[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 10 (Monday, March 12, 2007)]
[Pages 271-279]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With Foreign Print Journalists

March 6, 2007

    The President. Thanks for coming. I'm very much looking forward to 
my trip. I believe that a peaceful neighborhood and a prosperous 
neighborhood is in the interest of the United States of America. My trip 
is an opportunity to remind the folks in our neighborhood that the 
United States has a robust policy toward empowering individuals to 
realize their full potential.
    I gave a speech yesterday that I outlined a vision of a nation that 
cares about the human condition. I spoke in terms of dollars

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being spent, but more significantly, I spoke in terms of programs that 
are actually empowering and helping people improve their lives. And 
that's my message. My message is that the United States is a--should be 
viewed as a constructive partner in helping deal with significant 
issues, whether they be the issues of prosperity or education or health.
    I'm really looking forward to going down and visiting with the 
respective leaders with whom I'll be meeting. These are men I respect. 
These are people whose opinions matter. And I'm confident we'll have a 
good trip.
    And with that, we'll go around the room and answer questions, and 
then I've got to go give a speech to the American Legion, and you're 
welcome to come and listen to it if you'd like to. Are you going to 
listen to it, Holland [Steve Holland, Reuters]?
    Q. Yes, sir.
    The President. That's good.
    Q. Absolutely.
    The President. Will you cover it objectively? Of course you will; 
what am I thinking? [Laughter]
    Do you want to start? Jose, where are you from?
    Q. Mexico.
    The President. So are you from Brazil?
    Q. Yes.
    The President. We'll go this way--this is the order of the trip: 
Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala, y Mexico. Thank you, Patricia.
    Q. So I start, right?
    The President. Please.

Brazil-U.S. Relations/Alternative Fuel Sources

    Q. Mr. President, my first question is, I would like to know, what 
is the importance of the development of this new ethanol market, 
regional market, in political and economical terms? And how is that 
going to strengthen U.S.-Brazil relations?
    The President. First, U.S.-Brazilian relations are strong. I can 
remember my first visit with President Lula. He wasn't sure what to 
expect when he came to the Oval Office, and frankly, I wasn't sure what 
to expect when he came. You know, people have reputations that precede 
them in life. And yet, after we spent a brief period of time, we both 
came to realize, we share the same concerns--particularly for the poor, 
and we both represent big, influential nations; and that we can work 
together to achieve common objectives.
    And one such objective is human rights and rule of law, a civil 
society that empowers individuals; that we believe government ought to 
respond to people and that people ought to have the ultimate say in the 
fate of government. And those were common principles. We came from 
different political directions--I readily concede--but nevertheless, 
when we listened carefully, we found common ground. And that puts us in 
a position where we can work in practical ways to address significant 
problems.
    One such problem is trade, and President Lula and I will spend time 
on the Doha round to determine whether or not we're able to advance Doha 
in a constructive way that benefits our nations and, equally 
importantly, the world's poor. The best way to alleviate poverty is for 
there to be prosperity, and one way to enhance prosperity is through a 
world that trades freely and fairly.
    The other area--another area of common ground is changing our energy 
uses. My last trip to Brazil, I was briefed extensively on Brazil's 
capacity to use its raw materials to develop a vast ethanol industry. 
And I was impressed by the progress Brazil has made. It reminded me of--
the progress Brazil has made has reminded me of the vast potential that 
agricultural can make on the energy front.
    So I now return to Brazil with a robust domestic agenda on ethanol. 
We had already had an agenda on ethanol, but it's now even more robust 
as a result of a mandatory fuel standard I laid out that said, the 
United States will be consuming about 35 billion gallons of ethanol.
    The political implications of that, at least for the United States, 
are profound, in that we become less dependent on oil, which is good for 
our national security, as well as it helps us be good stewards of the 
environment. I happen to believe that the United States and Brazil can 
work together to, for example, share technologies with others in the 
region, which will help them become less

