MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Obama congratulates Chile, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico on bicentennial

Hillary Clinton expects a future of greater cooperation with the hemisphere

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton congratulated Chile, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico on the bicentennial of their independence to be celebrated in the course of 2010 and said she was hopeful the anniversary would also celebrate a future of “greater cooperation in the hemisphere”.

“This year, people across our hemisphere will celebrate the “Year of the Bicentennial.” Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico are marking 200 years of independence. All of us across the Americas are joining together to honour our shared history and the values of democracy, diversity, and tolerance that form our common heritage”.

Speaking on behalf of President Barack Obama, Mrs Clinton acknowledged that 2009 had been a year of challenges and testing.

“In the last year, our hemisphere has been challenged -- from Honduras to Haiti to Chile. And our ability to respond to these crises as a community has been tested. But we have met these challenges together, with faith in our institutions, confidence in our values, and compassion for our friends and neighbours”.

We must strive to carry that same spirit of cooperation beyond times of crisis in order to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities facing the people of the Americas. There is so much we can learn from each other and so much we can accomplish together. We can encourage broad-based prosperity, champion democracy and human rights, and ensure that every child born in the Americas has the opportunity to fulfil his or her God-given potential”.

“This “Year of the Bicentennial” is a time to honour our past while we look to the future -- as we continue on our common journey to create better lives for our citizens and even stronger ties between our nations”, concluded Mrs Clinton.