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The President's News Conference with Caribbean Administration of William J. Clinton, 1997 / May 10 699 Puerto Rico and the American Virgin Is- NOTE: The President spoke at 10:13 a.m. in the lands lie at the heart of this region. We are North West Plenary Conference Room at the joined today by the Governor of the Virgin Sherbourne Center. A tape was not available for Islands, Governor Roy Schneider; the con- verification of the content of these remarks. gressional delegate from Puerto Rico and former Governor, Carlos Romero-BarceloÂ. The President's News Conference Last night the delegate from the Virgin Is- With Caribbean Leaders in lands, Donna Christian-Green, was here with Bridgetown us, and we also have Congresswoman Maxine May 10, 1997 Waters from California here. The United States is very much aware that Prime Minister Arthur. Mr. Chairman, millions of our fellow citizens trace their her- President of the United States of America, itage to these islands and that we have bene- fellow Caribbean heads of state and govern- fited immeasurably from them. More than ment, Secretary General of CARICOM, dis- ever before, we are linked economically and tinguished delegates, members of the press. politically. Every nation but one in the Carib- First, I should like to say that my wife and bean has chosen free elections and free mar- I are pleased that you could find it possible kets. I am proud that the United States has to come to share the residence with us. It long been a beacon for freedom in this hemi- is my pleasure to inform you that the just sphere. But I am proud that so many of the concluded Caribbean-United States summit other nations represented around this table has been a great success. have also been long beacons for freedom. The signing of theÐ[inaudible]Ðdeclara- And like all the rest of you, we are espe- tion of principles is tangible expression of the cially gratified to be joined by the second new partnership between the Caribbean democratically elected President of Haiti States and the government and the people and, President Preval, we're glad you're here of the United States of America. Equally im- portant is a plan of action which gives con- and we wish you well and we're with you crete expression to the commitment of the all the way. Caribbean States and the United States of We have a lot of work to do today, and America to cooperate on trade, development, I will try to be brief. We have to work on finance, the environment, as well as on jus- means to expand the quality of our lives by tice and security. expanding trade, by helping small economies The summit has afforded our region the compete in a global economy, by strengthen- opportunity to present as one its perspectives ing the education of our children, and deep- on several concerns which we share with the ening our cooperation against crime and United States of America. History and shared drugs. If we work together we can bring the traditions already unite us. As technology and benefits of change to our citizens and beat globalization bring us closer together, it is back the darker aspects of it. We can meet inevitable that meetings of this type will be the new threats to our security and enhance necessary to share perspectives, coordinate our prosperity. actions, and to find solutions to common I want this summit to be the start of an problems. ongoing and deeper process of Caribbean co- On this historic occasion, we have been operation. We have worked very hard, all of able to undertake a detailed review and anal- us have, to make this summit productive. We ysis of critical aspects of the relationship be- have a rich and full document to which we tween the Caribbean nations and the United are all going to commit ourselves. But still, States of America. We have also been able we must be committed to working over the to lay the foundations for future cooperation months and years ahead for our people and and consultation. our Caribbean community, and that is my This summit is but the first step in a proc- commitment to you. This summit should be ess of reaffirming and redefining a partner- the beginning, not the end of this process. ship between our two societies. We have Thank you. come a long way in a short time from our VerDate 05-AUG-97 10:57 Aug 13, 1997 Jkt 173998 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 E:\TEMP\P20MY4.012 P20MY4 700 May 10 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1997 first meeting at Sam Lord's castle through all the nations that are a part of the Carib- the meeting of the working groups and sub- bean, including the United States, we have committee in Tobago and St. Lucia, to a just agreed to chart a course that will enable us concluded summit at Sherbourne and here to move forward and together in the days at Ilaro Court. ahead. We have discussed matters relating Through these discussions, Mr. President, to democracy, development, and security, your Special Envoy, Mr. Richard Clark, has recognizing the considerable interlinkages been a valuable and critical advocate in ad- which necessarily exist between all these im- vancing our discussions. The need for an ac- portant subjects. cessible contact between us cannot be over- Today we have signed the Bridgetown dec- stated. It is my hope that any arrangement laration and a plan of action which charts a of this type will not end with the summit course for progress and for unity and for inte- activities but will continue to allow future grated development within our region. We consultations between the Governments of were very pleased at the firm and unequivo- the Caribbean and United States to prosper. cal commitment given by the President of In the preparatory stages for the summit, the United States and his administration of the States of the Caribbean have been ably the priority which is to be attached to the represented by the Foreign Minister Ralph question of NAFTA parity. And we are Maraj of Trinidad and Tobago; Foreign Min- pleased at the prospect of that legislation ister, Mr. Rohee of Guyana; Attorney Gen- being presented to the consideration of the eral David Simmons of Barbados; and Am- Congress of the United States and will do bassador Richard Bernal of Jamaica. I wish everything in our power to make representa- to place on record as well our appreciation tions that will ensure its favorable consider- for the magnificent contribution of the Sec- ation and early passage. retary General of CARICOM and his staff Not surprisingly, we spent some time on and the advisors. the issue of bananas. And I have the authority Barbados is proud and honored to host this of the Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Dr. summit, the first of its kind between the Car- Vaughn Lewis, to quote something he said ibbean States and the Government of the to us today, ``For many of our countries, ba- United States of America. I am confident that nanas is to us what cars are to Detroit.'' history will recall this summit as having Here in Bridgetown, we have reaffirmed forged a new and a lasting bond between the our resolve to fight crime, violence, corrup- people of our nations and those of the United tion, trafficking in drugs and illegal weapons States of America. It is in this spirit, there- by a seamless alliance between the United fore, that I now have the greatest pleasure States of America and the sovereign nations in introducing the Prime Minister of Jamaica, of the Caribbean. We cannot allow the drug the Right Honorable P.J. Patterson, Chair- cartels and international criminal organiza- man of the Conference of Heads of Govern- tions operating in or across our borders to ments of the Caribbean Community to ad- threaten our democratic institutions to per- dress you. I thank you. vert our system of justice and destroy the Prime Minister Patterson. Presidents of health and well-being of our citizens, young the United States of America, Haiti, or old. Suriname, and Guyana, colleague heads of We have also raised the need, if we are government, ladies and gentlemen. In the to be engaged in partnership, for there to closest of families, difficulties are bound to be a process of collective evaluation and deci- arise from time to time in their relationships. sionmaking, rather than unilateral assess- For those relationships to endure, it is essen- ments. And we have established some ma- tial that they must have the capacity from chinery that will enable us to facilitate this. time to time to meet within the bosom of We are committed to the notion of a trans- the family and to sort out whatever difficul- Caribbean community which would embrace ties may have arisen. all the countries washed by the Caribbean Today is one such occasion. And as a result Sea. This we see as a major plank in the new of the family meeting we have had among partnership which today's summit is intended VerDate 05-AUG-97 10:57 Aug 13, 1997 Jkt 173998 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 E:\TEMP\P20MY4.012 P20MY4 Administration of William J. Clinton, 1997 / May 10 701 to forge between the sovereign nations of the in our hemisphere is fair to our Caribbean Caribbean and the United States. partners. We see here in Bridgetown the opening When I return to Washington, I will sub- of a new chapter, the start of a meaningful mit a Caribbean Basin trade enhancement dialog.
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