11:15 A.M. EST
SECRETARY POWELL: Well, good morning, ladies and gentlemen; good morning, colleagues. It is a great pleasure to welcome you to this very important forum and to welcome you to the State Department.
I am very happy to see that we have had such a successful turnout for this important forum. And I am pleased to be joined by my Cabinet colleagues on the stage, who have already been announced to you, and I am also pleased to see so many members of Congress who are here present in the audience to show their support for this important forum. It is my pleasure, of course, to have welcomed you, but also to have the opportunity to introduce our speaker.
You know, historians like to name eras of time, and they have attempted to define the eras in Europe and America's interaction with Africa during this past 100 years. They have called these different eras the Era of Exploitation and Exploration -- the Colonial Era. And then there was the Cold War Era. And then we had the Post-Cold War Era, often associated with ethnic conflict, political unrest, humanitarian emergencies and economic assistance. Ladies and gentlemen, whatever any one of us may think of these different characterizations, we are here today assembled to inaugurate a new era in American-African relations. (Applause.)
The Post-Cold War period has given way to what some call the Post Post-Cold War era, though I don't think that name will survive in the literature. The fact is that we are all living in a new century, an increasingly globalized world is before us. And the leader I am about to present to you believes that, despite the terrorism we have seen in recent weeks, this is a very promising time indeed for America, indeed for Africa, and for the world. This is an era of growing political and economic freedom, an era of partnership and an expanding world economy. A successful entrepreneur himself, the man I am about to introduce believes that the greatest thing governments can do is to unleash the creative energies of their private sectors.
He believes that what this forum is about and what the African Growth and Opportunity Act was all about are profoundly important in unleashing the creative energies of the private sector and of the men and women of Africa. He believes that, by history and by choice, Africa matters deeply to America and he has made Africa a priority. He may be leading a global war against terrorism, but he is here today to underscore just how high a priority Africa is for him and for his Administration. He believes as strongly as you do in the future of Africa and he is determined that Americans work as partners with all of you to build that future.
And so, ladies and gentlemen, it is my high honor and distinct privilege to present to you a true friend of Africa, the President of the United States, George W. Bush. (Applause.)
END 11:18 A.M. EST