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Skriven 2006-07-06 23:35:18 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (060706) for Thu, 2006 Jul 6
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President Bush Participates in Press Availability with Canadian Prime
Minister Stephen Harper
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 6, 2006

President Bush Participates in Press Availability with Canadian Prime
Minister Stephen Harper
The East Room

President's Remarks view

˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: Global Diplomacy

11:55 A.M. EDT

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you all. Welcome. It's been my honor to visit with
Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, in the Oval Office. After
this exercise in democracy, I'll be buying him lunch, where we'll continue
our discussions. I'm impressed by his leadership style. I appreciate the
fact that he doesn't mince words, he tells me what's on his mind and he
does so in a real clear fashion.

We talked about a lot of subjects. We talked about Iran, and our joint
desire to convince the Iranian regime to give up its nuclear weapons
ambitions. We talked about North Korea, and I shared with him our strategy
to work with five other -- four other nations to convince the North Koreans
to adhere to agreements they had already reached with the world.

We talked about the war on terror, and I told the Prime Minister how
pleased Americans were that the Canadian government did the hard work
necessary to disrupt terrorist plots. It just goes to show how safe Canada
is. When you've got a government that's active and a police force that's
capable, people ought to be rest assured that Canada is on top of any
plots.

I thanked the Prime Minister and the Canadian people for their involvement
in Afghanistan. This is a serious foreign policy decision by the
government, and it's a necessary decision, in my judgment, to help make
this world a more peaceful place. It just goes to show the important role
Canada can play in foreign policy. Canada has got -- has got a set of
values that are extremely important for the world to see.

And I do want to thank the families of those soldiers who are in
Afghanistan for supporting their loved ones. Their soldiers are doing
fantastic work. I asked prior to your visit here from our military folks
how they were doing; they said, great. And they're making the country
proud.

I appreciate very much our discussion about Darfur. I believe that Canada
and the United States can make a difference in Darfur, and should. As you
know, our nation declared the situation in Darfur a genocide. We will work
with the international community to bolster the AU forces that are there
now. I believe they ought to be blue-helmeted, and I believe there ought to
be NATO involvement with a blue-helmeted AU augmented force on the ground.
The message has got to be clear to the government of Sudan, we're not going
to tolerate this kind of activity.

I speak frequently with my Secretary of State on this issue, Mr. Prime
Minister, to make sure that we expedite the arrival of augmented troops to
save lives. I talked to Kofi Annan the other night, by the way, about this
very subject. And so I appreciate your understanding and I really
appreciate your working on this.

You know, we cooperate closely in our neighborhood. We just renewed the
NORAD Accord, and I want to thank you for that. I remember going out -- one
of the hurricanes was about to hit us here, and I remember talking to, and
having dinner with a Canadian general there, and it was a -- it just
reminded me of how close that our relations need to be.

We talked about trade. We have a lot of trade with Canada. It's in this
nation's interest to trade with Canada. It's in, I think, the Canadian
interest to trade with the United States. I'll let the Prime Minister speak
to that. But it's important when you have trade to have goods and services
and people flow as smoothly as possible between our two countries.

We've had some disputes in the past, trade disputes. That's what you expect
when you have a lot of trade. And probably the most nettlesome trade
dispute was softwood lumber. And I appreciate the Prime Minister's
leadership in helping us resolve this issue. It's a tough issue. It was a
tough issue for the Canadian government, it's a tough issue for us.
Nevertheless, the fact that we were able to reach an accord just goes to
show how trading partners can be active in trade and be willing -- and
solve problems. I think this is a really important solution, and I want to
thank you for that.

Needless to say, the Prime Minister expressed deep concerns about the
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The last time I was with him he
expressed concerns. He basically was a little impatient, if I might clarify
your -- it seemed like you were impatient, at least -- (laughter) -- and
straightforward. Look, he said, I understand there's a law on the books;
show us what's going to happen. And I understand the concerns. If you have
a relationship like we have, where there's a lot of activity and a lot of
people moving across the border, it makes sense for the Prime Minister of
Canada to say, look, we just want to know what the rules are to determine
whether or not it is compatible with our relationship.

And so I assured him that my view is, simple and easy to understand is the
operative words. And we will continue our discussions about this
initiative, particularly since the Secretary of Homeland Security Chertoff
-- who is sitting right over there, by the way -- will be joining us for
lunch. Unless you don't want me to invite him. (Laughter.)

