[Title 3 CFR 6987]
[Code of Federal Regulations (annual edition) - January 1, 1998 Edition]
[Title 3 - Presidential Documents]
[Proclamation 6987 - Proclamation 6987 of April 11, 1997]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


3Presidential Documents11998-01-011998-01-01false6987Proclamation 6987Presidential Documents
Proclamation 6987 of April 11, 1997

Pan American Day and Pan American Week, 1997

By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

Each year, we pause to reflect on how the 34 free countries of the 
Western Hemisphere are inextricably linked to a shared vision through 
the common thread of democracy, free trade, and mutual respect. This 
vision can be achieved by continuing our efforts to create a hemispheric 
free trade area and by working together to uphold democracy, defend 
human rights, and defeat the scourge of narcotics trafficking.
The citizens of the Americas have made remarkable progress toward the 
advancement of democratic values and institutions, as well as the 
creation of integrated markets within which goods may be exchanged 
freely in a common market of ideas and innovation. Today, every country 
in our hemisphere--with one exception--has made the promise of democracy 
a reality. These countries have recognized that representative democracy 
is essential for guaranteeing the basic human rights of their citizens. 
Through common effort, we can make this gift of freedom a reality for 
all.
The United States applauds the people of Paraguay for their great 
accomplishment in resolving last year's constitutional crisis, and we 
welcome the central role of the Organization of American States in 
defending democracy in Paraguay. We commend the people and government of 
Guatemala for their success in forging a comprehensive peace accord, and 
we encourage

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the spirit of reconciliation that has firmly taken root 
throughout Central America. Americans continue to maintain a special 
consideration for the people of Haiti as they strive to consolidate 
their new democracy and set the stage for economic growth. Today, all of 
us must work together to encourage the one country--Cuba--that has not 
embraced our common purpose to join the community of democracies.
As the united standard bearers of democracy in the Western Hemisphere, 
we now approach a new century of unprecedented possibilities. Our vision 
is bold, and our expectations are high. Our cooperative spirit was 
nurtured through the Summit of the Americas, where we committed 
ourselves to free trade, representative democracy, relief from poverty, 
and respect for the environment. We are now collaborating closely with 
others in the hemisphere to prepare the agenda for the next Summit of 
the Americas, to be held in Santiago in March 1998. Never before has 
there been such a window of opportunity to promote a higher standard of 
living through improved access to quality education and adequate health 
care. Working together, we can prove that democracy provides the means 
for improving the daily lives of all the citizens of the Americas.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of 
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and 
laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Monday, April 14, 1997, as 
Pan American Day and April 13 through April 19, 1997, as Pan American 
Week. I urge the Governors of the 50 States, the Governor of the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the officials of other areas under the 
flag of the United States of America to honor these observances with 
appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day of 
April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and of 
the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
twenty-first.
                                                    WILLIAM J. CLINTON