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dependent on oil. And that's important, because dependency on oil 
exposes economies to the whims of the marketplace.
    As China's demand for oil continues, if there's not a corresponding 
increase in international supply, what happens in China affects the 
ability of someone in Latin America to be able to keep more money--in 
other words, the gas prices go up. There is a direct correlation. And we 
live in a global economy, in which global economics--I mean, live in a 
global world in which global economics affects the lives of a lot of 
people in our neighborhood. And so becoming less dependent on oil will 
enhance the economic security of the region, and that's important 
because prosperity in the region is important for the United States. We 
want our friends and neighbors to be prosperous.
    Anyway, thank you. Daniel.

Uruguay-U.S. Free Trade Agreement

    Q. Recently, Uruguay and the United States signed a framework 
agreement on trade and investments. Now, how far do you think the United 
States and Uruguay can advance towards a free trade agreement? And 
taking into account that in the Uruguayan Government there are differing 
opinions on this subject and our President, a few days ago in a speech 
in reference to your trip, he said--he defined his Government as anti-
imperialist----
    The President. As anti-imperialist? Fine, that's--I would hope he 
would define my Government as profreedom. But back to the free trade 
issue. I think that--first of all, there are countervailing pressures in 
my own Government. People shouldn't take for granted that the United 
States wants to have trade agreements. As a matter of fact, there's a 
strong protectionist sentiment in America. I strongly resist those 
temptations. It's in our interests to be a nation which treats others 
the same way we want to be treated in the marketplace. Again, I repeat, 
I know it's in the interest of the poor to have markets open for their 
products.
    And so I will go to Uruguay as a strong defender of trade. I fully 
understand there are local sensitivities. I fully understand that there 
are pressures on leaders regarding trade and that sometimes, it takes a 
period of time for people to get comfortable with different types of 
trading agreements. And therefore, I will make my case about why I hope 
we can continue what has been a constructive relationship with Uruguay 
without pressing the case beyond that, which is politically possible.
    And again, I will assure the President that I will be--we want to 
listen to concerns, we will work closely as friends. And I will remind 
him that here at home, it's not an easy sell, necessarily, and that if 
he believes trade is in the interests of his country and I believe it's 
in mine, we've both got to work constructively to achieve common 
objectives.
    As to characterizations of the United States, I will remind him that 
we are a generous, compassionate nation that believes in peace. And that 
on the one hand, we'll protect ourselves from attacks that I'm convinced 
the enemy wants to launch on America again. It's my most solemn duty. 
But at the same time, I'll remind him that the advance of liberty, the 
advance of human rights and human dignity is in our national interests.
    Anyway, I'm looking forward to the trip. It's going to be--I'm told 
it's a beautiful country. I've never been to Uruguay, and I'm looking 
forward to it.
    Carlos.

Colombian Government/Plan Colombia II

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President, for the invitation.
    The President. Por nada.
    Q. Por la invitacion.
    The President. Si. Por nada.
    Q. Thank you. In the last few months, Colombia has been shocked by 
scandal of possible links between paramilitary groups, which are 
terrorist organizations, and members of Congress as well as public 
officials. Given the fact that until now, only close allies and 
collaborators of President Alvaro Uribe have been involved in this 
scandal, can this scandal affect the support that your Government is 
giving to the Government of Colombia?
    The President. President Uribe has made it very clear that he is 
going to--he promotes and expects there to be a full investigation

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of any allegations. And as a result of strengthening the prosecutorial 
offices, he has sent a signal that if, in fact, there are allegations 
that are worthy of further investigation and the facts lead to 
prosecution, he will fully prosecute. And to me, that gives me great 
comfort in seeing his strong leadership. And I believe that that 
leadership will stand him in good stead with our Congress.
    The budget I've submitted is one that's a little less than last year 
but, nevertheless, is a strong commitment to a Plan Colombia II. One of 
the reasons why the budget is a little less than last year is, it goes 
to show the progress that Colombia is making. In my judgment, President 
Uribe has done a fabulous job for leading that country. He's been very 
strong and very resolute, and it's an impressive record. Secondly, the 
economy is improving, as you know, and therefore, Colombia can carry 
more of the load of II. But nevertheless, the commitment is a 
significant commitment, and I will work very hard with Congress to get 
that commitment passed in the budget.
    Eduardo.

