Press Release

Foreign Press Center Briefing with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez

Topic "Recent Trip to Peru on Friday, July 28, 2006 and Broader Hemispheric Issues"

MODERATOR: (In progress) Commerce Department. We thought it might be good following his visit to Peru to attend the presidential inauguration to talk with interested reporters in Washington and not only about that trip and that experience but also about some of the American bilateral and regional economic policies in the region.

So with that I'll just turn it over to Secretary Gutierrez. He'll make some opening comments and then we can open it up to questions. And I would just ask that when you ask your questions, if you could just identify yourselves and your organization that would be appreciated.

MODERATOR: And please speak in your microphones because the system is such that we really need to kind of get up there and talk (inaudible). If you're not sitting near a mike, please borrow somebody's chair or turn the mike towards you so that we can get a transcript for you later.

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: Great. Thank you. (Inaudible) opening statement. I also want to read a statement about Cuba given that that's been in the news.

I just returned from President Garcia's inauguration in Peru. And my overall impression having been there and visited with leaders of other Latin American countries and ministers, is that this is a very good time for relations between the U.S. and Latin America. And very specifically since, you know, my role as Commerce Department, I'm thinking commercial relations, economic relations, trade relations, it's a very good time.

I believe that we are more aligned than ever before with Latin America at large. There are primarily democracies in Latin America, which is a very important characteristic that we see today. They tend to be pro-market, pro-trade, pro-investment.

And then a term that I hear very often used in Latin America, which I believe applies very much to what the U.S. is all about, is social justice. Transparency in regulations, transparency in government actions, the rule of law, the whole idea that no one is above the law or below the law, of equal opportunity for all, those are all traits that I consider to be very American and traits that are being talked about very much throughout Latin America. So I believe that we are more aligned than we've ever been.

Let me say a couple things about Cuba. At a time of great uncertainty, we want to let the people of Cuba know that we affirm our commitment. When a transition government committed to democracy is in place, we will provide aid in areas such as food and medicine, economic recovery and free and fair elections. The people of Cuba have a choice: economic and political freedom and opportunity or more political repression and economic suffering under the current regime. We pledge to help them attain political and economic liberty. We pledge to extend a hand of friendship and support as they build a democratic government, a strong economy and a brighter tomorrow for their families and for their country.

We pledge to discourage third parties from obstructing the will of the Cuban people. And I also want to be very clear in this next statement. The United States and our citizens pose no threat to the security or the homes of the Cuban people. President Bush recognizes that Cuba belongs to the Cuban people and that the future of Cuba is in the hands of Cubans. We continue to be concerned about the importance of the Cuban people observing safe, orderly and legal plans for migration.

I'll stop there and open it up for questions.

QUESTION: I have a question. My name is Sergio Davila from Brazilian Folha de Sao Paulo and I have two questions actually. The first one is: Do you believe that the Doha Rounds are dead? And the second one is, as a co-chair of the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, one of the highlights is undermine the regime's succession strategy. Could you comment on that?

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: Yeah. On the first point, Susan Schwab, who is the U.S. Trade Representative, was just in Brazil and she was in Brazil trying to revitalize those discussions. So we believe the WTO still is very much alive and well and we would like to reinstate talks to enable us to reach an agreement at some point in the future that we know will benefit so many people around the world. So no, we have not given up on WTO.

On the Cuban transition that we talked about is we want the Cuban people to decide on a transition. And a succession plan from one communist dictator to another communist dictator is not a transition. We want to see a process whereby the Cuban people elect democratically their future leader.

QUESTION: Can I make a follow-up on (inaudible)?

MODERATOR: Can you identify yourself, please, and speak into the microphone?

QUESTION: I am Ana Baron from Clarin, Argentina. And what would be the position if in the transition there is not immediate open--a political opening but there is economic opening? That means that as the next government begins the opening of the economy of Cuba, but still doesn't open to elections. Do you think United States will begin aiding or helping the process?

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: Well, I'm not going to speculate on what we would do or what we would not do. Obviously that is very much a presidential decision. But, you know, it's been 47 years, 47 years of fear, 47 years of a lack of freedom, 47 years of lack of human rights. We believe the time has come for a real transition to a true democracy where human rights are respected and the dignity of individuals is respected.

QUESTION: Secretary, Curt Petrovich with CBC National Radio. I hear something of a contradiction. I hear you say that you don't want people to interfere in the will of the Cuban people at this time. Yet it seems to me the raison d'être for the commission is to very much influence that. And this afternoon you repeated the United States offer of aid and assistance, which does sound to some extent like a carrot on a stick to cause or to influence people within Cuba to move at this time. So could you just clarify, do you expect, or would you expect then, people in Cuba to seize this moment to bring about the change that you've talked about?

