Text 1177, 330 rader
Skriven 2005-07-07 23:39:54 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0507073) for Thu, 2005 Jul 7
===================================================
===========================================================================
Press Briefing by Deputy National Security Advisor Faryar Shirzad on the G8
Meetings
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 7, 2005

Press Briefing by Deputy National Security Advisor Faryar Shirzad on the G8
Meetings
G8 Media Center
Auchterarder, Scotland



3:59 P.M. (Local)

MR. JONES: Good afternoon, everyone. I'd like to introduce Mr. Faryar
Shirzad. He's Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics.
He's also the United States G8 Sherpa leading us through the process.
Faryar is here to place today's events in context.

MR. SHIRZAD: Good afternoon. We are about midway through, or more than
midway through the first day of formal meetings among the G8 leaders.
President Bush came into these meetings with several objectives. Those
included trying to -- making sure that we work with Prime Minister Blair in
advancing his goals of using the summit as a way to advance the objectives
with regard to both the issues of climate change and Africa. The President
also came into this summit with the goal of continuing the work that was
done in last year's summit in Sea Island, which the United States hosted --
in advancing the objectives of promoting an agenda of democracy and freedom
in the Middle East, building on the broader Middle East initiative that was
launched last year, and then, as well, to work with the other G8 leaders on
continuing cooperation of the security agenda, as well as using the G8 to
promote economic growth, including through giving an impetus to movement
through the WTO negotiations.

The discussions that the leaders have had have gone very well. They started
in the morning with discussions among the 8 on the issue of global economy
and climate change. They were then joined by the five outreach countries,
as well as the heads of a number of international organizations and
international financial institutions. And then they went into a lunch
session with that larger group to continue their discussion on the broader
topic of global economy and climate change.

In the preparations for the summit, and even over the course of the several
days that we've been here at Gleneagles, there's been a lot of work done on
a number of texts and leader statements that the leaders hope to issue by
the time we're done here. The work on those is ongoing. I understand that
there's been some delay in terms of formal issuance of some of these papers
because of other events. But the work on the formal statements that will be
coming out of the summit has been going very well. The work has, over the
last six months, been proceeding in a very cooperative, collegial spirit.

Both on the issues of Africa and climate, which have been important issues
for the Prime Minister, but also important issues for us, the work we've
done has been very good and we're very hopeful that we'll have good results
coming out when we're ultimately done with the summit. So with that, I'm
happy to take your questions.

Q Is the global climate communiqu going to be delayed until tomorrow?

MR. SHIRZAD: I don't know the particulars of what the rescheduling have
been. I know a series of documents were supposed to have been issued this
afternoon right around this time. I don't know what the presidency has
decided to do in terms of timing. Fred may know --

MR. JONES: I don't have an exact time.

MR. SHIRZAD: Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for you.

Q Is that one finished? Is global climate change, is that one finished?
Because it was supposed to come out at 3:00 p.m., so it must be done.

MR. SHIRZAD: Nothing is done until it's formally out the door. But I think
what you'll see is we have worked very, very well together. I think the
substance of what we want to do is essentially there. What we were trying
to do with the climate piece has been -- and I think what the Prime
Minister was trying to do and something that we embrace very much was to
try to use this G8 summit as a way to find the common ground on the climate
issue. You know there's been a lot of differences, dating back to 2001,
over the Kyoto protocol. What this summit has allowed -- has given us an
opportunity to do, and the preparatory process has been helpful, is to find
the common ground and one that reflects a series of goals that the
President has long advocated, which is to look at the issue of climate as a
part of a broader set of interrelated issues of economic development,
energy security, dealing with the problems of pollution, and then through
that, also dealing with the issues of climate change.

So I think what you'll see is the group coming to consensus on a statement
that reflects both concrete actions, as well as a statement of how to frame
the issue that's very much along the lines of what the President has talked
about for a long time on this topic.

Q The Prime Minister talked about not reaching a consensus until maybe
2012, when Kyoto expires. Is that reflected in the document? And is that
acceptable to the United States?

MR. SHIRZAD: The question was that the Prime Minister has talked about
finding a consensus for 2012. I don't think that's quite right. I think
what the Prime Minister and others talk about is the Kyoto protocol will
expire in 2012, and the question is, what regime will follow after the
Kyoto protocol.

I think what we're trying to do something here is to try to find consensus
on a much more immediate course of action that we can launch even coming
out of this summit where we can deal with the issues of climate change in
-- as a part of this interrelated set of concerns of economic development,
energy, security and pollution immediately. A lot of it builds on work that
we've done in the United States to try to advance the technology and the
science on the issue of climate change, to advance the issues of energy
security by promoting clean energy technologies, as well as doing those
things in a way that promotes economic development around the world.

