[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: GEORGE W. BUSH (2001, Book I)]
[June 12, 2001]
[Pages 638-647]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's News Conference With President Jose Maria Aznar of Spain in Madrid, Spain
June 12, 2001

    President Aznar. It's a great pleasure to be able to welcome the 
President of the United States of America, George Bush, to Palacio de la 
Moncloa on his first visit to Spain. I'd like to express my satisfaction 
with regard to the atmosphere of cordiality and the friendship that has 
ruled in our meetings today, our working luncheon, and our talks. And I 
also want to thank his advisers and his staff for all the kindness and 
all of the interest they have shown in issues that matter to Spain.
    As all of you know, President Bush and his delegation spent several 
hours with us in Quintos de Mora en Toledo, where we had the opportunity 
to talk about a number of issues I will refer to.
    As you know, the United States of America and Spain share a common 
history--before, during, and after its independence--to which Spain has 
made a major contribution. At present, many U.S. citizens have Spanish 
as their mother tongue--a number which in the next few years will be 
more than that of Spaniards--and a language which we hear the President 
himself speaking better and better every day. [Laughter] Our students 
and our researchers chose many university centers in the United States 
as the place of preference to study and work. And I, myself, have been 
able to find, on my trips to the United States, how quickly Spanish 
scientists are included in these research centers and institutions.
    We share with the United States confidence in the values of freedom, 
democracy, and respect for human rights, which we believe are basic 
values, not simply to live within our own countries but also as a model 
of behavior for the entire international community. We are open 
societies; we are firm defenders of market economies; and we are 
convinced of the importance of these shared and common values, such as 
the family in our countries.
    These same values that we share and defend have led both our 
countries to take part in the same security organizations, and we defend 
the transatlantic dialog which has been the basis for peace and 
stability in the last half century.
    As you know, President Bush and I will be attending the meeting of 
heads of state and government of NATO tomorrow. And on Thursday will be 
the U.S.-EU Summit, which will be followed by a dinner with the 15 heads 
of state and government, along with President Bush.

[[Page 639]]

    As I said earlier, there are many issues that we discussed, and I 
would very briefly like to refer to these. On the bilateral front, we 
talked about the implementation of the political joint statement that 
was signed last January. We are negotiating, as you all know, a review 
of the agreement for defense cooperation that we hope can be signed as 
soon as possible. We have discussed several issues with regard to our 
economic, industrial, cultural, and security cooperation.
    On the international front, as was included in the joint statement 
that President Bush and I just signed and which has been given to you, 
we dealt with the development of our transatlantic economic 
relationship, the development of European defense, the Balkan situation, 
the Middle East conflict, and the need to increase and improve our 
cooperation with the developing world.
    Allow me to indicate that because of our historical and political 
realities and our cultural realities, we have especially discussed the 
issue of Ibero-America, a region whose welfare and development is 
something that Spain and the United States are keenly interested in. I'd 
like to underscore the extreme sensitivity of President Bush with regard 
to Ibero-American issues, as was evidenced by the various initiatives he 
has implemented since becoming President of the United States, and which 
I, myself, have been able to see during our discussions today.
    Before you ask any questions, I would like to say that as is the 
case on many issues that we have dealt with, we have not always been in 
agreement. But that, precisely, is always the case at meetings like 
these. We try to agree; we try to find meeting points on those issues 
where interpretations perhaps are not always the same. For that reason, 
we have established regular contexts in our joint political declaration, 
and we have approved--and I am very grateful to President Bush for his 
kind invitation to visit the United States before the Spanish 
Presidency, in other words, before the end of this year.
    My conclusion is that these discussions will promote and enhance the 
U.S.-Spain relationship even more, which will lead to great progress--
promising progress, new contacts, new agreements, new opportunities, and 
new common objectives.
    Thank you very much, and I give the floor to the President.
    President Bush. Well, thank you, Mr. President. It's such an honor 
to be here. It is an appropriate place for me to begin my visit to 
Europe. Spain is a friend of the United States, and President Aznar is a 
friend of mine. Es un enorme placer estar en Espana, cuya gran cultura 
ha marcado profundamente mi pais.
    Spain is one of America's most reliable Allies and one of the 
world's most dynamic societies. Spain has made one of Europe's most 
remarkable transitions to democracy and prosperity. It is now the 
world's eighth largest industrial economy. Mr. President, you deserve a 
lot of credit.
    Spain has prospered. It has found a new global role. Hundreds of 
millions of people now speak the language of Cervantes, and many 
millions of them live in the United States. We Americans, too, are now 
proud inheritors of Hispanidad.
    President Aznar and I have today reconfirmed the close relationship 
between the United States and Spain. Our joint statement expresses a 
renewed commitment to the NATO Alliance and a readiness to respond to 
any new threats. The statement also underscores our shared support for a 
new round of global trade negotiations this year.
    The United States and Spain have worked closely together to promote 
freedom, prosperity, and stability, both in the Americas and in 
Southeast Europe. We appreciate Spain's contributions to peace in the 
Balkans and Spain's hospitable welcome to the American soldiers, 
sailors, marines, and aircrews on the bases here.

