[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
[July 17, 2002]
[Pages 1253-1261]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
The President's News Conference With President Aleksander Kwasniewski of
Poland
July 17, 2002
President Bush. It's an honor to welcome my friend the President of
Poland to the White House. Mr. President, welcome.
President Kwasniewski. Thank you very much.
President Bush. Poland is a close friend and a good ally and an
influential nation in the center of Europe. Poland has influence across
Europe. America and Poland see the world in similar terms. We both
understand the importance of defeating the forces of global terror, and
America appreciates all that Poland is contributing to this great
struggle.
Our nations also understand the importance of building a better
world beyond terror, one where prosperity replaces poverty and democracy
and tolerance replace dictatorship and hatred. Poland and the United
States are part of the great alliance of liberty, and we're working to
spread the hope of freedom and prosperity across the globe.
We had good talks this morning, and I want to highlight two
initiatives we agreed on. First, we agreed to expand cooperation between
our militaries. Both Poland and the United States are seeking to
transform our Armed Forces and develop new capabilities. We need to meet
the new threats such as terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. By
sharing ideas and expertise, our militaries can help each other reach
out--reach our transformation goals faster and improve our ability to
work together. We hope this initiative will be a model for similar
efforts with other NATO Allies.
Second, our Governments agree to cooperate more closely to expand
our economic ties. The Polish-American trade and investment relationship
is important to both countries, and it's particularly important to
creating jobs and high-tech growth opportunities in Poland. We will work
to resolve some company-specific issues and also improve Poland's
investment climate.
These two initiatives will help build our strong working
relationship.
Tomorrow the President and I look forward to traveling to Troy,
Michigan. I believe you have to go beyond Washington to truly capture
the energy and diversity of our country. Mr. President, I think you'll
like the trip. Troy is just one of countless communities across our
Nation that has been enormously enriched by the contributions and values
of Polish Americans. It will be a great honor for me to travel to such a
community with the President of a free and independent Poland.
Mr. President.
President Kwasniewski. Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen,
Mr. President, let me once again emphasize how pleased I am to stand
here on the hospitable land, the country that is so close
[[Page 1254]]
to the Polish people, where millions of people live here of Polish
extraction. I'm coming as a President of the Republic of Poland to the
United States from the country which may set an example of success for
others. And we know that this success is due to the support of our
American friends.
Today I am here as the President of democratic, developing Poland,
Poland that is important in its region and whose voice is very
significant, both in Europe and worldwide. I am here as President of the
country which enjoys strategic partnership with the United States and
friendship which is hundreds of years long and well tested, as well as
enjoys perspectives that we have discussed with President George Walker
Bush for a long time today.
During our conversations, we have discussed combating terrorism that
has to be brought to the final end. And Poland has been contributing to
this particular combat. And we're sure that under the leadership of the
United States, we could eliminate this particular threat from the world
of the 21st century, so that we could build a future on the basis of the
dialog, the protection of human rights, and mutual tolerance.
Poland, with its soldiers in Afghanistan, is present in NATO, and
Poland is active in exchange of information of intelligence and special
units. We are ready to develop our cooperation along these lines.
We have spoken about NATO. Poland is one of the new members, and we
are convinced that the new summit in Prague will be the day on which new
countries will be invited to become members of NATO who have met the
requirements. Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, our friends from Slovakia, and
our close partners from Bulgaria and Romania and Slovenia will be
welcomed there. We want a strong NATO. We want NATO to be ready to
ensure security in Europe as well as in the Euro-Atlantic theater and a
NATO that is going to be ready to respond to threats where the basic
values of life and ethnic cleansing or acts of terror are taking place.
I've presented to President George Walker Bush an initiative that I
had presented a few days ago in Riga, to develop cooperation with
countries which are in NATO, which will be in NATO, and with those ones
which are going to be outside of NATO--I'm thinking here of the Balkan
states. And I rejoice in the fact that the initiative of cooperation has
been accepted as interesting by the United States, and as deserving
further development.
We have also spoken of Europe, and Poland wants to become a member
state of the European Union. And we are sure that at the beginning of
2004 we are going to become a member state, and we think that our future
should be built with very close cooperation with the United States and
Europe. And we want Poland to contribute, with its potential to global
security and to building peace and mutual trust.
On bilateral issues, we have emphasized that we're closing a
particular chapter of transformations that have been taking place in
Poland and in countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Today, we can say
that our partnership has matured, that we're opening a new chapter where
we're going to be treated mutually as fully fledged partners ready to
take actions, both current actions as well as those that are going to
take place in the future.
