[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 11 (Monday, March 19, 2007)]
[Pages 303-307]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With President Tabare Vazquez of Uruguay 
in Anchorena Park, Uruguay

March 10, 2007

    President Vazquez. Mr. President of the United States of America, 
Madam Secretary of State, members of the delegation visiting us, 
Ministers of State, the Ambassador of the United States of America in 
Uruguay, the Ambassador of Uruguay in the United States of America, 
ladies and gentlemen, journalists:
    Mr. President, I would like to welcome you together with the very 
prestigious delegation that is with you. Mr. President, you represent a 
people that is a friend of the Uruguayan people. We have historical and 
friendly relations uniting these two countries, these two peoples. These 
are firm, respectful relations with solidarity.
    In this sense, I would like to give an example with two elements 
which I think are of significance. First of all, Mr. President, 
thousands of Uruguayan citizens live in the United States of America and 
have found in that country standards of living that they did not have in 
our country, and that forced them to migrate. They bettered themselves 
there; they have their own families, their work; they have studied; they 
have health and education for their children. Therefore, this is a very 
clear element of what the United States people has given to the 
Uruguayan people.
    Undoubtfully, there are many Uruguayans who are still waiting, 
pending legalization of the situation in this country, but I believe 
your solidarity will help our citizens to be able to live legally in 
your country.
    And the second example I would like to mention is something that we 
Uruguayans recall very well. When we underwent the most severe economic 
crisis of our history, where Uruguay was living a very moving and very 
serious condition, your country, and you, in particular, Mr. President, 
gave us a hand to help Uruguay to leave that situation in which it was 
and start with the way to recovery that we are now trying to 
consolidate.
    Sixteen years ago, another President of the United States visited 
our country--it was 5 December 1990, and this President was your father. 
At that time, I was the mayor of the city of Montevideo, and I handed 
him the keys of the city of Montevideo. We had a brief exchange with 
President Bush, your father, and I recall a statement: ``Let us,'' he 
said, ``leave aside our differences, as we do have certain differences, 
and let us follow the path of agreement and coincidences that we also 
have.'' The defense of democracy as an organization and as a functioning 
of our societies, but rather as a style of life, the defense of freedoms 
and the determined struggle to improve the standards of living of our 
people, giving them work, education, and health, are common elements 
that permit us to think that we may continue working beyond our 
differences, Mr. Chairman.
    With these words I would like to say that the path we have followed 
and the dialog we had today with the President of the United States is 
precisely this one: to try and increase our trade exchanges, the 
possibility of placing the fruits of our worker in the markets of the 
United States of America; try and increase the scientific, 
technological, cultural exchange with our brother country, and see how 
together we may have a better standard of living for our people.
    Mr. Chairman, members of the U.S. delegation, I hope you may feel at 
home here. Most welcome.
    President Bush. Thank you, Mr. President. I feel very much at home. 
You know, it's--in my State of Texas, when you invite somebody to your 
estancia, it's a sign of respect. And I thank you very much for this 
warm gesture of hospitality, but after all, you are a Tejano. [Laughter]
    We've had--this is our second meaningful dialog. I remember so well 
your visit to the Oval Office. You were very articulate about your 
desire to improve the lives of all people in your country. I was 
impressed then by your compassion and your care.