[[Page 640]]

    It is important that we continue this excellent record of military 
cooperation. It is also important that we continue to cooperate in the 
Middle East and that we combine our efforts to fight terrorism--
terrorism around the world. And our Government is committed to stand 
side by side with the Spanish Government as it battles terrorism here in 
Spain.
    I shared with President Aznar my administration's desire to work 
with our European partners to build a Europe that is whole, free, 
peaceful, and linked in solidarity with the United States. This week 
I'll be meeting with two great institutions of Europe, NATO and the 
European Union, to affirm our common purposes and to chart our path 
ahead of us.
    Europe has often had a history of division and conflict, but Europe 
today is writing a new story, a story of democratic progress, economic 
reform, and ethnic tolerance. This commitment to a united, prosperous, 
peaceful Europe is an American commitment, as well. America benefits 
when Europe is united and peaceful and prosperous.
    The hope of progress has never been greater, and America will do all 
it can to fulfill that promise. We must work together to prevent or 
resolve regional conflicts, to eliminate barriers to free trade, to 
extend Europe's zone of peace and stability by enlarging the great 
institutions of European unity, and to strengthen our ability to meet 
new challenges to our security.
    I look forward to meeting with Russian President Putin to set out a new and constructive and realistic 
relationship between Russia and the United States. I'm looking forward 
to talking to President Putin, to assure him of our friendship and to 
offer him a strong, normal relationship with America.
    President Aznar and I have discussed all these issues. And I gained 
much from his views and experience. I look forward to seeing all my 
European friends and Allies in the coming days. Europe and the United 
States are united by a single set of fundamental values, and with that 
unity, there is much we can accomplish.
    Mr. President, thank you, sir.
    Q. Mr. President----
    President Bush. Speak clearly.
    Q. I'll try, sir. It's one of those things I have problems with.
    President Bush. Speak for yourself. [Laughter]
    Q. I was.
    President Bush. That's right. [Laughter]

Global Warming/National Missile Defense

    Q. Mr. President, the EU today rejected your global warming 
initiative, Mr. President, and weeks of consultations have not eased the 
objections to your missile defense plans in most European capitals. I 
have two questions on that: Are these issues so important that you're 
willing to go it alone if the European Allies won't come on board? And 
what is your response to the EU today calling your climate change plan 
short on results?
    President Bush. Well, first, there's a lot that unite us: trade, 
common values, great opportunities. I look forward to making my case, as 
I did today over lunch, about missile defense. It starts with explaining 
to Russia and our European friends and allies that Russia is not the 
enemy of the United States, that the attitude of mutually assured 
destruction is a relic of the cold war, and that we must address the new 
threats of the 21st century if we're to have a peaceful continent and a 
peaceful world. Those new threats are terrorism, based upon the capacity 
of some countries to develop weapons of mass destruction and, therefore, 
hold the United States and our friends hostage. It is so important we 
think differently in order to address those threats.
    I believe that people are interested in our opinion. I believe Mr. 
Putin is interested in our opinions. I know 
the President of Spain was willing to listen as to why it's important to 
think differently in order

