Text 81, 548 rader
Skriven 2004-11-12 23:33:16 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0411125) for Fri, 2004 Nov 12
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President and Prime Minister Blair Discuss Iraq, Middle East
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 12, 2004

President and Prime Minister Blair Discuss Iraq, Middle East
The East Room


President's Remarks
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11:25 A.M. EST

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you. Welcome. I'm pleased to welcome a statesman and
a friend back to the White House. Prime Minister Blair is a visionary
leader. I've come to know him as a man of unshakeable convictions.
America's alliance with Great Britain has never been stronger, and we're
working closely every day to spread that freedom that leads to peace.

Our two nations have shared in some of the most hopeful and positive
achievements of our time. The people of Afghanistan have now chosen their
President, in a free election. The Taliban and the terrorists did
everything they could to intimidate the long-suffering people of that
country. Yet men and women lined up at the polls, some of them waiting for
hours to have their first taste of democracy.

The success of Afghanistan's election is a standing rebuke to cynicism and
extremism, and a testimony to the power of liberty and hope. The people of
the United States and Great Britain can be proud of the role we have played
in aiding the rise of a free nation, and in so doing, making our countries
more secure.

Together we're serving the same cause in Iraq. Prime Minister Allawi
authorized military operations to rid Fallujah of Saddam holdouts and
foreign terrorists, and American and Iraqi forces have made substantial
progress in the last several days. Our coalition is training Iraqi security
forces who are performing bravely, and taking increasing responsibility for
their country's security. British, American and other coalition forces are
helping provide stability that is necessary for free elections. And U.N.
officials are helping the Iraqi people prepare for those elections, to be
held in January.

As those elections draw near, the desperation of the killers will grow, and
the violence could escalate. The success of democracy in Iraq will be a
crushing blow to the forces of terror, and the terrorists know it. The
defeat of terror in Iraq will set that nation on a course to lasting
freedom and will give hope to millions, and the Iraqi people know it.

The United States and Great Britain have shown our determination to help
Iraqis achieve their liberty and to defend the security of the world. We'll
continue to stand with our friends, and we will finish the job.

Prime Minister Blair and I also share a vision of a free, peaceful, a
democratic broader Middle East. That vision must include a just and
peaceful resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict based on two democratic
states -- Israel and Palestine -- living side-by-side in peace and
security.

Our sympathies are with the Palestinian people as they begin a period of
mourning. Yet the months ahead offer a new opportunity to make progress
toward a lasting peace. Soon Palestinians will choose a new President. This
is the first step in creating lasting democratic political institutions
through which a free Palestinian people will elect local and national
leaders.

We're committed to the success of these elections, and we stand ready to
help. We look forward to working with a Palestinian leadership that is
committed to fighting terror and committed to the cause of democratic
reform. We'll mobilize the international community to help revive the
Palestinian economy, to build up Palestinian security institutions to fight
terror, to help the Palestinian government fight corruption, and to reform
the Palestinian political system and build democratic institutions.

We'll also work with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to complete the
disengagement plan from Gaza and part of the West Bank. These steps, if
successful, will lay the foundation for progress in implementing the road
map, and then lead to final status negotiations.

We seek a democratic, independent and viable state for the Palestinian
people. We are committed to the security of Israel as a Jewish state. These
objectives -- two states living side-by-side in peace and security -- can
be reached by only one path: the path of democracy, reform, and the rule of
law.

All that we hope to achieve together requires that America and Europe
remain close partners. We are the pillars of the free world. We face the
same threats and share the same belief in freedom and the rights of every
individual. In my second term, I will work to deepen our transatlantic ties
with the nations of Europe. I intend to visit Europe as soon as possible
after my inauguration. My government will continue to work through the NATO
Alliance and with the European Union to strengthen cooperation between
Europe and America.

America applauds the success of NATO and EU enlargement, and welcomes the
stability and prosperity that that enlargement brings. We must apply the
combined strength and moral purpose of Europe and America to effectively
fight terror, and to overcome poverty and disease and despair, to advance
human dignity, and to advance freedom.

In all that lies ahead in the defense of freedom, in the advance of
democracy, and the spread of prosperity, America, the United Kingdom, and
all of Europe must act together.

Mr. Prime Minister, welcome.

PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you for your
gracious welcome to me here in the White House. And once again, many
congratulations on your reelection.

