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Skriven 2005-07-18 23:33:26 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0507181) for Mon, 2005 Jul 18
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President, Prime Minister of India Discuss Freedom and Democracy
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 18, 2005

President, Prime Minister of India Discuss Freedom and Democracy
The East Room

President's Remarks
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11:08 A.M. EDT

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you. I'm proud to stand here today with Prime
Minister Singh, the leader of one of the world's great democracies. Mr.
Prime Minister, welcome to America. I applaud your vision and I applaud
your leadership. Laura and I are honored to welcome you and Mrs. Kaur to
the White House.

We just had a great discussion, a very frank and open discussion. And
tonight we look forward to welcoming you for a little family dinner.

India and the United States share a commitment to freedom and a belief that
democracy provides the best path to a more hopeful future for all people.
We also believe that the spread of liberty is the best alternative to
hatred and violence. Because of our shared values, the relationship between
our two countries has never been stronger. We're working together to make
our nations more secure, deliver a better life to our citizens and advance
the cause of peace and freedom throughout the world.

The governments of India and the United States are working together to
safeguard our people. We are charting new steps in our defense relationship
through the recently signed new framework that will help our two nations
work toward common security objectives. We're working together on
counterterrorism to help protect our people and make the world a safer
place. We're also committed to increasing the prosperity of the people of
India and America alike. Today, we announced the completion of the next
steps in strategic partnership. Completing this partnership will help us
further enhance our cooperation in the areas of civil nuclear, civil space
and high technology commerce.

Last month, we launched a reinvigorated U.S.-India economic dialogue to
focus high-level attention on trade, finance, investment and the
environment. Prime Minister Singh and I are about to meet with business
leaders from both our nations who have joined us here today for the
inaugural meeting of the CEO Forum. The expertise of these private sector
leaders will help our two governments build trade and increase investment
for the good of our peoples. Cleaner energy resources, including nuclear
power, are vital for the future of both our economies. We have begun a
bilateral energy dialogue to find ways to work together in this important
area. Our two nations also have a common interest in bettering the lives of
people around the world. We are launching a disaster response initiative to
better respond to future disasters, just not in Asia, but around the world.

I appreciate Prime Minister Singh's leadership. He's a man who's committed
to peace and liberty. I look forward to working with you, Prime Minister. I
thank you for coming. The podium is yours.

PRIME MINISTER SINGH: Thank you very much, Mr. President. Ladies and
gentlemen of the press, I would like to begin by thanking President Bush
for the warmth of his hospitality and the wide-ranging discussions that
we've had this morning with him. These discussions have been, indeed, very
productive and focused on the future direction of a transformation in our
multifaceted relations.

I am happy that the President and I share the common goal of making this
one of the principal relationships for each of our countries. The
President's personal commitment to this relationship is deeply admired by
the people of India. The support and goodwill of the friendly people of the
United States in managing the transition from a developing country to a
fast-expanding economy is something we greatly welcome and greatly
appreciate. The President's assurance to me that India's sustained economic
growth has his strong support and support of the United States means a lot
to us.

The joint statement that we have agreed upon lays out the full potential of
our multifaceted cooperation. The President has accepted my invitation to
visit India at the earliest, and we are confident that the results of the
understanding that we have reached today would be fully evident by then.

Our partnership is one between rigorous and vibrant democracies, and we
have agreed today to give expression to our shared values in a variety of
ways. The President's steadfast determination and leadership in meeting the
challenges of international terrorism is widely appreciated by us, in
particular, but all the world, all civilized men and women all over the
world. There can be no cause that justifies the killing of innocent and
defenseless civilians. There must be an international norm of zero
tolerance for terrorists.

Meeting global challenges requires credible and effective global
institutions. Today the world is debating the reform of the United Nations.
In our talks, President and I were of one mind that the contemporary
reality must be fully reflected in the central organs and decision-making
processes of the U.N. India has a compelling case for permanent membership
of the Security Council. We are convinced that India can significantly
contribute to U.N. decision-making and capabilities.

A growing Indian economy, with an accelerated growth rate averaging about 6
to 7 percent in recent years, and its integration with the world economy
would expand the scope for commerce, investment and technological
cooperation between our two countries. Shortly, after this press
interaction, the President and I will spend a few minutes with corporate
leaders from both countries of the first meeting of the CEO's Forum. This
forum includes some of the best business minds of our two countries. We
have announced today a series of other initiatives designed to build a
long-term, knowledge-driven partnership between India and the United
States. These reflect the vision that the President and I have of our
shared future.

We also discussed the importance of ensuring adequate energy and affordable
supplies at a time when oil prices remain high. Both of us recognize that
civilian nuclear energy has a greater role in meeting global energy
demands. We in India have an ambitious and attainable national road map in
this regard. We look forward to President Bush's strong leadership on these
important issues.

