Remarks at the Welcoming Ceremony for President Carlos Menem of Argentina

President Menem, members of the Argentine delegation, distinguished guests. It's a very special pleasure for me to welcome President Menem to the White House for this first state visit of the new year. The United States is proud of its strong relationship with Argentina, and I am grateful for the personal and national partnership that President Menem and I have developed together.

Mr. President, over the last decade, the Americas have turned a page in our history. Our future has never been brighter. Last year Argentina and the United States helped to resolve a border dispute between Peru and Ecuador that had persisted for decades. This year we are a hemisphere at peace, essentially without international conflict, moving beyond historic animosities to discover new opportunities.

In every nation but one, democracy has replaced dictatorships, open markets have replaced command economies, a marketplace of ideas has replaced the battle zone of ideologies. From Point Barrow to Patagonia, the peoples of the Americas are greeting a new American century with a conviction that this will be our best time yet.

Mr. President, under your leadership, Argentina has been at the forefront of Latin America's resurgence. You have built trust with neighbors and strengthened relationships with nations around the world. By courageously examining their past, the Argentine people have set an example for other nations seeking to bolster human rights. Argentina's wise economic policies are helping the region to recover from economic challenges and to restore confidence in open markets.

We are also particularly grateful for Argentina's leadership beyond the Americas. Day-in and day-out, your peacekeepers promote stability in Haiti, Cyprus, Bosnia, the Persian Gulf, and other trouble spots, often working side by side with our troops. President Menem has consistently worked to encourage constructive dialog between nations and to oppose those who would intimidate their neighbors through military aggression.

Finally, he has shown real vision and courage before one of the great challenges of the new century, securing his people's prosperity while protecting the environment for future generations.

In 1999 our two nations will continue to work together closely, building a vibrant, open international economy while preserving natural resources, forging international peace and stability, honoring individual rights along with the larger community to which we all belong.

Mr. President, our two nations have come far together over this past decade. But thanks in no small measure to your leadership, there is no limit to our progress in the century ahead.

Bienvenidos. Welcome to America.