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    I was expecting to see a beautiful country when I came here, and 
that is precisely what I have seen. Your capital city is magnificent. 
The architecture is really beautiful. And then, of course, we come to 
this beautiful place that is so peaceful and reminds me of the great 
natural resources that your country has.
    We discussed a lot of subjects. First of all, Mr. President, I 
completely agree with the spirit of our conversations, that we will find 
common ground, and we will advance that common ground for the benefit of 
our respective peoples.
    One place we have common ground is the respect for human rights and 
human dignity, respect for rule of law; we welcome a free press--most of 
the time. [Laughter] No, all the time. We honor elections. And Uruguay 
is a strong example of the stability that can come with democracy. But 
you also recognize that which I recognize, that you can't take democracy 
for granted, that the people have to see tangible benefits.
    And so on my trip to South America and Central America, I want to 
remind people that the United States and its compassionate people care 
deeply about issues such as education and health, issues that you're 
concerned about. We spent a lot of time talking about education, and I 
suspect most Americans don't know that we're actively involved in 
helping the President institute a program for youngsters to become more 
literate, particularly in English. We want to continue helping.
    We spent time talking about how we can exchange students in a more--
in a better way. We talked about exchanging ideas, that our experts sit 
down at the same table to discuss issues such as alternative fuels. In 
my trip to Brazil yesterday, we spent time talking about alternative 
fuels and the need for the United States and Brazil to work together--
it's the same conversation we had in Uruguay.
    We talked about the fact that--or at least I talked about the fact--
the President is a modest man, but I talked about the fact that the 
Uruguayan economy is growing at--estimated at 7 percent. And I 
congratulate you, sir, on creating the conditions so that people feel 
comfortable making investments that cause economies to grow, and that we 
want to work together to continue to advance the progress we have made 
on trade and investment at a pace that both our peoples will be 
comfortable with.

    I want to thank you very much for your commitment to democracy and 
peace in our neighborhood. I congratulate you and the people of Uruguay 
for providing peacekeepers to Haiti and to the Congo. It is a gesture of 
a strong nation to reach out to help others realize the benefits of a 
free society. And you've sent a strong and powerful message.

    Finally, I do want to say something about immigration in the United 
States. The President has spoken eloquently to me about the need for 
there to be a immigration policy that upholds the values of America. I 
explained to him that it is my interest to get a comprehensive 
immigration bill out of the United States Congress as soon as possible. 
I look forward to working with both Republicans and Democrats, Mr. 
President, to do what is right to uphold the laws of the United States, 
but at the same time, recognize that, on the one hand, we can't grant 
automatic citizenship, nor on the other hand, can we kick people out. 
And so therefore, there's got to be a rational way forward.

    And I pledge to you, as a man who is concerned about people from 
your country that may be living in the United States, that I will work 
as hard as I can to have a compassionate and rational immigration law 
that respects the rule of law, but also respects the great traditions of 
the United States, a tradition which is a welcoming society; a tradition 
that says, you know, that we welcome our diversity because we believe in 
our diversity, we can find the strength of our Nation.

    And so I've been--I'm really looking forward to this trip. I'm 
especially looking forward to the asado. I appreciate the--I appreciate 
your willingness to cook some Uruguayan beef. You've told me all along 
how good it is, and after we answer a few questions, we're about to find 
out.

    So, Mr. President, thank you for your hospitality.

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Uruguay-U.S. Relations

    Q. My question is addressed to President George Bush. Bearing in 
mind the regional context governed by Presidents such as Vazquez or 
Chavez, especially, what similarities and what differences do you find 
amongst them? And what is your opinion about President Vazquez and 
Uruguay?
    President Bush. The temptation is to try to get people to talk about 
their differences. I want to talk about our commonalities. We share 
respect for each other. We respect our countries; we respect our history 
and traditions; and we share a great respect for a government that--
where the people decide who's in charge.
    Interestingly enough, we both have gotten rid of colonial powers in 
our past, and it is--I think it is that heritage that makes Uruguay and 
the United States such natural partners. We talk about the need to 
invest and to grow economies through investment. That's a common ground 
that leads to a positive relationship.
    We both recognize that education is vital for the success of our 
respective countries. When we find illiteracy in the United States, 
that's where we find poverty, oftentimes. And therefore, education 
policy is focused at improving the lives of all by giving people the 
skills necessary to compete in the 21st century.
    I think many people in my country don't know that Uruguay is the 
leading exporter of software in South America. It means that one of the 
great assets of this country is the brainpower of the country. 
Oftentimes when you think of a country like Uruguay, you think of 
natural resources--fantastic farms, a lot of cows and lambs and 
blueberries--which, by the way, came up today in our conversation. But I 
think it is hopeful for both our countries to know that a friend is a 
leading exporter of something that requires the ingenuity and brainpower 
of its citizens. And so we find common ground there as to how to work 
together.
    This is a--I would call this meeting very constructive and very 
hopeful and very positive. And that's--the reason why is because we've 
got so much in common. There's a lot more that unites us than divides 
us, Mr. President, and I appreciate the chance to visit with you.
    Tony.

