For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 5, 2001
Radio Address of the President to the Nation
Listen to the President's Remarks
THE PRESIDENT: Good
morning. Today I want to offer a special greeting to
everyone celebrating Cinco de Mayo. This day marks the proud
moment when Mexican soldiers threw back an invading army at the Battle
of Puebla. One hundred and thirty-nine years later, Cinco de
Mayo pays tribute to the strong and independent spirit of the Mexican
people.
We celebrated a little early at the White
House this year, on quatro de Mayo, with a fiesta on the South
Lawn. With the mariachi music, folklorika dancing and an
ample supply of Mexican food. For a little while, it was
just like being in Texas again.
Growing up in Texas gave me many things I'm
thankful for. And one of them is an appreciation of the
Hispanic culture. In Texas, it's in the air you breath;
Hispanic life, Hispanic culture and Hispanic values are inseparable
from the life of our state, and have been for many generations. The
history of Mexican-American relations has had its troubled moments, but
today our peoples enrich each other in trade and culture and family
ties.
To affirm that friendship, Laura and I have
invited Mexican President Vicente Fox to be the guest of honor at the
very first State Dinner of my administration. President Fox
is a fine man, a man of powerful ideals and a great vision for his
country. We have already met three times this year. I
consider him a friend. We are committed to working together
in common purpose, for the good of both countries. Whether
the issue is free trade or energy production, environmental protection,
or the control of illegal drugs, our interests are often the same.
In the United States, I'm happy to say, we're
putting old fears and quarrels behind us. We know that we
must protect the integrity of our border, yet we understand how that
border can be viewed from the other side, as the gateway to better
wages and a better life. I've often said that family values
don't stop at the Rio Grande. The best way to have a stable
border is better opportunity in both our nations, opportunity built by
trade and education and freedom.
And when immigrants come to America legally,
their culture and contribution must be treated with
respect. They have an equal place in the American story, a
story written in many hands and told in many languages. This welcoming
spirit is the heritage of the immigrant nation, and the commitment of
my administration.
Cinco de Mayo is a day for special pride and
remembrance for all of Mexico. And for all Americans, it is
a reminder of the heritage we share with our neighbor to the south, and
the great promise of the future.
Thank you for listening.
END
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