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Skriven 2006-11-27 23:31:16 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0611272) for Mon, 2006 Nov 27
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Press Gaggle by Tony Snow and National Security Advisor Steve Hadley
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 27, 2006

Press Gaggle by Tony Snow and National Security Advisor Steve Hadley
Aboard Air Force One
En route Tallinn, Estonia



2:19 P.M. EST

MR. SNOW: Okay. Sorry to be so late. Very quickly, what we're going to do
is we'll start out, Steve is going to read out three foreign leader calls
that have been made on the flight and then take your questions: the foreign
leader calls to Hu Jintao, Hosni Mubarak and Jacques Chirac. And with that,
I hand it over to Steve.

MR. HADLEY: The first two calls were really about Sudan. As you know, there
appears to be an agreement that is in the process of being worked out for a
U.N.-AU force. This came out of the meeting in Addis, Ababa that the
Secretary General of the United Nations chaired. There is further
discussion on that, with a meeting of the Peace and Security Committee of
the AU here in the next day or two. And the President wanted to encourage
to do three things: One, to thank President Mubarak and President Hu Jintao
for the key role they have been playing in encouraging the Sudanese to
accept this arrangement; second, to encourage them to continue to urge
President Bashir to accept the arrangement and to so notify the AU -- the
African Union; and then, three, to encourage President Bashir to stop any
military activities by the jinjaweed and other forces against innocents in
Darfur.

With President Mubarak there was also a discussion about developments in
the Middle East, particularly the cease-fire in Gaza. Also some discussion
about the importance of supporting the Siniora government in sending a firm
message to Syria that it needs to stop destabilizing that government. That
was the subject of those calls.

The call with President Chirac was to preview and to talk about the
upcoming NATO summit. Obviously, NATO has a very important mission in
Afghanistan. The President wanted to emphasize the importance of that
mission as he sees it, the continuing American commitment to that meeting,
even as NATO is taking a greater role through the international security
assistance force. And there was a little discussion between the two leaders
of what our respective countries can do to provide greater support to
Afghanistan.

There was also discussion of the situation in Lebanon, the situation in the
Middle East. It was a pretty wide ranging conversation between the two
leaders.

Finally, the President also just called former Prime Minister Berlusconi of
Italy, just to wish him well. He's in the hospital for observation and the
President just wanted to wish him a speedy recovery. Those were the four
calls we did.

NATO is obviously going to be -- the President will have a meeting with the
leaders of Estonia, then with the leaders of Latvia, then, of course, the
NATO summit. The focus, as you know, on the importance of the NATO mission
in Afghanistan; a number of steps that need to be taken so that NATO member
countries increase their capability to be able to contribute to missions
like Afghanistan; and then, finally, ways that NATO can increase its ties
and cooperation with countries like Japan and Korea, that are assisting --
and Australia and others -- that are not NATO member countries, but are
nonetheless assisting NATO in military operations and talks about how to
increase planning and training and other things between NATO and those
countries. Those are the sort of three major focuses of the NATO meeting
that will occupy us for the next couple of days.

Q Steve, what about Iraq? What does the President feel like he needs to
say, and why does he need to say it in person to Nouri al-Maliki, at this
point?

MR. HADLEY: It's partly what to say and also what to hear, because,
obviously, as I think everyone would agree and as the President has said,
things are not proceeding well or fast enough, and that's something I think
Prime Minister Maliki agrees. And so the opportunity is for the two leaders
to talk about the way forward. Obviously, Iraq is going to be critical in
that, and the President wants to hear from Prime Minister Maliki what his
strategy -- what his vision and strategy is, going forward.

As we've said, you know, the goal for Iraq remains the same: A democratic
Iraq that is able to govern itself, defend itself, sustain itself and is an
ally in the war on terror. But we're clearly in a new phase, characterized
by this increasing sectarian violence. That requires us, obviously, to
adapt to that new phase and these two leaders need to be talking about how
to do that and what steps Iraq needs to take and how we can support them.

And let me also say that there's been a lot of discussion within the
American press about the need to adapt our strategy, a lot of discussion
about Baker-Hamilton, a lot of discussion on talk shows, a lot in the press
about ideas about the way ahead for Iraq. And it's important, I think, for
the President to send the message to Prime Minister Maliki that while he is
listening to all of these voices for ideas, is open to ideas, that in the
end of the day to reassure Prime Minister Maliki that it is the President
who will be crafting the way forward on Iraq and to reassure Prime Minister
Maliki it will be done in a way that is cooperative with Iraq, rather than
imposed on Iraq, so that we come out of this process with a strategy that
is an Iraqi strategy and a strategy that we share and can support.