The President talked in his speech before he came out to the summit about
the challenge of development and the problems with the idea that you would
put developing countries on an energy diet. And I think looking at the
issue of climate change as a part of an interrelated whole is, I think, the
constructive path that he's been wanting to advocate. And I think -- we're
hopeful you'll see that in what ultimately comes out of this summit.

Q Can you describe the scene in the room as President Bush and the other
leaders learned about what was happening in London? And can you tell us
anything about whether the President is having any bilateral or informal
discussions with any of the other leaders today about terrorism and related
security issues?

MR. SHIRZAD: The question is, could I describe the scene in the room when
they first heard about or started discussing the issue of the bombings in
London. As you know, one of the things that makes the G8 special and
different is that it's very much a setting in which the eight leaders get
to meet in private, to have unscripted, off-the-record discussions about
issues of common interests. So, in that spirit, there was no staff in the
room other than the sherpas. And so, in that spirit, I don't want to
characterize the specifics of what happened or how the discussions went.

But I think in terms of the public statements you heard, both the ones that
President Bush gave, as well as the joint statement that the G8 leaders,
along with the Plus 5 leaders, plus the head of the international
organizations, I think reflected the common sense of concern, condolence
and outrage among all participants about what had happened, and expressions
of support for the Prime Minister and the British people.

Q And what is he doing today? Is he having any other talks with any of the
other leaders? They're all gathered here; it's kind of a remarkable
gathering of all these people concerned about these issues. Is this not
something they're discussing in some way, shape or form?

MR. SHIRZAD: In terms of the formal scheduling, there's only one bilateral
that the President had scheduled. But there are a series of sort of
informal pull-asides, conversations that have occurred and are occurring
throughout the day between the meetings, even over the course of the
meetings. It's very much of an opportunity for these leaders to talk
through as a group, as well as individually, on issues of interest. And so
there's a lot of back-and-forth that occurs among the leaders raising
issues, including issues of the day.

Q Has there been any discussion about Iran and Iraq in today's meetings?

MR. SHIRZAD: The question is whether there's been any discussion about Iran
or Iraq at today's meetings. Thus far, the sessions have all been focused
on the issue of global economy and climate change. They'll be talking about
regional issues, including Iran and Iraq, this afternoon and this evening,
and that's when I would expect them to talk about those issues.

Q Before the summit began, Jacques Chirac expressed the idea that the
euro-dollar rate should be much more guided, shall we say, and also there's
the issue of the yuan's pegging to the dollar. Was there a discussion of
foreign exchange in general? Was there a discussion specifically of China's
role in pegging the yuan to the dollar?

MR. SHIRZAD: The question had to do with whether there was any specific
discussion regarding exchange rates, including the specifics of the Chinese
peg of the yuan to the dollar. You know, the discussions they had today
were wide-ranging, they talked about a number of issues. In terms of
whether they talked about specifics of exchange rates, at this point I
can't say one way or the other. There was sort of a broad-ranging
discussion, but, frankly, I'm not sure if I can go into that level of
detail in terms of the specifics of what they talked about.

Q Can you help us out a little bit at least with the time frame of when the
two leaders learned about the bombing? Did they learn about it right as
they wrapped up their talk with reporters? And did they go into the meeting
and talk about it?

MR. SHIRZAD: I think what I'm advised is we'll let Scott deal with sort of
the specifics of the timing. I can tell you I heard about it at -- I guess
it would have been right before we started the first session of the
morning. In terms of when each other leader heard, I don't know, because
the specifics of the timing of who heard what, when, I think varied from
leader to leader.

Q Can you talk about the progress you've made on phasing out export
subsidies for agriculture?

MR. SHIRZAD: I didn't hear the whole question, but I think the question
was, what kind of progress have you made on the goal of eliminating export
subsidies? There was -- there has been extensive discussion of trade among
the leaders, including in the broader session. I think there's a common
concern or interest in advancing the Doha development negotiations.

What the President talked about earlier when he and the Prime Minister
spoke to the press reflected his strong ambition in the area of free trade
to both advance the goal of eliminating subsidies in the ag sector, as well
as, as he said in the past, about his broader interest in eliminating
market access barriers. You know, the President has long had a very
ambitious vision in the area of free trade. He's been a free trader
throughout his presidency, and I think -- and even before. And he has laid
out a clear sort of vision of wanting to eliminate both subsidies and
market access barriers in the ag sector, but to do it in the context where
the whole world joins and we eliminate them all together, once and for all.
And I think it's an invitation that he's issued to the European Union, in
particular, and I know he's very -- has a very high level of ambition in
that regard.

