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Bilingual Education administration, and congressional members The President. Believe it or not, I lost have received from the people of Buenos my interpreter, but I know what we’re talking Aires and Argentina. about. [Laughter] Mr. President, as you know, like you, I Here’s what I think about the whole bilin- come from a small rural State, where some gual education issue. Every country has a people still value their horse more than their dominant language, and should. And the chil- automobile. [Laughter] And with this re- dren in the schools should make every ef- markable feast, you have reminded us with fort—should learn that dominant language barbecue that we are truly at home. and become proficient in it. I think more and Exactly 150 years ago, in the autumn of more, our children in America will want to 1847, a young man from Argentina visited speak at least two languages and perhaps the United States and was profoundly af- more. fected by the experience. He thought that What I’d like to see is a situation where we Americans ate our meals too quickly— we say, however—we can’t say we’re not [laughter]—that our young people had going to have any bilingual education, be- strange courtship habits, and that the White cause then children would come here, not House was not big enough for the President. just from Spanish-speaking countries but [Laughter] Still, he was impressed by a na- from any number of Asian cultures, and not tion in which individuals were valued for be able to learn in school for 2 or 3 years. their capacity and their work, where edu- And when children come to the United cation was prized as the great equalizing States and they don’t speak English, but force of democracy, where a multitude of they’re school age, I think they should start people of different backgrounds and lan- school immediately. They should be able to guages came together, in his words, ‘‘as if get whatever instruction they have to have they were one family, joining one another, in the language that they do speak, but then mixing with each other, parts of old societies they should learn to speak English in an ap- forming the new, most daring republic in the propriate time, so that we’re always encour- world.’’ Mr. President, that young man was aging bilingualism or multilingualism. Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. Thank you. Today, 150 years later, America looks across the great expanse of our hemisphere NOTE: The President spoke at 4:07 p.m. at the at Argentina and we are inspired by Argen- Univision Television Network Studio. In his re- tina today as Sarmiento was by America then. marks, he referred to Univision journalists Jorge We see a nation shaped, like us, by waves Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas, who moderated of immigrants from the Old World and the the meeting in Buenos Aires; and President experience of frontier life in the New World. Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico. The President also re- ferred to the Institutional Revolutionary Party Here, where so many languages are spoken, (PRI), Mexico’s ruling political party. from Basque to Ukrainian, from Arabic to Welsh, we see a nation drawing strength from its remarkable diversity. Today, we see Remarks at the State Dinner Hosted an Argentina grounded in democracy, com- by President Carlos Menem of mitted to economic reforms that have put Argentina in Buenos Aires it on the road to more widespread prosperity October 16, 1997 and to educating its people for the demands of the new economy. Mr. President, Zulema, to the members I speak for all Americans when I say how of Congress and the Supreme Court, Mr. very pleased I am that in the last decade our Mayor and governors, former President Al- nations have built a strong, new relationship, fonsin, members of the diplomatic corps, dis- driven by shared values, based on partner- tinguished guests. Mr. President, thank you ship and respect. Argentina and America for your fine statement, your warm welcome, have joined together in common cause. We and the extraordinary hospitality that Hillary pledge to create a free-trade area of the and I and our entire delegation of Cabinet, Americas by 2005; to bring new prosperity

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to all people of our hemisphere; to turn the who are here. Let me say on behalf of all revolution in information technology to our of them, we are delighted to be here. We children’s advantage by opening a world of have had a wonderful stay in Buenos Aires. knowledge to all—all—our children. One And we thank this distinguished group of Ar- hundred fifty years ago, education was gentine and American business leaders for Sarmiento’s great passion. Today, it is central giving all of us the opportunity to join you to our ability to prove that democracy works this morning. for all people and to the future we are trying When President Bush came here in 1990, to build together. it was a very different time for Argentina. We are also partners in helping those Inflation was soaring, output was plunging, around the world who take risks for peace. trade was anemic. Today, the country has ex- I thank the people of Argentina for sending perienced a truly remarkable turnaround. It peacekeepers into troubled places all over is a great credit to the people of Argentina, the Earth and setting an example for all na- to wise decisionmakers, and to the direction tions. The robust bonds of friendship be- that President Menem has set. You have cut tween Argentina and the United States are inflation to almost zero. The expanded trade rooted in our shared commitment to peace attracted a flood of foreign investment, and freedom, to prosperity and security, to spurred impressive growth. You are on the the integrity of the individual, the family, and move—good for Argentina, and good for the community. They are at the heart of all America, for since 1990, our exports to Ar- we dream for our future. gentina have more than tripled. In the same President Menem, I salute you for the ex- period, American investment has soared traordinary leadership you have shown in from $2 billion to approximately $12 billion, helping our nations turn this corner in his- and it’s still growing. tory. No one in our hemisphere has done Trade has contributed a quarter of Argen- more to seize the opportunities of this new tina’s growth over the past 3 years. And of era. Generations to come will remember this course, behind these individual statistics lie as a moment when our two nations served many, many success stories that are paying the deepest interests of our people. And to- off for people in human as well as economic night the United States is proud to work terms. alongside Argentina, an Argentina that is ful- To take just one example, General Electric filling Domingo Sarmiento’s greatest hopes. Power Systems has sold state-of-the-art gas Ladies and gentlemen, let us raise a glass turbines and generators that will account for to the new partnership between our people more than 30 percent of Argentina’s new for peace and prosperity, here and through- power generation capacity. That supports out the world. jobs for Argentinean and American workers alike and will provide Argentina with higher NOTE: The President spoke at approximately 9:40 quality, lower costs, more environmentally p.m. in the ballroom at the Rural Center. In his friendly power to keep engines humming, remarks, he referred to President Menem’s classrooms lit, and the economy growing. It daughter, Zulema Maria Menem; Mayor Fer- nando de la Rua of Buenos Aires; and Raul Alfon- is clearly the kind of win-win situation we sin, former President of Argentina. see repeated over and over again. And of course, we see in Argentina a mir- ror of what is happening around the region Remarks to Business Leaders in today as barriers fall and trade expands and Buenos Aires people everywhere gain greater opportuni- October 17, 1997 ties for new jobs, new skills, and higher in- comes. We see it also as a harbinger of what Thank you very much, ladies and gentle- we might build in the future in all of this men. Thank you, President Fedrigotti, Presi- region for all of the people. dent Menem, distinguished members of the Since 1993, when I took office and estab- Argentine Government, to the members of lished a new economic policy that focused Congress and Cabinet in our administration on reducing our deficit, investing in our fu-

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