President Clinton began his first South American trip Sunday by declaring that “we have an opportunity to bring the Americas together again” by cooperating on trade, energy and the fight against drug trafficking and poverty.
In a weeklong visit to Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina, the president hopes to demonstrate the importance of expanded trade with the region and thus build more support at home for his troubled proposal for “fast-track” trade authority.
Under political siege by the fundraising controversy at home, Clinton arrived to a much different atmosphere in Venezuela. He was greeted at the airport with a formal military welcome and flattering words by President Rafael Caldera.
“As we stand on the edge of a new century in a new millennium, we are very much like the first explorers who came here centuries ago,” Clinton said. “We can see a new world in the making. That is our chance and our responsibility. Let us seize it together.”
In the next several days, officials said, Clinton plans to sign a series of new agreements in the three countries that would strengthen the U.S. battle against the drug trade, increase energy cooperation and call for greater educational exchanges by the U.S.
Officials said drug agreements signed by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Sunday would step up extradition of traffickers and result in greater interdiction of drug smuggling. They said the U.S. is “encouraged” by Venezuela’s recent efforts to control the drug trade.
“As late as last year, we felt there was a problem in the area of certifying Venezuela” as a country that was doing everything it could to counter drug trafficking, said one senior administration official.
“There’s been a real turnaround,” said White House spokesman Michael McCurry.
Clinton’s top drug aide, Gen. Barry McCaffrey, said Venezuela “sits on one of the principal drug-smuggling routes out of Columbia.” A broader trade agreement between the U.S. and Venezuela will be signed Monday, McCaffrey said.
The energy agreement to be signed Monday would call for cooperation between the U.S. and Venezuela in promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy resources.
At the same time, the U.S. will be seeking to expand its oil shipments from Venezuela, now its No. 1 supplier, and reduce its reliance on oil from the volatile Middle East.
While the agreements may be modest, Clinton hopes to use them as a sign of his renewed interest in the region and to spotlight its new economic clout and trend toward democratic governments.
According to McCurry, the president told Caldera that he hopes Venezuela would continue to liberalize its economy “to support the hemisphere move toward free trade.”
In his arrival remarks, Clinton said “every country but one (Cuba) is now a democracy. Command economies have given way to free markets and the more widespread prosperity that they bring. We tear down trade barriers and create good jobs for all our people in the Americas, North and South.”
But all is not so rosy for Clinton’s plan for expanded trade. His proposal for fast-track trade authority, which would enable him to negotiate trade deals without congressional amendment, is in trouble on Capitol Hill.
Meanwhile, several countries, including Brazil and Argentina, have formed a regional trading alliance to cut their own trade deals internationally.
While the president emphasizes a hemispheric free-trade zone in the future, many South American nations are skeptical.
McCurry said concern has “probably diminished” in the region about Clinton’s decision in August to lift the embargo against high-tech weapons sales in South America and he does not expect it to be a major topic on his trip.
After a state dinner with Caldera on Sunday night, Clinton will visit the tomb of South America liberator Simon Bolivar on Monday, make a speech to the Venezuelan people and visit U.S. energy executives before flying to Brasilia on Monday night. He also will visit Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and Buenos Aires and the Andean resort of San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina.