I am convinced that the United States may draw on the experiences
that Poland has gained in its transformation. We are ready to share
these transformation experiences with other countries. I am also
convinced that we're going to serve very well the military cooperation,
especially in the areas of training, equipment, and the cooperation of
special units with the particular military forces. And transformation is
Poland's specific experience, as I want to emphasize again.
I would also like to say that it's very significant that we have
been creating a very positive climate for European investments.
Americans have so far made an investment of $8 billion U.S., and we want
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the climate for further investments to be very good. We would hope that
new American companies will be opening their new headquarters in Poland,
making it possible for them to operate vis-a-vis other states of the
region.
Let me also emphasize that since the very first moment in
Washington, DC, we have been feeling the atmosphere of extreme
wishfulness, kindness, and hospitable that I wish to extend my words of
gratitude now in this context to President Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush.
We're not only guests here, as we feel, but we're also friends that are
coming from Poland for a visit to the United States.
I'm convinced, too, that this visit will encourage further contacts
and to develop enough contacts at all levels concerning not only
politicians and elites but also citizens of the two countries,
nongovernmental organizations and various institutions, social
institutions. We want very much the Polish-American relations to get the
new momentum. And free of the challenges that we have had in the recent
decades, they could become the greatest contribution to the world, to
Europe, and to Poland and the United States.
And thank you for your attention.
President Bush. We'll answer some questions. We'll alternate between
the American press and the Polish press, three apiece.
Corporate Responsibility/National Economy
Q. Mr. President, even while you're calling for transparency in
corporate America, you refuse to ask the SEC to turn over documents from
its investigation into Harken Energy Corporation, your old company. And
the Vice President has answered few questions about his role at
Halliburton, his old company, which is now under investigation by the
SEC. Why not just clear the air, ask the SEC to release those documents,
and ask the Vice President to talk about Halliburton in a public forum?
President Bush. Well, first, the Vice President--I've got great
confidence in the Vice President, doing a heck
of a good job. When I picked him, I knew he was a fine business leader
and a fine, experienced man. And he's doing a great job. That matter
will take--run its course, the Halliburton investigation, and the facts
will come out at some point in time.
Secondly, as to a look at Harken, the SEC, as a result of Freedom of
Information requests, has released documents, and the key document said
there is no case. It was fully investigated by career investigators.
Some of you, I think, have talked to the head career
investigator, and he's made it clear
there was no case.
The key thing for the American people is to realize that the
fundamentals for economic vitality and growth are there, low interest
rates, good monetary policy, productivity increases, economic vitality,
and growth in the first quarter and that, as Chairman
Greenspan said yesterday, that we've got to
change from a culture of greed to a culture of responsibility. And I
believe that's going to happen.
Congress is working on some legislation. I hope they get it to my
desk before they go home. I think it's important to send a signal to the
American people that reforms have been enacted, laws will be upheld. But
as I said the other day in Alabama, I've got--I'm an optimist about the
future of this economy. I think that the ingredients for growth are in
place, and that's important to our friends from Poland because, as he
mentioned, we invest and we trade and the stronger our economy is, the
more likely it is we'll have investment and trade together.
President Kwasniewski. Now it's time for Polish journalists. I
invite--Polish TV.
[[Page 1256]]
Poland's Role in the War on Terrorism
Q. Polish public television, TVP. The question to both of you.
Regarding the future of the anti-terrorist coalition and possible next
phase of the war against terrorism, do you expect an increase of
Poland's involvement? And do you think that Poland is ready to meet the
expectations?
President Bush. Well, first, I've been very impressed by Poland's
troops. And we've got confidence in the Polish military. And we want to
continue to train together. Particularly, our special forces need to
work together, because the ability to succeed in the war--the new war of
the 21st century means that we have to move quickly and move in a way
that is effective and sometimes lethal.
It's interesting you said the ``next phase of the war against
terror.'' Almost every day is a new phase, in some ways, because we're
reminding different countries which may be susceptible to Al Qaida that
you're either with us or against us. And so we're constantly working on
bolstering confidence amongst some nations which may sometimes forget
that either you're with us or you're with the terrorists. That's kind of
a--that's a phase, I guess you could say. Phase one was Afghanistan.
Phase two is to make sure that other countries don't become places for
training or places where the Al Qaida think they can hide.
And we spent a lot of time on that here. I talked to Aleksander a
lot about that today. The Polish Government has been very strong about
working with us. The other--I also told him, of course, that we'd stay
in close consultation, and we will.
