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Skriven 2005-05-09 23:34:24 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0505094) for Mon, 2005 May 9
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Press Gaggle with Scott McClellan
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 9, 2005

Press Gaggle with Scott McClellan


4:24 P.M. (Local)

MR. McCLELLAN: All right, good afternoon -- and good morning, if we're back
on D.C. time. I want to walk through the President's day, give a little bit
more information on the meetings, and then I'll answer whatever questions
you all have. My apologies to the larger press corps; because of the time
between now and the speech, it was just easier to come here and visit with
you guys.

First of all, in the President's meeting this morning with President
Vike-Frieberga, they had a very good discussion. President Vike-Frieberga
welcomed the President and expressed her appreciation for the President's
trip and for America's involvement in supporting the three Baltic states.
The President talked about his belief in the importance of freedom and
advancing freedom to achieve peace. He talked about how advancing peace
around the world makes us safer. He also talked about the difficult time
that it is, as we mark the occasion of World War II -- the difficult time
that it is here in the Baltic states, because while this was the liberation
of many people in Europe, it was not the -- well, as essentially what he
was saying later on today, that it was the beginning of an occupation and
painful period for the Baltic states. And he talked about how now is the
time to move beyond it while remembering the history, something he touched
on in his press conference, as well.

And they talked about relations with Russia, and the President talked about
how he had a good relationship with President Putin, and that enabled him
to be able to speak clearly with him when they have meetings, and to talk
about the benefit of having democracies on Russia's border and the benefit
that that is for Russia, and that he would emphasize to President Putin,
too, the importance of moving -- being able to move beyond the past.

They also had a discussion about the development of democracies here in the
Baltics, and the President talked about some of the things you've heard us
talking about recently, the importance of minority rights; they talked
about language issues -- that's something I'm going to come back to when I
talk about the civil society meeting. But the President pointed to an
example of his own state of Texas, and how we have many people in the state
of Texas whose first language was Spanish. And he talked about the
importance of what we have there in Texas, which is English-plus, in that
people learn English, but it shows respect for people's own heritage. And
then President Vike-Frieberga talked about the importance of civil society
and they had a good discussion about that.

The President talked about his -- they had a discussion about the
President's trip to Moscow, and the President talked about the importance
of newer democracies like Russia to make sure they pursue economic reforms
and have openness and transparency, that that's important for -- that's
important for attracting capital and growth.

Let's see. Then they discussed a range of other issues. They talked about
Iraq. The President thanked the President for Latvia's involvement in Iraq
and Afghanistan, and talked about the progress that's going on in both
those countries. He particularly talked about the formation of the new
government in Iraq, touched on Syria and the importance of Syria getting
out of Lebanon so that Lebanon can have freedom and sovereignty. They
talked about the Middle East and the President talked about his vision for
peace and the developments in Gaza. Then they talked about some bilateral
issues, like visas, which you heard the President talk about in his remarks
at the press avail. And on that discussion, they talked about the
importance of opening up educational opportunities for Latvians in the U.S.
And you heard the President, again, touch on that at the press avail.

Let's see what else. Talked a little -- touched on reform at the United
Nations, and they also talked about the neighborhood. They talked about
Belarus and Ukraine and Georgia and Moldova. And they talked about the
importance of supporting and working for democracy in Belarus. They talked
about the importance of supporting reform leaders in Ukraine and Georgia
and Moldova, as they move forward on the path to democracy. And then the
President, at the end, essentially summed up the meeting by talking about
how free nations must work to support freedom in the world, that we cannot
accept tyranny in the world. And you're going to hear some more on that in
his remarks here shortly.

And by the way, the remarks are going out probably right about now. We're
going to send out, as prepared for delivery, the President's remarks, so
hopefully, that will be helpful to you all.

And, let's see -- then following that, the President had the meeting with
the civil society leaders. I think you all have the background sheet on the
roundtable, and you see that it's a very -- it was a very diverse group of
representatives from Latvia society, included a number of representatives
of NGOs, the education -- of educational institutions, included
representatives of various ethnic backgrounds, and as you see, as well,
business people. I know there's a small business woman in there that spoke,
and another businessman that talked about the importance of free market
principles and so forth.

