Remarks at the Women Leaders Dinner
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Mexico City, DC, Mexico
March 25, 2009
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I want to thank all of you for gathering here this evening. I thank the Secretary for a very well-planned day that enabled us to discuss a broad range of issues and concerns. And I thank you Margarita for being here, for your kind words. And to all of you, I want to reaffirm how committed President Obama and I are to this relationship which we believe is strategic, comprehensive, broad, deep, and very personal.
We share a set of common values and experiences, we share a common space, and we share a common future. And it is our great hope that we will, over the course of the next years, demonstrate a capacity to work together, unparalleled in our past, to solve problems, but more importantly, to seize opportunities and build that better future.
I have a personal privilege in being the Secretary of State at this moment in our country’s history, and it is, for me, very special to be here in Mexico. I did want to come to Mexico as soon as I could. Some of you may have heard that my husband and I honeymooned in Mexico. We came back often to vacation in Mexico. He came back as President and I came as First Lady to Mexico. I’m a little worried that my Administration back in Washington may think that my coming to Mexico is not work, but pleasure; it always has been.
But today, I come both personally committed to our relationship, and carrying the message of a new Administration that feels so strongly about building that strong foundation on which we will stand together. And I especially appreciate the opportunity to meet with all of you. I hope we can have a real conversation, because I wanted not just to have an official dinner, but to hear what is on your minds, what we can do together, concerns that you have. This is a diverse group of very accomplished women. It has been a real commitment of mine to meet with women around the world, because I have learned a lot and I always feel that you learn more by listening than by talking.
So I want to again thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to have such an early dinner. (Laughter.) And I look forward to returning with President Obama in just a few weeks, and then to – and doing the hard work to realize the promise that we all feel about the future. So let me raise a glass to the government and people of Mexico, to the democracy and promise of Mexico, and to the friendship and partnership between the United States and Mexico. Salud.
# # #
We share a set of common values and experiences, we share a common space, and we share a common future. And it is our great hope that we will, over the course of the next years, demonstrate a capacity to work together, unparalleled in our past, to solve problems, but more importantly, to seize opportunities and build that better future.
I have a personal privilege in being the Secretary of State at this moment in our country’s history, and it is, for me, very special to be here in Mexico. I did want to come to Mexico as soon as I could. Some of you may have heard that my husband and I honeymooned in Mexico. We came back often to vacation in Mexico. He came back as President and I came as First Lady to Mexico. I’m a little worried that my Administration back in Washington may think that my coming to Mexico is not work, but pleasure; it always has been.
But today, I come both personally committed to our relationship, and carrying the message of a new Administration that feels so strongly about building that strong foundation on which we will stand together. And I especially appreciate the opportunity to meet with all of you. I hope we can have a real conversation, because I wanted not just to have an official dinner, but to hear what is on your minds, what we can do together, concerns that you have. This is a diverse group of very accomplished women. It has been a real commitment of mine to meet with women around the world, because I have learned a lot and I always feel that you learn more by listening than by talking.
So I want to again thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to have such an early dinner. (Laughter.) And I look forward to returning with President Obama in just a few weeks, and then to – and doing the hard work to realize the promise that we all feel about the future. So let me raise a glass to the government and people of Mexico, to the democracy and promise of Mexico, and to the friendship and partnership between the United States and Mexico. Salud.
# # #
PRN: 2009/T3-3
The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.