Narcotics and Drug Trafficking/Crime Prevention

    Q. Hi, Mr. President, thank you very much.
    The President. How are you? Thanks for coming.
    Q. Mr. President, a lot of people in Guatemala and in Central 
America is worried about the violence that might be generated by 
organized crime, gangs, and drug trafficking. How severe would you say 
this problem is? And how the Government of the United States can work 
together with Guatemala and the other Central American countries to 
fight this problem?
    The President. Well, that's a common issue that we have with our 
very important friend to the south. It is an issue that concerns both 
Mexico and the United States. The issue of crime in Central America 
concerns both Mexico and the United States because, oftentimes, that 
crime can be exported into either country.
    My attitude is that the United States can help provide Justice 
Department and information sharing--Justice Department collaboration 
with their respective people in government.
    In terms of narcotrafficking, the first thing the United States can 
do is convince our people to stop using drugs. If there's a demand, 
inevitably there will be a supply, so we have an obligation here at home 
to work to reduce drug usage. If people don't find a better market--if 
people don't find a healthy market, there will be less pressure to 
produce drugs.
    Secondly, we can enforce our borders and make it harder for drug 
dealers to be able to get their drugs to market. One way to better 
enforce our borders, besides stepping up presence on our border, is to 
pass a comprehensive immigration bill in the Congress, one that says 
that the person coming to do work that Americans aren't doing doesn't 
have to sneak across the border, thereby enabling our Border Patrol to 
be able to focus on narcotrafficking. In other words, you can raise the 
cost of getting drugs into our country by making it harder for them to 
penetrate our borders.
    Thirdly, we can work internally with governments, and do. We do a 
lot of bilateral work. I don't want to jump to--I'm not going to jump to 
the next country, but one perfect example is the cooperation and 
collaboration between Mexico and the United States on helping each other 
with information sharing.
    Fourthly, we have got Central American gangs in the United States, 
that as we find and arrest, we can share information we learn from them 
with the host government. So there's a lot of collaboration efforts.
    The best way, however, to ultimately deal with crime, besides 
reducing the demand for their product, is to enhance prosperity. And 
that's why CAFTA is an important agreement. We would rather people try 
to make a living honestly. And therefore, there needs to be hope; there 
needs to be the possibility of that honest living to be able to be made 
so that youngsters don't turn--feel they have to turn to crime.
    And finally, a social program, social justice programs, like 
education; the United States spends a lot of money in Latin America on 
education programs, programs aimed at either training teachers to teach 
and/or direct aid to education programs throughout our hemisphere. An 
educated child is one that

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will have a hopeful future, and therefore, less likely to be recruited 
into a criminal gang.
    Hombre.