We talked about -- well, we talked about a lot of subjects, and that's what
you'd expect friends to do.

Mr. Prime Minister, the floor is yours. I'm proud you're here, and thanks
for coming.

PRIME MINISTER HARPER: Well, thank you very much, Mr. President, for the
invitation and for the kind words. And thank you for doing something I
never thought I'd see, which is have the Canadian media stand when I
entered the room. But we certainly enjoy that.

(Begins to speak in French.)

(Returns to speaking English.) The United States and Canada have a strong
relationship, strong and firm relationship based on the largest commerce
and social interaction in the history of any two countries of the world,
and we were able to discuss a wide range of bilateral and international
matters where we, more often than not, share common values and common
objectives.

We discussed many topics of interest to our respective countries and
citizens, in particular, as the President mentioned, the Western Hemisphere
Travel Initiative. The President and I agreed that the implementation of
the provisions of the WHTI must not unduly hinder cross-border travel or
tourism or trade. And to that end, we've tasked our officials to agree on
common standards for securing alternate documents, and preferably, as soon
as possible.

We discussed the critical role Canada, in particular our oil sands, can
play in providing energy security. The President and I have agreed to task
our officials to provide a more forward-looking approach focused on the
environment, climate change, air quality and energy issues in which our
governments can cooperate. We raised the issue of how regulatory
cooperation could increase productivity, while helping to protect our
health, safety, and environment.

We also expressed, as the President just did, our mutual satisfaction on
the significant progress made on the longstanding softwood lumber dispute.
Both countries have now initialed the legal text; that legal text
faithfully reproduces and documents the agreements reached between our
governments and various premiers on April the 27th, and I now urge all
relevant parties to move forward with its implementation.

The President and I also discussed a number of important international
issues, in particular our role in Afghanistan. We have 2,300 men and women
on the ground as part of the Canadian forces. They're playing an important
role in security and development in order to protect our national interest,
rebuild Afghanistan, and ensure it never becomes again a safe haven for
terrorists.

We also discussed recent developments in Iran, and we expressed our mutual
concern about North Korea's latest provocative acts. We also discussed the
upcoming G8 meeting in Russia, where issues like energy security,
infectious diseases, education and innovation will be on the agenda. And
finally, we did touch briefly on the recent Mexican election. Canada has
full confidence in Mexico's institutions and processes, and I look forward
very much to working with the next President of Mexico.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you, sir.

Kyl.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Do you want the United Nations to impose
sanctions on North Korea? And how will you go about persuading the Russians
and the Chinese to back those moves if you make them? And in addition to
that, sir, what kind of threat do you think North Korea poses to world
peace right now?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Non-transparent societies run by governments that aren't
selected by the people are -- very difficult to tell what's going on.
That's part of the problem. We're dealing with a person who was asked not
to fire a rocket by the Chinese, the South Koreans, the United States, the
Japanese, and the Russians, and he fired seven of them -- which then caused
the Secretary of State and myself to get on the phone with our partners,
and reminded them that -- of the importance of speaking with one voice.

It's to -- saying to Kim Jong-il, there is a better way forward for you
than isolating yourself from the rest of the world; that there is a
opportunity for you to stick to some of your agreements, and that is to
verifiably disarm; and that there will be a better life than being
isolated, and most importantly, a better life for your people than
isolation will bring.

And so I was on the phone this morning with Hu Jintao and President Putin,
and last night I talked to Prime Minister Koizumi and President Roh. And my
message was that we want to solve this problem diplomatically, and the best
way to solve the problem diplomatically is for all of us to be working in
concert, and to send one message, and that is -- to Kim Jong-il -- that we
expect you to adhere to international norms and we expect you to keep your
word.

One way to send a message is through the United Nations. And the Japanese
laid down a resolution which we support. But we're working with our
partners to make sure we speak with one voice. Diplomacy takes a while,
particularly when you're dealing with a variety of partners. And so we're
spending time diplomatically making sure that voice is unified.

I was pleased from the responses I got from the leaders. They, like me,
were -- are concerned, concerned about a person who doesn't seem to really
care about what others say. And so we're working it, working it hard. And
it's -- and by the way, an effective policy is one which is not just the
United States trying to solve problems. So I spent time talking to the
Canadian Prime Minister about it. I mean, Canada is a -- should be, and
must be, an active participant in helping deal with problems.