[[Page 641]]

to keep the peace. The ABM Treaty prevents our Nation and other freedom-
loving nations from exploring opportunities to be able to say to those 
who would hold freedom-loving peoples hostage that we're not going to 
let you do so. So I look forward to consulting and continue the 
consultations that have already begun.
    As far as global warming, I made a strong statement yesterday that 
said our Nation is concerned about CO2 emissions and that 
we've begun the process to address that problem. I started with an 
energy plan that, on the one hand, talks about conservation measures. 
Our country can and will do a better job of conserving energy. But I 
also talked about new supplies that will not harm the environment: 
renewables, natural gas, and clean nuclear energy. And I hope the United 
States Congress responds positively to these measures, which will help 
in the global warming issue.
    I also said our Nation is willing to continue to spend money on 
science, to make sure that any collective approach is one based upon 
sound science. I did speak out against the Kyoto treaty itself, because 
I felt that the Kyoto treaty was unrealistic, it was not based upon 
science. The stated mandates in the Kyoto treaty would affect our 
economy in a negative way.
    On the other hand, I did say loud and clear that we must continue 
the process of dialog. I instructed people in our administration to 
adhere to the United Nations framework to figure out ways for us to come 
together to address this issue that knows no borders or no boundaries. 
I'm confident the people of--the leadership of Europe are interested in 
our opinions, and I'm confident we'll have a good and constructive 
dialog.
    President Aznar. I'd like to express my own opinion on these two 
issues, because I want to tell you I've followed our conversations very 
carefully, and I want to thank President Bush for the initiatives he's 
taken on in explaining this missile defense program and all of the 
explanations and information he has been kind enough to provide me this 
afternoon.
    I want to say that, according to my opinion, it's absolutely 
understandable for any President to be concerned about the security of 
his citizens. And in this particular case, obviously there is a concern 
that's shared as a result of the collective security that we share.
    I sincerely believe that no one should be surprised that when we 
pose issues based on overcoming the past of the cold war, policies going 
beyond the cold war, presentations that go beyond the historical 
conflict of the cold war, and we talk about new threats, new challenges, 
new problems, new challenges in general, again, in security, we come to 
new initiatives. So far, these initiatives have all been virtual in the 
sense that they were based on an offensive deterrent factor. Now, we 
have an initiative that is based on defensive issues. It has not been 
demonstrated anywhere, nor has anyone been able to show that that 
defensive initiative is something that cannot lead to greater and better 
security.
    For that reason, it is very important for President Bush to have 
decided to share that initiative with his Allies, to discuss it with 
them, to establish a framework of cooperation with his Allies with 
regard to this initiative, and as he announced, to also establish a 
framework of discussions, cooperation, and a new relationship with 
Russia.
    What I'm surprised by is the fact that there are people who, from 
the start, disqualified this initiative. And that way, they're also 
disqualifying the deterrence that has existed so far, and probably they 
would also disqualify any other kind of initiative. But what we're 
dealing with here is an attempt to provide greater security for 
everyone. And from that point of view, that initiative, to share and 
discuss and dialog and reach common ground with the President of the 
United States, is something that I greatly appreciate.
    With regard to the second issue, on the environment, as you know, 
Spain continues

[[Page 642]]

to support the position of the EU, and it has ratified the Kyoto 
Protocol. I understand that we have positions that may have some 
differences, but I am also absolutely convinced that our objectives--
which are to guarantee a climate that will make life possible for 
everyone, to reduce emissions that can pollute our planet--is an 
objective that we share.
    We can and we must discuss the instruments to achieve those 
objectives, and I hope that that dialog over the next few days will be 
even more intense. President Bush has adopted some initiatives, and 
those initiatives need to be studied by the EU. And they will also be 
studied by Spain--I insist--from the position that we have had of 
ratifying the Kyoto Protocol.

