    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [May 3, 2003]
    [Pages 421-425]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's News Conference With Prime Minister John Howard of Australia in Crawford, Texas
    May 3, 2003

        President Bush. Thank you all for coming. This has been an honor for
    Laura and me to welcome Prime Minister Howard and
    Mrs. Howard to our ranch. We love coming
    here. It's a place for Laura and me to really spend some private time
    and spend time with a friend is--makes it even more special. And John
    Howard has been a great friend. The Australian Government has been a
    great friend to the American people. The Australian people are great
    friends with the American people as well.
        The Prime Minister is a man of courage. He is a clear thinker. He
    understands the responsibilities of freedom. America is really grateful
    for the sacrifices of the Australian people and for the leadership of
    Prime Minister John Howard.
        On September the 10th, 2001, Prime Minister Howard and I stood
    together at the Washington Naval Yard to commemorate the 50th
    anniversary of the ANZUS Treaty. The next day, Australia and America
    began writing a new chapter in the history of our alliance. On September
    the 14th, just 3 days after the terrorist attacks, Australia invoked the
    ANZUS Treaty's mutual defense provisions. Australia came to America's
    aid in our time of need, and we won't forget that.
        In nearly 20 months since September the 11th, Australian and
    American intelligence and law enforcement officials have worked very
    closely together. Our relationship has never been stronger, and that's
    good, because together we've broken up terrorist cells, we've disrupted
    terrorist plots, we've cut off terrorist financing. We brought a lot of
    terrorists to justice.
        And in Iraq, Australian and American forces have stood together once
    again. We ended the rule of one of history's worst tyrants, and in so
    doing, we not only freed the American people, we made our own people
    more secure. By getting rid of Saddam Hussein, we ended the suffering of a lot of people in Iraq. And
    at the same time, we made peace more possible in the world. All
    Australians are justifiably proud of the superb performance--and I mean

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    superb performance--of the Australian Air Force, Navy, and Special
    Forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
        As you may know, I was on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln 2 days ago. I
    met with Admiral Kelly. He was our highest
    ranking official in charge of joint operations. I said, ``I'm getting
    ready to see the Prime Minister in Crawford.'' I said, ``What can I tell
    him about the performance and the bravery of the Australian troops?'' He
    said, ``They are the best in the world.'' And for that, Mr. Prime
    Minister, we're grateful.
        We want to thank the Australian servicemen for their service and
    particularly want to say thanks to their loved ones, who I'm sure
    agonized over the fate of their husband or son or daughter, and tell
    them that we appreciate their sacrifice as well.
        We're committed to defeating the threat of terror because we have
    both felt terror's effects. We remember the sympathy of the people of
    Australia on September the 11th, and we shared the same sympathy with
    the people of Australia after the horrible bombings of Bali. The Prime
    Minister showed he's not only a man of steel, he showed the world he's a
    man of heart as well as he dealt with the great tragedy that affected
    the Australian people.
        We won't tire in our attempts to fight terror. Nothing will deter
    us. We understand the effects of terror. We also are committed to a
    world that is more peaceful and more free. We're committed to a stable
    and democratic Iraq. We fully believe the people of Iraq are capable of
    running their own country. We will work to provide the conditions
    necessary for security, repair the infrastructure, make sure that the
    life of the average Iraqi citizen is back to normal, and then encourage
    the Iraqi people to decide their own fate and run their own Government.
    We agree the U.N. Security Council should move swiftly to lift the
    economic sanctions on Iraq.
        We'll continue to work together to make the world more safe and
    free. Today we discussed the Korean Peninsula. We discussed my
    commitment to move the Middle Eastern peace process forward. We
    discussed a lot of key issues. I was comfortable in so doing because I
    value the advice of John Howard. I trust his judgment, and I appreciate
    his friendship.
        Mr. Prime Minister.
        Prime Minister Howard. Well, thank you very much, Mr. President. Can
    I first, for Janette and myself, thank George and Laura very much for
    inviting us to a piece of American soil that I know has a special place
    in the President's heart.
        To come to the United States is always an experience and an
    opportunity as Prime Minister to renew the links and the friendship and
    the affection between our two nations and our two peoples. But to come
    to the heart of Texas and to be a guest of the President and his wife in
    this wonderful hideaway--although it doesn't appear to be very well
    hidden away with this large gathering today--is a special opportunity.
        Can I thank the President for the kind words that he's expressed
    about the Australian military participation in Iraq. We too in Australia
    are immensely proud of the way in which the men and women of the
    Australian Defence Force discharged their duties. But can I, Mr.
    President, congratulate you on the leadership that you gave to the
    world, at times under very great criticism, at times fighting very great
    obstruction. But you had a resolute, clear view of what had to be done,
    and we were very pleased and very proud and very determined when the
    final decision was taken to be part of that.
        I think what was achieved in Iraq was quite extraordinary from a
    military point of view. I think the military textbooks will be replete
    with the experiences of Operation Iraqi Freedom for many years to come.
    And the leadership of the United States, with the support of its
    coalition partners, Great Britain, Australia, Holland, and others, I
    think has sent a very important

