Bill Clinton: “Let me begin by welcoming you all to the White House and here to the Roosevelt Room and thanking you for your…”

“Let me begin by welcoming you all to the White House and here to the Roosevelt Room and thanking you for your willingness to participate in this council. I think all of you know that the United States and Egypt have had and continue to have a very close relationship, and we believe that our future interests are very much bound up together. We believe we have to do more in the economic area. We need more partnerships and more success stories. And for my part, I am very, very committed to trying to further the work of increased economic interaction, bringing about more prosperity, more opportunity. So I want to thank both the Americans who are here and the Egyptians who are here for your willingness to serve and commit the resources and the efforts of this Government to the success of this endeavor. And I know I speak for the Vice President, the Secretary of State, and of course, our Trade Ambassador and Secretary of Commerce. We are convinced that this is an important part of our common future. Mr. President.”