    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [May 3, 2002]
    [Pages 715-716]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to Discussions With President Jose Maria Aznar of Spain and an Exchange With Reporters at Camp David,
    Maryland
    May 3, 2002

        President Bush. Laura and I are honored to welcome our friend the
    President and First Lady of Espana to
    Camp David. It's an opportunity for us to share some private time
    together, to talk about issues of concern between our countries as well
    as opportunities we can have to work together for world peace. We've got
    great relations with Spain; Spain is a very close friend. And I've got
    good--very strong personal relations with Jose Maria.
        So it's such an honor to welcome you here, Senor Presidente. And
    it's great to see the First Lady as
    well.
        Quiere habla?

    [At this point, President Aznar made brief remarks in Spanish, and no
    translation was provided.]

        President Bush. A couple of questions.

    Russia-U.S. Nuclear Arms Agreement

        Q. Mr. President, the Russian Foreign Minister today, after he left
    the meeting with you today, said there's a very high probability for a
    U.S.-Russian nuclear deal in time for your trip. Do you think prospects
    are that good for an agreement?
        President Bush. Espero que si. I hope so. We've been spending a lot
    of time with Russia to reach an agreement that will codify that which
    I've told our country and told Mr. Putin--
    that we're going to substantially reduce our offensive nuclear weapons.
    I hope so. It's--the Secretary of State is
    optimistic. There's some work that remains to be done. I'm looking
    forward to my trip. I look forward to getting--to continue working
    closely with President Putin. Jose Maria has got the same intentions.
    And what's interesting is, right after I leave, el va a Russia to visit
    with Mr. Putin as well.

    Upcoming Meetings With Middle East Leaders

        Q. Mr. President, on Tuesday you will meet with Prime Minister
    Sharon. It will be the fifth meeting. You've talked to him a number of
    times on the phone. And people might say this weekend showed what a
    difference that makes. But you haven't really interacted with Chairman
    Arafat as much, and I wondered about that. Do you feel as though it
    really wouldn't make that big a difference? Or is there a strategic
    reason for not engaging him?
        President Bush. I'm looking forward to my meeting with Prime
    Minister Sharon. I'm looking forward to my
    meeting with King Abdullah. We have got,
    obviously, a lot of activity, a lot of discussions, a lot of interface
    with the different people in the region, the different interested
    parties. And there's going to be a lot more discussion going on.
        As you know, Secretary of State Powell
    talked about a ministerial meeting. It's just a series of ongoing
    discussions to help solidify the visions that have been expressed by not
    only the United States but the Europeans--but, more importantly, the
    visions expressed by Israel, the Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. And so there's going to be a lot of
    discussions and a lot of meetings. And I've had a lot already, and I'm
    going to have more.

    Unemployment Rate

        Q. The unemployment rate today, 6 percent--is that just a bump in
    the road, or is that a sign of some reversal?
        President Bush. No, that's--listen, I've been saying all along that
    the growth number of the first quarter of this year was very positive,
    but I said--listen, I'm not confident; we've got more work to do. So
    long as anybody is looking for work, we've

    [[Page 716]]

    got a problem, as far as I'm concerned. And that number shows that--
    backs me up.
        We need long-term growth, and that's why we need a trade bill, and
    that's why we need terrorism insurance that doesn't provide a vehicle to
    enrich personal injury trial lawyers. And that's why we've got to make
    sure that Congress doesn't overspend.
        So we've had mixed news. One week we had positive growth in the
    first quarter, although a lot of that, of course, was attributable to
    inventory build-back, as you and I discussed, and based upon consumer
    demands. I'm concerned that there's not enough business investment. But
    we'll see how it goes. But Congress must get us some legislation.

    President Aznar's Visit to Camp David

    [A reporter began a question in Spanish, and no translation was
    provided. He then concluded his question in English.]

        Q. What do you think of this invitation, and what do you expect--
    trip to Camp David?

    [President Aznar answered in Spanish, and no translation was provided. A
    reporter began a question in Spanish, and no translation was provided.
    He then concluded his question in English.]

        Q. What are you especially interested in stressing during your
    conversations with the President?
        President Aznar. I'm sure that as soon as you allow us to do so, we
    will make maximum use of our time. Because what we intend to do here is
    be able to continue our discussions in a relaxed atmosphere, because
    there's a lot of work to be done, and we intend to get down to work and
    do it. And we appreciate the invitation.
        President Bush. Gracias.

    President's Dog

        Q. Where is Barney?
        The First Lady. Barney is back at the house.
        President Bush. He's at the cabin. We were afraid Barney would
    disrupt the press conference.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:11 p.m. In his remarks, President Bush
    referred to President Aznar's wife, Ana Botella; President Vladimir
    Putin of Russia; Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel; and King
    Abdullah II of Jordan. A reporter referred to Minister of Foreign
    Affairs Igor Sergeyevich Ivanov of Russia; and Chairman Yasser Arafat of
    the Palestinian Authority. A tape was not available for verification of
    the content of these remarks.