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Skriven 2007-06-01 23:31:10 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0706015) for Fri, 2007 Jun 1
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Interview of the President by Boyko Vassilev Petrov, BNT, Bulgaria
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary June 1, 2007

Interview of the President by Boyko Vassilev Petrov, BNT, Bulgaria Map Room

˙˙White House News


May 31, 2007

3:45 P.M. EDT

Q Mr. President, whom do you want the Bulgarians to meet, a demanding
leader of a superpower, an ally, a friend, somebody feared or loved?

THE PRESIDENT: I want them to meet a guy -- that's a great question. I want
them to meet a person who, one, respects the people of Bulgaria, and
appreciates Bulgarian contributions to the world; a person who understands
how difficult the transition from one form of government to democracy is,
and a person who represents a nation of decent, compassionate people.

You know, I tell people sometimes -- in America they always respect the
presidency, and sometimes they like the President. And I made some tough
decisions, you know, and I understand that. But I represent a country that
really cares deeply about the human condition. And I bring a spirit of
friendship to Bulgaria and its people.

Q Bulgaria is an ally; it's hosting three joint military bases. What will
Bulgaria get in return?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, you've got a good friend. And I don't
think friends really kind of measure decision making on a quid pro quo
basis. In other words, relationships, they're evolving and they're growing.
I presume Bulgaria made the decisions, first and foremost, for the basing
because it was in her best interests. In other words, sovereign nations
say, well, this is in my interests.

Secondly, look, there are some security issues, obviously. One of the great
things about a relationship with the United States is we keep our word, or
we should keep our word. And we'll keep our word as long as I'm President,
I promise you. And I would hope that the citizens would get a sense of
comfort through the relationship with the United States, and other nations
that are involved with these great defensive alliance.

Q Mr. President, we are good enough to fight with you; why aren't we good
enough to have a visa-free entry into the United States? Are we that
dangerous?

THE PRESIDENT: That's a great question. Listen, you're not the first person
who has ever asked a question in that form. I want your people to know that
I understand there is a contradiction; that on the one hand, you're a
strong ally, and yet other allies of the United States are treated
differently. And this is a tough issue, because it has to go through our
Congress.

And I'm working very carefully with governments, as well as with our
Congress, to come up with a solution that is satisfactory. I'm sorry it's
taken so long, and I know it's created frustrations. And there is an
inherent contradiction. And I can't deny that. The only thing I can do is
pledge to make the system work better. We're involved in a very serious
immigration debate here in America, as well, that's somewhat related to
this issue, and hopefully we can get a lot of these issues taken care of
this summer.

Q Mr. President, on Iraq. Bulgarian civilians and soldiers died there, so
it may be right and just to ask you, do you admit any mistakes in Iraq?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, the first thing I want to say is, to the Bulgarian
mother or father or wife or husband, my deepest sympathies go to your loved
one. I deal with the pain of death here in America. One of my jobs as the
person who made the decision to put our troops there, of course, is to try
to comfort those who have lost a loved one. And it's, frankly, the most
painful aspect of the job, knowing my decision caused a child to be lost to
a family.

And so what I tell those parents, and I'd like to share the same thing with
the Bulgarian families, is, one, the cause was necessary and noble for
peace; two, that I'm committed to helping this Iraqi government succeed,
and I think the people will look back 50 years from now and say, oh, I
understand now why they were doing what they were doing, because
democracies and liberties help yield peace; thirdly, that I won't let
politics get in the way of making important decisions to help achieve the
mission. In other words, we won't let their loved one die in vain. You can
look back on any war, and determine whether or not certain tactics could be
changed, but the strategic decision, removing Saddam Hussein, was the right
decision.

Q Mr. President, your competition with Russia elsewhere, but also in our
region, is getting hotter. Where is Bulgaria in all that? Are we on our own
in the superpowers' game?

THE PRESIDENT: First of all -- you know, it's interesting. I guess the
press tries to build up a major competition with Russia. I don't view it
that way.

Q Why?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think, first of all, the Cold War is over. I don't
view Russia as an enemy. And I've got a good relationship with Vladimir
Putin. And I intend to keep it that way. Now that doesn't mean I agree with
him on every issue, and he certainly doesn't agree with me. The latest
flare up, of course, is whether or not we should be working with our allies
to develop a missile shield. And to that end, I sent Bob Gates, our
Secretary of Defense, to see Vladimir Putin, and I sent him a message. And
then I told it to him recently myself. I said, we have nothing to hide; as
a matter of fact, if you would like to join, we would like to welcome -- we
welcome you. You're not the enemy.

We're not trying to isolate Russia. What we're attempting to do is protect
ourselves and friends and allies against a rogue regime with a missile.
That's a realistic possibility. I said, why don't you send your generals,
or send your people to the United States, and we will show you our systems;
we'll be fully transparent.

So I will work -- I think it is important for the citizens of Bulgaria to
know that they've got a great friend in the United States. But I am also
working hard to make sure that we're -- to prevent any escalation of
rhetoric. I don't think there's a military threat toward Bulgaria, but if
there were, you would have a friend to help you.

Secondly, I think it's important for the people of Bulgaria to know that if
I think Russia is wrong, I've got the kind of relationship where I can
explain it very clearly, and not afraid to do so, by the way. But there are
areas where we can work together with Russia, too.

Q Mr. President, you've already supported the Bulgarian nurses jailed in
Libya. Do you still support them? Do you think it will be a positive
outcome?

THE PRESIDENT: I do, I hope so, certainly. This has got to be painful not
only to the families of the Bulgarian nurses, but to the people of
Bulgaria. I called the President a while back, and told him that we're very
much committed to helping to not only support the nurses, but to free the
nurses. And that's the position of the United States. We've sent that
message very clearly to the Libyan government. As I understand it, Tony
Blair was working the issue the other day, as well. We're very -- we're
committed, and would hope that this -- the tragic case, it's a painful
case, would be solved quickly, in a way that's satisfactory to the
Bulgarian people.

Q Mr. President, if we conclude, once again, could you say to the citizens
of Bulgaria, summing up, what kind of face will you present to them? And we
know you value convictions and values, but can you admit also making
mistakes?

THE PRESIDENT: I mean, if you're trying to say, did I make a mistake
routing al Qaeda out of Afghanistan, the answer is, absolutely not. Getting
rid of Saddam Hussein was the right thing to do. You've got to understand,
my decision making is based, of course, first and foremost on the best
interests of the United States. And we got attacked. Nearly 3,000 of our
citizens died, and it affected my thinking. I will continue to make
decisions to help secure our country.

But you'll see a guy come to Bulgaria who is grateful for the hospitality,
grateful for the friendship, someone who brings the great spirit of
America. Listen, I represent a great country because our people are great.
Our people are hard working, decent, honorable, compassionate people, who
care deeply about freedom and liberty. I'm really proud to be their
President.

Q Mr. President, thank you very much for this interview.

THE PRESIDENT: Honored to be with you. Looking forward to coming.

Q Thank you very much.

THE PRESIDENT: My pleasure.

END 3:53 P.M. EDT
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