For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 16, 2001
Remarks by the President at African Growth and Opportunity Act Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum
The Rose Garden
Listen to the President's Remarks
Policy Accomplishments and Initiatives (pdf)
9:55 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you
all. Please be seated. Welcome to the Rose
Garden. It's my honor to share the podium with
Representatives Crane and Rangel and our friend from Senegal,
Ambassador Sec. Thank you very much for being here,
sir. I'm so appreciative that our Secretary of State, Colin
Powell has joined us today. Secretary, thank you for being
here. And our Secretary of Treasury, Paul O'Neill. They're
here for a reason. They're here because they strongly support the
initiative about which we are about to speak.
I'm thankful that many members of the United
States Congress are here -- members who worked on this initiative long
before I came. I appreciate you all being here. I
look forward to working with you to do the right thing for our friends
on the continent of Africa. I also want to thank many
members of the Diplomatic Corps who are here. We're so
grateful that you took time out of your day to come and share in this
moment.
I finally want to thank Hakeem "The Dream"
Olajuwon for being here today. (Applause.) He is
-- I know this isn't a moment to herald Texas sports -- (laughter) --
but thank you for many great moments.
There is good news coming out of the
Sub-Saharan Africa. Democracy is emerging in countries like
Ghana and Nigeria and showing enduring strength in Senegal, Botswana
and South Africa. Free market reforms are delivering real
benefits to people in places like Mozambique and Madagascar and Mali.
We Americans want to be more than spectators of Africa's
progress. We want to encourage a brighter future through
policies that nurture and support freedom and democratic reform.
And that's why Congress passed the African
Growth and Opportunity Act. There is now a broad consensus that open
trade and international investment are the surest and fastest way for
Africa to make progress. The Act opens American markets to
countries that have embarked on the difficult, but beneficial path of
political and economic reform.
These are countries that are moving toward
market-based economies and the rule of law; that are lowering trade
barriers and strengthening their commercial law; that are combatting
corruption and eliminating child labor; and that are showing enhanced
respect for labor standards and human rights.
Thirty-five Sub-Saharan African nations are
eligible under AGOA for their commitment to these
principles. The principles in the African Growth and
Opportunity Act are important for Africa, but they're also important
for the United States. Countries that respect markets and
the rights of the individual are more likely to grow
economically. They are more likely to achieve political
stability. They can raise education standards, deliver
better health care and protect their environment. Strong
African democracies with strong economies and healthy populations will
contribute to a world that is more peaceful and more prosperous for
all.
Now, we should take the next step to realize
the promise that the African Growth and Opportunity
Act. This October, the United States will invite the
eligible countries to Washington to inaugurate the U.S.-Sub-Saharan
African Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum. The Forum will discuss
further measures we can take to stimulate trade, to develop prosperity,
and to enhance democracy.
I'm today asking and directing the Secretary
of State, the Secretary of Treasury, the Commerce Secretary and the
U.S. Trade Representative to issue invitations to the Forum, to their
ministerial counterparts.
Secretary Powell may just deliver some of
those invitations in person when he travels to the continent later on
this year. The United States will also invite
representatives of African regional organizations to this
forum. I hope I get to attend as well.
Sub-Saharan Africa has suffered much from
political oppression, an inward-looking economic
policies. Africans, themselves, now agree that democracy and
open trade are the right way forward. The United States
wants to engage Sub-Saharan African countries as valued economic
partners. And we look forward to welcoming Sub-Saharan African leaders
as our guests next fall.
Thank you all for coming. And it's
now my honor to bring to the podium Phil Crane, Congressman from
Illinois. (Applause.)
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: Again, I want to
thank you all for coming, and it is our honor to host many from the
Diplomatic Corps. Welcome to the White House. We
look forward to working with you. It's in our best interest
that your great continent thrive, and we look forward to working with
you to make sure it does so.
God
bless. (Applause.) Thank you guys for coming.
10:14 A.M. EDT
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