    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [April 30, 2003]
    [Pages 401-403]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to Discussions With President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia and an Exchange With Reporters
    April 30, 2003

        President Bush. It's my honor to welcome to the Oval Office a friend
    and courageous person, the President of Colombia. He is determined to
    fight terror. He is determined to fight the flow of narcotics to
    America. We appreciate his determination. We appreciate his strength.
        And so it's my honor to welcome you, Mr. President. Before I ask you
    to speak and before we answer two questions a side, I do want to say
    that today we issued the roadmap. The roadmap is the beginning of a long
    process to achieve peace in the Middle East. In order for there to be a
    peace in the Middle East, it is important for all parties to assume the
    necessary responsibilities to achieve the conditions so that peace can
    happen. That starts with fighting off terror, to prevent killers from
    disrupting that which most citizens want in the Middle East, and that is
    a peaceful, hopeful world.
        I strongly condemn the killings that take place in the Middle East
    in the last couple of days. I applaud the words of Abu Mazen, ``Abu Mazen'' the new Prime Minister of the
    Palestinian Authority, who renounced that terror. I look forward to
    spending time and energies to move the process forward.
        And finally, Mr. President, you're here on a day in which our
    country has achieved another notable success in the war against terror.
    The Pakistan authorities have detained Waleed bin Attash. Sheik on the organizational chart of Al Qaida. He is
    one less person that people who love freedom have to worry about.
        I want to thank our friends in Pakistan. I want to thank the Agency,
    the CIA, for working hard to continue to win the war against terror. And
    make no mistake about it, Mr. President, we will win the war against
    terror.
        Thank you for your courageous fight in the war against terror, and
    welcome to the Oval Office.
        President Uribe. Thank you, Mr. President, for your warm welcome.
    This is very important for my country. Colombia has suffered terrorism
    for a long time. Thus, Colombia understands the need to fight terrorism
    in our country and in other--in any other country. And your Government,
    your people, your country, they are

    [[Page 402]]

    our best allies for us to succeed in our fight.
        Thank you again, Mr. President.
        President Bush. Thank you.
        We'll have one--we'll alternate questions between the American side
    and the Colombian side. Tom [Tom Raum, Associated Press].

    Middle East Peace Process

        Q. Mr. President, even as the new Palestinian Cabinet was sworn in,
    there was a terror attack, and the suicide bomber was linked to Mr.
    Abbas' own party. How much confidence do you have that the new Prime
    Minister can control, can rein in these people?
        President Bush. Well, for certain, in order for there to be peace,
    we must all join together to fight off terror. Abu Mazen
    ``Abu Mazen'' has publicly declared that he will fight
    terror. He understands that in order for the Palestinian lives to
    improve, terror must be battled. Listen, he's a man ``Abu
    Mazen'' I can work with. And I look forward to working with
    him and will work with him, for the sake of peace and for the sake of
    security.
        Do you want to call on one of your reporters?
        President Uribe. Half of my Cabinet are made of women.
        President Bush. No, I'm very impressed by that. [Laughter] Not only
    that, but they're very smart women.
        Q. [Inaudible]--Mr. President.
        President Bush. Thank you.

    Colombia-U.S. Trade Agreement

        Q. Mr. President, people in Colombia, we want to know how difficult
    is to sign a bilateral trade agreement with Colombia. Is that going to
    be done?
        President Bush. Well, we've got a lot of work to do. The President
    and I look forward to discussing trade. One thing that is for certain is
    we've started down the road on a free trade agreement through the Free
    Trade Agreement of the Americas, which I'm absolutely confident will
    boost the capacity of the Colombian economy to grow.
        And so we'll work--we'll talk about all aspects of trade, including
    the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas, which, in my judgment, is the
    most hopeful trade agreement there is. We've got all kinds of different
    opportunities to work together, whether it be in trade or
    counternarcotics or fighting terror. And we will stand as a strong
    friend and supporter of the Colombian people as they take on difficult
    tasks.
        Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].

    Middle East Peace Process

        Q. Sir, previous Middle East peace initiatives haven't been all that
    successful. What's different about this time?
        President Bush. Well, just because history has proven to be
    unsuccessful doesn't mean that we're not going to try, for starters. I'm
    an optimist. I believe now that we have a interlocutor
    ``Abu Mazen'' from the Palestinian Authority that has spoken
    clearly about the need to fight terror, that we have a good opportunity
    to advance the peace process. And I will seize the opportunity.
        Secondly, the war on Iraq has made it absolutely clear that those
    who harbor terrorists, fund terrorists, or harbor weapons of mass
    destruction will be held to account. That, in itself, helps create the
    conditions to move peace forward.
        And by the way, in order for peace to occur, all parties must assume
    their responsibilities. That includes the Arab nations which surround
    Israel and the potential Palestinian state. They must cut off funding to
    terrorists. They must create the conditions necessary for peace. Israel
    is going to have to make some sacrifices in order to move the peace
    process forward. But no sacrifice should be made that will allow and
    encourage terror to continue and reign.

    Colombian Terrorists

        Q. Mr. Bush, more than 500 terrorists from the FARC have handed
    themselves--

    [[Page 403]]

    [inaudible]. We're wondering if the United States Government would be
    willing at some point to help reinsert into society these terrorists
    that have now handed themselves--[inaudible].
        President Bush. To help in what fashion? I didn't get your question.
        Q. [Inaudible]--to reinsert to the civil society----
        President Bush. To bring what to the civil society? I'm sorry.
        Q. To reinsert themselves, to go back to civil----
        President Bush. Oh, to help them go back into civil society?
        Q. Yes.
        President Bush. Well, some terrorists are just plain coldblooded
    killers. They're hard to retrain, somebody who is a killer. And we--it's
    going to be--the President is going to have to make that decision,
    what's best for his country. All I know is, the man is absolutely
    committed to fighting terror. For that, I appreciate it. He has got a
    straightforward, strong vision about what has to happen to people who
    are willing to kill innocent people. And that is, they must be dealt
    with severely.
        And it's interesting, we share the same strategy. When Al Qaida came
    and killed Americans, there's only one way to deal with them. That was
    to hunt them down, find them, and bring them to justice. And as I
    mentioned, today we found one of the Al Qaida leaders.