Remarks on Greeting Participants in the Annual Conference of the National Association for Foreign Students Affairs.

THANK YOU very much for coming. I am delighted to welcome all of you in the Rose Garden at the White House, and I think it's most appropriate that we get together on this International Students Day, which is designated by the good mayor of the city of Washington, D.C.

I particularly welcome the special students from abroad, and I see so many of you here; it's a real privilege and a great pleasure. But also, I wish to thank those who have made this possible, those who are here that have contributed to the organization and the function that is so essential if we are to make the program work.

There is so much that we can learn from each other. You can learn about America, about our way of life, and obviously, we can learn about your countries and your cultures from each of your countries.

It's been my experience that there is absolutely no substitute for person-to-person relationships, and that is precisely why your presence in our country is so vitally important.

In the past few years, we have seen the world grow more and more interdependent because of scientific, economic, and political developments. But our understanding of each other has not always moved as rapidly. This is changing, however, as I perceive it, because people everywhere are recognizing the goals, the common goals, the hopes, and even the dreams that unite us as people in all parts of the globe.

The world does have many races, many creeds, and many different political systems. But these differences, in my judgment, need not divide us. The knowledge you bring to this country as you study in our universities and colleges gives us the benefit of your unique backgrounds.

And that helps, of course, to enrich the United States and our people, and it will promote, in my judgment, a better understanding between your countries and this country. And I ask, when you do return home, that you will share what you've learned in this country with your fellow citizens. We hope and trust that what you've learned will have a lasting and very beneficial impact on the relationships between all of us.

I do want to express again my appreciation for the work that has been done by so many to make this gathering possible and this program function. The representatives of the foreign student service organization, which does sponsor this activity, deserves a great deal of credit. I thank them, and I'm sure that you do.

And may I wish to all of you the very, very best, and I hope and trust that you will come back and see us again and that we can see you in your countries and continue the friendships that have developed.

Thank you very, very much.