He brought up Haiti, for example, in the Oval Office. Canada has made a
significant contribution to stability in Haiti in the past. And it's an
important -- my only point is, is that we will continue to work with others
to deal with problems that crop up.

Q How much of a threat to the world --

PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, you know, Dick, I think that -- let's put it this way
-- he's going to pose less of a threat the more isolated he becomes and the
more we work together. And as I mentioned to you, it's hard to tell. This
is a society in which there's very little freedom, including freedom of the
press. There's not a lot of light shining in there.

And so we take his statements very seriously. He's kind of declared himself
to be a nuclear power. We obviously watch very carefully his testings.
We're trying to make sure, by the way, that the missile that he fired
wasn't headed for Canada. We don't know, for a fact, where it was headed.
But, for example, one thing that Stephen and I talked about is he could be
seemingly firing a missile at the United States, say, at -- I don't know,
this is all speculation -- but could be headed toward the Northwest of our
country, and it wouldn't take much for it to get off course, and end
somewhere where he may not have intended.

My only point is, is that we will work very closely on these matters
together. It's in our interests that we send a clear message to the leader
of North Korea.

Q Christian St. Pierre, Radio Canada. Happy birthday, sir.

PRESIDENT BUSH: It's amazing, the first birthday greeting I got from the
press came from the Canadian press. (Laughter.) Thank you, I am grateful.
You're not 60 years old, are you? (Laughter.) Well, let me just say this --
it's a lot younger than you think.

Q President Bush --

PRESIDENT BUSH: Sure.

Q My question is about the security at the border. On the passport issue,
you seems very open. But there is a deadline of 2008.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes.

Q Is there any chance of getting a -- of dealing? And, Mr. Harper, can you
comment in French and English, please?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you. We are responding to congressional law. And I --
let me reinterpret your -- is your question, is there flexibility in the
law, basically? Yes, I think that if Congress decides there needs to be
flexibility, there will flexibility. Interestingly enough, the Senate
passed -- made its intention clear to extend deadlines. That hasn't
happened in the House yet. And so we are operating in the executive branch
under the idea that nothing will change, and therefore, we need to get to
the Canadian government as quickly as possible our definition of what a
reasonable policy is. If Congress decides to be flexible, we, obviously,
will be flexible.

But the reason we're dealing with this issue is because the legislative
branch put this into law, put the need to have these kind of documents into
law. And as I told Chertoff, who is responsible for implementing the law,
that I would like this, to the extent the law allows, for there to be a lot
of flexibility and simplicity.

As the governor of Texas, I'm used to a border situation where hundreds of
thousands of people crossed every day. See, we -- on our southern border,
there are a lot of Mexican citizens who come into the United States and
work on a daily basis and then go back home. It happens a lot. And
therefore, I fully understand the need for there to be simplicity in the
documentation. It needs to be easy for somebody who is known and a person
that is -- makes a living on the other side of the border. There's -- a lot
of kids go to college in, like, El Paso, Texas, and they're living in
Mexico, so they've got to go back and forth on a regular basis. So I'm
familiar with this issue a lot, and I really do emphasize the need for us
to be mindful of what a onerous program could mean to good relations, as
well as facilitation of trade.

I can remember Stephen's concerns about the effect this initiative might
have on conventions, for example, in Canada. He brought up today an
interesting example of Little League teams playing baseball in Manitoba.
And so, in other words, there's a lot of just daily commerce that we've got
to be mindful about -- not just trade, but the movement of people. And we
are, we are.

And so to answer your question, if the Congress provides flexibility, of
course, we will work with the Canadian government to extend deadlines. If
the Congress says, no, this is what our intent is, we will work with the
Canadian government to make the law work.

PRIME MINISTER HARPER: (Answers in French.)

(Continues in English) We're on two tracks here. We've indicated we want to
cooperate. We understand this is a congressional law the administration has
to put into place. We're prepared to cooperate to make it work as smoothly
and effectively as possible. We need more information, and we've been
pressing for that for some time, and we'll continue to do so.

At the same time, our other track is obviously to encourage some
reexamination of the law. The Senate has recently passed an amendment that
would delay this process by a year and a half. We have some indications
from some quarters of the House of Representatives, some will there to
consider the same thing.

As I say, we -- and I just want to emphasize -- we in Canada share the
United States' security concerns and objectives. I think as you all know,
recently with events in Toronto it's been brought home to all of us that we
face exactly the same kind of security threats, and are defending exactly
the same kinds of values. And I would hate to see a law go into place that
has the effect of not just limiting and endangering trade or tourism, but
endangering all those thousands of social interactions that occur across
our border every day, and are the reason why Canada and the United States
have the strongest relationship of any two countries, not just on the
planet, but in the history of mankind.