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    message not only to the region but also to the rest of the world.
        I welcome very much the personal commitment that you have given to
    the securing of a peaceful outcome in the long-running and bloody saga
    of relations between Israel and the Palestinians. As the leader of a
    nation which has been a staunch and unapologetic friend of Israel ever
    since its foundation, we also support very strongly the establishment of
    an independent Palestinian state. And we see progress on this issue as
    being very important to consolidating what has been achieved in Iraq and
    building on the message of freedom that came out of the operation in
    Iraq.
        Our bilateral relationship is very close indeed, in so many ways.
    There is a strategic and political closeness. But more important than
    that, there is a very deep affection between our two nations. We have
    shared a lot of experiences. You recalled that very emotional moment at
    the naval dockyard on the 10th of September, the first time we met, and
    the next day, of course, the world changed so dramatically. And I can
    remember returning by courtesy of the United States Air Force from
    Andrews Air Force Base to Hawaii and discussing with our Foreign
    Minister Alexander Downer the invoking of the ANZUS Treaty, in
    consequence of what had occurred the day before in New York and
    Washington.
        Australia and America are close friends because, above all, we have
    similar values. In the end, the thing that binds nations together more
    than anything else is the commonality of their values. And we have a
    view of the world that puts freedom and individual liberty, a belief in
    market outcomes, where appropriate, at the center of the activities of
    both our nations.
        Mr. President, I'm very honored to be here. Janette and I have
    greatly enjoyed your hospitality. We wish you well. We respect very much
    the leadership that you, personally, and your administration brings to
    the affairs of the world. We think the world is a safer, more optimistic
    place as a result of our joint efforts in Iraq, and we think that is a
    message which is resonating around the world. And we too have one
    aspiration for the Iraqi people, that they can live in freedom, and they
    can run their own affairs, and they can benefit from the great
    civilization and the great resources which, unhindered, are at their
    disposal.
        President Bush. Good. Thank you, John.
        We will answer a couple of questions, two per side. Barney, do you
    have a question? [Laughter] He doesn't have one? Then we'll start with
    Patsy [Patricia Wilson, Reuters]. Patsy is a fine Australian, as you
    know. Tomorrow is her birthday. [Laughter]
        Go ahead and ask a soft question, then, now that I've set it up.
    [Laughter]

    Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction

        Q. Sir, in honor of your guest, I'll ask it in Australian, if that's
    all right. [Laughter] Is there a possibility that you may never find
    weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? And how would that square with your
    rationale for going to war?
        President Bush. Yes--the question is about weapons of mass
    destruction. Saddam Hussein had weapons of
    mass destruction. The United States--United Nations Security Council
    voted 1441, which made the declaration it had weapons of mass
    destruction. It's well known it had weapons of mass destruction, and
    we've also got to recognize that he spent 14 years hiding weapons of
    mass destruction. I mean, he spent an entire decade making sure that
    inspectors would never find them. Iraq's the size of the State of
    California. It's got tunnels, caves, all kinds of complexes. We'll find
    them, and it's just going to be a matter of time to do so.

    Australia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement

        Q. Mr. President, if I could ask, the Prime Minister has also said
    that Australian-American ties have never been

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    stronger than at the moment. What impact will that have on Congress when
    it considers an FTA for Australia? And what sort of timeline are you
    thinking of for an FTA?
        President Bush. Right. Well, I appreciate you asking that. I'm
    firmly committed to an FTA with Australia. I am hopeful that the
    Congress feels the same way I feel.
        We discussed the matter. I asked the Prime Minister, are we making,
    from the U.S. side, a strong enough effort to move the process along? Is
    Ambassador Zoellick doing what he's
    supposed to be doing in terms of getting this trade agreement done? And
    the Prime Minister assured me that was the case. And so that made me
    feel good. The idea is to try to get this thing done by the end of the
    year and then, of course, get it to our Congress in '04. It's--I believe
    we can get it done, and I think it's an important--will be an important
    step in our relationship.
        Prime Minister Howard. Amen to that.