Q Can I just follow on one area, which is the area of troops. Does the
President feel like he has to send a message, a specific message to Maliki
with regard to troops, either way, that we're keeping this level or might
increase or decrease? Does he feel that's an important message to send?

MR. HADLEY: I think the focus that Prime Minister Maliki has talked about
is the desire to accelerate the enhancing of Iraqi security forces, giving
them more, and the government -- the Iraqi government more responsibility
over security, and more control over the forces. So it's interesting, the
focus of Prime Minister Maliki in his comments has been less on our forces
and more on his forces, because he's made clear that the unity government,
which he heads, and the unity government which we fully support, wants to
be in a position to take more responsibility for security. That's what he
wants, that's what the Iraqi people want, that's what we want.

Q But it's not happening.

MR. HADLEY: They are taking more responsibility for security. As you know,
there are provinces that have been handed over to Iraq, to Iraqi forces.
There is a process by which Iraqi divisions are now coming under the Iraqi
national command structure. There are more instances where Iraqi forces are
in the lead. But, obviously, the situation in Baghdad and the situation in
Anbar is much more difficult. And one of the things I'm sure they will talk
about is what are the strategies that will work in those two areas.

Q Will the President talk to Maliki about U.S. troop withdrawal in any way?

MR. HADLEY: I don't -- U.S. troop withdrawal? I don't think so. I think
what he will be talking about --

Q Will he talk about troop --

MR. HADLEY: -- what he will be talking about is what we need -- of the
security challenges we face, what we need to do to meet those challenges.
Again, Maliki's focus has been on his forces and getting more control over
his forces. We, obviously, have an important role to play in that. You have
heard General Abizaid in his testimony talking about embedding and greater
training effort and partnering with Iraqi forces. Abizaid talked about how
that might even result in a temporary increase in forces.

But we're not at the point where the President is going to be in a position
to lay out a comprehensive plan at this point. The President is going to be
listening to Maliki, giving Prime Minister Maliki some assurance that we're
going to develop this way ahead -- that he and the Prime Minister are going
to obviously develop this way ahead together.

Q With the Vice President having gone to Saudi Arabia, and the meeting with
Maliki taking place in Jordan, and you mentioned that the President talked
to Mubarak -- is there a sense that there needs to be a broader approach
involving countries in the region in dealing with Iraq?

MR. HADLEY: Well, we, of course, have been involved with countries in the
region in dealing with Iraq. There is, of course, the international
compact, of which you're well aware -- a series of undertakings by the
Iraqi government of things it's going to do going forward, and a series of
commitments by the international community to support that effort.

So there have been -- there is the international compact. There have been
meetings of countries in the past; there will be another one probably in
the next month or so of the countries participating in the international
compact. So there has been a lot of diplomacy. As you know, Ambassador
Khalilzad has been to a number of the neighboring countries, urging them to
provide greater support -- diplomatic, financial and otherwise -- to the
Iraqi government. So there has been a lot of regional and international
involvement in this process and I think it will continue.

Obviously, as you know, NATO has a training mission in Iraq. There are a
number of countries that are present in Iraq, in terms of PRTs, forces on
the ground. So it's been a very international effort from the beginning and
will continue to be so.

Deb.

Q What is he going to -- what is Bush going to tell him about reeling in
the militias? Is the President comfortable with the work that Maliki has
been doing on that? And how tough is his message going to be to Maliki on
that point?

MR. HADLEY: The first of it will be sort of hearing from Prime Minister
Maliki about militias -- excuse me, sorry -- and Prime Minister Maliki has
been very clear and very public about that. He has said that only the
government can have an armed force in the country; that there is no room
for militias and other unlawful armed groups outside the government. He
said that very clearly -- whether they are Shia or Sunni.

And one of the questions that the two leaders will talk about is what can
we do to help enable the unity government to be more effective in giving
effect to that policy. And that is going to have a political dimension to
it, bringing groups into the government to support the government -- but it
is also going to have a security dimension to it, that is to say, enabling
the Iraqi government to bring force to bear on those elements that stand
outside and in defiance of the government. And, obviously, we may have a
role, the coalition may have a role to play in that, as well. But it is
something that is going to have to be closely coordinated with the Iraqi
government because it is both a political and a security issue.

Q I have a question -- it's kind of a general question. You know, the
election is over, the Republicans didn't do well. Now he's going -- he's
got really high violence in Iraq, and then there are problems in Lebanon
and Iran and Syria and North Korea and the Gaza Strip. What kind of mood is
the President in right now about all these different problems around the
world?