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: We have stood for and have promoted all along free elections in Cuba, which means that the Cuban people will be in charge of deciding who runs Cuba and they will be in charge of their destiny. That's what we want for the Cuban people. That's all we want for the Cuban people. And we don't see any contradiction in that whatsoever. We think that's a very, very noble objective to have for a neighbor.

QUESTION: I'm Hugo Alconada from La Nacion from Argentina. When you are talking about Cuban people, are you talking about the Cubans living in Cuba or the people who is abroad, maybe in the U.S.? And in such case, how the people who's living abroad is going to have a saying in this?

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: I'm talking about Cuban citizens and I am -- I was born in Cuba. I'm a Cuban American. I'm not a Cuban citizen. I'm talking about Cuban citizens having a say in the future of Cuba.

QUESTION: My name is Sonia Schott. I am with Radio Valera of Venezuela Selecta magazine of Panama. Going back to the free trade agreement, I would like to know what happened with the free trade agreement with Panama. And also the President of the International Monetary Fund Rodrigo Rato said yesterday he won from bilateral agreements that could be put at risk the negotiation of the Doha Round. So what is your position on that, considering that the U.S. was pushing for bilateral agreements--free trade agreements with countries in Latin America?

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: The discussion with Panamanian officials is ongoing. And we hope that we will continue to make progress and we have a great belief in the opportunity of increasing trade between the United States and Panama. And we believe that a free trade agreement can be a benefit for both countries. Regarding what Rodrigo Rato said--I'm sorry--you said that the--

QUESTION: He won of--bilateral agreements, the assignment or the negotiation of bilateral agreements and that's--as far as I know. The--

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: We believe there's a role for bilateral agreements and there is a role for a multilateral agreement. And there is no reason why they cannot both coexist. So we have bilateral agreements, but we have been the leader in promoting a bold and aggressive WTO agreement.

QUESTION: I'm Antonieta Cadiz from El Mercurio, Chile. It seems that the United States is helping Cuban citizens through aid. So my question is after Fidel is Raul, after Raul is another guy, you know. So is the United States going to wait forever to aid?

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: Well, let me just say that that is a very bleak scenario for the Cuban people. That is not a transition. That is a succession of one communist dictator to another communist dictator. And what we would like to see in Cuba is the Cuban people play a role, a democratic role, in electing their officials and leading a transition.

Has anyone else not asked a question? I'd like to (inaudible.)

QUESTION: Yes. I'd like to ask just one question. Antonio Rodriguez with AFP. My question is do you think that Fidel Castro is dead? I mean, (inaudible) question about the efficiency of the embargo after 44 years the transition may have started in Cuba because of health problem and so, no it is not the result of the embargo. Can I have your comments on this?

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: Well, first of all, I have no knowledge and no news about Fidel Castro's health. You know, it's interesting that people talk about the embargo and no one has talked more about the embargo and no one has blamed the embargo more than Fidel Castro. Cuba has done trade with Canada. Cuba has done a lot of trade with Spain. Mexico has done trade with Cuba. But we haven't seen that improve the lives of the average Cuban citizen. It may have improved the lives of the privileged elite in Cuba, but not of the average Cuban citizen which is why we have had a policy that we will not do business with a dictatorship that doesn't believe in human rights, in freedom and in ensuring that people have a role to play in the prosperity of their country.

QUESTION: Marcel Calfat, CTV, Canada. We mentioned aid, some critics would say that apart from waiting for Fidel to die or to be replaced, what channels do you have of communication to help along this -- a transition that would go in the direction the U.S. is hoping for, official, unofficial?

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: We have--one very important communication channel is TV Marti. And we believe that TV Marti will be much improved in the future so that Cubans can hear what's happening in the outside world in a free fashion. But TV Marti is a very, you say, official way of communicating with people on the island. Radio Marti is also a way. One of the great tragedies of Cuba today is that at a time when the whole world is being connected by the internet and so many people around the world are making connections with other cultures through the internet and learning and growing through the internet that people in Cuba don't have access to the internet. And you have to ask yourself what kind of leader fears that their people will have access to the outside world and that's the question that I would ask the Cuban Government. (Inaudible) to see more computers, we would like to see more PCs as a way also to communicate with the Cuban people.

QUESTION: As a follow-up, I was also thinking of--are there any behind-the-scene efforts on the part of the U.S. Government with maybe budding opposition groups or leaders in civil society to help along in that transition you're talking about.

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: We're doing things in a transparent way. We want to communicate with the Cuban people in an above board way through television, through personal computers, through the internet and that's what we would encourage the Cuban Government to do for their people. And as I mentioned before, there's no bigger form of insecurity than a government that doesn't allow their people to communicate with the outside world. So we're talking about very transparent avenues here.

MODERATOR: Anyone not had a question?