President Kwasniewski. I would just constrain myself to say that we
have been part of the coalition from the very beginning, to the
potential that reflects Poland's possibility and capability, such as our
station in Bagram, and there is a Polish logistics unit, and they're
right there. Our intelligence forces have been cooperating very closely,
and we know that the commitment on the part of the Republic of Poland
will be growing with the needs that are going to be growing.
We have discussed with President George Walker Bush on how to
modernize the Polish Armed Forces so that they could meet the challenges
of the war against terrorism. And then Secretary Rumsfeld and Minister
Szmajdzinski talked about talks, and they will be continued. And we hope
that the effect will be that the Polish Armed Forces will be transformed
in such a way so that, as a very serious and mature partner, they would
be able to respond in unison with other armed forces.
Poland is a member of the anti-terrorist coalition and has been very
closely cooperating with the United States. And we want to reconfirm our
readiness to continue this combat.
Reform of the Palestinian Authority/Vice President Cheney
Q. Mr. President, do you agree with your Secretary of State's
willingness to consider working with a Palestinian Government that has
Yasser Arafat as a figurehead leader, despite your call in June for a
new and different leadership? And if I may follow up on Ron's [Ron
Fournier, Associated Press] question----
President Bush. You get one question. [Laughter]
Q. If I could follow on Ron's, are you confident the SEC will find
that Vice President Cheney did nothing wrong while at Halliburton?
President Kwasniewski. His question was----
President Bush. It happens worldwide.
Yes, I am, to answer your second question.
And first, I am confident as well that we need to put institutions
in place so that a peaceful Palestinian state can emerge. And that ought
to be the primary focus. The reform of the Palestinian state is a
crucial element to achieving the confidence necessary amongst all
parties so that we
[[Page 1257]]
can eventually achieve the vision of two states living side by side in
peace. That's really important.
The issue is much bigger than a person, as far as I'm concerned. I
made it clear, I thought. The person you mentioned, Mr. Arafat, has failed to deliver. I still feel that way. And I
know the Palestinian people will be better served by new leadership.
And so we are--but my focus of my administration is to work with
leaders from around the world, some of whom were in New York yesterday,
to work to make sure there's a new constitution which divides power, so
that one person doesn't get to decide the fate of a group of people who
have suffered mightily; that there are security arrangements in place,
so that they serve to make the area more secure, as opposed to security
forces all existing--all of which exist to keep a person in power;
reforms of financial institutions to make sure there's full
transparency, to make sure that the money that we spend on humanitarian
aid ends up helping Palestinian people, not a few leaders.
Those institutional changes, Randy [Randy Mikkelsen, Reuters], are
essential for the evolution of a state. It's essential that those
institutions are developed so that the people of Palestine get helped.
That's essential.
And I do believe we're making progress to this end. It is a--this is
an issue much bigger than a single person. Mr. Arafat would like the whole issue to be about him. That's the
way it's been in the past. Except when you analyze his record, he has
failed the Palestinian people. He just has, and that's reality.
Q. [Inaudible]
President Bush. You only get--that's your third, second followup.
[Laughter] Unbelievably aggressive today. [Laughter]
President Kwasniewski. Mr. President, now is Polish turn.
President Bush. You're in good standing with your colleagues for
that. Break some new ground.
President Kwasniewski. It's a press conference, not interview.
[Laughter]
President Bush. Yes.
Q. Polish public radio. Mr. President, this is a question addressed
to both Presidents.
President Bush. An old Fournier trick.
Polish-U.S. Relations/War on Terrorism
Q. There are some differences between Europe and the United States.
Europe seems to be more eager to deal with economy and political sources
of terrorism. United States seems to be more determined to apply
military solutions. European Union and the United States differ in some
important trade issues. What is the differences present in your today
conversation? Poland is going to be a member of the European Union.
Might this membership complicate relations in between our two countries?
President Bush. No. That's an easy one. [Laughter] No, it won't. Let
me make it clear to you, make sure--if I could kind of change one of
your premises. We use military power, no question about it, and we'll
continue to do it, to hunt these killers down, one by one. And that's
all they are, is killers, coldblooded killers.
We also understand that in order to make it hard for them to attack
the United States again, or any of our friends, that we must disrupt
their finances. We spend a lot of time on working with our friends to
disrupt finances. And so we have a multifaceted approach to the war on
terror. It's important for you to understand that. We don't necessarily
place one aspect on the war against terror as more important than the
other.
