 Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States and Mrs. Reagan. Ladies and gentlemen, the national anthems of the Republic of Ivory Coast and the United States of America. We're privileged to welcome to Washington today one of the world's senior statesmen, a man of outstanding stature and the father of his country. His Excellency President Felix Ufvet Bonye of Ivory Coast. In the African continent and throughout the world, he is known as a spokesman for reason and open communication as the means for resolving conflict and ensuring a better world. We share with President Ufvet this belief in dialogue. I look forward to our discussion today and in many days to come on the vital issues which face the African continent and the world. Ivory Coast itself is an outstanding example of the progress and prosperity that can be achieved in an atmosphere of peace, security and individual liberty. The President has often emphasized these as the fundamental ingredients of economic well-being and advancement, and we share his conviction that only in conditions of peace and liberty can a nation achieve lasting economic and social progress. It's a particular pleasure for me to welcome today the leader of a nation which has so warmly and graciously welcomed so many of our own representatives. Mr. President, I have received enthusiastic reports about Ivory Coast and its economic vitality and vast potential from Secretaries Baldrige and Block, several Senators, Assistant Secretary of State Crocker and others, and all of them were struck by the advances your country has made, advances reflecting your commitment to a free economy which encourages producers through a philosophy of hard work and self-help. There is a saying in Ivory Coast, if your stomach is empty, ask your hands why. Well, you and your countrymen have worked hard, and in doing so, you've improved your lives and gained the respect of the world. The remarkable progress of your country's agricultural endeavors is a tribute to your enlightened leadership. By making it possible for your farmers to get a fair return for their work and by recognizing the importance of this sector of your economy, you spared the people the deprivation that has befallen many others. Ivory Coast has built one of the richest economies in Africa by understanding that before wealth can be divided, it must be created. Ivorians can be proud of their solid record of economic improvement since independence. At the same time, your income distribution is among the fairest on the continent. I'm pleased that the American private sector has been able to play a role in realizing what you refer to as Ivorian well-being. As we welcome you once again to our country, we note that many changes have occurred since your last visit to the White House in 1973. Nations around the globe, including the Ivory Coast and the United States, are struggling to overcome a period of severe economic problems and uncertainty. But together, we can face the future with confidence. Our two peoples share a desire for liberty and progress that can and will triumph over adversity. So today, let us renew our pledge to each other that as we walk the road to the future, we, the people of the United States and Ivory Coast, will do so as friends. Mr. President, welcome to the White House. The President of the Ivory Coast, Felix Oufoet-Poignier, is the world's most renowned and the worst founder of his country. His excellence, the President of the Ivory Coast, Felix Oufoet-Poignier. On the African continent and in the entire world, he has been the spokesman for the reason and the open communication, as constituting the best means to solve conflicts and to ensure a better world. The Ivory Coast is an example of the progress of prosperity that can be manifested in a climate of peace, security and individual freedom. The President of Oufoet-Poignier has often put a lot of emphasis on these same elements as the fundamental components of economic well-being and progress. And we believe, as he does, that it is thanks to a climate of peace and freedom that a nation can achieve a sustainable economic and social progress. It is for me a special pleasure to welcome today the head of a country that has received so warmly and lovingly so many of our representatives. Mr. President, I have received enthusiastic reports on the Ivory Coast, its economic vitality and its vast potentialities, Secretary of State Baldrige and Bloch, several senators, Secretary of State Crocker, and other personalities. They have all been struck by the evidence found in your country that reflects the loyalty of your attachment to a free economy that encourages producers through a work philosophy of acidity and personal effort. A Ivory Coast proverb claims that if you have nothing in your stomach, ask for what you have. However, you and your compatriots have worked a lot. Thanks to what, you have improved your well-being and deserve the respect of the whole world. The remarkable progress of your agriculture brings honor to your leadership, avert it, by allowing your farmers to receive a fair reward for their work and by recognizing the importance of this sector of your economy, you have inspired your people the deprivation of which many others suffer. You have also said that you have built one of the richest economies in Africa because you have understood that before you can share a wealth, you still have to create it. The Ivory Coast can be proud of their solid economic progress since independence, which, moreover, your distribution of revenues is one of the most equitable of the continent. I am proud that the private sector of America has been able to participate in the creation of what you call the Ivory Good. By wishing you the welcome once again to the United States, we note that many changes have been made since your last visit to the White House in 1963. Many nations, including the Ivory Coast and the United States, are fighting to overcome a period of serious uncertainties and economic problems. But together, we can face the future with confidence. Our people have a common desire for freedom and progress that will have a reason for all adversity. Thus, let us renew our commitment today so that in our future progress, we, the peoples of the United States, and the Ivory Coast, will continue to be friends. Mr. President, welcome to the White House. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I find your wonderful country again, where every message has been an opportunity to discover admiration and strengthen my confidence in the future. Your delicate words of welcome still add to this pleasure, because they witness the amicable interest that you bring to my country and the solidarity and the ties that have been ties between the United States and the Ivory Coast for more than 20 years. By addressing your invitation, which has greatly honoured me, you have well wanted to tell me the price you have attached to the personal contacts between the heads of state. Your point of view is completely mine, and I would like to move forward with the idea of being able to address your colleagues, the problems that concern us, and which I cannot imagine to resolve without the effective and powerful action of the United States. That is to say, the interest that I bring to know your opinion in the different fields where the future of human adventure is played. Mr. President, I thank you at all costs for giving me again the opportunity to greet your person, the American people, and say to him, all admiration and friendship of the Ivory people, as he has attached to the eternal values of peace and justice, lives the United States of America, lives our friendship. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I return to your magnificent country where each of my stays has been a source of discovery and admiration and has strengthened my confidence in the future. Your thoughtful words of welcome add to my pleasure because they are evidence of your friendly interest in my country and of the strength of the ties that have developed between the United States and Ivory Coast over more than 20 years. In extending to me your invitation, which honoured me greatly, you are kind enough to tell me how much you value personal contacts between heads of state. I share your view entirely and look forward to being able to discuss with you the problems that concern me and which I cannot conceive of being resolved without effective and forceful steps by the United States of America. That is why I am so keenly interested in hearing your views in regard to the various areas where the fate of humankind is being played out. Mr. President, I thank you most warmly for having afforded me the opportunity once again to greet the American people through you and to express to them the great admiration and friendship of the people of Ivory Coast who share their commitment to the timeless values of peace and justice. Long live the United States of America, long live our friendship.