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Skriven 2005-11-06 23:33:14 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0511069) for Sun, 2005 Nov 6
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President Discusses Democracy in the Western Hemisphere
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Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
November 6, 2005

President Discusses Democracy in the Western Hemisphere
Blue Tree Park Hotel
Brasilia, Brazil


˙˙˙˙˙Trip to Latin America: Brazil

4:23 P.M. (Local)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Boa tarde. Thank you for coming. This is my first
trip to Brazil, and Laura and I are really pleased to be here in your
capital city. We've had a magnificent stay, had a great visit with
President Lula. It's an important visit because Brazil and the United
States are close friends. And that's the way it should be. Plus the
President and the First Lady gave us an unbelievably good barbeque.
(Laughter.) I also commend the President for his commitment to improving
the lives of the people here in Brazil.

Our two nations share many things in common. We are both children of the
New World, founded in empire and fulfilled in independence. We're united by
history and geography. We share the conviction that the future of our
hemisphere must be a future of justice and freedom.

Only a generation ago, this was a continent plagued by military
dictatorship and civil war. Yet the people of this continent defied the
dictators, and they claimed their liberty. We saw the dramatic evidence at
the Summit of the Americas that President Lula and I just attended. The
delegates from 34 countries that came to this conference all represent
democratic governments.

Freedom is the gift of the Almighty to every man and woman in this world --
and today this vision is the free consensus of a free Americas. It is a
vision that is written into the founding document of the Organization of
American States, which calls this hemisphere -- calls on the hemisphere "to
offer to man a land of liberty, and a favorable environment for the ...
realization of his just aspirations." It is the vision that is given clear
direction in the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which declares "the
peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and their governments
have an obligation to promote and defend it." And it is a vision that puts
what was once a distant dream within our reach: an Americas wholly free and
democratic and at peace with ourselves and our neighbors.

As the largest democracy in South America, Brazil is a leader -- and today
Brazil is exercising its leadership across the globe. In Africa, Brazil is
working to defeat the scourge of HIV/AIDS -- by partnering with America to
improve treatment and care and prevention in Portuguese-speaking nations
like Mozambique. In this hemisphere, Brazil leads the coalition of the
United Nations peacekeeping forces who are helping to restore peace and
stability in Haiti. And here at home, Brazil aspires to set an example for
the continent by building a just social order where the blessings of
liberty are enjoyed by every citizen of this great nation.

Ensuring social justice for the Americas requires choosing between two
competing visions. One offers a vision of hope -- it is founded on
representative government, integration into the world community, and a
faith in the transformative power of freedom in individual lives. The other
seeks to roll back the democratic progress of the past two decades by
playing to fear, pitting neighbor against neighbor -- and blaming others
for their own failures to provide for their people. The choices we make
will determine which vision will define the Americas our children inherit
--and we must make tough decisions today to ensure a better tomorrow.

As you work for a better tomorrow, Brazil must know you have a strong
partner in the United States. Like you, we aspire for a hemisphere where
the dignity of every human being is respected. Like you, we believe that
the poor and disenfranchised have a special claim on our attention. And
like you, we know that we must make good on the promises of democracy. In
the Americas of the 21st century, freedom is the gateway to social justice
-- and democracies old and new must work together to build a hemisphere
that delivers hope and opportunity for every citizen.

Our common ideal of social justice begins with self-government. The promise
of democracy starts with national pride, and independence, and elections.
But it does not end there. A country that divides into factions and dwells
on old grievances cannot move forward, and risks sliding back into tyranny.
A country that unites all its people behind common ideals will multiply in
strength and confidence. The successful democracies of the 21st century
will not be defined by blood and soil. Successful democracies will be
defined by a broader ideal of citizenship -- based on shared principles,
and shared responsibilities, and respect for all.

For my own country, the process of becoming a mature, multi-ethnic
democracy was lengthy. My country's journey from national independence to
equal justice for all meant overcoming the enslavement of millions, and a
four-year civil war. Even after slavery ended, a century passed before the
guarantee of equal rights under the law was finally made real. Racial
division almost destroyed my country -- and the citizens of the United
States learned the false doctrine of "separate but equal" was no basis for
a strong and unified America. The only way my country found to rise above
the injustices of our history was to reject segregation, to move beyond
mere tolerance, and to affirm the brotherhood of all people in our land.