MODERATOR: You need to come up to the microphone in the middle.

QUESTION: Jose Carreno with El Universal of Mexico. I have a couple of questions, if I may. You mentioned that the majority of countries in the region is democratic. However, in the last year we have seen what has been called the pink tide rising in Latin America that, as a matter of fact, has been--have had the difference of opinions with the United States in statements, if not in fact. Does the United States is not concerned about this increasing difference of opinions with Latin American governments meaning Bolivia, Venezuela, even Peru, to a degree, Brazil, Chile? That's my first question.

My second question is being the point man of the United States Government towards Latin America and being an old hand on this one, I would like to know your opinion about what is being--what is happening in Mexico at this point.

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: Well, you see--I mean in terms of Latin America, you mentioned some countries. Let me just go down the list. Chile. We have a free trade agreement with Chile and it is doing exceptionally well. Peru, we've just negotiated a free trade agreement with Peru and we believe that that will do extremely well. The governments that by and large that you have talked about are all governments that are democratically elected. They believe in trade. They believe in investment. They believe in free enterprise. We do $39 billion of two-way trade with Brazil and we believe we can do a lot more.

So by and large there may be tactical differences here and there, as there are anytime, but fundamentally I believe that we have-- that we are more aligned today with Latin America than ever before. The exception is those--are those countries where there may not be fundamental alignment. The rule is absolute alignment; it's democracy, it's trade, it's business, investment, social justice. Those are the fundamental aspects that really count and that's where we have great, great consistency with the beliefs in Latin America today.

In terms of Mexico, there's a process. The Mexicans are going through that process. I applaud the democratic process that the Mexican people have been through and it's all--it's in the hands of Mexicans.

MODERATOR: We have about four or five more minutes, so if there are some people that haven't asked questions.

QUESTION: I'm Jorge Banales from the Spanish News Agency EFE*. You were earlier at the Cato Institute and you talked about Cuba and there are two sentences that caught my attention. I would like you to expand on this.

One is you say we pledge to discourage third parties from obstructing the will of the Cuban people. I would like to know what third parties are you talking about.

And second, United States and our citizens pose no threat to the security or the homes of the Cuban people. What does that mean?

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: Look, the -- we believe that the Cuban people should be in charge of their destiny, the Cuban people should be allowed to elect their government and we do not want to see anyone -- any third party -- stand in the way of the rights of the Cuban people to elect their government.

In terms of the point about that the United States and our citizens pose no threat to the security or the homes of the Cuban people, there has been a lot said in Cuba about Cubans are going to come back and kick you out of their houses and kick you out of your houses and take you out and, you know, they're going to come back and mistreat you. We pledge that the U.S. and the citizens of the U.S. pose no harm and it is not true that we are going to go back and -- or we are going to Cuba and evict people from their houses or take their houses, because that has been said by the communist regime in Cuba and we are dispelling that and we are telling the Cuban people that that is just not true.

QUESTION: A follow-up?

MODERATOR: You need to come up to the microphone.

QUESTION: Sorry. What the Cuban Government has been saying is that the Cubans who have been expatriated, they will come back to reclaim their properties, so the people who are occupying the residences now are not the legal owners and Cubans who are in exile who come back and reclaim their properties. That is what you are saying; it will not happen?

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: What I'm saying is that the United States and the citizens of the United States pose no threat to the security or the homes of the Cuban people. If you're saying that people in Cuba have been told by the regime in Cuba that they are not the rightful owners, then you should ask that question to the people in Cuba who are saying that. I'm telling you it's not going to happen.

MODERATOR: You had a question, ma'am.

QUESTION: Yes, thank you. Maria Lisa Rossel from Radio Programas del Peru. A follow-up on Cuba. When the commission report present their conclusions two weeks ago, some members of the opposition were -- rejected those -- that inform the commission, the Free Cuba Commission conclusions. Do you think that this time the reaction of the opposition in Cuba will be different?

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: Well, I don't -- I'm not aware of the opposition in Cuba’s real feelings on the report. I mean, the opposition in Cuba doesn't have the ability to talk openly. I haven't heard a member of the opposition being interviewed on television in Cuba. I haven't seen a member of the opposition writing an editorial in a newspaper. So I haven't seen or read what the opposition has said. I've seen what the communist regime prints as what the opposition thinks, but -- yes.

MODERATOR: Last question.

QUESTION: (Inaudible.) As you know, Venezuela now is a member of MERCOSUR so I would like to know if you think that this fact makes more difficult an understanding or a trade agreement with the United States.

SECRETARY GUTIERREZ: Well, MERCOSUR has decided to invite Venezuela to be a member. That is very much in their purview. That is a decision that MERCOSUR has made and we have no comment or opinion regarding that. They have every right to make that decision.

MODERATOR: Thank you.