There are three major issues that arise. The United States and the United
Kingdom have stood together since September the 11th, 2001, in order to
combat this new form of global terrorism that we face. And the three things
that we can do most to make sure that we defeat this terrorism, apart from
being ever vigilant on security, but, first of all, to bring democracy to
Afghanistan, which we are doing, as the successful election of President
Karzai shows. And that is quite magnificent tribute not just to the courage
of the Afghan people, but actually, also to the power of democracy.

Secondly, we have to complete our mission in Iraq, make sure that Iraq is a
stable and a democratic country. And I have no doubt at all that whatever
the difficulties the terrorists and insurgents, supporters of Saddam
Hussein may pose for us, that we will overcome those difficulties --
ourselves, the multinational force, together with the Iraqi government --
and ensure that Iraq can be that democratic, stable state that the vast
majority of Iraqis, I know, will want to see.

And the third thing is, as the President rightly said a moment or two ago,
we meet at a crucial time where it is important that we revitalize and
reinvigorate the search for a genuine, lasting and just peace in the Middle
East. I would like to repeat my condolences to the Palestinian people at
this time.

As you will have seen, we have set out the steps that we believe are
necessary to get into a process that will lead to the two-state solution
that we want to see. And I think those steps are very clear. They are,
first of all, making sure that we set out a clear vision -- that clear
vision was articulated by President Bush some time ago, repeated by him
today -- of a two-state solution, two democratic states living side-by-side
together in peace.

The second thing is, we need to support those Palestinian elections. That
is a chance for the first beginnings of democracy to take hold on the
Palestinian side. So it's important that we support it. Thirdly, however,
if we want a viable Palestinian state, we need to make sure that the
political, the economic, and the security infrastructure of that state is
shaped and helped to come into being. We will mobilize international
opinion and the international community in order to do that.

The fourth thing is that Prime Minister Sharon's plan for disengagement is
important. I think we recognized that when we were here at the White House
back in April of this year. That disengagement plan is now going forward.
It's important that we support it. And then, on the basis of this, we are
able, in accordance with the principles of the road map, to get back into
final status negotiation, so that we have that two-state solution. And I
think there is every possibility that we can do this, with the energy and
the will and the recognition that, in the end, it is only if the two states
that we want to see living side-by-side are indeed democratic states where
the rule of law and human rights are respected in each of them, that a just
in peace could be secured.

I would also like to support very strongly what the President has just said
about the transatlantic alliance. Again, I think there is a tremendous
desire and willingness on the part of, certainly, our partners in the
European Union, to make sure that that alliance is strong. It's necessary
for the security of the world. It's necessary for us to be able to tackle
many of the problems that confront us.

I look forward to working with the President over these coming months in
order to try and secure that progress that we have laid out for you today,
and also, of course, we have the opportunity to discuss the upcoming G8
presidency of the United Kingdom. And we intend to take those issues
forward, as well.

So, Mr. President, once again, many, many thanks.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Sure.

PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: Thank you for your alliance and for your leadership
at this time.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Welcome, thanks.

Terry.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you. With Yasser Arafat's death, what
specific steps can Israel take to revive peace negotiations? And do you
believe that Israel should implement a freeze on West Bank settlement
expansion?

PRESIDENT BUSH: I believe that the responsibility for peace is going to
rest with the Palestinian people's desire to build a democracy and Israel's
willingness to help them build a democracy. I know we have a responsibility
as free nations to set forth a strategy that will help the Palestinian
people head toward democracy. I don't think there will ever be lasting
peace until there is a free, truly democratic society in the Palestinian
territories that becomes a state. And therefore, the responsibility rests
with both the Palestinian people and the leadership which emerges, with the
Israelis to help that democracy grow, and with the free world to put the
strategy in place that will help the democracy grow.

PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: James.

Q Mr. President, can you say today that it is your firm intention that by
the end of your second term in office, it is your goal that there should be
two states -- Israel and Palestine -- living side-by-side?

PRESIDENT BUSH: I think it is fair to say that I believe we've got a great
chance to establish a Palestinian state, and I intend to use the next four
years to spend the capital of the United States on such a state. I believe
it is in the interest of the world that a truly free state develop. I know
it is in the interest of the Palestinian people that they can live in a
society where they can express their opinion freely, a society where they
can educate their children without hate, a society in which they can
realize their dreams if they happen to be an entrepreneur. I know it's in
Israel's interest that a free state evolve on her border. There's no other
way to have a lasting peace, in my judgment, unless we all work to help
develop the institutions necessary for a state to emerge: civil society,
based upon justice, free speech, free elections, the right for people to
express themselves freely. The first step of that is going to be the
election of a new president, and my fervent hope is that the president
embraces the notion of a democratic state.