In terms of the--listen, we've got great friends in Europe. Poland
is a great friend, and the United States fully understands that we must
cooperate together to achieve victory in the war against terror. That
means intelligence sharing and working cooperatively on finance, making
sure our militaries cooperate together. NATO--a
[[Page 1258]]
useful role for NATO, the new role for NATO, is going to be to defend
Europe against terrorist activity. And therefore, NATO needs to change
so that it can do a more effective job of defeating the enemy. Russia is
not the enemy. Russia is--you know, the idea of Russian tanks storming
across Europe are no longer the problem. And therefore, cooperation on
chasing down killers, one by one, even becomes more focused and more
important in many ways. And that's the nature of our relationship.
So I welcome Poland going into the EU, if that's what the President
and the country think is best.
President Kwasniewski. I wish to say that we have discussed the
subject, and it is true to say that in Europe, Poland has been
criticized as a state that has extremely been--has been very pro-
American. And for that reason--I haven't witnessed any criticism or
heard any criticism, for that reason, here in America.
But the issue of whether Europe or America, relations, et cetera,
reminds me of a question that is very often addressed by a child: Is Mom
or Dad better? From the educational point of view, it's a false
question, because under these circumstances that we are now in, we're
creating a family based on the same fundamental values or based on
similar or very similar objectives, and also based on the historical
heritage for Europe and the United States are quite similar and very
penetrating.
It seems to me that outside of current politics, or different
accents in politics, certainly we could not talk, and we should not
talk, about any conflicts of opinions. Poland wants to become a member
state of the European Union, and that's how we see our political and
economic opportunity. And we hope it's going to be true the first of
January 2004. And I want to assure that Poland, as a member state of the
European Union, will be doing all it can and will be able to do for the
cooperation between the United States and Poland and Europe to be even
better.
I would like to refer to what President George Walker Bush said in
Warsaw last year in June. ``We have to be building a spirit of Europe,''
he said, ``whole and free,'' a whole and free Europe. And I believe that
this is a good reply to this question, a good answer on how we should
work together and how a Europe that is going to be in its whole entirety
based on the same values to be the traditional and very close ally and
partner for the United States.
I am convinced that Poland's membership in the European Union will
not only be a problem in relations between Poland and the United States,
but because we are going to get new incentives for development, this
type of cooperation between Poland and the United States will be greatly
welcomed also by the United States.
Financing Homeland Security
Q. Thank you, Mr. President. The strategy that you announced
yesterday indicated that we're already spending about $100 billion on
homeland security. What have you determined about the costs going
forward? How much is it going to cost us, and how much of that total do
you see coming from State and local governments, on the one hand, and
from the private sector, on the other?
President Bush. It's going to be hard to quantify how much the
private sector spends. Let's just say they need to spend enough to work
in a cooperative way, and many private sector companies realize it's in
their interests to do so.
The key thing about the national strategy is that we have the
ability to have a Department of Homeland Security that's able to effect
a national strategy by setting priority. And the priority is to protect
our homeland.
Mr. President, we've got agencies who've got many different
functions, and we want the primary function of agencies that have
anything to do with homeland security to
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be protecting America, because we still feel like we're under attack.
The key cost issue is the cost of transition toward this new
Department of Homeland Security. And we're confident that if we're given
the management tools necessary, we can effect that in a cost-effective
way, that transition in a cost-effective way. That's why I spent some
time talking to Members of Congress yesterday about giving us some
management flexibility, flexibility in personnel decisions, flexibility
in reorganization decisions. I think that's going to be an important
part of making sure that the cost of transition is a realistic cost. As
a matter of fact, we think we can save money as a result of overlap.
In terms of how much it costs down the road, that's going to depend
upon how effective we are at defeating the enemy. The best homeland
security is to hunt the enemy down one by one and bring them to justice.
That's the best way to secure the homeland, and the more effective we
are at that, the more cost effective it will be at home. And so the
budget we submitted is one we think is important for this year, and
we'll reassess on an annual basis.
Q. As you know, Mr. President, the State and local governments are
saying they're at the end of their rope financially, at the moment,
because of the economic downturn. Do you see a substantial burden on
them----
President Bush. Well, we'll just have to work--help them work
through their budgets. But remember, the--we'll just have to see.
They're concerned about budgets in a lot of areas, Medicaid, different
areas. And the--I believe this economy is going to come back, and I
think it's going to help improve their financial picture when it does.
Poland's Role in Europe/Russia-U.S. Relations
Q. TVN Polish Network. A question for both of you. Would you please
expand on the subject of the specific role that Poland is going to play
in Central and Eastern Central Europe, especially within the context of
new enhanced relations between the United States and Russia? What is
Poland going to do?