And I would just urge the Congress to think carefully, that if the fight
for security ends up meaning that the United States becomes more closed to
its friends, then the terrorists have won. And I don't think either of us
want that. So we're prepared to cooperate and also urge the Congress to
apply some flexibility in reaching their objectives of security.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you.

Jim Axelrod.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Kim Jong-il has been described as quirky, as
odd. A member of your administration yesterday compared him to an unloved
child looking for attention. And I'm wondering if you agree with that
assessment. Does he pose --

PRESIDENT BUSH: Who was that person? (Laughter.)

Q Does he pose -- come to the booth, sir, I'll tell you who it was.
(Laughter.) Does he pose any particular unique problems to deal with? And
do you feel that he's looking, for instance, at what's been offered to the
Iranians by the world community in terms of incentives, and saying, I'd
like a little of that for myself?

PRESIDENT BUSH: It's hard for me to tell you what's on his mind. He lives
in a very closed society. It's unlike our societies where we have press
conferences and people are entitled to ask questions, and there's all kinds
of discussions out of administrations and people saying this, saying that,
and the other. This is a very closed society.

We do know there's a lot of concentration camps. We do know that people are
starving. As a matter of fact, our nation has tried to help feed the
hungry. But what we don't know is his intentions. And so I think we've got
to plan for the worst and hope for the best. And planning for the worst
means to make sure that we continue to work with friends and allies, as
well as those who've agreed to be a part of the six-party talks, to
continue to send a unified message.

We've also got a very strong Proliferation Security Initiative, because one
of the threats that can emanate from a closed society, particularly one
that claims to have nuclear weapons, is proliferation. One of the real
dangers we face is weapons of mass destruction in the hands of people who
would like to continue to hurt us -- hurt the United States or hurt Canada,
or anybody who has the courage to stand up and embrace freedom, see? That's
the big threat.

And so we don't know, Jim, about his intentions, but we take -- we're
planning. And so one of the things we've done -- and I thank Canada's
contribution -- is for there to be a very strong initiative to prevent
proliferation, through what we call the Proliferation Security Initiative.
And it's an important initiative. And so it's a way to say, we're not going
to allow you to threaten us; we're not going to allow you to --.

The rocket -- as I say, I'm not exactly sure what the azimuth was of the
rocket. We've got our people still analyzing that. But, for example, we
didn't -- we don't know what was on the rocket, we don't know where the
rocket was headed. It would have been helpful, of course, had he said,
here's what we're going to do, here's our intentions, here's what -- we
want to work with you, we want to explain it. Who knows -- send a satellite
-- who knows what his intention was.

But that's not the way he decided to deal with it. He just decided to say
-- to start firing; he fired seven of them. And we take this seriously. We
take -- and we all should take threats seriously. That's one of the lessons
of September the 11th, is that what takes place in other parts of the world
can come home to hurt the American people. See, a failed government in
Afghanistan enabled plotters and planners to train and them come and kill
3,000 of our citizens. And so it used to be that's it's okay if something
were happening from afar, oceans could protect us. I presume that's how
some in Canada used to feel. The lesson of September the 11th is, is that
we're vulnerable, and therefore, we've got to deal with each threat.

I've assured the American people and assured our friends and allies we want
to deal with threats diplomatically. The best way to deal with threats
diplomatically is to encourage others to be a part of the process. And
that's what we're doing. That's why we've got the six-party talks.

And one of the keys in the six-party talks is for all the nations to send
clear messages to Kim Jong-il. That's why I was on the phone this morning,
saying as clearly as I could to our fellow partners, four other leaders, to
say, let's send a common message that you won't be rewarded for ignoring
the world, and that you'll be isolated if you continue to do this, and yet,
there's a way forward.

See, I care deeply about the people in North Korea. I truly do. It breaks
my heart to know that young children are literally starving to death. And I
wish -- I just wish at some point in time there was an openness in that
society where we could help save lives. I'm also realistic enough to
realize what weapons of mass destruction could mean in the world in which
we live.

And so we're working this issue hard. We're working the Iranian issue hard.
Steve and I talked about a strategy going into the G8 session. I talked to
President Putin this morning abut making sure that not only do we send
messages to the North Koreans, but that our strategy will work with Iran.