Each democracy has its own character and culture that reflect its unique
traditions and history. Yet all free and successful countries share some
common characteristics: freedom to worship, freedom of the press, freedom
of speech, economic liberty, equal justice under the rule of law, equal
citizenship for all -- and the limitation of state power through checks and
balances. In many parts of our hemisphere, these institutions of a free
society are still young, and they are fragile -- and we must ensure that
they are strong for the tasks ahead. To deliver justice, the people must
have confidence in their institutions -- and we must replace the rule of
man with the rule of law.

Some today suggest that democracy has outlived its usefulness. They have
misread history. The Americas has declared democracy "indispensable" for
the exercise of human rights. It is the only region in the world that
imposes an obligation to defend democracy. For all the growing pains, it is
a miracle of history that this young century finds us speaking about the
consolidation of freedom throughout our hemisphere. We must continue our
work to help strengthen the institutions of liberty -- because we know that
freedom is the only way to ensure that our citizens can lead lives of
purpose and dignity. And without democracy there can be no social justice
-- because only democracy offers a place at the table for every member of
society.

Our common ideal of social justice must include a better life for all our
citizens. As elections and democracies have spread across our hemisphere,
we see a revolution in expectations. In free societies, citizens will
rightly insist that people should not go hungry, that every child deserves
the opportunity for a decent education, and that hard work and initiative
should be rewarded. And with each new generation that grows up in freedom
and democracy, these expectations rise -- and the demands for
accountability grow. Either democracies will meet these legitimate demands,
or we will yield the future to the enemies of freedom.

The nations of this hemisphere have a moral obligation to help others. They
have a moral education to educate their children, and to provide decent
health care. We have a moral duty to make sure our actions are effective.
At Monterrey in 2002, the world agreed to a new vision for the way we fight
poverty, and curb corruption, and provide aid in this new millennium.
Developing countries agreed to take responsibility for their own economic
progress through good governance and sound practices and the rule of law --
and developed countries agreed to support these efforts.

My country has sought to implement the Monterrey consensus by changing the
way we deliver aid. We have established a new Millennium Challenge Account
that increases aid for nations that govern justly, that invest in the
education and health of their people, and promote economic freedom.
Recently we signed compacts to delivering aid -- Millennium Challenge aid
to Honduras and Nicaragua. This new aid will help those countries improve
their roads, and diversify their crops, and strengthen property rights, and
make their rural businesses more competitive. And in the years ahead, under
the leadership of Ambassador Danilovich we hope more countries will follow
their example.

My country has also stepped up to meet the humanitarian challenges facing
our region and the world by providing millions of dollars bilaterally,
especially for education of the children. We understand that you cannot
achieve economic prosperity and social justice without educating the
children of a country. We also support the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, to
provide care and prevention and support for those suffering from the
pandemic. At the 2004 Special Summit in Mexico, the leaders of our
hemisphere, including President Lula and me, made a commitment to provide
life-saving treatment for at least 600,000 individuals by the next Summit
of the Americas. We worked together. We have shown our words are not empty
promises. We have helped deliver treatment to more than 670,000 people in
this hemisphere -- which surpasses our goal of helping those with HIV/AIDS.
And there is more work to be done.

As we expand and improve aid, we are also working to improve the
Inter-American Development Bank. Since it was established, this bank has
played a major role in the economic development of Latin America and the
Caribbean. But as the economies of the Americas further develop, the bank
has to change with them. The beginning of President Moreno's tenure gives
us a great opportunity to modernize the bank by taking better advantage of
global capital markets -- and by tailoring the bank's programs to the real
needs of the growing economies on this continent. The private sector is the
engine of growth and job creation in this region. The bank must greatly
strengthen its role in private sector investment -- especially in small
businesses, which are the backbone of a healthy and growing economy. I have
asked the United States Treasury Secretary John Snow to work with his
counterparts in the hemisphere and at the bank to implement reforms that
will ensure that the bank better addresses the needs for economic growth
and job creation. They will also discuss a range of options, including
giving grants and debt relief for the poorest of nations.

Increasing aid and relieving debt are important parts of our efforts to
lift the burden of poverty from places of suffering -- yet they are not
enough. Our goal is to promote opportunity for people throughout the
Americas, whether you live in Minnesota or Brazil. And the best way to do
this is by expanding free and fair trade.

