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Skriven 2006-06-09 23:33:56 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0606096) for Fri, 2006 Jun 9
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Joint Statement Between the United States of America and the Republic of
Chile
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 9, 2006

Joint Statement Between the United States of America and the Republic of
Chile


˙˙˙˙˙ President Bush Welcomes President Bachelet of Chile to the White
House

June 8, 2006

Presidents George W. Bush and Michelle Bachelet underscored the
increasingly strong and close ties that Chile and the United States enjoy,
based on common values and objectives, including the promotion of
democracy, development, economic growth, hemispheric integration, trade
liberalization, international security, and combating terrorism. They
recognized the link among development, peace, security, human rights, and
social justice. They reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the
bilateral relationship based on these principles and to deepen the two
nations' ongoing strategic dialogue on democracy and regional development,
and other key shared priorities.

They agreed that Chile and the United States, like all the peoples of the
Americas, are united by ties, and by common aspirations, expressed in the
founding Charter of the Organization of American States, which says: "The
historic mission of America is to offer man a land of liberty and a
favorable environment for the development of his personality and the
realization of his just aspirations."

They agreed that the important measure of governments is whether they are
committed in principle and in practice to the core conditions of democracy:
to govern justly, to advance economic freedom, and to invest in their
people. They agreed that a consensus in support of democratic governance
unites our hemisphere and is enshrined in the Inter-American Democratic
Charter, which declares that the people of our hemisphere have a right to
democracy and that their governments have a responsibility to protect and
promote that right, and that democracy is essential for the social,
political, and economic development of the people of the Americas.

They agreed that the success of democracy in the Americas has produced
increased expectations, and that in free societies citizens 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. The Presidents agreed that if democracy is to answer popular
demands for development, if it is to help reduce poverty and inequality,
then democratic institutions must be effective and responsive; that
institutions like political parties, the police, and an independent
judiciary must be representative of and accountable to the people; that
institutions must be reformed to fight corruption and to function
transparently; and that every democracy must have the strength to create
opportunities for improved health and education for all of its citizens.
For men and women who are committed to freedom, who work hard and play by
the rules, democratic governments must eliminate policies and practices
that interfere with opportunities to rise as high as their talents will
take them. That is how we define social justice.

The Presidents recognized that the democracies of the Americas have now
forged a consensus on the vital link between security and prosperity as
well as democracy and prosperity. They agreed that in a hemisphere that is
becoming more democratic, the central security issue in the Americas is no
longer one of state-to-state or military-to-military security, but how we
face nontraditional threats such as organized crime, terrorism,
delinquency, gangs, natural disasters, pandemics, weapons proliferation,
and drug trafficking.

The Presidents agreed to work to make democracy a force for inclusion and
empowerment, for effective institutions that will better people's lives in
real ways, especially for the most disadvantaged and marginalized, while
also recognizing that political and economic freedoms are not quick fixes,
but are in fact lasting fixes.

They agreed to partner globally through the U.N. Democracy Fund and the
Community of Democracies to support specific democracy promotion
initiatives, particularly those aimed at improving democratic governance
and strengthening institutions, promoting civil society participation, and
sharing regional and trans-regional best practices and experiences. They
further agreed to work together to support efforts to strengthen the
capacity of the OAS and the Secretary-General to respond effectively to
threats to democracy in the region and to help countries implement the
provisions of the Charter.

The Presidents also reaffirmed their commitment to working to ensure a
successful and ambitious conclusion of the Doha Round in the near future.
In this context, President Bachelet welcomed President Bush's reaffirmation
that the United States is ready to eliminate all tariffs, subsidies, and
other barriers to the free flow of goods and services as other nations do
the same.

Reaffirming the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual
Property Rights (TRIPS), they acknowledged that the protection and
enforcement of intellectual property rights should contribute to the
promotion of technological innovation to the mutual advantage of producers
and users of technological knowledge and in a manner conducive to social
and economic welfare. The leaders agreed to promote innovation and
technological advancement by providing strong intellectual property
protection and effective enforcement of intellectual property rights.

The Presidents acknowledged that economic growth and job creation are vital
to reducing poverty and inequality and advancing human development, and
that free trade is the key and their vision remains a Free Trade Area of
the Americas, in the world's largest free trade community. The Presidents
noted the importance of continuing efforts to promote trade liberalization
and reaffirmed their commitment to the FTAA. They also observed that
efforts toward economic and trade integration in the Americas are important
tools for the promotion of prosperity, stability, and democracy in the
region. They welcomed agreement by the IMF and World Bank to provide 100
percent debt relief for the poorest countries in our hemisphere. In
addition, they agreed that the Inter-American Development Bank also should
act to reduce the debt burden on the poorest countries. Collectively, these
actions will ensure that more resources are available to invest in health
and education.

The Presidents expressed their commitment to ensure that political
stability, democracy, and development take firm root in Haiti. They
welcomed, as hemispheric partners in this effort to support democracy, the
successful outcome of presidential and legislative elections held in
February and April and expressed support for the new Government's efforts
to respond to urgent social needs while aiming to achieve sustainable
growth and poverty reduction.

The Presidents noted with satisfaction the activities of our continuing
cooperation in the areas of economic growth, trade, cultural,
people-to-people, and military exchanges. The Presidents agreed to
intensively explore opportunities for people-to-people exchanges, including
graduate doctoral education and English language education.

The Presidents reaffirmed their friendship and their commitment to further
strengthening ties between the two nations to foster freedom, democracy,
security, and prosperity.

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