But that was -- it was a very good meeting. It was a good -- it was an
opportunity for the President to have a good discussion, a back-and-forth
discussion with the civil society leaders, and to hear from them some of
the concerns that they have as Latvia continues to move forward on a
democratic path, being a relatively young democracy. And the President was
able to relate some of our own history in America as we worked to address
some of the problems over the course of our -- course of our history to
develop a truly free and democratic society.

A couple of things to highlight from it. At the beginning, the President
talked about his belief that all people want to live in freedom. He talked
about the importance of free societies, to make sure that they're
inclusive. And he talked about the importance of welcoming diversity within
free societies, and he talked about how that was a strength. He also talked
about the right of all people to live in freedom throughout the world. And
then he stood -- then they went around the table, had briefing opening
remarks, they went around the table. He heard from essentially I think
everybody in the room. I think there was about 20 people, if I counted
correctly. As I said, it was a diverse cross-section of Latvian society.

The President talked about -- I think it began with the small business
woman, and the President -- she was talking about opportunities and how in
business everybody is playing on the same -- playing under the same rules,
and the President used that to talk about how all people ought to have the
same chance to succeed. Then he heard from -- he heard from an opposition
leader from an ethnic Russian who was one of the opposition leaders, and he
talked about some of his thoughts on democracy. He heard from a university
professor who was also a regulator.

The President also talked about -- he said, I understand the mixed message
of the moment. He said that this is a time where we celebrate the defeat of
Hitler, but on the other hand, it was a time when a government was imposed
on you, and --

Q I'm sorry, you said the President talking --

MR. McCLELLAN: This is the President talking, yes. It's not a direct quote,
but it's paraphrased, talking to the participants in the room, when he said
-- when he talked about how he understood the mixed message of the moment,
that we're celebrating the defeat of Hitler and fascism, but at the same
time, this was a period when a government was imposed on you. And so he was
really reflecting on the painful history that they had gone through. But
then he went on to say -- and this is a quote, "When you go and celebrate
the past, it gives you an opportunity to look at the future." That's a
quote from the President.

Q An opportunity to look at the future.

MR. McCLELLAN: Look at the future. And he talked about how Latvia is a
country where the future seems bright, or the future is bright. And then he
heard from NGO representatives, and he talked about the importance of
supporting nongovernmental organizations and how they're a vital part of
developing democracy. The President heard from a representative of the
press -- you all will be glad to know -- and she reflected on the
importance of a free press and how there's been a rapid development in
Latvia because of the open debate that they've had over the last 15 years
and how that stimulated the rapid development.

Q Pool report from her?

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes -- (laughter) -- go track her down. I think she's on the
list you have. Then she talked about -- then she talked about the different
views of history that some had, and -- oh, and one other thing the
President said about nongovernmental organizations, when he heard from
another representative, was that it's important to have organizations,
strong independent organizations that are independent from government, that
that really helps develop democracy.

Let's see, a couple other highlights. Another quote from the President: He
talked about how democracy is about convincing people to change to meet the
needs of humankind. And at one point, he reflected on -- because he heard
from the representatives --

Q Where's the quote --

MR. McCLELLAN: -- one of the representatives talked about the Holocaust,
and he said, one thing my country will never do is let people forget the
Holocaust. And he talked about how we can never let history be rewritten.

And then at the end he heard from a democratic activist, and he closed by
talking about how he -- he thanked them for their work, and he talked about
how democracy is like a wildfire, people want to be free. And then he went
on to talk about, it's important to have a follow-up, meaning that
democracy is about more than just elections. And he pointed to Latvia as an
example to many other parts of the world, like Afghanistan and Iraq, and
that building free societies in this part of the world are examples to
other parts of the world, as well. And that's where he reflected a little
bit on the Middle East and what -- the great progress that is going on in
the Middle East.