    Iraq's 55 Most Wanted/Saddam Hussein's Regime

        Q. Sir, you guys now have in custody 18 of the 55 most wanted----
        President Bush. Yes.
        Q. ----including several senior members, Tariq Aziz and others. What
    are you learning about where Saddam might be----
        President Bush. Right.
        Q. ----what his status is, or also about weapons?
        President Bush. The question is about--you know, we've captured 18
    of the 55, I think you said. And we're still looking for Baghdad
    Bob, Said Kazim I want you to know.
    [Laughter] Anyway--what are we learning? Well, we're learning that, for
    example, that Tariq Aziz still doesn't know how
    to tell the truth. He didn't know how to tell the truth when he was in
    office. He doesn't know to tell the truth when he's been--as a captive.
        And the--but we will find out a lot about the nature of the
    Hussein regime as time goes on because, you
    know, more and more people will come forward. It may not be the Aces,
    Kings, and Queens, and Jacks that do the talking. It may be those who
    were doing the--carrying the water for the Aces, Kings, Queens, and
    Jacks that do the talking.
        And we will learn a lot when the Iraqi people--as the Iraqi people
    continue to come forth. And when we feel like sharing the information
    with you, we will. It's--you'll probably learn it before I will in
    certain cases. But what we're going--the world will find is, the
    man had a program to develop weapons of mass
    destruction, that he had terrorist connections, and that he was by far
    one of the most brutal dictators in the history of the world.
        People in Australia and America can't imagine what--when John and I
    say how brutal this guy is. This is a guy
    that cut the tongues out of dissidents and let them bleed in town
    squares. That's just--that's beyond the imagination of the Australian
    people to think that could possibly happen. It happened. And more and
    more people will find out the nature of this regime as time goes on. I
    don't know whether the Aces will talk. I don't know whether the Kings
    will talk. But many Iraqi citizens will talk, and the more we learn, the
    more the world will find out about the true nature of the Iraqi regime.

    Prime Minister Howard's Visit

        Prime Minister Howard. Leigh. Leigh Sales and ABC [Australian
    Broadcasting Corporation].
        Q. President Bush, can you give us an idea of the sorts of things
    that you and the Prime Minister did at the ranch last night and this
    morning? And when do you plan to visit Australia?
        President Bush. Yes, as soon as possible. I don't know what that
    means, though. So it's kind of what we--that's called a ``dodge.''
    [Laughter] I'd love to come to Australia.

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        We--so I get out a coffee--of course, got Laura some coffee first thing in the morning. And I look out
    my window, and there's the Prime Minister ready to go for a stroll. So I
    hustled and got dressed, and we went for a good walk. And I'll tell you
    something, the guy--I'm a pretty good athlete--he walks a good clip. I
    was breathing hard, and Barney was breathing harder. [Laughter] We had
    trouble keeping up with him.
        But one of my favorite things to do is to show this place to
    friends. And so the Prime Minister and Mrs. Howard and Laura and I went--traveled
    the ranch. And I took him to my favorite spot, which is this canyon, and
    there's a waterfall. It rained a couple of days ago--actually last
    night--so the water was moving pretty good. And it's just a special part
    of the ranch.
        We've got a lot of different variety of hardwood on this ranch. It's
    hard to tell it from this spot, but north of here, and--there's a creek
    and intersection to a river, and there's some just fantastic trees in
    these bottoms. And John and I went and spent some time down there.
        We visited a lot about our mutual interests. He's obviously very
    knowledgeable about a lot of the world. And we spent a lot of time
    talking about Indonesia and the threats that emanate out of Indonesia
    and what the Australian Government is doing to work with the Indonesian
    Government to make Australian people--and America, for that matter--more
    secure.
        We had a pretty good dinner last night--a little beef. And
    fortunately, the Prime Minister wanted to go to bed early, because I did
    too. [Laughter] And we had a great visit. We'll go and have a lunch--one
    more tour of the ranch and have a lunch. The one thing I regret is he
    didn't go fishing with me yesterday afternoon. He wanted a little rest,
    but I love having him here.
        I can't tell you what a comfort it is to talk to him on the phone.
    He's steady. You know, times get tough when you make tough decisions,
    and we both made a tough decision, but there was never any doubt in his
    mind. He was steady under fire. He stood his ground when he needed to
    stood his ground, because he understands the difference between right
    and wrong. And he knows the difference between slavery and freedom. And
    I'm honored to call him friend, and really am glad he's here.
        Thank you all very much. Hope you enjoy your stay in this part of
    the world. By the way, they tell me Australia and Texas, they've got a
    lot in common. Having to watch this man perform, I agree. [Laughter] The
    biggest compliment you can pay to somebody, at least in this part of the
    world, is you're kind of like a Texan. [Laughter] Thank you.
        Prime Minister Howard. Thank you.
        President Bush. Okay, Barney, come on. Quit showing off. [Laughter]

    Note: The President's news conference began at 11:17 a.m. at the Bush
    Ranch. In his remarks, he referred to former President Saddam Hussein,
    former Information Minister Muhammad Said Kazim al-Sahhaf (Baghdad Bob),
    and former Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz of Iraq.