Remarks by the President at United States Chamber of Commerce Reception

NEW ORLEANS--(Business Wire)--
Gallier Hall

6:36 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. I want to thank the band for giving me a
chance to relive my youth. (Laughter.) I've had many a fine day here
in New Orleans -- and a pretty good night, too. (Laughter.) And it's
great to be back. I want to thank the U.S. Chamber for hosting this
reception in honor of the North American Leaders' Summit between
Canada, the United States and Mexico. And for all of you here from
Canada and Mexico, welcome to New Orleans, one of America's greatest
cities. (Applause.)

I chose to host this summit in New Orleans for a variety of
reasons, one of which is, for centuries this city has been a place
where commerce and culture from across the globe have come together --
one of the really great international cities in the United States. And
once again, New Orleans now steps on the international scene, where it
should be.

I want to thank Tom for hosting the deal, and I want to thank all
the members of the U.S. Chamber for being here tonight. I thank
members of the North American Competitiveness Council for being here
-- looking forward to meeting with you in the morning.

I want to thank the Governor of the great state of Louisiana,
Bobby Jindal, and the First Lady for being here. (Applause.) My old
buddy, the Mayor -- Mayor Nagin is here. Mr. Mayor, it's great to see
you. (Applause.) We have spent some quality time together --
(laughter) -- including on the deck of the USS Iwo Jima. Non-alcohol
beer for me. (Laughter.)

I thank all the state and local officials. I particularly want to
say thanks to the Senators from Louisiana for joining us today -- Mary
Landrieu, thanks for coming, Senator. (Applause.) David Vitter --
Senator, it's good to have you here. Thanks for coming. (Applause.)
Congressman William Jefferson, thanks for being here -- (applause) --
appreciate you being here. I thank the -- thanks for coming.

One thing is for certain -- New Orleans has come a long way since
Hurricane Katrina hit. It -- and we've tried to do our part at the
federal level. We spent over $120 billion to help the Gulf Coast
recover. The money has helped rebuild a school system, a dilapidated
school system, that is now better than before. The money has helped
improve the criminal justice system. The money has helped to rebuild
highways. The money has helped to strengthen storm surge protection
systems, so people can feel comfortable living here.

New Orleans faces immense challenges. There's still a lot of work
to be done. But there's a lot of hope in this city. I mean, you can
see it in the face of the teachers. You can see hope in the jobs that
are being created. There's a lot of entrepreneurial spirit in New
Orleans. You can see hope in the fact that people are absolutely
determined to rebuild this city better than it was before.

And so, for all of you who have contributed to New Orleans'
resurgence, I want to thank you on behalf of a grateful nation.
(Applause.)

This is an important summit. It gives three friends a chance to
come together to discuss our commitment to security and prosperity.
It's a chance to reconfirm the need for the three of us to work in
harmony together for the good of our peoples. It's a chance to talk
about how we can best protect our people and extend prosperity. And
one of the best ways to do that is through trade.

The people of Louisiana understand the benefits of trade
firsthand. While many sectors of the economy were hit hard by Katrina,
exports were a source of strength. And they continue to be in the
years since. I don't know if a lot of people know this, but exports
from Louisiana surpassed $30 billion in the year 2007 -- that would be
$30 billion for the first time ever. (Applause.) All these exports
come through New Orleans, which is a source for jobs and hope.

And the fundamental question is, will we continue to be a nation
that believes in free and fair trade? Canada and Mexico are our two
most important trading partners. Since the North American Free Trade
Agreement took effect, an agreement I strongly support, trade between
the United States, Mexico and Canada has more than tripled, and our
economies have grown by more than 50 percent. (Applause.)

One of the challenges for the North American Competitiveness
Council is to find unnecessary regulations that prohibit the free flow
of trade. And so tomorrow the leaders at the Council will come forth
with specific recommendations, and I'm looking forward to hearing
them, and I'm looking forward to implementing them.

The United States has an opportunity to continue a trading agenda.
As a matter of fact, we have an opportunity with three important
countries -- Colombia, South Korea and Panama. Interestingly enough,
all three of these countries are among Louisiana's top 10 foreign
markets for exports. These agreements will be good for New Orleans'
workers and business. And the Mayor recognized that. He wrote a leader
to our Speaker -- wrote a letter to our Speaker, who is the leader in
the Congress -- and here's what he said: "Each of the future free
trade agreements would provide unique opportunities for the city of
New Orleans to increase international economic development."

Unfortunately, we had a setback in a very important free trade
agreement with Colombia. The Speaker made a decision to block the free
trade agreement. It's an unfortunate decision, and the deal is dead
unless she changes her mind. And that's bad for American workers and
it's bad for our security, and it's bad for the people here in New
Orleans, Louisiana.

The economic argument for free trade with Colombia is very clear.
Almost all Colombian products now enter America duty-free, yet many of
our products -- (feed drop) -- tariffs in Colombia. Now, think about
that. All I suggest is that we level the playing field; that we be
treated just like we treat others. -- (feed drop) -- products into
Colombia face a tax, a tariff, which makes them more expensive. It
makes it harder for our small businesses and farmers to be able to
sell into Colombia. Yet their products come here virtually duty-free.
And so, by approving this deal, it will level the playing field, but
more importantly, it will help our entrepreneurs and help our workers.

There's another cost because of congressional inaction, and that
is, Colombia is one of our strongest allies in our neighborhood, and
it's important to support our friends. And it's important to send a
clear message that we stand for rule of law and democracy, which is
precisely what President Uribe believes in. He's fighting these --
(feed drop) -- strengthen the rule of law. He's protecting his labor
leaders. He is a strong, solid leader.

Yet if we turn down this deal or if this deal does not go forward,
it would send a variety of messages: One, America can't be counted on
to stand next to its friends. Two, it will embolden the voices of
false populism in our neighborhood. And three, it will make it harder
for President Uribe to do what is necessary to make sure Colombia is a
safe place for people to live. And I fully understand that this is a
tough political vote for some, but it's about time America sets aside
petty politics and focuses on doing what's right for the United States
of America. (Applause.)

So thanks for letting me come by, and thanks for hosting this very
important meeting. I am confident the Prime Minister of Canada and the
President of Mexico will really enjoy their stays in New Orleans. They
will find what I have found -- that it's a city not only of good food,
good cheer, but it's a city of really fine people. God bless.

END 6:45 P.M. CDT

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