And then, quickly, and I'll go to your questions -- at the lunch, it was a
wide-ranging discussion. They had a very good discussion. This was the
President with the three leaders of the Baltic states. And the President
started off, really, by talking about World War II and defeating fascism,
and then he talked about ending communism. And he used that to talk about
the freedom agenda. And they spent a good bit of time talking about the
freedom agenda. And as they were talking about the freedom agenda, they
talked about places like Moldova and Belarus and Ukraine and Georgia. And
again, he talked about -- they talked about Russia and the relationship
there. And the President talked about his ability to sit down with
President Putin and have a frank discussion with him on the issues which I
touched on his earlier meeting, as well.

And then they covered a range of other issues, as well, like North Korea,
China, China-Taiwan, Iran, Lebanon, the Middle East peace process, and Iraq
and Afghanistan. Of course, the President, there, again, thanked these
countries for all the sacrifices that they have made and the help that they
have provided in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. And the President gave
an update on Iraq and the progress that we're making there.

And they talked about the visa issue, as well. Oh, and back up, in the
civil society meeting, someone brought up the importance of -- someone that
had been involved in higher education brought up the importance of their
education in the United States, and the President talked about making sure
that we have institutions that are accessible and open. And that kind of
ties into the visa issue, as well.

I think that's all I've got. That's the readout from today. He had his
briefing this morning, as well, beforehand. And I'll be glad to take
whatever questions.

Q Can I ask you about something that he said a couple different times in
different ways in the news conference just now? He talked about how this
could potentially be a time to move on past the dispute, past the pain of
the Baltic occupation. And the particular quote that I'm interested in,
where he said, "This moment in history will give everyone a chance to
recognize what took place in the past and move on." That says to me,
everyone, including Russia, recognize this, and then we can move on. So is
that not sort of a back-door way of asking --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, you heard what he said. And I've got some of his
remarks here, too, where I think he was responding

-- he was responding to your question, I believe. But he talked about, "My
hope is that we're now able to move beyond that phase of history and into a
phase that is embracing democracy and free societies." And a lot of his
speech will focus on that and advancing freedom. I think one point he was
making is that we should all recognize history for what it is. We must
remember the past as we look to the future. And so I think that's what he
was talking about in his remarks.

Q What does he mean -- does he mean, now we can move on, like Russia
doesn't have to do anything, or we should all recognize, including Russia,
and then we can move on?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I don't think that's the same -- but he was just
emphasizing what we've -- what he said and what we've said before, which is
that you have to acknowledge the past and recognize the past to be able to
move ahead to the future. And our efforts now should be focusing on how we
can continue to strengthen democracy in emerging free societies, as well as
expand freedom and democracy around the world, because that's what will
make the world a more peaceful place.

Q Should Russia issue a statement of regret about the Soviet domination?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President has spoken with President Putin about that in
the past, and, again, all of us should recognize history for what it is.
And the President spoke very clearly about the past, about the occasion
that we're marking and celebrating with the defeat of the Nazis and
fascism, but it was also a period here in this country and neighboring
countries that was a very painful time. And -- but, like I said, that's an
issue the President has brought up in the past.

Q You're unwilling to -- you're unwilling to ask President Putin to do
this, specifically?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, it's an issue that has been brought up with him in the
past.

Q But he seemed to be saying today that it still should happen.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- the President will -- we will be going to Russia. The
President will, as he said, be talking about how to move forward on the
path of democracy, and about how important having free and democratic
societies on your -- on Russia's border are to Russia, itself.

Q Well, given that he talked about the anger and frustration, I think were
his words, that the Baltic nations still feel over what happened, does the
President think it would be helpful if President Putin reiterated past
comments by other Russian leaders of regretting what happened during the
occupation? Is he going to --

MR. McCLELLAN: I think I'll leave it where I did. The issue has been raised
with him, and all of us should recognize history for what it is. That's the
best -- I think that's the best way to describe it. And we do. The United
States does recognize history for what it is. The President talked about
Yalta in his remarks -- will talk about Yalta in his remarks coming up. And
he'll talk about the pact -- the secret pact that was formed. And he talked
about, in response to one of the questions at the press avail, about how we
shouldn't have secret deals --

Q Does he think it might be --

MR. McCLELLAN: -- when it comes to issues of this nature.

