For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 6, 2003
Joint Statement Between the United States of America and Singapore
President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong today
signed the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and celebrated the
strength and vitality of the bilateral relationship between the United
States and Singapore.
In the signing ceremony and in their Oval Office meeting, the two
leaders expressed conviction that the FTA, the first ever between the
United States and an Asian nation, would enhance mutual prosperity and
reinforce the strategic partnership between the two nations. The two
leaders expressed hope that the FTA would be a catalyst for trade
liberalization and enhanced growth in the region and beyond. In this
regard, the President and the Prime Minister reaffirmed their
commitment to achieving a successful outcome at the World Trade
Organization's Doha Development Agenda trade negotiations. The
President also reaffirmed his commitment to the Enterprise for ASEAN
Initiative (EAI), which he launched at APEC in 2002 with Leaders from
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The EAI sets forth
a roadmap to promote increased investment, economic growth, and free
trade between the United States and ASEAN countries.
The President and the Prime Minister agreed that the U.S.-Singapore
security partnership has helped foster stability in Asia. The
President also thanked Singapore for its leadership beyond the region,
including as a key member of the Coalition on Iraq. Singapore
supported the U.S.-led coalition to disarm Iraq out of a belief that
the world must send a strong message of deterrence to other regimes and
terrorist networks that might be looking to use weapons of mass
destruction. Prime Minister Goh welcomed the successful conclusion of
combat operations in Iraq, and the two leaders agreed to cooperate
closely to deliver the humanitarian assistance and services necessary
to help the people of Iraq build a stable, prosperous, and democratic
state. In that regard, the President welcomed Singapore's offer to
dispatch a medical team, police personnel, and technicians to help
rebuild Iraq.
President Bush and Prime Minister Goh reviewed recent developments
in Southeast Asia. President Bush praised Singapore's efforts to
respond to the challenge of terrorism in Southeast Asia. The two
leaders noted that enhanced cooperation among ASEAN nations and
international cooperation with the region has helped disrupt terror
plots and led to the apprehension of members of the Jemaah Islamiyah
terrorist network. They welcomed recent arrests in Indonesia and the
exceptional progress made in the investigation of the October 2002 Bali
bombings. However, the President and the Prime Minister agreed that
the war against terrorism in Southeast Asia is far from over. The two
leaders pledged to redouble their efforts to work with other leaders in
the region and through multilateral organizations, including ASEAN and
APEC, to defeat terrorism. They also reaffirmed their commitment to
work with other states in Asia to achieve the complete, verifiable, and
irreversible elimination of North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
President Bush and Prime Minister Goh discussed the global health
threat posed by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). President
Bush commended Singapore for its quick, decisive, and transparent
response to SARS and expressed confidence that Singapore's efforts to
prevent the spread of the disease would succeed. President Bush also
welcomed Prime Minister Goh's leadership in initiating the Special
ASEAN Leaders Meeting and ASEAN-China Leaders Meeting on SARS held in
Bangkok on April 29, 2003. Given American leadership in the biomedical
field and Singapore's advanced research facilities, President Bush and
Prime Minister Goh agreed that the two countries should explore
prospects for collaborative efforts to understand new health threats
which put the world community at risk, including tropical diseases and
biological warfare agents. The two leaders tasked their respective
health and medical experts to begin consultations on possible joint
projects.
The warm discussion between the President and the Prime Minister
and the signing of the U.S.-Singapore FTA strengthens their personal
friendship and the partnership between their two nations. The goodwill
generated today will be valuable in moving forward on their common
agendas.
# # #
|