MR. HADLEY: You know him -- he's a very resilient guy. And, look, it's a
new Middle East that is emerging. And I think he sees it as a real
opportunity, but also challenges. And it is both of those. And the task
he's given for himself and for the rest of us is how to take advantage of
these opportunities to advance the war on terror, advance the freedom
agenda, and, over time, bring real stability to that part of the region.

But as he's said many times, this is a long struggle, these are problems
we're going to be with for a long time. The problems in the Middle East
were a long time building, and it's going to take considerable time to get
--

Q -- regional war break out between the Sunnis and the Shias?

MR. HADLEY: -- (inaudible) -- think so. And that's one of the things, of
course, that's so important about what's going on in Iraq, because you have
really for the first time not only in Iraq's history, but also in the
region, where Sunnis, Shia, Kurds and other groups are trying to work
together in a democratic framework in which they share power -- rather than
one on top and the other down below.

This is a difficult thing to do. It's a challenging -- it is new in Iraqi
history and it's new for the region. But it is terribly important for this
to succeed as a model for democratic progress and peace in the region as a
whole.

Q Do you maintain it's still not a civil war in Iraq?

MR. HADLEY: Well, it's interesting, the Iraqis don't talk of it as a civil
war; the unity government doesn't talk of it as a civil war. And I think
the things they point to when they say that are, one, that at this point in
time the army and the police have not fractured along sectarian lines,
which is what you've seen elsewhere; and the government continues to be
holding together and has not fractured on sectarian terms.

But, look, the point is, it is what it is. There is a high level of
sectarian violence. It is a challenge for the Iraqis. It's a challenge for
us. We need to be talking about a way forward and a strategy for dealing
with it. And that's really what the President has been focusing on and
where we need to focus -- how to deal with this particular challenge going
forward.

Q -- the President fears that were he to --

MR. SNOW: -- (inaudible) -- civil war? No, but you have not yet had a
situation also where you have two clearly defined and opposing groups vying
not only for power, but for territory. What you do have is sectarian
violence that seems to be less aimed at gaining full control over an area
than expressing differences, and also trying to destabilize a democracy --
which is different than a civil war, where two sides are clashing for
territory and supremacy.

Q Can I just follow on -- isn't the President's fear that were he to
acknowledge that it is a civil war that there would be a further
bottoming-out of public support? There certainly have been Republicans and
others who have said the public would not stand by for U.S. forces to be in
the middle of a civil war. So isn't there a political dimension to this
that nobody wants to admit, including the Iraqis, that it is a civil war?

MR. HADLEY: I don't think Americans have any -- I think they -- through the
media and other things, there is a high degree of awareness, obviously that
there is a lot of sectarian violence. You know, you show it on your TVs and
it's in the newspapers. This is something that they're well aware of and
they're obviously very concerned about it and want to know what our
strategy is going forward, in light of this phenomenon -- which has really
served us, since February and the bombing of the Shia mosque.

So it is a new element on the security scene; it is a real challenge to the
government; it is something that the government needs to address. The unity
government is clear and aware of that. And it's a big challenge, and people
understand that. So I think people are aware, they're concerned, they want
us to work out a strategy with the Iraqi government that offers the
prospect of dealing with this problem. And that's what we're going to try
to do.

Q Can you explain how something that started in February is a new phase?

MR. HADLEY: I said it is a new phase that started in February, and
obviously we have seen more of it in recent days. I think one of the things
one has to recognize is that while we call it sectarian violence, there is
evidence, for example, that Saddamists, and particularly al Qaeda, are
trying to foment and encourage the sectarian violence. You have heard it,
you have read al Qaeda's words -- it was clearly part of Zarqawi's
strategy. We continue to see evidence that this is being something that is
triggered in order to encourage the kind of effect it has the society.

So we call it sectarian violence -- but I think one has to recognize that
for certain Saddamists and al Qaeda, particularly, this is premeditated,
this is a technique they are using. The effect of it, of course, is very
destructive, it sets communities against one another. And it is something
that we have addressed. It is, as you know, largely centered at this point
in Baghdad. We have been trying to address that through a Baghdad security
strategy. We have been through two phases. And I think the answer to that
is, at this point, it has not proceeded well enough or fast enough. And,
therefore, one of the subjects on the agenda is what is a better approach
to the challenge in Baghdad.

So it is new, that appeared in February; it is something we have been
dealing with and trying to adapt to with the Iraqi government. But, again,
we have not done well enough or fast enough to be satisfactory to Prime
Minister Maliki and his government, or to the President. That's just the
facts.