Q Given President Putin's difficulties with some of these neighbors that
President Bush is visiting today here, does the President believe that it
might be helpful for President Putin to revisit --

MR. McCLELLAN: I think I've addressed it from our standpoint. Do you want
to move on to other questions? We've only got a few minutes left.

Q Do all three of these countries have troops in Iraq? And was there any
discussion at their meeting about when they can get their troops out of
Iraq?

MR. McCLELLAN: I didn't hear -- no, not that I'm aware of.

Q Do you know the grand total of the three countries --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, but I can probably get you that information. We're
greatly appreciative of those efforts.

Q On a different issue, has the -- what's the White House's reaction to
Harry Reid's comment yesterday that the President is a loser? And did he,
in fact, call Karl Rove to apologize?

MR. McCLELLAN: I haven't had a chance to hear from Karl this morning
because of the time change. My understanding is that did occur, but I
haven't had a chance to talk to him yet. So I don't have -- but I think I'd
make a couple of points. The President has worked to change the tone in
Washington by elevating the discourse and reaching out to find common
ground to get things done. It has been a challenge and it has been
disappointing that we haven't been able to make more progress on that
front. I think the American people want their elected leaders to elevate
the discourse and to reach out across partisan lines. And that's what the
President will continue to do.

Q Belatedly, Scott, in Asia, a number of countries, including some U.S.
allies, feel that Japan is not a country that has faced up to its past,
that it's confronted its past completely and dealt with it. What's your
sense of that? Is Japan suffering from some historical amnesia in the way
that Russia is, perhaps?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't have any particular update at this point. I mean,
it's something I think that Japan has worked to address and it's not
necessarily an easy thing to do. But, as I said, we all need to -- we all
should recognize history for what it is and we need to look at the facts.
As I pointed out, in the civil society meeting, the President said, we
can't let history be rewritten.

Q -- Japan recognize history for what it is?

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, I don't have anything more at this point.

Q Do you have anything more on North Korea?

MR. McCLELLAN: What's your question?

Q Whether they have been testing? There's evidence they might be preparing
to test a nuclear --

MR. McCLELLAN: A couple of things, I guess. One, we do have concerns about
North Korea. I think it's shared by our partners in the region. North Korea
would only further isolate itself if it took such a provocative step. We
are working with our partners in the region to get North Korea to come back
to the talks and to be prepared to move forward in a serious way. We've had
ongoing discussions with our partners on those matters about how to get
North Korea back to the talks, and that's where our focus remains. I think
you heard from Secretary Rice earlier this week -- we have a robust
deterrent capability and everybody needs to remember that, too.

Q Say it again.

MR. McCLELLAN: We have a robust deterrent capability and no one should
mistake what our capability is. But we're working to try to get North Korea
back to the six-party talks and we're in close consultation with our
partners about that, because the six-party talks is the way to resolve this
issue and realize the goal of a nuclear-free peninsula.

Q Scott, by saying that you -- that we share concerns of neighbors in the
region about North Korea, are you confirming that they're ready to conduct
a test --

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not getting into discussing intelligence matters, but I
think one thing the President talked about with President Hu the other day
was North Korea's unwillingness to come back to the six-party talks. They
had said long ago that they wanted to work through the six-party talks, and
now they've been unwilling to come back to those talks. And that's a
concern I think that parties in the region have because we believe the
six-party talks are the way to resolve this and achieve a diplomatic
solution, which is what we all want.

Q When you say you have a robust deterrent capability, is that just to
remind North Korea that --

MR. McCLELLAN: I just point out that -- what Secretary Rice had said the
other day.

Q That they should be forewarned?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, that we have a strong deterrent capability.

Q Has the President made any calls on this today?

MR. McCLELLAN: And the President also talked about the importance of moving
forward on missile defense in his press conference. And it's another reason
why that's so important.

Q Has the President made any calls on this today?

MR. McCLELLAN: Thank you.

END 4:47 P.M. (Local)

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