State Dept. Official Hails U.S. Engagement With the Americas
Noriega says region must work together to promote democracy and growth
October 1, 2004

The United States places a high value on strong relations with neighboring countries in the Western Hemisphere because these partnerships are "extraordinarily important to our security and our prosperity," says Roger Noriega, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.

Speaking at the Miami Herald Americas Conference on September 30, Noriega outlined the various goals that President Bush is pursuing in the region through policies that aim to strengthen democratic institutions, establish a free-trade environment, reduce poverty, and protect the hemisphere from terrorist attacks.

"Given the threats to our national security and well-being posed by economic instability, terrorism, and organized crime, it is imperative that we work with our neighbors to defend our mutual interests, protect our common borders, and advance our shared values," Noriega observed. And despite perceptions that the United States has neglected the region in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against New York and Washington, "I believe that we have not missed a beat in advancing a very ambitious agenda here in the Americas," he said.

For example, in support of U.S. objectives "to promote, protect and perfect democracy" throughout the hemisphere, "we have played an active leadership role to fortify democracy in countries where its institutions are being sorely tested," Noriega recalled. At the Organization of American States (OAS) and in concert with "other friendly nations," U.S. policymakers "have contributed to a search for peaceful, democratic solutions" to recent political crises in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Haiti, he pointed out.

The United States has also consulted with other OAS member states to assess "what we can do together to advance democracy in Cuba," Noriega said, adding: "Because we have dared to raise the subject, my expectation is that our hemisphere will be more ready and able to aid a transition to genuine democracy on the island."

Noriega cited corruption as a widespread problem in the region that is now being recognized as a major impediment to economic and political development. "Making democracy work is not easy, but it is not complicated, either," he said. "We all know the corruption, inefficiency, and weakness that plague too many governments in the region. The challenge of our time is to fix these things, because you cannot build a 21st-century economy with 19th-century institutions. To build modern economies, governments must have the will and a way to apply the rules of the game without fear or favor."

Fighting poverty is another important component of U.S. policy in the hemisphere, he noted. "Democracy can help distribute economic opportunity, but we have to help generate those opportunities in the first place," Noriega explained. "This president, in particular, believes that you do that in part by breaking down trade barriers to help create jobs and benefit consumers."

For that reason, "we are committed to the ideal of a comprehensive Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), despite the forces of economic isolationism, both at home and abroad," he said. "Closing the gap between rich and poor leads to stability and allows all citizens to achieve their full potential."

Working closely with their colleagues in the hemisphere, U.S. policymakers "have done much, but we can do more," Noriega affirmed. "In the months ahead, we will redouble our efforts to help governments meet their key commitments to adopt the second-generation reforms that are a prerequisite for sustained growth."

The Bush administration's emphasis on free markets, combating corruption, and reinforcing the rule of law is necessary in order to raise the region's living standards and bring the disenfranchised poor into the mainstream of society, Noriega indicated. Ultimately, "I hope that our success is not measured by whether we made life a little better for the very rich, but whether we made it a lot better for the very poor, freer for those who are oppressed, and more hopeful for those who are desperate," he concluded.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Informat ion Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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