Q On Afghanistan, do you have any concern that NATO isn't up to the mission
in Afghanistan, either because of logistical problems -- like not enough
air lift -- or political problems, that countries aren't willing to put
their troops to do certain kind of fighting?

MR. HADLEY: I think all those issues are going to be addressed at the
upcoming NATO summit. I think you're going to see some announcements that
will address a number of those issues. I think there is a recognition on
the part of NATO that this is a terribly important mission, not only from
the standpoint of Afghanistan, but what it represents, in terms of the
struggle against al Qaeda and the Taliban in the war on terror.

And I think you're going to see a recognition of that, that it is an
important mission in its own right; but it is also important for NATO that
it not fail in this mission. This is a new mission for NATO. This is not
the kind of operation they've done before. There is going to be a lot of
learning on the job. NATO countries are going to find that they do not have
all the capabilities they need. One of the things that's going to be talked
about at the NATO summit are what steps can be made to develop those
capabilities over time. And it is going to be a challenge to all of us to
make the commitments to develop the capabilities to be steadfast in the
mission, to be real allies in the mission, supporting one another and to
succeed.

But I think there is an increasing awareness at how important this is for
the war on terror, how important it is for Afghanistan and how important it
is for NATO not to fail.

Q Do you think there is going to be a willingness to contribute more troops
by some of the European countries, and ease the caveats?

MR. HADLEY: We certainly talked about that and it's one of the subjects
that will be discussed at the NATO summit.

Q Can you just drill down a little deeper, Steve, on this issue of -- you
know, this new phase?

MR. HADLEY: I'm sorry, Deb, can you hear --

Q Yes, I can hear.

Q You're talking about the need to help Maliki -- essentially help himself
and crack down on the militias. And we've obviously known about this for a
long time. I'm just wondering if we can coax any more detail out of you --

MR. HADLEY: About what --

Q I'm sorry, the idea that his government needs to crack down on militias,
and we want to try to -- the U.S. wants to try to help him do that. Can you
talk in a little bit more detail, if you might, about what some of the
newer ideas are to sort of advance this? Because, I mean, as a concept
we've known about this for a long time.

MR. HADLEY: And we've been doing a lot about it for a long time. One, we
have been developing Iraqi security forces in order to have the capability
to deal with this problem, because it is obviously better if it is Iraq
forces dealing with Iraqis, than ours. So one of the things we've been
doing is developing that capability.

Secondly, one of the things Maliki has been doing -- he, by the way,
remember, Sadr and his part of the government -- he has appointed cabinet
members as part of the government. This is part of the strategy that Maliki
has been pursuing for some time to try and bring Sadr and forces loyal to
Sadr -- to him, in support of the government, and to isolate those
elements, those renegade elements of the Mahdi army that are standing
outside the government and are using force against either the government or
innocent civilians. That's a strategy he's been pursuing for some time.

So there is a security dimension that we've been working on; there is a
political dimension that Maliki has been working on, himself -- and one of
the challenges, of course, is to coordinate those two in a way that could
put pressure on folks either to come into the government or to put pressure
on them if they dare to stand outside. This is something Maliki has talked
a lot about, he has worked closely with Sadr, and it's something that the
President and the Prime Minister will talk about here, I'm sure.

MR. SNOW: Got to make it very quick, because we're about to land.

MR. HADLEY: Deb.

Q Is President Bush going to bring up the idea of embracing talks with Iran
and Syria, with Maliki?

MR. HADLEY: I think you're going to find that Prime Minister Maliki is
going to bring that up with the President. He has some strong views on that
subject. As you know, the Iraqis have been talking to the Syrians, the
Iraqis have been talking to the Iranians. Their view is that the future of
Iraq, if it is a subject of conversation with Syrian and Iran, ought to be
a conversation by Iraqis, not by others on the outside.

So this is a discussion that Iraqis have taken the lead on with both Iran
and Syria, and want to take the lead on. And so I think it's a subject,
actually, that Prime Minister Maliki is likely to bring up with the
President.

Q So he'll say, basically, let us do this, don't you convene direct talks?

MR. HADLEY: I've said what he has said, I think, publicly. We'll see what
else he says when the President and he get together.

Q Are you holding out --

Q But his point is he doesn't want the U.S. meddling in --

MR. HADLEY: I said what I said, which is what he said. And he's talked
publicly about this, and I'll let his words speak for themselves.

Q Thanks.

END 2:44 P.M. EST
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