, we believe that the poor and disenfranchised have a special claim 
on our attention. And like you, we know that we must make good on the 
promises of democracy. In the Americas of the 21st century, freedom is 
the gateway to social justice, and democracies old and new must work 
together to build a hemisphere that delivers hope and opportunity for 
every citizen.
    Our common ideal of social justice begins with self-government. The 
promise of democracy starts with national pride and independence and 
elections, but it does not end there. A country that divides into 
factions and dwells on old grievances cannot move forward and risks 
sliding back into tyranny. A country that unites all its people behind 
common ideals will multiply in strength and confidence. The successful 
democracies of the 21st century will not be defined by blood and soil. 
Successful democracies will be defined by a broader ideal of 
citizenship, based on shared principles and shared responsibilities and 
respect for all.
    For my own country, the process of becoming a mature, multiethnic 
democracy was lengthy. My country's journey from national independence 
to equal justice for all meant overcoming the enslavement of millions 
and a 4-year civil war. Even after slavery ended, a century passed 
before the guarantee of equal rights under the law was finally made 
real. Racial division almost destroyed my country, and the citizens of 
the United States learned the false doctrine of ``separate but equal'' 
was no basis for a strong and unified America. The only way my country 
found to rise above the injustices of our history was to reject 
segregation, to move beyond mere tolerance, and to affirm the 
brotherhood of all people in our land.
    Each democracy has its own character and culture that reflect its 
unique traditions and history. Yet all free and successful countries 
share some common characteristics: Freedom to worship, freedom of the 
press, freedom of speech, economic liberty, equal justice under the rule 
of law, equal citizenship for all, and the limitation of state power 
through checks and balances. In many parts of our hemisphere, these 
institutions of a free society are still young, and they are fragile, 
and we must ensure that they are strong for the tasks ahead. To deliver 
justice, the people must have confidence in their institutions, and we 
must replace the rule of man with the rule of law.
    Some today suggest that democracy has outlived its usefulness. They 
have misread history. The Americas has declared democracy indispensable 
for the exercise of human rights. It is the only region in the world 
that imposes an obligation to defend democracy. For all the growing 
pains, it is a miracle of history that this young century finds us 
speaking about the consolidation of freedom throughout our hemisphere. 
We must continue our work to help strengthen the institutions of liberty 
because we know that freedom is the only way to ensure that our citizens 
can lead lives of purpose and dignity. And without democracy there can 
be no social justice, because only democracy offers a place at the table 
for every member of society.
    Our common ideal of social justice must include a better life for 
all our citizens. As elections and democracies have spread across our 
hemisphere, we see a revolution in expectations. In free societies, 
citizens will rightly insist that people should not go hungry, that 
every child deserves the opportunity for a decent education, and that 
hard work and initiative should be rewarded. And with each new 
generation that grows up in freedom and democracy, these expectations 
rise

[[Page 1667]]

and the demands for accountability grow. Either democracies will meet 
these legitimate demands, or we will yield the future to the enemies of 
freedom.
    The nations of this hemisphere have a moral obligation to help 
others. They have a moral obligation to educate their children and to 
provide decent health care. We have a moral duty to make sure our 
actions are effective. At Monterrey in 2002, the world agreed to a new 
vision for the way we fight poverty and curb corruption and provide aid 
in this new millennium. Developing countries agreed to take 
responsibility for their own economic progress through good governance 
and sound practices and the rule of law, and developed countries agreed 
to support these efforts.
    My country has sought to implement the Monterrey consensus by 
changing the way we deliver aid. We have established a new Millennium 
Challenge Account that increases aid for nations that govern justly, 
that invest in the education and health of their people, and promote 
economic freedom. Recently we signed compacts delivering aid--Millennium 
Challenge aid to Honduras and Nicaragua. This new aid will help those 
countries improve their roads and diversify their crops and strengthen 
property rights and make their rural businesses more competitive. And in 
the years ahead, under the leadership of Ambassador Danilovich, we hope 
more countries will follow their example.
    My country has also stepped up to meet the humanitarian challenges 
facing our region and the world by providing millions of dollars 
bilaterally, especially for education of the children. We understand 
that you cannot achieve economic prosperity and social justice without 
educating the children of a country. We also support the Global Fund for 
HIV/AIDS, to provide care and prevention and support for those suffering 
from the pandemic. At the 2004 Special Summit in Mexico, the leaders of 
our hemisphere, including President Lula and me, made a commitment to 
provide lifesaving treatment for at least 600,000 individuals by the 
next Summit of the Americas. We worked together. We have shown our words 
are not empty promises. We have helped deliver treatment to more than 
670,000 people in this hemisphere, which surpasses our goal of helping 
those with HIV/AIDS. And there is more work to be done.
    As we expand and improve aid, we are also working to improve the 
Inter-American Development Bank. Since it was established, this bank has 
played a major role in the economic development of Latin America and the 
Caribbean. But as the economies of the Americas further develop, the 
bank has to change with them. The beginning of President Moreno's tenure 
gives us a great opportunity to modernize the bank by taking better 
advantage of global capital markets and by tailoring the bank's programs 
to the real needs of the growing economies on this continent. The 
private sector is the engine of growth and job creation in this region. 
The bank must greatly strengthen its role in private sector investment, 
especially in small businesses, which are the backbone of a healthy and 
growing economy. I have asked the United States Treasury Secretary John 
Snow to work with his counterparts in the hemisphere and at the bank to 
implement reforms that will ensure that the bank better addresses the 
needs for economic growth and job creation. They will also discuss a 
range of options, including giving grants and debt relief for the 
poorest of nations.
    Increasing aid and relieving debt are important parts of our efforts 
to lift the burden of poverty from places of suffering, yet they are not 
enough. Our goal is to promote opportunity for people throughout the 
Americas, whether you live in Minnesota or Brazil. And the best way to 
do this is by expanding free and fair trade.
    The United States, Mexico, and Canada took a first step with what's 
called NAFTA. And trade between our countries has tripled in 10-year 
period. Our hemisphere has sought to build on this example by committing 
ourselves to the Free Trade of the Americas that would eliminate 
barriers across the entire hemisphere, and I appreciate President Lula's 
discussion with me today about working to see if we can't make that 
become a reality. The United States has also made substantial advances 
toward the goal of hemispheric free trade through bilateral trade 
agreements with partners such as Chile. And