And it's just really important for the American President to see the world
the way it is, not the way we would hope it would be, and to deal with
threats, and to do so in a way that will achieve results. And it takes a
while. I mean, these threats didn't arise overnight, and these problems
won't be solved overnight. But we've got strategies in place to deal with
them.

And one of the reasons why it's important to have Steve here is so we can
talk about how we can work together to deal with it. And they're not just
threats to our security that normal people think of. HIV/AIDS on the
continent of Africa is a threat to our security in the long run. That's why
I'm proud to report the United States took the lead on setting up the
Global Fund, as well as bilateral programs to help save people's lives. I
think it's in our interests. I also happen to believe in the admonition,
"to whom much is given, much is required."

And so, we've got a robust foreign policy on a lot of fronts, and I intend
to keep it that way. And I'm confident that what we're doing is going to
make this world a better place. And I'm proud to have allies like Steve who
understand the stakes of the 21st century.

Q Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, before I ask you a question, I'm just
curious what you think of that belt buckle the Prime Minister gave you as a
birthday gift, and are you wearing it?

PRESIDENT BUSH: I hadn't seen it yet. (Laughter.) Oh, Lee, you gave it
away. (Laughter.)

Q Mr. President, on a serious note, in light of the North Korea missile
test, and the fact that North Korea could launch another series of missiles
at any minute, did you ask Canada to reconsider joining in the Ballistic
Missile Defense Shield?

And, Prime Minister, do you still think it's wrong and not in Canada's
interest to join the BMD? And when you're responding, could you do it in
French and English, please?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Anyway, thanks for the belt buckle in advance. (Laughter.)

PRIME MINISTER HARPER: No problem at all.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Looking forward to getting it.

PRIME MINISTER HARPER: Figure if you're going to be 60, you should get
something.

PRESIDENT BUSH: That's right. Just hope the belt fits. (Laughter.)

No, I didn't bring it up, because I figured if he was interested, he would
tell me. I did explain to him, however, that we will continue to build a
robust system, because I think it's in -- I know it's in our interest to
make sure that we're never in a position where somebody can blackmail us.

So we'll continue to invest and spend. And since this issue first came up,
we've made a lot of progress on how to -- towards having an effective
system. And it's in our interest that we continue to work along these
lines.

But, no, my attitude was -- this is a -- this was a particularly difficult
political issue inside Canada, and my relationship is such that if Stephen
thought it was of importance, he would have told me what's on his mind.
Now, maybe he's going to bring it up over lunch, but he didn't bring it up
earlier.

PRIME MINISTER HARPER: Let me just begin by saying --

PRESIDENT BUSH: Interesting question, though.

PRIME MINISTER HARPER: Let me just begin by saying that -- first of all,
the question was asked earlier, I think, is North Korea a threat. I don't
think the issue is whether North Korea is a threat. North Korea clearly
wants to be a threat. And I think -- I just want to repeat what the
President has said -- given that that's a society of the kind of nature it
is, I think this should concern us immensely, and the fact that it is
prepared to arm itself and prepared to threaten to use such armaments I
think it is something that we should be gravely concerned about, as was
said earlier.

Missiles that are fired in the direction of the United States constitute a
threat to Canada. That's one of the reasons why our government renewed, on
a permanent basis, the NORAD Treaty. Through NORAD we have a special
relationship on air defense and we share information on these kind of
matters. I think as you know, to answer your specific question, the
government of Canada is not prepared to open a missile defense issue at
this time, but I will say that I think it should be obvious, when we look
at this kind of threat, why the United States and others would want to have
a modern and flexible defense system against this kind of threat. So I
think that's something, at least, our government fully understands.

(Begins to answer in French.)

PRESIDENT BUSH: Welcome. Thank you for your birthday gift.

Q Mr. President, happy birthday.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you, very much. Yes.

Q It's also my birthday.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Today's your birthday, too?

Q Yes, sir.

PRESIDENT BUSH: It is? Come on up. Come up, come up, come up. (Laughter.)
Come on. Get up here. Anybody else have their birthday today? (Laughter.)
It's your birthday? Yes, sure. It is your birthday? Come on. (Laughter.)
It's amazing everybody's birthday.

(The press sings "Happy Birthday.")

PRESIDENT BUSH: Dear Richard -- he just told me he's 30 years old.
(Laughter.) Happy birthday. Happy birthday.

END 12:34 P.M. EDT

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