The United States, Mexico, and Canada took a first step with what's called
NAFTA. And trade between our countries has tripled in 10-year period. Our
hemisphere has sought to build on this example by committing ourselves to
the Free Trade of the Americas that would eliminate barriers across the
entire hemisphere -- and I appreciate President Lula's discussion with me
today about working to see if we can't make that become a reality. The
United States has also made substantial advances toward the goal of
hemispheric free trade through bilateral trade agreements with partners
such as Chile. And three months ago, we passed through our Congress a trade
agreement with the nations of Central America and the Dominican Republic
that gives the people of that region jobs and opportunities that come from
freer trade and more investment. And at this moment, we're working hard to
advance negotiations with the Andean countries and Panama. By working for
free, and I repeat, fair trade across this hemisphere, we will bring all
our people into the expanding circle of development -- we'll make it easier
for those of us who live in this hemisphere to compete with countries like
China and India -- but most importantly, trade means jobs for people.

The best opportunity to deliver the blessings of trade to every citizen in
this hemisphere is the Doha Round of negotiations in the World Trade
Organization. A successful Doha Round will open up markets for farm
products, and services, and industrial goods across this hemisphere and
across the globe. Under Doha, every nation will gain -- and the developing
world stands to gain the most. The World Bank estimates that if the Doha
Round passes, 300 million people will be lifted from poverty. We know that
from history that developing nations that open themselves up to trade grow
at several times the rate of countries that practice protectionism. And the
stakes are high, they're really high. The lives and futures of millions of
poor people across the globe hang in the balance -- so we must bring the
Doha trade talks to a successful conclusion.

The greatest obstacles to a successful Doha Round are the countries that
stand firm in the way of dismantling the tariffs, and barriers, and
trade-distorting subsidies that isolate the poor on this continent from the
great opportunities of the 21st century. Only an ambitious reform agenda in
agriculture, and manufactured goods, and services can ensure that the
benefits of free and fair trade are enjoyed by all people in all countries.

We agree with Brazil that the agricultural negotiations will unlock the
full potential of the Doha Round. Your President has criticized the
agricultural subsidies that the developed world pays to its farmers --
trade-distorting subsidies that undercut honest farmers in the developing
world. I agree with President Lula. And the United States is leading the
way to address this problem.

My administration has offered a bold proposal for Doha that would
substantially reduce agricultural tariffs and trade-distorting subsidies in
a first stage -- and over a period of fifteen years, eliminate them
altogether. Leaders who are concerned about the harmful effects of high
tariffs and farm subsidies must move the Doha Round forward. And leaders
who want to make progress on agricultural subsidies must use their
influence to help the WTO make progress on all aspects of the Doha Round.
By completing Doha, we will help build an Americas that lives in liberty,
trades in freedom, and grows in prosperity.

Finally, our common ideal of social justice requires safety and security
for all our citizens. In many parts of this hemisphere, drug lords, and
terrorists, and criminal gangs corrupt democratic societies. When these
groups are more powerful than the state, there can be no social justice. So
the United States is working with affected countries to restore the rule of
law and ensure the safety of ordinary citizens. We are working with the
government of Mexico to stop the smugglers who traffic in everything from
guns to human beings. We are helping President Uribe and the Colombian
people defeat the cocaine cartels and narco-terrorists. We're providing
money to help honest farmers grow legitimate crops. We're working with our
partners in this region to stop terrorist organizations from using this
hemisphere as a base to launder money and to provide support for their
operations across the globe.

By protecting the people of the Americas from those who operate outside the
law, we strengthen democracy, we promote social justice, and we make
prosperity more likely. Citizens who live in fear for their lives because
of drug lords, and terrorists, and criminal gangs are not free citizens. So
we must continue to work for the day that all citizens can count on their
governments to protect them from criminals -- and advance the peace and
stability that can only come from freedom.

In the last half-century, the nations of the Americas have overcome
enormous challenges: colonialism, and communism, and military dictatorship.
The progress we have achieved is the result of tremendous sacrifice and
leadership. One such leader was the man who built this beautiful capital as
the symbol of Brazilian democracy. President Kubitschek was forced into
exile when antidemocratic forces seized control in Brazil. His dream, he
said, was to live and die in a free country. At the start of this hopeful
new century, the dream of this proud patriot inspires citizens not only in
this country, but all around the continent.

The citizens of the Americas look to us, the elected leaders, to make his
dream a reality -- and to lead by example. Governments across this
hemisphere must be strong, must listen to the people, and must not squander
their money. Governments across this hemisphere must be free of corruption.
Governments across this hemisphere must be accountable -- and we must live
by the same standard we set for others. By making the blessings of freedom
real in our hemisphere, we will advance the cause of social justice and set
a shining example for the rest of the world.

Thank you for allowing me to come and address you. May God bless Brazil.
May God continue to bless our nation, America. Thank you. (Applause.)

END 4:46 P.M. (Local)

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