Cuba/Plan Colombia

    Q. I'd like to tell you both something about Ibero-America, and I'd 
like to discuss the issue of Ibero-America with you. I want to know if 
you've adopted any kind of common position. And specifically, with 
regard to President Bush, two questions on that issue: With regard to 
Cuba, do you plan to keep the embargo--to continue with the situation 
that you have with regard to Europe and other countries there; and if, 
with regard to Plan Colombia, you plan to continue the situation? With 
regard to the first question, it had to do with Helms-Burton, excuse me.
    Thank you very much for respecting the request to only ask one 
question at a time.
    President Bush. Which one, Helms-Burton or Plan Colombia? [Laughter] 
Los dos. We plan to keep the embargo on Cuba and will do so until Fidel 
Castro frees prisoners, has free elections, 
embraces freedom. I believe strongly that's the right policy for the 
United States.
    As to Helms-Burton, I'm fully aware there's an issue that has arisen 
between a Spanish corporation and the--and one of the titles of the 
Helms-Burton bill. And we will work to resolve that dispute.
    President Aznar. We had very long discussions on the issue of Ibero-
America, and I said earlier that I greatly appreciate President Bush's 
sensitivities with regard to his--sensitivity with regard to Ibero-
America. And obviously, his sensitivity is demonstrated in a very 
intense way. We had the opportunity to exchange ideas, especially with 
regard to the issues that are now affecting the possible development of 
any possibilities in Ibero-America.
    But we do agree on something very basic. In Ibero-America, Central 
America, South America, we see the circumstances there which are 
sufficient to decisively attract to that part of the world elements of 
prosperity in the 21st century with greater and better opportunities 
and, of course, to establish and trust democratic systems that are more 
and more solid, although there are some exceptions, and to strongly 
attract these countries towards prosperity, so that there will be more 
wealth, more welfare there for everyone. That will be very important for 
us, and it will also be important, I'm sure, for the stability and 
prosperity of the world at large.
    And in that, the United States and Spain share and have a common 
balance. We are capable of working jointly on delicate issues, such as 
Plan Colombia, and on some issues, such as the law that you refer to. 
Although we are not in agreement with it, we are also working so that 
our relationship will not be damaged and so whatever problems are posed 
can be dealt with positively or that they do not even arise at all.

Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change

    Q. Mr. President, your Chief of Staff said over the weekend that 
your decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol was based more on 
emotion than on--was based more on emotion than on science and that you 
thought that some European countries were playing a little bit of a game 
because, unlike Spain, they did not ratify the treaty. Do you agree that 
the European view on this is colored more by emotion

[[Page 643]]

than by science, and do you think that there was some posturing--
[inaudible]?
    President Bush. This is an appropriate question after I've had a 
chance to visit with all the leaders in Europe. I come to the conference 
believing that every leader is sincere about their desire to clean the 
world, and so are we. We have a different approach, but we have the same 
goals.
    As I said earlier, I believe the Kyoto treaty is a flawed treaty. I 
think that it set unscientific goals. It didn't include developing 
countries. On the other hand, I want to reiterate today, and I will do 
so throughout the week, that we're committed to reducing greenhouse 
gases in the United States.
    I had a opportunity to explain to the President that our Nation 
faces an energy crisis, and it's a serious issue. We've got incredible 
trading opportunities between our nations and between the United States 
and the EU. In order for us to be active traders, our Nation's economy 
must recover. We've taken some steps toward that: We've got sound 
monetary policy by the Federal Reserve. We've got a new fiscal stimulus 
package that is going to take effect soon. But we also must address 
energy. And we can do so in a way that not only enhances our economy, a 
way that makes us less dependent on foreign sources of crude oil, and a 
way, as well, that helps clean the environment.
    One of my jobs in the United States is to build a consensus around 
more exploration and transportation of natural gas, which is a clean 
fuel, more use of renewables, as well as following up on the debate that 
we have stimulated, which is the use of clean nuclear power. Mr. 
President was anxious to hear about our plans for economic recovery 
because it affects trade. And trade is one of the most hopeful 
opportunities for people around the globe.
    President Aznar. All matters related to the development of economic 
freedom is something that we have shared freely, as you will see in our 
joint statement.
    With regards to the second part of your question, I'm absolutely 
convinced that the discussions the heads of state and government hold in 
the European Union with President Bush will be held in a constructive 
and positive atmosphere, trying to share objectives and share 
instruments, even though perhaps we start from basic differing opinions 
because I insist the European Union has been favorable to the Kyoto 
Protocol, unlike the United States. But we need to continue talking 
among ourselves to make sure that the objectives that we do share in the 
end, a cleaner world in which we can live better, are objectives that we 
all make possible.