I hate to put artificial time frames on things; unfortunately I've got one
on my existence as President. It's not artificial, it's actually real. And
I'd like to see it done in four years. I think it is possible. I think it
is possible.

I think it is impossible to think that the President of the United States,
or the Prime Minister of Great Britain can impose our vision. I think it's
unrealistic to say, well, Bush wants it done, or Blair wants it done,
therefore, it will happen. But I think it is very possible that it can
happen, because I believe people want to live in a free society. And our
job is to help it happen.

Thank you. Steve.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Prime Minister Blair wants a international
conference on the Middle East. What has to happen before you would sign on
to that? And will you name a U.S. envoy? And what would you like to
accomplish on this Europe trip that you're planning?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Let's see here. (Laughter.) I'll start with the --
accomplishing on the Europe trip. It is to remind people that the world is
better off, America is better off, Europe is better off when we work
together. And there's a lot we can accomplish working together. There's a
lot we have accomplished working together.

We're working very closely to find al Qaeda and bring members of al Qaeda
to justice. We've worked closely to free Afghanistan. We're working closely
to interdict the flow of weapons of mass destruction. The Proliferation
Security Initiative is based -- the membership of which is a lot of members
of the EU. I mean, there's a lot of things we're working together on. NATO
expansion we worked together on. It was such a refreshing moment when the
new leaders of -- the leaders of the new countries in NATO walked in the
room, in the Czech Republic. It was a fantastic moment to see these proud
members walk in and say, we're now a member of the greatest alliance ever.
And there's a lot we can continue to do.

First two questions?

Q Prime Minister Blair's idea about an international conference --

PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes.

Q -- and the sending of a U.S. envoy to the Middle East.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Right. In the spirit of the last question, we'll do what it
takes to get a peace. And the conference -- what the Prime Minister and I
discussed last night is, do not we have an obligation to develop a
strategy? And the answer is, absolutely, we have an obligation. And one way
to do that is to include the Quartet to bring nations together and say,
here's what it takes to help the Palestinians develop a state that is truly
free. And I'm all for conferences, just so long as the conferences produce
something. And we had a long discussion about whether or not a conference
could produce a viable strategy that we could then use as a go-by for our
own obligations, as well as the obligations for the Palestinians for them
to have their own state. And the answer is, if that conference will do
that, you bet I'm a big supporter.

But one thing is for certain: We are going to develop a strategy, so that
once the elections are over, we'll be able to say, here's how we will help
you. If you want to be helped, here's what we're willing to do. If you
choose not to be helped, if you decide you don't want a free, democratic
society, there's nothing we can do. If you think you can have peace without
democracy -- again -- I think you'll find that -- I can only speak for
myself, that I will be extremely doubtful that it will ever happen. I've
seen it work too many times -- tried too many times.

Now, there's going to be people around who say, the Palestinians can't
develop a democracy; it's impossible for them to live in a free society. I
strongly disagree with that. And so the whole premise of this strategy that
we'll outline is all based toward that vision of a free and truly
democratic society emerging.

See, what's going to happen is when that happens, there will be great trust
developed between Israel and the Palestinian people. Free societies are
able -- societies able to develop trust between each other, and there's
clearly a lack of trust right now. And so, yeah, I mean, we will do that
what it takes to put a strategy in place and advance it, and call upon
other nations to develop -- to work with us.

PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: Yes, that's absolutely right. I mean, what we will do
is anything that is necessary to make the strategy work. The important
thing is that, first of all, there's got to be an agreement as to what a
viable Palestinian state means. And what we're really saying this morning
is that that viable state has to be a democratic state.

The second thing is, how do we get there, how do we enable the Palestinians
to get there? We will do whatever it takes to help build support for that
concept, to work through the details of it and make sure that it can
actually be brought into being. But the bottom line has got to be that if
you want to secure Israel, and you want a viable Palestinian state, those
are two states living side-by-side, and they are democratic states living
side-by-side. And we've got the chance over the next few months with the
election of a new Palestinian President to put the first marker down on
that.

Trevor.

Q Mr. President, I know that Iran, as well as Iraq, has been a very
significant part of the agenda for this week, and I'd like to ask you
whether, in light of the nuclear ambitions of Iran, whether America would
tolerate a nuclear Iran? And if the answer to that is, no, would Britain,
Mr. Prime Minister, stand as full-square behind America on this issue, as
it has done on Iraq?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Let me make sure I understand your question. You're saying
a -- Iran with a nuclear weapon --

Q Nuclear power.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Nuclear power or nuclear weapon?

