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Uruguayan President, Dr. Jorge Batlle, traveled to the United
States for a five-day work visit that included an extensive
commercial and diplomatic agenda. On April 23, 2003, President
Batlle met with the President of the United States, George
W. Bush, at the White House. President Batlle was accompanied
by the Ambassador of the United States to Uruguay, Martin
J. Silverstein.
The purpose of the trip was to discuss bilateral
trade issues such as re-opening the market for Uruguayan
beef exports and address regional issues of mutual interest.
President Batlle’s agenda included meeting with President
Bush, a presentation at the Economic Club of Chicago, a
reception in his honor hosted by the Mayor of Chicago Richard
Daley, in addition to meetings held in Washington with US
Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick, Secretary of Agriculture
Ann Veneman, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Mel Martínez, the Center for Strategic and International
Studies, the Panamerican Health Organization, and the OAS.
President Batlle will also meet with key officials of the
Federal Reserve Bank in New York.
The following statement is quoted from the White House home
page:
"The President also met today with the President of
Uruguay, President Jorge Batlle, in the Oval Office. The
two Presidents reviewed a number of issues of mutual interest,
including the situation in Iraq, the war on terrorism and
the economic situation in Uruguay, as well as in the region.
The President reaffirmed his continued support for President
Batlle's efforts in cooperation with the International Monetary
Fund to promote sustainable growth in Uruguay. The President
underscored our commitment to strengthen trade and investment
ties with Uruguay."
Following are some of the statements made by President Batlle
during the press conference held after the meeting with
President Bush, on Wednesday, April 23.
“… we’ve always been online with the United
States. We were with the United States and the Allies against
the Nazis; we were also against communism and now we are
against terrorism”.
“…Uruguay ratifies its political wish of reaching
bilateral or multilateral trade agreements implemented within
three areas: FTAA, Four + 1 or bilaterally”.
“…economic systems do not resolve the poverty
of our countries if we do not have access to their markets
to sell our products.”
“…the only piece of land that Americans kept
for themselves after going with their armies around the
world is the small piece of land of the cemeteries where
they buried their dead…They don’t have colonies
and never wanted to have them”.
“…Fidel Castro is not a dictator, he’s
a murderer”.
VOA
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