Federal Bureau of Investigation

    Q. Bret Baier [FOX News].
    President Bush. Bret Baier.
    Q. President Bush----
    President Bush. So the guy--I'm 60 years old, and he thinks I can't 
hear. [Laughter]
    Q. Sorry about that. Mr. President, the FBI acknowledged that some 
agents used post-9/11 powers to demand personal information on 
Americans. What do you say to people who are concerned about the use of 
these national security letters? And in the wake of how these letters 
were used, do you still have confidence in Attorney General Gonzales and 
FBI Director Mueller?
    President Bush. I was briefed by the Attorney General and the 
Director of the FBI on this subject last week. We spent a lot of time 
talking about the IG report. First of all, I want to compliment the IG 
for good and necessary work. They brought the findings of this good work 
to my attention. My question is, what are you going to do to solve the 
problem and how fast can you get it solved?
    And I was pleased by Director Mueller's answer, that he had already 
begun to address some of the problems, but there's more work to be done. 
I thought his testimonies the other day were very good; he took 
responsibility, as he should have. And I have confidence in Director 
Mueller, as I do in the Attorney General.
    I want to remind you, Bret, and others that the IG report, which 
justly made issue of FBI shortfallings, also made it clear that these 
letters were important to the security of the United States. And so 
we'll address the problems in the report, and those problems will be 
addressed as quickly as possible.

International Trade

    Q. Good afternoon. The first question is addressed to President 
Bush. You recognize the protectionist obstacles in your Government. How 
flexible may your administration be on making progress in a trade 
agreement with Uruguay, and what agreement has been reached today?

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    And the second question for both Presidents. President Vazquez, did 
you ask President Bush to intercede in the differences that Uruguay and 
Argentina have about the--[inaudible]--plans?
    President Bush. We spent a lot of time talking about how to address 
Uruguayan concerns about market access for certain products. The 
President talked about a variety of issues when it comes to trade. He 
felt like the quotas on certain items, such as cows and sheep, was not 
fair, and I told him I would absolutely consider requests he made.
    You thought I was teasing about blueberries, but I wasn't. It turns 
out, Uruguay produces a fantastic blueberry. And the fundamental 
question is, will that blueberry--will the blueberry grower be able to 
sell product into the United States?
    So we talked about a variety of produce. And, you know, I told the 
President, I said, you can't solve problems unless you put the problems 
on the table, and that where we could help, we would, and where we 
couldn't, I would give an explanation as to why not.
    Now, you brought up protectionist tendencies, and I'm concerned 
about protectionist tendencies, not only with our own country but around 
the world. I happen to believe a world that trades freely and fairly is 
a world that is more likely to be able to address poverty. And 
therefore, I'm a strong supporter of completing the Doha round of the 
WTO.
    I shared with the President about our strategies as to advance the 
Doha round. I spent a lot of time with President Lula--he was most 
interested in our conversations, and I shared our conversations. I 
didn't betray any confidences, of course, but I talked to him about how 
we need to advance the Doha round. The United States is fully prepared 
to reduce agricultural subsidies, as I explained to the President. We 
just want to make sure there is market access for our products. And 
that's what I told President Lula, that's what I've told the Europeans, 
and that's what I shared with the President.
    I'm optimistic we can get a deal done. As a matter of fact, our 
Trade Minister is--Susan Schwab has remained in Sao Paulo to talk to her 
Brazilian counterpart, all aiming at continuing to make progress toward 
what is a complicated, but necessary deal.
    Thank you.
    President Vazquez. As an answer to your first question, I fully 
agree with what has just been expressed by the President of the United 
States. We have created a space, starting with this meeting, where our 
experts, our ministers are going to discuss and make progress on issues 
of bilateral relationships.
    Now, concerning the general multilateral situation, Uruguay has made 
clear its position in the defense of free trade and tried to have a drop 
of tariffs and subsidies, which hinder the sale of our great cultural 
products, particularly. But we have also analyzed the possibility of 
making progress with the GSP, particularly on certain issues that are 
going to be considered in the coming weeks.
    As to the second part of your question, I have not talked about the 
problems we have with the republic of Argentina with the President of 
the United States, amongst other things, because in a few days from 
now--in a few weeks, and thanks to the conciliation of His Majesty, the 
King of Spain, we are going to get closer. We're not going to negotiate. 
We're going to have a dialog between the two Governments in order to 
find a friendly way out. We're going to try to come to an understanding 
and to be able to solve the very sad differences that we have with our 
brethren of Argentina.

