Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 105 Part 3.djvu/633

 PROCLAMATION 6271—APR. 17, 1991 105 STAT. 2517 and safety programs, and I encourage all Americans to observe this week with appropriate activities as we express our appreciation for the many contributions that men and women in agriculture make to our Nation. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifteenth. GEORGE BUSH Proclamation 6271 of April 17, 1991 Pan American Day and Pan American Week, 1991 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Just two months ago the Caribbean island nation of Haiti enjoyed, after decades of dictatorship, the inauguration of a President chosen in free, secure, and credible elections. This milestone in the history of Haiti marked yet another significant stride toward a completely democratic Western Hemisphere. Indeed, with the principal exception of Castro's Cuba, the nations of the Americas are experiencing a great resurgence of democracy. From Tierra del Fuego to Hudson Bay, from the Lesser Antilles to the Galapagos, courageous and determined peoples are reaping the blessings of liberty and self-government. Today, after several successive free elections in the vast majority of countries in the hemisphere, the nations of the Americas have an historic opportmiity to set an example of sustained and effective representative democracy and economic development. Indeed, it seems fitting that the hemisphere of George Washington and Toussaint L'Ouverture, of Thomas Jefferson and Simon Bolivar, of James Madison and Jose de San Martm, should help to lead the way to a &eer, more prosperous future for all mankind. The devotion to democratic ideals shared by the peoples of the Americas forms the cornerstone of the unique international alliance whose anniversary we celebrate this week. Just over a century ago, the nations of this hemisphere established the International Union of American Republics, later known as the Pan American Union. Today its successor, the Organization of American States, is working to promote transitions from dictatorship to democracy throughout the hemisphere. Signatories to the OAS Charter, adopted in 1948, expressed their conviction that "the true significance of American solidarity and good neighborliness can only mean the consolidation on this continent... of a system of individual liberty and social justice based on respect for the essential rights of man." After a century of partnership, we know that the proudest days of the inter-American community have been those when it has faithfully upheld these ideals. Accordingly, the United States will continue working to promote respect for human rights and the rule of law throughout the region.

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