Toast Remarks by the President at Official Dinner in Santiago, Chile

9:06 P.M. CT
 
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Buenas noches.  (Applause.)  President Pinera, First Lady, former Presidents Aylwin, Frei, Lagos; to all the distinguished guests here tonight, especially the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza.  It is wonderful to be here.  I have to say that because I've already given one speech tonight, I've already made remarks at the press — I'm going to keep my remarks tonight very brief, because otherwise you won't invite me back.  (Laughter.)
 
But on our flight into Chile today, we were all struck by the incredible beauty of the Andes.  We looked out the window, Michelle and my daughters and my staff, and we marveled at the awesome ranges and the snow-capped peaks.  It was truly spectacular.
 
And it called to mind something once said by a beloved daughter of both our countries, the novelist Isabel Allende.  She said, “I come from a land of mountains, where friendship is a blood pact…hospitality is sacred, [and] bonds unbreakable.”
 
President Pinera, First Lady, to you and the people of Santiago and of Chile, thank you for the extraordinary hospitality that you have shown both me, Michelle and our daughters.  And thank you for the friendship and the strong bonds between our people, which indeed are unbreakable.
 
Given the events that are unfolding half a world away, in Middle East and North Africa, I hope you’ll give me a brief moment to reflect on the broader meaning of the times that we live in.
 
We gather in a palace that tells the story of a nation, and its relationship with my own.  For many years, this was a symbol of how Chile lost its democracy.  But today, it stands as a testament to how Chile regained and rebuilt your democracy -— an achievement for which I know all Chileans are extraordinarily proud.
 
In this sense, you’ve fulfilled the vision of the liberator, Bolivar, who long ago predicted, “Chile can be free.”  Chile can be free.  And as I said in my speech today, at a time when others around the world are reaching for their own rights and struggling for their own sense of dignity, Chile sends a powerful message -—you, too, can write a new chapter in the story of your nation; you, too, can be free.
 
Some have called Chile’s progress a miracle.  But as you know so well, there was nothing miraculous about it.  It’s taken courage and sacrifice and resolve, over many years.  This, too, is Chile’s lesson for the world.  Democracy can’t be imposed from the outside.  It must spring from within, from the hearts and souls of those who seek it and are willing to work for it.
 
There’s a saying that goes, “Tell me who is by your side and I’ll tell you who you are.”  And so I would like to propose a toast — I hope they didn’t mix up our glasses — (laughter.)
 
To the people and progress of Chile —- the United States of America is proud to stand with you as partners.  And to what our partnership says about who we are —- two proud nations bound by the conviction that change is possible, that every nation can be free, and that there can be no denying the dignity and human rights that are so eloquently expressed in our Constitution and are now lived out in Chile today.  Salud.  (Applause.)
 
END
9:10 P.M. CT