I must once again thank you, Mr. President, for the warmth of your welcome
and for your deep and abiding personal commitment to the building of our
partnership.

I would now be glad to take your questions.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Hold on a second. The way this is going to work, the way
this will work is I'll call on somebody from the American side, and then
the Prime Minister will do so; and then I'll call somebody, and the Prime
Minister will do so. We'll answer two questions apiece, starting with
Terry.

Q Mr. President, you said you don't want to talk about an ongoing
investigation, so I'd like to ask you, regardless of whether a crime was
committed, do you still intend to fire anyone found to be involved in the
CIA leak case? And are you displeased that Karl Rove told a reporter that
Ambassador Joe Wilson's wife worked for the Agency on WMD issues?

PRESIDENT BUSH: We have a serious ongoing investigation here. (Laughter.)
And it's being played out in the press. And I think it's best that people
wait until the investigation is complete before you jump to conclusions.
And I will do so, as well. I don't know all the facts. I want to know all
the facts. The best place for the facts to be done is by somebody who's
spending time investigating it. I would like this to end as quickly as
possible so we know the facts, and if someone committed a crime, they will
no longer work in my administration.

Q My question is to President Bush. The question relates to the line of
control in Kashmir, Mr. President. President Clinton had made clear the
U.S. policy that in the interest of peace, the sanctity of the line of
control must be maintained by every side.

Would you, Mr. President, like to reaffirm the U.S. stand that the sanctity
of the line of control cannot be violated by anyone in future in the
interest of the peace? Mr. President.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, U.S. policy has not changed. This problem will be
solved by India and Pakistan. And our role is to encourage the leaders from
both countries to work in good faith to solve this long-standing problem.
And I am pleased with the progress being made, as should the people of
India. I think the people of India ought to applaud strong leaders that are
willing to work to achieve peace. And I think -- I think we have an
opportunity to help facilitate the dialogue on this long-standing issue.

But the truth of the matter is, in order for there to be a solution, the
Prime Minister, representing the great people of India, and President
Musharraf, representing the people of Pakistan, are going to have to come
to a mutually acceptable agreement. To the extent we can help, we're more
than willing to try to help. But we're not a party to the agreement, of
course. I'm hopeful -- I'm hopeful -- I'm hopeful that the progress
achieved thus far can be continued. And I applauded the Prime Minister in
my private meeting with him for taking a step toward peace.

Adam.

Q Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, thanks.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. We understand you are now close to a decision
on a Supreme Court nominee.

THE PRESIDENT: Really? (Laughter.) It's amazing how Washington works, Mr.
Prime Minister. (Laughter.)

Q Have you narrowed down the list and met with finalists? Will you now
share the list with Senate leaders to avoid a confirmation battle, as
Democrats have proposed?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you for telling me where I am in the process. I
appreciate that. We've consulted with the Senate. We will continue to
consult with the Senate. I, of course, am the person that picks the
nominee, and they get to decide whether or not the nominee gets confirmed.
That's the way it has worked in the past. That's the way it's going to work
in this administration.

And of course I'm reviewing a different candidate. I'm reviewing their
curriculum vitae, as well as their findings. I will sit down with some and
talk to them face-to-face, those who I have not known already. You know,
we've got some people that -- perhaps in contention that I've already spent
time with, that I know; in other words, I'm familiar with some of the
people that are being speculated about in the press. And so I don't need to
interview those. But of course I'm going to take a very thorough approach.

What they're referring to is a Supreme Court vacancy. And this is a really
important decision. And I'm going to take my time and I will be thorough
and deliberate. But make no mistake, we have heard a lot of suggestions
from members of the United States Senate -- a lot. It turns out, many of
the senators have got strong opinions one way or the other. And of course
we're listening to them.

But my desire, Adam, is to get this process moving so that someone will be
confirmed, whoever he or she is, will be confirmed by October. And if
that's the backstop, we're working back to try to accommodate the Senate
and their desire. Part of the consultation was to ask the senators, what's
it take to get somebody in place by the October session?

And thank you for your question, and thank you for telling me how close I
am to -- or at least indicating what others think. (Laughter.)

Q Mr. Prime Minister, you have sought the removal of restrictions on
nuclear and high technology supplies to India. After the meeting with
President Bush, how do you see the prospects in this area?

PRIME MINISTER SINGH: Well, I think we have had a very constructive and
productive meeting. And as you will see from the joint statement, this
issue has been addressed in a manner which gives me great satisfaction. And
I thank the President for his personal role and interest in facilitating a
solution to this complex problem.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. Prime Minister, thank you. Very good job. Well done.
Thank you, sir.

END 11:24 A.M. EDT

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