Mexico-U.S. Border Issues/Immigration Reform

    Q. Gracias.
    The President. Si.
    Q. Thank you, Mr. President.
    The President. Si.
    Q. Again, thank you for the invitation. And my question goes in the 
same sense as my friend Eduardo.
    The President. I thought so. I thought it might. [Laughter]
    Q. Yes, as you know, President Calderon has positioned himself at 
the forefront in the war against drugs, and especially on violence that 
derives from drug trafficking. What do you think should be Mr. 
Calderon's next step? And would his efforts now motivate the U.S. to be 
more conscience in stopping illegal weapons crossing the border, north 
to south?
    The President. It's a very interesting question. Mexico is rightly 
concerned that there are traffickers taking contraband from our country 
into Mexico. Just like we're concerned that there are traffickers 
bringing humans and/or drugs from south to north, which means that we 
have got to commit ourselves to rational border policy that will work.
    I'll repeat what I said earlier about comprehensive immigration 
reform: I'm a strong supporter of comprehensive immigration reform. I 
believe strongly that a comprehensive bill will make it easier to focus 
on drugs and guns if people don't feel like they've got to sneak into 
the United States.
    Secondly, such a bill will enable us to--it will help us dismantle 
an industry that has sprung up that uses human beings as product, as 
chattel. And that's unacceptable to this country. Now the incentive is 
for people who want to do work that Americans aren't doing, is to pay 
money to be stuffed in the back of an 18-wheeler, for example, and 
driven across and ducked out in the desert, where they hope somebody 
will come and rescue them and take them to a motel or a house where they 
have to rent, and then they finally work their way toward work. The 
industry that has sprung up as a result of the current immigration law 
is inhumane, and it doesn't reflect the values of the United States.
    So to answer your question about drugs moving one way and guns 
moving the other, immigration reform will help. It will mean that the 
people and assets we have on the border can be focused on precisely that 
which you're concerned about.
    Now, as to President Calderon's next steps, that's up to him, and 
one purpose of my visit--it to listen to his strategy. It's a Mexican 
strategy. I have confidence that this man, elected by the people, will 
devise a strategy that is best for Mexico. And the role of the United 
States is not to devise a strategy but is to listen very carefully as to 
how we can help implement that strategy, and part of my visit is to be a 
listener and a partner.
    And I appreciate the strong stance that President Calderon has 
taken. He has shown courage because he is committing the stake to take 
on some very powerful, very rich, and very lethal people. And that takes 
courage, and I admire courage when it comes to leaders in public office.
    Patricia.
    We'll go one more round, then I've got to go give a speech, which 
Holland says he's going to go listen to. [Laughter]

President's Upcoming Visit to Central and South America/U.S. Foreign Aid

    Q. There's a perception that one of the objectives of your trip is 
to strengthen relations with the countries that are U.S. friends. So my 
question is, what do you think of the rise of this so-called alternative 
development model, championed by President Chavez, that calls for 
nationalization, greater government intervention? And what is Brazil's 
role in the region, taking that new development model into account?
    The President. Each leader is going to have to adopt a governing 
style and an economic model that they believe yields to prosperity for 
their people. I strongly believe that government-run industry is 
inefficient and will lead to more poverty. I believe if the state tries 
to run the economy, it will enhance poverty and reduce opportunity. So 
the United States brings a message of open markets and open government 
to the region.

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    My trip is to remind the people of Central and South America that we 
live in the same neighborhood and that the United States is committed to 
empowering individuals to realize their God-given potential.
    I would like to cite some statistics for you, just to help prove my 
case. Since I have been the President, the line item for traditional 
bilateral aid has doubled, from about $800 million a year to $1.6 
billion for the region. And that's a total, when you total all up the 
money that is spent, because of the generosity of our taxpayers, that's 
$8.5 billion to programs that promote social justice--for example, 
promote education and health.
    The reason I bring that up, it's very important for me to remind our 
own people as to why it's important to continue to be generous in our 
neighborhood. If you're interested in peace, then you've got to be 
interested in prosperity and hope. Our programs are aimed at encouraging 
hope.
    Secondly, there's about--make sure I get this right, here--there's 
about $350 billion of direct foreign investment in the region. Now 
that's important because investment yields jobs. And wise economic 
policy recognizes that investment can help improve the lives of the 
worker or the person who's anxious to make a living.
    In my speech yesterday, I pointed out the fact that, by far, the 
vast majority of people in our neighborhood are really hard-working, 
decent, family-oriented people who just need a chance. And a direct 
foreign investment--that means somebody believing that the investment 
climate is worthy of investment--helps that working person, that hard-
working person find employment.
    And so our presence in the region is sometimes very quiet, but very 
effective. And one part of--main purpose of the trip is to tell people 
that we take the region and its problems very seriously and have got a 
good record.
    And we'll let others make their case as to how best to proceed. 
We'll let others come and explain why their point of view makes sense. 
All I can tell you is that I believe that the system of government and 
the system of economies that we promote is fair.
    Now, I fully recognize that until people actually feel progress in 
their pocketbook, that there's going to be frustrations with forms of 
government. But that doesn't mean you kind of revert to something that I 
don't believe will work. It does mean you've got to make sure that the 
aid and the progress that you're making actually helps.
    Daniel.

