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Skriven 2006-06-01 23:34:10 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0606011) for Thu, 2006 Jun 1
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President Bush Meets with Cabinet
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 1, 2006

President Bush Meets with Cabinet
The Cabinet Room


˙˙˙˙˙ President's Cabinet

11:01 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank the members of my Cabinet who came today. We
had a really good discussion about a variety of important issues. We talked
about the war against terror, and I reminded our Cabinet Secretaries that
we all have a responsibility to help us win this war, including sending
members of our administration to Iraq, to help this new democracy succeed.

We talked about the hurricane season that's upon us, and the work we're
doing to help local governments and state governments prepare for the
hurricane season.

I talked about the immigration issue. I talked about how strongly I feel
for this country to have comprehensive immigration reform.

And then we heard from Secretary Snow about the strength of this economy,
and what we intend to do to keep it strong. One thing we intend to do is to
continue to work with the United States Congress to make sure the tax cuts
we passed are permanent. It turns out our pro-growth economic policies have
worked, and the best way to make sure that the recovery we have is
sustainable is to keep those taxes low. The Secretary briefed us on the
fact that revenues coming into our treasury look very robust. The best way
to balance the budget is to keep pro-growth economic policies in place, and
at the same time, work with our Cabinet Secretaries to keep spending down.

And so I'm very pleased with the progress on our economy, and I want to,
again, thank my Cabinet Secretaries for being here. And now I'll answer a
couple of questions. Jennifer.

Q Thank you, sir. Do you have either China or Russia on board with Iran?

THE PRESIDENT: Yesterday, Secretary Rice, at my instructions, said to the
world that we want to solve the problem of the Iranian nuclear issue
diplomatically. And we made it very clear publicly that we're willing to
come to the table, so long as the Iranians verifiably suspend their
program. In other words, we said to the Iranians, the United States of
America wants to work with our partners to solve the problem.

I spoke to the President of Russia and explained my position clearly to
him, and that is, the choice is up to the Iranians whether or not they're
going to listen to the world demand, and if they do, we've got something to
talk to them about. And if they don't, we expect Russia to participate in
the United Nations Security Council. We'll see whether or not they agree to
do that. I got a positive response from the President. He said he
understands our strategy, and he agrees we want to solve this issue
diplomatically.

I also spoke to President Hu Jintao this morning. I laid out to him why I
instructed Secretary Rice to do what she did. And now it's going to be up
to the Iranians to make their decision, and if they choose not to
verifiably suspend, we have laid the groundwork for an effective
international response.

Q Was the response from President Hu positive?

THE PRESIDENT: They understood our strategy, and they understood -- the
most positive thing about all the conversations I had is there is uniform
agreement that the Iranians should not have a nuclear weapon. And we'll
discuss tactics and strategies to make sure that the international
community speaks with one, clear voice if the Iranians choose not to
verifiably suspend. And so we'll see what their decision is. My decision is
to be robust in trying to solve this problem diplomatically.

Matthew. Reuters. Yes, there you are.

Q But the Iranian Foreign Minister, today, has already -- while welcoming
the offer of talks, has rejected the idea that they would first suspend
uranium enrichment. How do you react to that, and is it now --

THE PRESIDENT: My reaction is, the choice is theirs. And we'll see whether
or not that is the firm position of their government. If that's what they
decide to do, then the next step, of course, will be to -- for our
coalition partners to go to the United Nations Security Council. And the
choice is up to the Iranians. And they've already said, by the way, that
they're willing to suspend. And this gives them a second chance to make
their words mean something.

I want to solve this problem diplomatically, and I want to solve it
peacefully. And the best thing for the Iranians to understand is that if
they choose not to suspend in a verifiable -- if they continue their
obstinance, if they continue to say to the world, we really don't care what
your opinion is, then the world is going to act in concert. The next step
of acting in concert is to go to the United Nations Security Council.

Ann.

Q Why do American forces in Iraq need retraining on core values, as the
military puts it?

THE PRESIDENT: Our troops have been trained on core values throughout their
training, but obviously there was an incident that took place in Iraq. It's
now being investigated. And this is just a reminder for troops in Iraq, or
throughout our military, that there are high standards expected of them and
that there are strong rules of engagement. The Haditha incident is under
investigation. Obviously, the allegations are very troubling for me and
equally troubling for our military, especially the Marine Corps. I've
spoken to General Pace about this issue quite a few times. And he's
troubled by the allegations because he understands that the Marine Corps
has got a proud tradition of upholding rules of engagement.

One of the things that happens in a transparent society like ours is that
there is -- there will be a full and complete investigation. The world will
see the full and complete investigation. It also is a reminder to our
commanders that they must constantly enforce the proud tradition of our
military, and that's what they're doing.

Q Have you gotten updates on the situation?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I'm not involved with the investigation, and you
shouldn't expect me to be. I expect this investigation to be conducted
independent of the White House, with a full and thorough investigation. And
I'm confident. Listen, the Marine Corps wants to get to the bottom of this.
If anybody wants to make sure that they know the facts and to correct
problems, if they do exist, it's the United States Marine Corps. They are
run by -- the Marines are run by an incredibly proud group of men and women
who understand the history and tradition of the Marines. And they'll get to
the bottom of this.

And if there is wrongdoing, people will be held to account. And at the same
time, what you're seeing is the Marine Corps reminding our troops about
what it means to be a Marine, what it means to uphold the honor of that
Corps, and what it means to adhere to the rules of engagement that we
expect our soldiers to adhere to. The United States of America has got a
willingness to deal with issues like this in an up-front way, in an open
way, and correct problems. And that's what you're going to see unfold.

Thank you all.

END 11:09 A.M. EDT

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