Q Nuclear weapon.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Okay. No, we don't want Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and
we're working toward that end. And the truth of the matter is, the Prime
Minister gets a lot of credit for working with France and Germany to
convince the Iranians to get rid of the processes that would enable them to
develop a nuclear weapon.

MR. PRIME MINISTER: Absolutely. And there's an agreement in the
international community to make sure that Iran comes into compliance with
its international obligations. And we've been working with France and
Germany, with -- obviously, with the United States and others, too, to make
sure that that happens.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Let's see here. Cochran. John?

Q I'm totally shocked. (Laughter.)

PRESIDENT BUSH: That's why I called on you. (Laughter.)

Q You know, you talk about democracy being so necessary. There are those
who would say there is sometimes a harsh peace of a dictator. What if the
Palestinian state comes up with somebody who is not a democrat, but is
willing to have peace with the Israelis? And let me transfer that to the
Iraqis, as well. What if the Iraqis come up with somebody who's not
friendly to the United States, is not a democrat, but it's peaceful, is
this something you can live with?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, first of all, if there's an election, the Iraqis will
have come up with somebody who is duly-elected. In other words, democracy
will have spoken. And that person is going to have to listen to the people,
not to the whims of a dictator, not to their own desires -- personal
desires. The great thing about democracy is you actually go out and ask the
people for a vote, as you might have noticed recently. And the people get
to decide, and they get to decide the course of their future. And so it's a
contradiction in terms to say a dictator gets elected. The person who gets
elected is chosen by the people. And so I don't -- I'm not --

Q You can be elected and be a tyrant.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, you can be elected and then be a strong man, and then
you get voted out, so long as you end up honoring democracy. But if you're
true to democracy, you'll listen to the people, not to your own desires. If
you're true to democracy, you'll do what the people want you to do. That's
the difference between democracy and a tyrant.

And the Palestinians may decide to elect a real strong personality. But
we'll hold their feet to the fire to make sure that democracy prevails,
that there are free elections. And if they don't -- the people of the
Palestinian Territory don't like the way this person is responding to their
needs, they will vote him or her out.

And the reason why I'm so strong on democracy is democracies don't go to
war with each other. And the reason why is the people of most societies
don't like war, and they understand what war means. And one of these days
the people of the Palestinian -- the Palestinians will realize that there
is a bright future because freedom is taking hold -- a future that enables
their children to get educated; a future in which they can start their
businesses; a future in which they're certain that the money that's going
into the treasury of their government is being spent fairly, in a
transparent way; a future in which corruption is not the norm; a future in
which rule of law prevails. And that leads to a peaceful society.

I've got great faith in democracies to promote peace. And that's why I'm
such a strong believer that the way forward in the Middle East, the broader
Middle East, is to promote democracy. I readily concede there are skeptics,
people who say democracy is not possible in certain societies. But,
remember, that was said right after World War II with Japan. And today one
of the people that I work closest with is my friend, Prime Minister
Koizumi. And it's a -- it's remarkable to me that we sit down at the same
table, talking about keeping the peace in places like North Korea, and it
really wasn't all that long ago in the march of history that we were
enemies.

The Prime Minister knows Koizumi. He's a good man. And he's an ally because
democracy took hold in Japan. And yet there was a lot of skeptics. When you
look at the writings right after World War II a lot of people said, you're
wasting your time to try to promote democracy in Japan. There were some, I
suspect maybe in Great Britain and I know in America, that were writing,
you're wasting your time to promote democracy in Germany, after World War
II. And yet, fortunately, people who preceded us had great faith in liberty
to transform societies. And that's what we're talking about is taking
place.

And it's hard and it's difficult, particularly in a society like Iraq,
because the terrorists understand the stakes of freedom. And they're
willing to kill people in brutal fashion to stop it. And I believe we have
a duty and an obligation to work to make sure democracy takes told. It's a
duty to our own country. It's a duty to generations of Americans and
children of Great Britain to help secure the peace by promoting democratic
societies.

PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: First of all, I should say, Koizumi is a good man not
just because I know him, but -- (laughter) -- although that helps a lot, I
think. (Laughter.)

But I think the President said something here that I really think is very,
very important. In the politics -- when I was first a member of Parliament
and making my way up the greasy pole and all the rest of it, there was a
view in foreign policy that you dealt with countries on the basis of
whatever attitude they had towards you, but really whatever they did within
their own countries, that was up to them, and didn't really make a
difference to your long-term relationship.