Central and South America-U.S. Relations

    Q. I'm going to do a followup on that question----
    The President. Okay. Sure.
    Q. For example, we, in Uruguay, we are seeing President Chavez's 
policy of financial agreements and commercial agreements on investments. 
And he's also going to Argentina on the same day that you are going to 
Uruguay, and he's even holding a street rally in Buenos Aires on that 
same day. I want to know how you view this----
    The President. Look, I dare--I go a lot of places, and there are 
street rallies. And my attitude is, I love freedom and the right for 
people to express themselves. I bring a message of good will to Uruguay 
and to the region. My trip is one that says, let's find ways to work 
together for the common good. And the United States has got a strong 
record of helping people, and I'm really proud of it.
    And it is very important for the American people to hear firsthand 
our concerns about our neighborhood in order for them to continue to 
support programs, such as the Millennium Challenge Account, which is an 
$855 million program, and encouraging good governance in the region; or 
the education for the--we've got a new teacher initiative we've laid 
out, and we believe by, I think it's 2008, we'll have trained 20,000 
teachers.
    There are a lot of--you've got to understand that in a country where 
there are isolationist tendencies, where people sometimes say, ``It's 
not our problem,'' that the President has got to be constantly reminding 
people that poverty in our neighborhood is our problem. So the trip 
gives me an opportunity to highlight successes and to point out 
challenges so that the American people stay engaged.
    One of the great assets in our country is the fact that there are 
compassionate people

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that are willing to go into parts of the world where there's desperation 
and poverty. You know, our faith-based programs, for example. I'm not 
sure to the extent to which they've gone to Uruguay, but I know in 
Guatemala, there is an extensive program to help poor workers find 
market access so they can make a living. I'm going to visit one such 
program.
    Our military--people think of the United States military as war 
fighters, and they are when the Commander in Chief puts them in such a 
situation, but our military is building health clinics throughout 
Central America, for example, in a very quiet way. And my trip will help 
herald some of the programs we're doing. One, we're trying to convince 
the American people it's worth it; and secondly, reminding our neighbors 
that we care.
    Carlos.

Colombia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement

    Q. Mr. President, in Colombia, there are growing concerns about two 
initiatives that the U.S. Congress is now considering. One is the free 
trade agreement with Colombia, and the aid package for 2008. Democrats 
in Congress have already raised some objections about labor, ecological, 
and human rights issues concerning the FTA. In the case of the aid 
package, some people in your administration have said that Colombia 
should assume more costs of Plan Colombia in the future. Also, Democrats 
are already talking about reducing the aid.
    What will your administration do to increase the possibility for the 
approval of the FTA? And should Colombia expect to have a reduction in 
the aid it receives in the years to come?
    The President. First, I will defend our budget strongly, that we've 
submitted to Congress, which, as I described earlier, does have a 
reduction, but only because we think Colombia is more capable of funding 
certain aspects of the program. But nevertheless, it is a robust 
program. And I look forward to telling President Uribe that he can count 
on the United States defending that which we sent up to Congress. That's 
what we believe is the right number, and we will vigorously defend the 
number.
    Free trade with Colombia and Peru are coming up for votes. And like 
all free trade agreements, we will battle for their passage. Now, 
obviously, to the extent that we could--and by the way, the President 
has been here working hard, been making phone calls. But these are tough 
votes. And the reason I mention these tough votes, again, is that people 
shouldn't take access to the U.S. market for granted. I mean, the CAFTA 
vote was a tough vote, and we worked hard, along with the leaders. And 
this will be a tough vote; I don't want to send any other signal but 
that. On the other hand, it's an important vote. And we want to--and I 
call upon Democrats to understand the consequences of this vote--and 
Republicans. Members of Congress have got to understand that when we 
negotiate in good faith a free trade agreement that the--they need to 
understand the consequences of not supporting it.
    And so I'm--this will not be my first trade battle, nor will it be 
my last, hopefully--but it's going to be a battle. And we look forward 
to working with the Government to get it passed.
    Eduardo.

