Bill Clinton: “To our host, Prime Minister--if I had known earlier in my life that George Washington came here as a young man, I would…”

“To our host, Prime Minister--if I had known earlier in my life that George Washington came here as a young man, I would have been here before. [Laughter] I thank you for the warm welcome that you have given to me and to my wife, to Secretary Albright, and our delegation. I wanted to make the important point last night, and I would like to make it again, that while we have gathered as a group before in the White House and in Port-au-Prince, this is the first time an American President has actually held a summit with the Caribbean heads of Government in the region itself. But the point I wish to make is that this is not a meeting between Caribbean nations and the United States, but rather a meeting among Caribbean nations including the United States. Puerto Rico and the American Virgin Islands lie at the heart of this region. We are joined today by the Governor of the Virgin Islands, Governor Roy Schneider; the congressional delegate from Puerto Rico and former Governor, Carlos Romero-Barcelo; last night the delegate from the Virgin Islands, Donna Christian-Green, was here with us; and we also have Congresswoman Maxine Waters from California here. The United States is very much aware that millions of our fellow citizens trace their heritage to these islands and that we have benefited immeasurably from them. More than ever before, we are linked economically and politically. Every nation but one in the Caribbean has chosen free elections and free markets.…”