[[Page 1668]]

3 months ago, we passed through our Congress a trade agreement with the 
nations of Central America and the Dominican Republic that gives the 
people of that region jobs and opportunities that come with freer trade 
and more investment.
    And at this moment, we're working hard to advance negotiations with 
the Andean countries and Panama. By working for free and--I repeat--fair 
trade across this hemisphere, we will bring all our people into the 
expanding circle of development. We'll make it easier for those of us 
who live in this hemisphere to compete with countries like China and 
India. But most importantly, trade means jobs for people.
    The best opportunity to deliver the blessings of trade to every 
citizen in this hemisphere is the Doha round of negotiations in the 
World Trade Organization. A successful Doha round will open up markets 
for farm products and services and industrial goods across this 
hemisphere and across the globe. Under Doha, every nation will gain, and 
the developing world stands to gain the most. The World Bank estimates 
that if the Doha round passes, 300 million people will be lifted from 
poverty. We know that from history that developing nations that open 
themselves up to trade grow at several times the rate of countries that 
practice protectionism. And the stakes are high--they're really high. 
The lives and futures of millions of poor people across the globe hang 
in the balance, and so we must bring the Doha trade talks to a 
successful conclusion.
    The greatest obstacles to a successful Doha round are the countries 
that stand firm in the way of dismantling the tariffs and barriers and 
trade-distorting subsidies that isolate the poor on this continent from 
the great opportunities of the 21st century. Only an ambitious reform 
agenda in agriculture and manufactured goods and services can ensure 
that the benefits of free and fair trade are enjoyed by all people in 
all countries.
    We agree with Brazil that the agricultural negotiations will unlock 
the full potential of the Doha round. Your President has criticized the 
agricultural subsidies that the developed world pays to its farmers, 
trade-distorting subsidies that undercut honest farmers in the 
developing world. I agree with President Lula, and the United States is 
leading the way to address this problem.
    My administration has offered a bold proposal for Doha that would 
substantially reduce agricultural tariffs and trade-distorting 
subsidies, in a first stage, and over a period of 15 years, eliminate 
them altogether. Leaders who are concerned about the harmful effects of 
high tariffs and farm subsidies must move the Doha round forward. And 
leaders who want to make progress on agricultural subsidies must use 
their influence to help the WTO make progress on all aspects of the Doha 
round. By completing Doha, we will help build an Americas that lives in 
liberty, trades in freedom, and grows in prosperity.
    Finally, our common ideal is--of social justice requires safety and 
security for all our citizens. In many parts of this hemisphere, drug 
lords and terrorists and criminal gangs corrupt democratic societies. 
When these groups are more powerful than the state, there can be no 
social justice. So the United States is working with affected countries 
to restore the rule of law and ensure the safety of ordinary citizens. 
We are working with the Government of Mexico to stop the smugglers who 
traffic in everything from guns to human beings. We are helping 
President Uribe and the Colombian people defeat the cocaine cartels and 
narcoterrorists. We're providing money to help honest farmers grow 
legitimate crops. We're working with our partners in this region to stop 
terrorist organizations from using this hemisphere as a base to launder 
money and to provide support for their operations across the globe.
    By protecting the people of the Americas from those who operate 
outside the law, we strengthen democracy, we promote social justice, and 
we make prosperity more likely. Citizens who live in fear for their 
lives because of drug lords and terrorists and criminal gangs are not 
free citizens. So we must continue to work for the day that all citizens 
can count on their governments to protect them from criminals and 
advance the peace and stability that can only come from freedom.
    In the last half-century, the nations of the Americas have overcome 
enormous challenges, colonialism and communism and military 
dictatorship. The progress we have

[[Page 1669]]

achieved is the result of tremendous sacrifice and leadership. One such 
leader was the man who built this beautiful capital as the symbol of 
Brazilian democracy. President Kubitschek was forced into exile when 
antidemocratic forces seized control in Brazil. His dream, he said, was 
to live and die in a free country. At the start of this hopeful new 
century, the dream of this proud patriot inspires citizens not only in 
this country but all around the continent.
    The citizens of the Americas look to us, the elected leaders, to 
make his dream a reality and to lead by example. Governments across this 
hemisphere must be strong, must listen to the people, and must not 
squander their money. Governments across this hemisphere must be free of 
corruption. Governments across this hemisphere must be accountable, and 
we must live by the same standard we set for others. By making the 
blessings of freedom real in our hemisphere, we will advance the cause 
of social justice and set a shining example for the rest of the world.
    Thank you for allowing me to come and address you. May God bless 
Brazil. May God continue to bless our Nation, America. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 4:23 p.m. at the Blue Tree Park Hotel. In 
his remarks, he referred to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of 
Brazil, and his wife, Marisa Leticia Lula da Silva; Luis Alberto Moreno 
Mejia, president, Inter-American Development Bank; and President Alvaro 
Uribe of Colombia. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a 
Spanish language transcript of these remarks.