Trade/Prosperity in the Americas

    Q. Mr. President, so far, what's your evaluation of the impact of 
the free trade with Central America? And what do you expect in the 
medium and long term to be delivered by the CAFTA? And how the countries 
of Central America and the United States can work together to improve or 
to make it better, the trade between countries?
    The President. There are great expectations when trade agreements 
get signed that all of the sudden, there's going to be instant 
prosperity. But that's not the way it works. Economies develop. And I 
fully understand that in parts of Central America, when people heard 
that U.S. markets were open and the CAFTA markets were open that there 
would be--people say, well, we've done this to increase prosperity. And 
so there's--I'm sure there's some expectations that have not been met.
    Part of my messaging in Central America will be that opening markets 
is the first step toward more prosperity. Now, I'm going to go to a 
program, Labradores Mayas, that is a great example of what is possible 
for an indigenous farmer that was scratching out a

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living, ends up kind of establishing a co-op, goes and gets a loan, 
which, by the way, is an essential part of our program--and that is to 
provide microloans to people to be able to begin to realize dreams. And 
it works. It's actually a very effective program.
    This was one such program. It was what, a micro thing, but 
nevertheless, the co-op was able to then develop an irrigation system, 
which then made their production of high-specialty crops more efficient. 
I can't wait to see this. The one reason I go is to herald what is 
possible. It is a reminder that the United States approach to the region 
is not a political approach, but it is a human approach. It is one that 
emphasizes that human potential exists and that the best programs are 
those that elevate the potential.
    So I will try to help deal with expectations, Eduardo, about how 
markets evolve. And one way for me to do so is to remind people about 
the effects of NAFTA with our important neighbor to the south, Mexico.
    When I grew up in Texas, the border, la frontera, was like a third 
world on both sides of the border. And then in the early nineties, NAFTA 
was passed. But there wasn't instant successes. It took awhile for 
people to realize how the inevitable adjustments that will come when 
people start accessing market. And if you were to go down to the border 
today, you'd be stunned at the prosperity on both sides of the border 
because of trade.
    And yet today, obviously, it's 2007, and this is 16 years later. 
Now, when I was the Governor of Texas--I was elected--I was sworn-in 
'95--we were beginning to see the benefits of the NAFTA trade on the 
border. But it took awhile. And I understand if you're poor, it's hard 
to be patient. I fully understand that. And so there's a natural tension 
between the expectations of prosperity and the need to scratch out a 
living.
    To answer your question, in the long run, what ends up happening is, 
again, I think the Mexican model is good to look at, because we're 
constantly dealing with trade disputes. There will be the argument over 
the--whatever. Since I've been President, we've dealt with Mexico on a 
variety of fronts, like, I think tomatoes or corn, whatever--avocados, 
exactly, por cierto--cement. There's a constant need to evaluate the 
trade agreements and to deal with the natural tensions that grow up. 
It's not easy to have a trading relationship, but it's a lot more 
hopeful than not having a trading relationship, is my view.
    And that's why my discussions with President Lula on the Doha round 
are going to be very important. Brazil is a major player in the 
international community. And the Doha round, in my judgment, is a vital 
round that we would like to see progress, because I'd repeat to you that 
a system that trades fairly and a system with more open markets is one 
that allows people to more likely rise out of poverty. A successful 
round of Doha is by far the most effective poverty-alleviating program 
in the world.
    Anyway. The final question. Jose.

