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Skriven 2007-06-28 23:31:00 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (070628d) for Thu, 2007 Jun 28
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Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush and First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa in An
Exchange of Toasts
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For Immediate Release Office of the First Lady June 28, 2007

Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush and First Lady Maureen Mwanawasa in An
Exchange of Toasts




7:56 P.M. (Local)

MRS. MWANAWASA: Distinguished invited guests, ladies and gentlemen, please
join me now as I pause to toast. And may I ask you to stand.

To the continued personal good health and well being of His Excellency the
President of the United States of America, His Excellency George W. Bush;
the continued personal good health and well being of the First Lady of the
United States of America, Mrs. Laura Bush; to the continued personal good
health and well being of our Excellency the Ambassador of the United States
of America, Mrs. Martinez; to the continued peace, stability and prosperity
of the American people; to the continued cordial and fraternal relations
between Zambia and the United States of America; and to the well being and
happiness of distinguished guests here present.

(A toast is offered.) (Applause.)

MRS. BUSH: Madam First Lady, Ambassadors, distinguished guests, the
Ministers that are here and all the distinguished guests: Thank you very,
very much for hosting this beautiful dinner for me today, and for your warm
hospitality all day.

We did have a very busy day. (Laughter.) We saw a lot of things. We worked
really hard, you'll be glad to know. We went from a school to the community
center, where we met care-givers -- care-givers who were taking care of
people in their homes who were ill with AIDS, as well as taking care of
orphan children. And that was a very, very moving experience. We went on to
some great micro-enterprise projects, where women are able to take care of
themselves, support themselves -- many of them are widows -- because of
loans that they make to each other, actually. It was a banking program
where they bank their own money. And that was really wonderful.

We saw everything today. We saw HIV/AIDS projects. We saw malaria projects.
We saw many very moving and sweet faith-based projects, where ministers and
pastors and imams are working in each one of their communities to extend
the reach of care to people who are either ill or vulnerable in some way.

We saw great education projects -- the African Education Initiative that
brought textbooks, produced in conjunction with the people of Zambia and
the Mississippi consortium -- the consortium of historically black
universities in Mississippi. That was really great to see those. They'll be
delivered later this year, but we saw some of them.

We saw girls who are on scholarship through the African Education
Initiative and got to hear their stories and how their lives will be
changed. And the very inspiring things, what they want to do to give back
to their country, to Zambia. A lot of them want to be doctors, because they
want to take care of people. (Applause.)

It was a really, really wonderful and very moving day. There were a few
tears at different times during the day when we heard stories. There was a
lot of laughter. There was some dancing -- not a lot by the First Lady and
me, but a little bit. (Laughter.)

So I want to thank every one of you. I want to thank you for your
hospitality. I want to thank you for your friendship to me, and for
welcoming me in such a friendly and warm and, I know, Zambian way, to your
beautiful country. (Applause.) And I especially want to thank you for your
friendship to the United States.

So here is to the country of Zambia. Here is to the President and the First
Lady. And here is to a very, very long-lasting friendship between our two
nations.

(A toast was offered.) (Applause.)

END 8:10 P.M. (Local)
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