THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Bridgetown, Barbados)
For Immediate Release May 9, 1997
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT RECEPTION FOR CARIBBEAN LEADERS
Governor General's Residence
Bridgetown, Barbados
9:10 P.M. (L)
THE PRESIDENT: Governor General, Madam, Prime Minister
and
Mrs. Arthur, leaders of the Caribbean, distinguished guests. First I'd
like
to thank our hosts for their hospitality and the weather. (Laughter.)
And
I'd like to thank all of you for agreeing to join in this meeting here in
beautiful Barbados.
I'm deeply honored to be the first American President to
hold
a summit with Caribbean heads of government here in the Caribbean.
(Applause.) But it is high time -- America, after all, is a Caribbean
nation.
Puerto Rico and the American Virgin Islands lie in heart of this region.
The
bonds of commerce among us and the bonds binding our people are strong.
Today, millions of my fellow Americans trace proud routes
to
the Caribbean. These people have enriched and strengthened the United
States.
We can all be proud that our leadership as a Caribbean community,
supported by
nations around the world, along with the determination of the Haitian
people
have given Haiti another chance to build a democratic future. And we are
delighted to have President Preval with us here tonight. (Applause.)
The last time we met as a group was in the White House
three-and-a-half years ago on the eve of Operation Uphold Democracy in
Haiti.
This hopeful moment gives us another chance to meet together and work
together. It demands that we work together because there are great
forces of
change sweeping our world and our region. We must harness them to our
benefit. We must meet the host of new challenges before us. And,
frankly,
none of us can make the most of the opportunities or deal with the
dangers
alone.
That's what our meeting tomorrow is all about. We
need to ensure that the galloping global economy does not trample
small economies or leave them behind. (Applause.) We must
ensure that economic growth and environmental protection go
forward hand in hand. We must band together to defeat the
criminal syndicates and drug traffickers that prey on open
societies and put our children and our very social fabric at
risk. (Applause.)
No nation is so strong that it needs no help from
its friends; and none is too small to make a real difference.
Together we must build a new partnership for prosperity and
security in the Caribbean, based on our common values, aimed at
our common dreams. I look forward to the work we will do
tomorrow, and even more to the days of closer and more productive
partnership ahead.
Thank you. And thank you for welcoming Hillary and
me tonight. Thank you very much.
President Clinton's Tour of Mexico, Costa Rica,
and Barbados
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