President Bush. Well, that's a very good question. First of all, the
President talked about the Riga initiative that he described. It's a--
and it's something that caught our imagination and caught our attention.
We thought it was a very interesting set of ideas, and we want to
explore that with him further, which would really put Poland in a unique
role of fostering continued relations with countries which may or may
not be admitted into NATO, for example.
In terms of the Russia-U.S. relationship, it's a strong
relationship. But the--and it's a relationship which is important
because it helps Russia think Westward. And Poland can be a part of
that, of course. The President has had great visits with President
Putin, and he's talked about the benefits of
thinking West.
And the other important part, the most immediate effect, is when
Russia looks West, she sees Poland and realizes there is no threat from
Poland. Poland is a peaceful neighbor. Poland's at peace with all its
neighbors. And that is a very important contribution to the stability of
our relationship.
If we were--as I was very aggressive about, in talking about NATO
expansion, if Russia thought that the neighborhood was unsettled, it
might create some issues. But Poland has provided a great source of
stability in the neighborhood, and therefore Russia feels less
threatened. And I think that's an important nuance, as we say, in
foreign policy. I think that's the word, isn't it? ``Nuance''? Yes.
[Laughter]
Anyway, but it's been a vital contribution, Mr. President, and I
thank you for that.
Making sure you're awake.
President Kwasniewski. Thank you. First, I also wish to say that
some journalists in
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Poland have been writing that good relations between the United States
of America and Russia mean that the role of such states as Poland, or
such states that joined NATO from Central Europe, has been decreasing or
on a decline. I think that this is not a very wise thesis or assumption.
But let me emphasize that especially the states of Central and
Eastern Europe and Russia want Russia to become a fully democratic
state, a state exercising a very peaceful attitude to all other nations.
So good American-Russian relations are a guarantee for us, and President
George Walker Bush has just mentioned that, that there is no threat from
the Russian Federation and there will be no threat from the Russian
Federation.
I want to be in the shade of Russia and not afraid, as opposed to
being a country that is right upfront and is afraid of Russia. I think
it's the very vital interest of Poland and other states for Russia-the
United States relations to be very good. And we are very happy with the
Russia-NATO partnership. This is a new quality of ensuring security in
the world and especially in our region.
Now, secondly, we are extremely happy that the American position is
very, very pro-enlargement of NATO. I think politically this is a very
significant decision that will result in the further development,
broadening of the security zone in Europe. We are also very happy that
there is a support for the Riga initiative, because it means that
countries which are not going to become members of NATO will also--could
be also--can be also benefiting from the outcome and from the results of
this success, so they--we can also be supporting democracies, emerging
democracies in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, in Macedonia, et cetera
and et cetera, something that has been the world's problem. And I think
the Balkan states are going to be an area of development, economic
development and development of security.
I also want to assure you, and President Bush knows about it, that
Poland has been functioning as an exporter of stability. We have been a
unique state because, in the last 10 years, Poland has not changed its
border by a single inch, and all our neighbors have changed. None of our
neighbors have been neighbors of Poland 10 years ago, neither the east--
Eastern Germany or the German Democratic Republic, neither the Soviet
Union nor any other country. So this is a piece of evidence that you can
export stability. You can be a pretty important factor contributing to
security in Europe, but also in the Euro-Atlantic dimension.
And finally, I'd like to say that we talked about the cooperation
with the Ukraine. Let me use this opportunity to say that Ukraine should
play an even more important role in Europe and in the region, and I am
convinced that we should be supporting and favoring all efforts aimed at
furthering development and cooperation with Ukraine and cooperation with
the United States. And I am convinced that, strategically looking at the
future, we should not be in the position not to see the 50-million state
located right in the heart of the European Continent.
So, speaking in brief words, we have made a review of politics in
the area, and perspectives are good. But I think they should be utilized
in the best possible ways. And in that sense, the Polish-American
cooperation is very, very important.
Thank you very much.
Note: The President's news conference began at 12:03 p.m. in the East
Room at the White House. President Kwasniewski spoke in Polish, and his
remarks were translated by an interpreter. In his remarks, President
Bush referred to William R. McLucas, former Director, Division of
Enforcement, Securities and Exchange Commission; Chairman Yasser Arafat
of the Palestinian Authority; and President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
President Kwasniewski referred to Minister
[[Page 1261]]
of National Defense Jerzy Szmajdzinski of Poland.