I think what we are learning today is that there is not stability of any
true, long-term kind without democratic rights for free people to decide
their government. Now, that doesn't mean to say we try and interfere with
every state around the world, but it does mean that there's been a shift,
and I think a shift quite dramatically, since 9/11 in the thinking that is
informing our view of how we make progress.

That's why it wasn't enough to go into Afghanistan and rout out al Qaeda or
knock down the Taliban. We actually had to go there and say, no, we must
replace that with a democratic form of government -- because, in the end,
if we replace it simply with another dictator, then we'll get the same
instability back. That's why in Iraq we decided when Saddam was removed, we
didn't want another hard man coming in, another dictator.

Now, it's a struggle, because democracy is hard to bring into countries
that have never had it before. But I've no doubt at all that the Iraqi
people, given the chance -- and indeed, you can see this in some of the
local elections now down in the south of Iraq -- given the chance, they'll
want to elect their leaders. Why wouldn't they? I mean, why would they want
a strong-arm leader who's going to have the secret police, no freedom of
speech, no free press, no human rights, no proper law courts? The people
want the freedom. What we recognized, I think, today, is that we're not
going to have our security unless they get that freedom.

So when we come to the issue of Israel and Palestine, I think what we are
saying is, we are going to work flat-out to deliver this. But people have
to understand, we can't deliver something unless the people who it affects
actually want it to happen. And we don't believe there will be a viable
future for a state of Palestine unless it's based on certain key democratic
principles.

Now, I think that's a tremendous thing. And I also think that in the end --
of course, you're right, people can vote for the people they'd like to vote
for in elections, right? That's what democracy is about. I think we've got
to have some faith, though, in the ability of ordinary people, decent
people, to decide their own future. Because it's a curious thing, you look
at all these Eastern European countries -- Central East European countries
in the European Union now, just democracies over the last 10 years --
fierce election debates, change in the government, often difficult
circumstances when the governments change. But you go to those countries
and talk to the people there, and their sense of liberation and their sense
of self-worth as a result of the freedom they have, that is the best
testament to why it's sensible to have faith in democracy.

And sometimes when people say, well it's -- you've got a Republican
President, and a progressive politician from across the water, but in my
view, people from different sides of the political spectrum should be able
to come together to argue that policy case, because democracy is something
that should unite us, whatever political position we have.

David.

Q Mr. President, first. The Prime Minister is sometimes, perhaps unfairly,
characterized in Britain as your "poodle." I was wondering if that's the
way you may see your relationship? And perhaps, more seriously, do you feel
for the --

PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: Don't answer "yes" to that question. If you do, I
would be -- (laughter.) That would be difficult.

Q Do you feel, for the strong support that Britain has given you over Iraq,
that you have to pay back Britain for that support in some way?

PRESIDENT BUSH: The Prime Minister made the decision he did because he
wanted to do his duty to secure the people of Great Britain. That's why he
made the decision. Plenty capable of making his own mind. He's a strong,
capable man. I admire him a lot. You know why? When he tells you something,
he means it. You spend much time with politics, you'll know there's some
people around this part of the -- this kind of line of work where they tell
you something, they don't mean it. When he says something, he means it.
He's a big thinker. He's got a clear vision. And when times get tough, he
doesn't wilt. When they -- when the criticism starts to come his way -- I
suspect that might be happening on occasion -- he stands what he believes
in. That's the kind of person I like to deal with. He is a -- I'm a lucky
person, a lucky President, to be holding office at the same time this man
holds the Prime Ministership.

These are troubled times. It's a tough world. What this world needs is
steady, rock-solid leaders who stand on principle. And that's what the
Prime Minister means to me.

PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: I just want to add one thing, which is that, well,
this -- this concept of payback -- we are -- we're not fighting the war
against terrorism because we are an ally of the United States. We are an
ally of the United States because we believe in fighting this war against
terrorism. We share the same objectives; we share the same values. And if
we look back over our own history in the last half-century or more, we,
both of us, in different ways, the United States and Britain, have a cause
to be thankful for this alliance and this partnership. And I should we -- I
believe we should be thankful that it is as strong as it is today. And as
long as I remain Prime Minister of our country, it will carry on being
strong -- not because that's in the interests of America, simply, or in the
interests of the international community, but because I believe
passionately it is in the interests of Britain.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Good job. Thank you, sir.

Thank you all.

END 11:59 A.M. EST
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