Q Are negotiations continuing on the communiqu s that are going to be
issued? And if so, can you tell us, have those discussions been affected at
all by the -- what happened in London?

MR. SHIRZAD: I don't want to get into the specifics. The question was, are
the negotiations on the communiqu s still ongoing, and have the
deliberations been affected by the events in London. There's a whole series
of communiqu s that have been worked on. Frankly, I haven't quite done the
math on them, but I think there might be north of 15 of them that we're
working on, dealing with a range of issues -- regional issues, economic
issues, security issues, and otherwise. Most of them are done and closed.
The ones that aren't done, there's -- I think we're well within reach of
getting them done.

At this point, I think the -- I'm not aware of any of the discussions that
-- any of the work left being hampered in any significant way. I think
there's a sense of determination that everyone has that we need to proceed
with the important work here at the summit. I think the contrast that this
summit serves in terms of a summit designed to improve the lives of people,
deal with the challenges of poverty, I think it would be fair to say it's
given a lot of the leaders a sense of determination that we want to see
strong results and to get our work -- get the work done. And I think in the
end you'll see the results to demonstrate that commitment.

Q And other than the joint statement issued today by the leaders, will
there be anything added because of what happened in London?

MR. SHIRZAD: The question was, other than the joint statement that was
issued today, will there be anything else added on the events in London.
I'm not aware if there will be. I don't know that.

Q In these pull-asides that you referred to a few minutes ago, the
conversations that are sort of informal and bilateral, do you think that
the President is seeking or getting any further support for his efforts in
the war on terrorism from the other leaders in the G8?

MR. SHIRZAD: The question was, in the pull-asides or the informal
get-togethers that the President has had, has he been seeking or getting
increased cooperation, further support in his goal of dealing with
terrorism. You know, a lot of the discussions the President has had have
been informal in nature; they cover a wide range of issues. I don't want to
get into the specifics of what he's raised at individual meetings and with
whom particular topics were raised. So I'll just leave it at that.

Q Let me just try one more time. In what way, in your own words, how would
you describe the way in which the dynamic of today's sessions were affected
by the news of the bombings?

MR. SHIRZAD: The question is for me to describe in my own words how I felt
the dynamics in the room were affected by the bombings. Obviously, each
leader has to speak for themselves. I think if I had to characterize, what
I saw was a renewed sense of determination on the part of the leaders to
proceed with their work, to produce real results that demonstrated their
collective commitment to improve the lives of people, to deal with the
global challenges in front of us, including the alleviation of poverty.

So I think what I saw was a group of leaders who had a renewed sense of
purpose in terms of advancing the common good, in the light of what
happened. And I think -- I'm hopeful the results you'll see will underscore
that commitment.

Q What were the dynamics about the declaration on terrorism? I mean, was it
prepared by the sherpas, or prepared by the British delegation? Was it
shown to the Chinese, the Indians? How did they all work together, and how
did they share this document? And is it the first time that such a wide
group of leaders is taking such a strong statement on terrorism?

MR. SHIRZAD: The question asked to describe the dynamics surrounding the
preparation of the joint statement on the terrorist incident -- or on the
incident in London -- how was it prepared; who wrote it.

I don't want to get -- the statement is a common statement. It was shared
with all the leaders. They all agreed to it. It reflected some input that
some of the leaders had. But it was based on a formulation that the Prime
Minister put together, the UK put together, but was endorsed by all the
leaders. And I think the fact that they stood with him when it was issued
underscored the fact that they joined him in the substance and the spirit
of what was issued.

Q Is that the first time, according to your records, that such a statement
has such wide support?

MR. SHIRZAD: The question is, as far as I know, is this the first time that
a statement like this has had such broad support. I have no idea. I don't
know. I don't know the answer to that question.

Q Who did he have pull-asides with -- the President? Did he have a
pull-aside with each leader? And I'm curious about the Chinese, as well.

MR. SHIRZAD: Remember, it's a very -- the G8s are very informal settings;
it's a very small number of people that are in the room. To the extent
there are breaks between the meetings, it's a small number of folks, so I
would venture that most of the leaders had some moment to talk to each
other over the course of -- we'll, by the time we're done, have an
opportunity to talk to each other. How extensive the discussions get or how
substantive they get, obviously it depends on leader to leader. And a lot
of it is very informal in nature; it's just a matter of the leaders getting
together and talking, raising issues sometimes just off on their own with
no staff there. So it's hard for me to generalize.

I apologize, the question had to do with whether I could characterize
further the type of pull-asides the President had.

MR. JONES: Thank you very much. And once again, so I can do this for
everybody, that was Deputy National Security Advisor for International
Economics, and also the United States Sherpa, Faryar Shirzad.

END 4:19 P.M. (Local)

===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/07/20050707-3.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)