Energy

    Q. Mr. President, from your past experience----
    The President. Joe.
    Q. Gracias.
    The President. Jorge. Jorge W. [Laughter]
    Q. From your past experience in the energy sector, you know that 
Mexico and Canada are strategic partners for the U.S.--through the 
subject of energy. And what benefits do you think that Mexico will get, 
and also its neighbors, from a position of opening its energy sector to 
private investment?
    The President. Jose was right that our biggest suppliers of energy 
are Canada and Mexico, and that's good. I'd much rather be getting 
energy from stable sources that are friendly than from sources that are 
unstable and not friendly. And since we import about 60 percent of our 
crude oil from overseas, we are obviously dependent upon stability--one 
reason why, Jose, that it's important for us to work with countries to 
help develop a more robust ethanol and biofuels industry. And I believe 
it's coming. However, having said that, we're still going to require 
oil. And to the extent that Mexico makes the decision internally to be 
able to attract enough capital to expand to keep up with world demand, 
that would be positive. But most of all, it would be positive for 
Mexico.
    Mexico has got a valuable asset in its energy sector. The demand for 
that energy is significant, however, the exploitation of that

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energy requires significant investment. It requires investment to keep 
their sector--the current sector modernized, and as you all know, that 
as Mexico continues to expand its production in deeper waters in the 
Gulf of Mexico, that requires even more capital investment. So to the 
extent that the Government feels comfortable being able to track sources 
of capital outside of the Government cashflow, to me that would be 
something that certainly ought to considered by President Calderon.
    And we're fortunate that Canada and Mexico are vibrant energy 
producers.
    Okay? Looking forward to the trip.

Cuba

    Q. A final one on Castro?
    The President. On Castro? Sure. Sure. The universal Castro question? 
[Laughter] Can you come up with a unified question?
    Q. What role can the countries of Latin America, like Brazil, like 
other partners in Latin America, can play in the Cuban transition to 
democracy?
    The President. The message, in my judgment, to the world during a 
transition period, is freedom--that we ought to expect that the Cuban 
people have the right to express themselves openly without fear of 
reprisal, to be able to express themselves at the ballot box, and to be 
able to realize potential as a result of an open economy.
    What I hope happens is that we together insist that transition 
doesn't mean transition from one figure to another, but transition means 
from one type of government to a different type of government, based 
upon the will of the people. That will certainly be the position of the 
United States. We believe the Cuban people ought to make the decision 
for the future. We believe it ought to be up to the people, the long-
suffering people of that island to decide their fate, not the fate--not 
to be decided because somebody is somebody's brother; the fate ought to 
be decided because that's what the people want.
    And I would hope those who have lived under the blessings of liberty 
have the same message. Vamos a ver, cuando--how long he stays on Earth, 
that's a decision that will be made by the Almighty. But once that 
happens, once--you know, Fidel Castro may live--I don't know, I don't 
know how long he's going to live--but nevertheless, I do believe that 
the system of government that he's imposed upon the people ought not 
live, if that's what the people decide.
    Okay. Gracias.

Note: The interview was taped at 9:03 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, the President referred to President Luiz 
Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil; President Tabare Vazquez of Uruguay; 
President Alvaro Uribe Velez of Colombia; President Felipe de Jesus 
Calderon Hinojosa of Mexico; and President Fidel Castro Ruz and First 
Vice President Raul Castro Ruz of Cuba. A reporter referred to President 
Hugo Chavez Frias of Venezuela. The transcript was released by the 
Office of the Press Secretary on March 7. The Office of the Press 
Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this interview. 
A tape was not available for verification of the content of this 
interview.