Terrorism

    Q. The same question for both of you, but I will pose it in a 
different way. I'd like to ask President Bush: How will this commitment 
that you have taken on to help Spain in the fight against terrorism be 
translated? What can the United States do? How can the United States 
provide any assistance, bearing in mind that in Spain we cannot apply--
our ethical principles do not allow us to apply the solution that you 
apply, the death penalty, for terrorists?
    And for Mr. Aznar, the same question. I wanted to ask what you have 
asked of Mr. Bush, and what do you expect of the United States to help 
them to solve the most serious problem your government has?
    President Aznar. Since it's our most serious problem, if you'll 
allow me, I'll answer first. I want to express my thanks to the 
solidarity of the U.S. Government in our struggle against terrorism. The 
U.S. and Spain fully share the principles of the fight against terrorism 
in the global sense. But I wish to say that today I especially 
appreciate the fact that President Bush has specifically expressed 
support for the struggle the Spanish Government is carrying out against 
terrorism that takes place specifically in Spain. I very much appreciate 
that.

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    There are many channels for cooperation. Cooperation among Spanish 
and U.S. services is ongoing; it works well. In fact, what we discussed 
today is the enhancement of that cooperation, for it to be strengthened 
in the future. And certainly, we will in the immediate future see how 
that cooperation is going to be enhanced and strengthened.
    But I would ask you please not to blend those issues with any other 
circumstance you may have referred to, because that is a particularly 
vital issue, particularly sensitive for us. And I am convinced, as I 
have always stated, that democracy, the rule of law will always prevail 
over terror and against terror. We must defeat terror. We cannot dialog 
with them; all we must do is defeat them. And we will do that with the 
help of our friends, in this case the Americans and the President of the 
United States, as he has said this afternoon.
    President Bush. We've spent a fair amount of time today over lunch 
discussing terrorism, international terrorism, as well as terrorism 
within Spain. I confirmed our country's willingness and--strong 
willingness to stand side by side with the Government of Spain, to 
cooperate where necessary to help fight terrorism.
    Freedom-loving people are going to be faced with terrorism. And 
countries such as ours must not yield, must not waver in the face of 
terrorist activity. And to the extent that we can help the Government of 
Spain to fight terrorism within its borders, we will do so. We've signed 
a communique prior to me becoming President; I can reaffirm that 
commitment today. And we'll jointly fight terrorism on an international 
basis, as well.
    Part of the missile defense dialog is about fighting terrorism. If 
someone is able to blackmail freedom-loving countries, it could prevent 
countries like Spain and the United States from being forward-thinking 
about fighting terrorism. Terrorist activities will take place different 
kinds of ways in the 21st century: information terror, biological 
weaponry. And we committed today to combine our efforts and talents and 
resources to continue to fight terrorism.
    Mr. President, I meant what I told you over lunch. We stand side by 
side with the Government of Spain and will not yield in the face of 
terrorism.

