    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [May 29, 2003]
    [Pages 554-556]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Interview With Al Arabiyya of the United Arab Emirates
    May 29, 2003

    Upcoming Meeting With Arab Leaders

        Q. Thanks again. We really appreciate it, Mr. President. Sir, you
    will be discussing with the Arab leaders in Egypt their responsibilities
    toward the peace process. What are your expectations, practically
    speaking, from leaders such as President Mubarak and Crown Prince
    Abdullah?
        The President. Well, first of all, one, the willingness to join with
    the United States and other nations to cut off funding to terrorist
    organizations that can't stand the thought of peace. In other words, we
    all have got to work together to make security real, not only for Israel
    but for the Palestinian people. And that's my expectations from them.
        What I hope to achieve is to be able to look at these leaders in the
    eye and say, ``I believe peace is possible, and I'm going to work to
    peace.'' And this isn't just a visit in which you won't hear from me
    again. I believe peace is necessary and possible.
        I told a lot of the leaders that after the Iraq situation, that I
    would work toward peace in the Middle East. I'm the kind of person who
    does what he says he's going to do, and now I'm working to achieve that.
    And I think it's possible.

    Upcoming Meeting With Israeli and Palestinian Authority Leaders

        Q. Sir, you are known for your straight talk--some could even say,
    blunt talk. [Laughter] Are you going to use that approach in Aqaba with
    Prime Minister Abbas and Prime Minister Sharon? Are you going to hold
    them accountable for their commitments? And how far are you willing to
    go in this regard?
        The President. I am going to hold people accountable for their
    commitments. And the good news is, is that Prime Minister Sharon knows that. I have had very straightforward
    conversations with him. I think it's in Israel's best interests that
    there be two states living side by side in peace.

    [[Page 555]]

    He too has embraced that idea. And I don't think there's going to be any
    need for me to hold him to account, but he's agreed to that vision.
        I have not met Prime Minister Abbas ``Abu
    Mazen'' yet. I look forward to it. And he will--I did meet
    his Finance Minister, a man who impressed me.
    And I will assure him that we will work together. But I'll also assure
    him that security is essential to achieve what we want, which is a
    viable Palestinian state.

    Iraq

        Q. Sir, you have held the removal of President Saddam Hussein's
    regime from power as a harbinger for a new dawn in the Middle East. Yet,
    the day after in Iraq has been marred, unfortunately, by chaos, some
    bloodshed, uncertainty. What is that going to do to your vision of a
    broader, different, more liberal political landscape in the Middle East?
    You've talked about it several times.
        The President. Absolutely. Well, first of all, we're just starting
    in Iraq. And a lot of Iraq is stable, and the life of the Iraqi people
    are better now than it was prior to the war. I readily concede Baghdad
    is still a relatively dangerous place. And therefore, first things
    first, which is to bring security to Baghdad. But along with security,
    we're bringing better electricity, more food, more medicine. And it's
    not just America, by the way; the world is now involved with the
    reconstruction of Iraq.
        I remind people that, for example, in the United States it took 13
    years for us to finally settle on a Constitution. And I guess some
    expect us to do it in 13 days in Iraq, and it's going--it's just going
    to take longer. And I talked to Jerry Bremer,  Paul ``Jerry'',
    III and again, will see him when I go to the region and will
    remind him that we're patient here in America, that we--you know, it
    wasn't until March 19th that we actually began operations. So there
    hasn't been much time yet.
        I'm not surprised that there's still some pessimism and people are
    unsettled. After all, they have lived under a brutal regime for a long
    time. But I'm confident we'll achieve our objective, and I'm confident
    the Iraqi people will be better off.

    Iran and Syria

        Q. Sir, you've used tough language vis-a-vis Iran and Syria in the
    last few weeks. Is the United States on a collision course with Tehran?
    And what is the state of play with Syria, following Secretary Powell's
    visit to Damascus?
        The President. Well, first, Secretary Powell had a good visit to Damascus. And yes, we used some tough
    rhetoric, because it looked like Ba'athists were trying to escape into
    Syria, and obviously, we didn't want that to happen. And the Syrian
    Government pledged that that wouldn't be the case. We take people for
    their word until proven otherwise.
        In Iran, obviously, we're nervous about the reporting now out that
    there's some Al Qaida inside of Iran. We just want the Iranians to
    understand that if there are Al Qaida loose in Iran, we expect them to
    be detained. If there are Al Qaida in Iran and they plot against the
    United States, that obviously we're going to be displeased with that.
        My hope, of course, is that the Iranians respond. And they've heard
    our message loud and clear, and I suspect they will.
        Q. I have one more question, sir.
        The President. Sure.

    Arab Allies in the War on Terrorism

        Q. Who are your Arab allies in the war on terrorism? Sometimes we
    hear conflicting reports, for instance, on Saudi Arabia----
        The President. Yes.
        Q. ----sometimes they cooperate, we are told; sometimes they don't
    cooperate. What is the state of play?
        The President. That's a good question. Crown Prince Abdullah is a
    strong ally in the war on terror. I know this not only from my
    conversations with these men, but also because of the cooperation
    between our intelligence services.
        The Gulf Coast countries have been strong supporters in the war on
    terror, and I'm grateful for that support.
        Q. Mr. President, we really appreciate it. Thanks again. There are
    so many questions, so little time. [Laughter]
        The President. Well, I'm sorry.

    Note: The interview was taped at 2:54 p.m. in the Library at the White
    House for later broadcast, and the transcript was embargoed for release
    by the Office of the Press Secretary until 4 p.m. In his remarks, the
    President referred to President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt; Crown Prince
    Abdullah of Saudi Arabia; Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel; Prime
    Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and Finance Minister Salam Fayyad of
    the Palestinian Authority; L. Paul Bremer III, Presidential Envoy to
    Iraq; and King Abdullah II of Jordan. A tape was not available for
    verification of the content of this interview.