President's Visit to Central and South America

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President and Mr. President. For President Bush, 
Hugo Chavez suggested that you are afraid to mention his name. So, are 
you? And how much of a threat is he to the United States' interests in 
the hemisphere?
    And, President Vazquez, can you discuss at all your position between 
trying to broaden ties to the United States in terms of trade, but also 
indicate to your own neighbors that you are--want to remain integrated 
in South American trade?
    President Bush. I've come to South America and Central America to 
advance a positive, constructive diplomacy that is being conducted by my 
Government on behalf of the American people.

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    My message to the people in our neighborhood is that we care about 
the human condition and that we believe the human condition can be 
improved in a variety of ways--one, investment. And so the question is, 
how can we have constructive dialog with our neighbors as to how to 
spread the benefits of investment?
    I also am reminding people that the United States taxpayer is most 
generous when it comes to bilateral aid. Since I've been the President, 
we've doubled the amount of annual bilateral aid to Latin America from 
$800 million a year to $1.6 billion a year. And most of the money is 
aimed at social justice programs, programs like education and health 
care.
    I also know full well that--and I saw this firsthand yesterday in 
Sao Paulo--that many American NGOs and faith-based groups and 
individuals express their concern about the plight of the poor through 
programs and activities all aimed at giving people a chance. Yesterday 
in Sao Paulo, we went to a pretty wealthy neighborhood, but it was 
surrounded by a favela. And there we found in the midst of hopelessness, 
there was a little center of love. And some of the program money had 
been raised as a result of concerts in the United States, where 
citizens, average citizens contribute to make sure this program remain 
viable.
    And so the trip is a statement of desire to work together with 
people in our neighborhood. I've been to Central and South America a lot 
since I've been the President, because I fully understand a prosperous 
and peaceful neighborhood is in the interest of the United States of 
America.
    I would call our diplomacy quiet and effective diplomacy--diplomacy 
all aimed at helping people, aimed at elevating the human condition, 
aimed at expressing the great compassion of the American people.
    And, Mr. President, I appreciate you giving me a chance to come and 
visit with you, have a dialog about how we can advance our interests and 
the interests of our neighborhood.
    President Vazquez. Concerning your question, the strategy for 
international insertion of Uruguay is quite well defined and quite 
clear. We are in favor of an open integration process; we are strongly 
in favor of the regional process. We are where we are and we don't want 
to leave this place. And the trade we have and the cultural, historical 
relationships that we have with our brethren countries in the region are 
very solid, very strong. But we don't want a close integration process, 
but an open integration process.
    This MERCOSUR should be able to integrate to other blocks or other 
countries of the world, and also each of the members of this process--
for example, Uruguay--might be able to exercise its sovereign right of 
developing bilateral relations with other integration processes or other 
countries. It is in this sense that we are working, and it is in this 
sense that we are holding with the President of the United States.
    Thank you, Mr. President.

Note: The President's news conference began at 11:53 a.m. in the 
Visitors Center. In his remarks, he referred to President Luiz Inacio 
Lula da Silva and Minister of Development, Industry, and Trade Luiz 
Fernando Furlan of Brazil. President Vazquez referred to U.S. Ambassador 
to Uruguay Frank E. Baxter; Uruguay's Ambassador to the U.S. Carlos 
Gianelli Derois; and King Juan Carlos II of Spain. A reporter referred 
to President Hugo Chavez Frias of Venezuela. President Vazquez 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.