[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 48 (Monday, December 3, 2007)]
[Pages 1540-1541]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting With President Elias Antonio Saca Gonzalez 
of El Salvador

November 29, 2007

    President Bush. Bienvenidos a mi amigo, el amigo de los Estados 
Unidos, Presidente Saca. Thanks for coming, Mr. President. We just had 
an extensive discussion.
    I first want to congratulate the President on winning a 
distinguished honor with the IRI award. It's a recognition of strong 
leadership. The President deserves the award because he's been a strong 
leader, not only at home but in the region. The Salvadoran economy is 
strong, in part because the President fought hard to have a free trade 
agreement called CAFTA. And a strong leader always worries about his 
people.
    And so today the President wanted to know how his people in the 
United States are doing, how the people from his great country are doing 
here in the country. And I thank you for your compassion and your heart 
for your fellow citizens.
    We share a concern about the drug issue and the crime issue. We're 
in the process of finalizing a strategy to help the Central American 
countries deal with these issues. And I've asked the President to take 
the lead, and he has been a strong regional leader as well as a leader 
in his home country.
    Y por fin, I want to thank the people of El Salvador for being such 
strong supporters in the war against extremists and radicals. I 
appreciate the sacrifice of your troops, Mr. President, and their 
families as we work jointly to help others realize the blessings of 
liberty and freedom, particularly in Iraq.
    Bienvenidos.
    President Saca. Thank you very much, Mr. President. We've had a very 
broad conversation with President Bush, our friend, our ally, 
historically, in our struggle to build a democratic El Salvador. Twenty 
years ago, we were in the midst of a war. Today, we live in peace and 
democracy and economic growth.

[[Page 1541]]

    We have discussed with President Bush about free trade and openness. 
I'm a true believer that free trade generates openness and opportunities 
for the low income people. President Bush was always a strong leader to 
push CAFTA through.
    We have also spoken about the support that the United States has 
given us, especially on the security issue. The President has seen with 
good eyes the security--the regional security plan that we have 
prepared. And he has asked financial support to the Congress for this 
plan. The President is showing a great identification with Mexico and 
Central America, which is also important for the stability in the United 
States.
    We have also spoken about the Millennium Account. El Salvador is on 
the right track. We're improving our indicators. We're investing in our 
people. We're improving public security. And El Salvador is one of the 
countries with the greatest level of freedom in all Latin America. Our 
country, although small, has an investment great. And this is very 
important because we have built this along 18 years of hard work because 
no good results can come overnight. El Salvador is a society that is in 
its building a democratic society, open--in midst of a Latin America 
that is filled up with populism today. To continue on this path is the 
most adequate thing we can do.
    I want to express my appreciation to President Bush for his support 
to my fellow men with the TPS. We have 240,000 Salvadorans that have 
been benefited with the TPS, thanks to the direct support of President 
Bush. And today we have spoken of how important it is for my people to 
be legally living here in this country.
    I have also invited him to visit El Salvador, and he has promised me 
to be there very soon. So we're going to set up a date for that 
important visit.
    The United States has in Central America a region that is very 
stable after the democratic construction. We have spoken about all the 
important issues, such as the fight against drug activity, the FOL that 
we have in El Salvador to fight drug trafficking that has allowed all 
the countries of Central America to capture large amounts of drugs. And 
the Minister Figueroa, the Minister of Security, has talked to President 
Bush about the regional transnational center against gangs. El Salvador 
is working very well with the FBI and with all Central America. There is 
no doubt that the regional plan is going to be a complete success.
    I have reiterated to President Bush that we share our criteria on 
freedom, on democracy. And he is a very strong ally of El Salvador. It 
is important for El Salvador to remain democratic, making its people 
grow, without populism and, of course, with great government 
responsibility. The United States has been our partner and our friend.
    So thank you very much, Mr. President.
    President Bush. Si. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 10:56 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. President Saca referred to Minister of Public Security and 
Justice Rene Figueroa. President Saca 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.