Kyoto Protocol/National Missile Defense

    Q. You say the scientific evidence isn't strong enough to go forward 
with Kyoto. So how, then, do you justify your missile defense plan, when 
there's even less scientific evidence that that will work?
    President Bush. Part of the problem with the ABM Treaty is that it 
prevents a full exploration of possibility. We're bound by a treaty 
signed in 1972 that prohibits the United States from investigating all 
possibilities as to how to intercept missiles. For example, the 
technology of intercept on launch is a technology that we must more 
fully explore in order to make sure that we have the defensive 
capabilities necessary to prevent what I call blackmail.
    So part of the reasons we're having the dialog in the first place is 
to enable us to explore all our options, so that I can turn to the 
President of Spain one day and say, ``Our research and development has 
shown us that not only can we deploy but effectively deploy the capacity 
to shoot down a weapon from someone that may threaten Spain, may 
threaten the United States, or threaten our Allies''--precisely why the 
debate occurs.
    The ABM Treaty is a relic of the past. It prevents freedom-loving 
people from exploring the future. And that's why we've got to lay it 
aside. And that's why we've got to have the framework--the discussions 
necessary to explain to our friends and Allies, as well as Russia, that 
our intent is to make the world more peaceful, not more dangerous. Our 
intent is to bring stability into the world. And freedom-loving people 
must recognize the true threats that face democracies in the 21st 
century.

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    The days of the cold war have ended, and so must the cold war 
mentality, as far as I'm concerned. And I believe we're going to make 
great progress on this issue; I truly do. I realize it's going to 
require a lot of consultation, but I'm willing to listen. President 
Aznar had a lot of interesting points of view. He had a lot of very good 
questions to ask. One of them was your question: How do we know if it 
will work? And the only way to know--for it to work will be for the 
United States to spend the dollars and have the capacity to do research 
and development on this very important issue.

Death Penalty

    Q. President Bush, this is your first trip to Europe as U.S. 
President. You know that it's a basic constitutional principle to be a 
member of the EU to abolish the death penalty. This is a constitutional 
principle here in Spain, in fact. So my question is, do you feel like 
the champion of the death penalty, as you are perceived by some of the 
media? You want to persuade your Allies on issues such as Kyoto and so 
on. Do you think there might be a chance for them to persuade you that 
we go back to the period when the death penalty wasn't applied in the 
States? Because there are two Spanish citizens on death row in Florida, 
in fact, where your brother is Governor.
    President Aznar, did you discuss this? Did you mention the two 
Spaniards, specifically?
    President Bush. Democracies debate issues. Democracies represent the 
will of the people. The death penalty is the will of the people in the 
United States. There are some people who don't agree with the death 
penalty in our country, and it's not an easy subject for any of us. But 
the majority of the people--and our laws reflect the majority of the 
people--believe that if the death penalty is certain, just, and fair, 
it'll deter crime.
    I understand others don't agree with this position. The democracies 
in Europe reflect the will of the people of Europe. That doesn't mean we 
can't be friends; that doesn't mean we can't work in common areas of 
importance to our people. And that's the spirit in which I come to 
Europe. I recognize that not everybody agrees with the United States on 
positions. But there is so much more that unites us than divides us. We 
share common values; we trade together; we work on security matters 
together. And I refuse to let any issue isolate America from Europe, 
because Europe is too important for America's future.
    My trip here is to confirm our Nation's strong commitment to NATO, 
and our strong commitment to work with the European Union, and our 
strong commitment to interface with our friends on a bilateral basis.
    And so to answer your question, sure, there's going to be 
differences of opinion on big issues, but that will not prevent our 
friendship from enduring and growing stronger, as far as I'm concerned.
    President Aznar. As you, yourself, said in your question, as you 
know, Spain has abolished the death penalty under the Constitution and, 
as you perfectly well know, I, personally, am against the death penalty. 
But as of that point, I also want to tell you that President Bush is 
perfectly well familiar with my position; I know his and the various 
circumstances affecting certain people at this point in time. However, 
from my political standpoint as President of the Government of Spain, I 
will do my utmost to bring about a strengthening of the transatlantic 
link and the relationship between Europe and the United States.
    In my opinion, every time Europe and the States have become 
distanced from the security standpoint, as well as from the standpoint 
of prosperity and freedoms, the world has suffered seriously. I am in 
favor of strengthening the transatlantic ties, so I will strengthen the 
bilateral relationship

