 Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. Mr. President, Mr. Secretary, as you can see from this reception you received, it's a rare privilege for us to have you visiting the United States President to this embassy. And we're especially grateful that you took the time from your busy schedule to come down here and visit one of your largest missions. We're also pleased to have Secretary Schulz with us. For those of us in this mission here, it makes life a little easier when you have a Secretary of State that not only has been to Brazil more times than he can count, not only knows where Manaus and Belang is, but has been there on several occasions. Also in these times of economic challenges, it's comforting to have a Secretary of State that has such a deep knowledge of the world economic system. It's my pleasure to introduce to you the Honorable George Schulz, Secretary of State. Secretary. Fellow employees of the Department of State, today I have two things that are a special pleasure for me. The first is to pay my respects to all of you. As the Ambassador said, this is one of our largest missions, consisting I think of around 585 people all around the country. And it is noteworthy that many are Brazilians. And some of our Brazilians have been with us for some 25 years and show a loyalty and a dedication that we all appreciate. I would like to say also that we all know the amount of work that goes into a visit like this on your part. And the visit has gone extremely well as to its content, as to its arrangements, and as to its details. And you've contributed greatly to all of those aspects of the trip. And so I want to express my thanks to you very deeply for all of your efforts in making this trip a success. And now it is my pleasure and my honor and my privilege to introduce to you your boss and my boss, the President of the United States. Thank you very much. You're in uniform. I know who the boss is. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. And it's good of all of you to be here. Thank you for coming. I was afraid we might not have a good turnout. Someone told me that those of you fortunate enough to live in 113 normally prefer to hang around home. Well, in contrast to the Secretary, as you know, this is my first visit to South America and to Brazil. And it's an exciting country and the capital is particularly intriguing. Like many of you, I can remember when Brasilia was no more than a gleam in the eye of its designer. The world has changed. Brasilia is now a major world capital. And this embassy is one, as you've been told, of our most important missions. Brazil is a key political and economic force in the region and an increasingly important actor on the world political stage. The relations between our two countries are now entering a period where the need for cooperation is perhaps greater than ever before. Brazil has to reinforce the importance of the United States attaches to Brazil that I've come here to continue the discussions that President Figueiredo and I began last May when he visited us in Washington. Ambassador Motley tells me the embassy staff is first rate that you are doing an outstanding job and that you stand ready to assist in this task of strengthening our relations with Brazil. We need any proof of that beyond the help that, as George said, you've already given us in arranging this visit. From the very beginning, the cooperation that we've received from the embassy and the consulate general in San Paulo has been exceptional. You have all put in a lot of time and hard work and I want you to know that your efforts are truly appreciated. There was just one slip up. The schedule said this morning that I was to wake up at 8 o'clock. I woke up at 7. You know the change of time and all. Very few Americans realize what a unique and special group you are, the handful of Americans who represent and serve our country abroad. The tasks you face are enormous. You often live in conditions of hardship and frequently in danger and under the most extreme conditions such as Iran, you proved your title above and beyond the call of duty. Even in less difficult circumstances, you must uproot your families frequently, begin new lives in countries where you serve, often finding it necessary to overcome the barriers of foreign language and different customs. Secretary Schulz has told me of the superb job that our Brazilian colleagues and the embassy staff do year in and year out. I always get a kick out of the Washington columnist who regularly refer to our missions around as the striped pants set. I wonder where they get their material. I don't see any striped pants here. What I do see is a group of hardworking, dedicated individuals, Americans and Brazilians who make up a team that I'm proud to be a part of. So you keep up the good work and thank you very much for all that you're doing. God bless you.