 That brings people and countries together in our divided world is a welcome one This is what my fellow heads of state Our host the president of this university. I Must say when you mentioned honorary degrees you reawakened a sense of guilt. I'm quite cognizant of the honor and the pleasure But I recall also that when my own alma mater gave me an honorary degree 25 years after my graduation Told them at the time. I had thought the first one. They gave me was honorary It's a special honor and a pleasure for me to participate in this gathering of leaders from the Caribbean You're among our nearest neighbors and our closest friends Our societies economies and histories have been intertwined from the earliest days of the Americas As we face the future together. I think we have good reason to be confident for years ago Four years ago, I should say Economic prospects were bleak and the forces of tyranny were on the move Emboldened by what seemed to be a paralysis among the democratic peoples of the hemisphere But by joining it together with courage and determination. We've turned that situation around Now the tide of the future is a freedom tide The free people of this hemisphere are united and share a common sense of purpose Nowhere is that more apparent And with the United States and the Caribbean democracies as has been so evident in our meeting today Over these past four years We've strived to encourage democracy Enhance the economic vitality of the region and cooperate in the defense of freedom Now these are not separate goals. They're meet mutually reinforcing President Jorge Blanco Pointed that out earlier this year when he observed Bread health education liberty democracy and peace Are indivisible and irreplaceable values I firmly believe that democratic government is the birthright Of every American And when I say American I'm talking about all of us in this western hemisphere Which together is called the Americas All of us from the north slope of alaska To the tip of tiara del fuego And much progress has been made Today 26 of 33 independent countries in the hemisphere Countries with 90 of the hemisphere's population Are democratic Or in transition to democracy You realize when I refer to democratic I do so with a small d your Your own democracies are an example to developing countries everywhere That's not to say that you don't face great challenges The worldwide recession has profoundly affected the caribbean With market prices for key commodities you produce dropping Even as the cost of your imports were rising The united states has been hard-pressed economically But we've done our best to help and provide hope and we'll continue to do so The united states has a deep and abiding interest in the well-being of its neighbors In these last three years we began to put our own economic house in order by cutting down the growth of government spending and regulations We're enjoying high growth declining unemployment and low inflation And we've become once again an engine for worldwide economic progress We believe the secret of that success Is lower tax rates And that's a secret everyone can share and benefit from At the same time we've increased our aid to the region And helped strengthen the international monetary funds ability to assist countries with debt problems But let's be realistic Stopgap measures with the IMF are merely that temporary solutions The ultimate solution is strong and steady growth in every caribbean country Our caribbean basin initiative now getting underway Gives your people new access to the world's largest and most dynamic government Market I meant to say Too much television It encourages job creating business investment for growth and prosperity And is being put into place at a time when a strong dollar And an expanding american economy can translate into greater demand for your products The caribbean basin initiative is part of our broader overall economic strategy to improve economic vitality and raise living standards throughout the caribbean We can and must work together to improve the well-being of our people And to ensure our safety as well I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate many of you for your courage and leadership In turning back the communist power grab in granada last fall We can be proud that thanks to the unity and determination of our democracies We saved the people of that troubled island We restored their freedom We revived their hope in the future And we prevented danger and turmoil from spreading beyond granada shores Let us always remember the crucial distinction between the legitimate use of force For liberation versus totalitarian aggression for conquest But what was happening in granada was not an isolated incident The soviet bloc and cuba have been committing enormous resources to undermining our liberty and independence Nowhere is this threat more pressing than in nicaragua A country which today marks the fifth year of sandanista dictatorship The sandanista revolution like castros revolution Is a revolution betrayed And now faced with mounting internal pressures and disillusionment abroad the sandanistas have announced an election For november of this year We would wholeheartedly welcome a genuine democratic election in nicaragua But no person committed to democracy will be taken in by a soviet style sham election The situation in nicaragua is not promising, but if the sandanistas would keep their original commitment Permit free elections Respect human rights and establish an independent nation Conflict in the region would subside In the meantime, we have a moral responsibility To support anyone who aspires to live in a true democracy free from communist interference If the democratic peoples do not stand together, we certainly will be unable to stand alone Just a few years ago totalitarianism was on the rise But there's a new spirit among democratic peoples Prime minister adams described it when he said there is a community of interest among democratic countries Which can transcend Ethnicity I'm sorry Twisting that word up and differences in economic development This spirit Is a powerful new force for freedom in the world today What we do together As a family of free men and women will determine what the future will be like For our children If we're strong enough to live up to our shared values The promise of freedom and opportunity for the new world will at long last be realized By working together The free people of this hemisphere can make certain That the next century will indeed be our century A democratic century I've thoroughly enjoyed being with you here today and I hope that after my attempt to Pronounce a word that I stumbled over that you won't take that honorary degree away from me, Mr. President But again, it's been a great pleasure. I know that I must return to washington now I think meetings of this kind Should be a regular feature In the years ahead And we shall look forward to that. Thank you and god bless you all