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and strengthen developing the EU by taking on further responsibilities 
to bring about economic integration and enlargement.
    I will work to ensure that all that development by no means weakens 
the transatlantic link at any time. We can cooperate on upholding 
freedoms, the free market, human rights, and to uphold a more stable 
world all over.

NATO Expansion

    Q. President Bush, you've said that the expansion of NATO is a 
question of when, not whether. Tomorrow will you tell NATO leaders that 
you want that process to begin next year? And do you believe that the 
Balkan States should be the first to be considered?
    President Bush. Tomorrow I will say it's not a question of whether; 
it's a question of when. We firmly believe NATO should expand. There is 
a process for member applicants to go through, and we support that 
process. I will also say that no nation should have a veto over who is 
admitted into NATO.
    Tomorrow's speech is very important because it will reassure, I 
hope, our friends in NATO that this Government remains strongly 
committed to NATO, our troop presence in NATO, our making sure NATO is 
not weakened in any way. And the process will work, Judy [Judy Keen, USA 
Today]. The process will evolve, and when we meet a year from this fall, 
it will be clear who should be in and who should not be in.
    President Aznar. We basically agree with that. I want to recall that 
in Madrid in 1997 at the NATO Summit was, in fact, when the enlargement 
spread to the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary. We've also discussed 
this issue, and we fully share the opinion that NATO can be enlarged. 
And Spain will also work to forge appropriate consensus for NATO 
enlargement with common agreement among the Allies.

Spain-U.S. Defense Agreement

    Q. My question is for the President of the United States. Spain 
would like to renew the agreement on defense cooperation before the end 
of the year. Do you think this is possible? And is the subject to a 
greater presence of U.S. military in the basis of----
    President Bush. Es posible; es importante. And I believe that we can 
finish the discussions by the end of the year, as to the U.S. presence 
in military bases here in Spain. And I am--we've had a very long 
discussion about this. There are going to be discussions this summer on 
the subject, and we will push hard to make sure we complete our 
agreement. It's an important agreement for the United States.
    And I appreciate so very much our close cooperation and security 
arrangements with Spain. Spain is a loyal friend and a strong ally. And 
I'm so appreciative that the President has been straightforward and 
frank on a number of subjects. Our lunch today was one of the most 
beneficial lunches I've had since I've been the President of the United 
States, Mr. President. Part of the discussions were about our military 
agreements. Part of it was on issues that we don't agree on. Most of it 
is on issues where we do agree. And I leave Spain fully confident that 
our relationship will be very strong and our personal relationship will 
be very beneficial to the United States and, hopefully, to Spain, as 
well.
    President Aznar. I'd like to confirm that it is my hope that the 
agreement will be ready by the end of the year. There are no things such 
as you mention, just a few things that need to be looked at.
    I want to reiterate my thanks to President Bush for his visit to 
Spain and assure all of you that we have enjoyed extremely fruitful 
talks from the bilateral and general perspectives--EU, defense, and our 
cooperation in various areas around the world. I particularly expressed 
my thanks

[[Page 647]]

to the President for his time and for being here.
    Thank you very much. Good afternoon.

Note: The President's news conference began at 5:50 p.m. at the Moncloa 
Palace. In his remarks, President Bush referred to President Vladimir 
Putin of Russia and President Fidel Castro of Cuba. A reporter referred 
to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida. President Aznar spoke in Spanish, and his 
remarks were translated by an interpreter. A portion of this news 
conference could not be verified because the tape was incomplete.