    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [October 23, 2003]
    [Pages 1380-1382]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Exchange With Reporters Following Discussions With Prime Minister John
    Howard of Australia in Canberra, Australia
    October 23, 2003

        President Bush. Can't get any better than that. [Laughter]

    Australia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement

        Q. Mr. Bush, did you discuss the free trade agreement? And how are
    you committed to keeping agriculture in the free trade agreement if it
    goes ahead?
        President Bush. What I'm committed to is seeing that we can get this
    free trade agreement done by the end of December. That's what John and I
    talked about in Crawford. I think a free trade agreement with Australia
    would be good for America, good for American workers. I also believe
    that it would be good for Australia.
        Prime Minister Howard. Very good.
        President Bush. And the commitment we talked about was to make sure
    our negotiators push forward with a deal. Obviously, agriculture is an
    important issue; intellectual property is an important issue. There's a
    lot of important issues that we've got to work through if--and I think
    we can.
        Prime Minister Howard. Thank you. American?

    [[Page 1381]]

        President Bush. Yes, Tom.

    War on Terror

        Q. Mr. President, the Defense Secretary has written a memorandum
    saying there have been mixed results in the war on terror, that it's
    going to be a long, hard slog, and no bold steps have been taken yet. Do
    you agree with that characterization?
        President Bush. What I agree with is that the war on terror is going
    to be tough work, and it's going to take a while. And we're making great
    progress. We're dismantling the Al Qaida network. They hide in hills, in
    caves, and you know, they hide in free societies. And it takes a while
    to find them, which is why John Howard and I talked a lot about sharing
    intelligence and finding these killers before they kill again, people
    like Hambali, who was
    routed out of society. The Australians and the Prime Minister were very
    helpful, as was our intelligence service. But the success went to the
    Thai authority.
        Prime Minister Howard. Yes, I met the general that handcuffed him.
        President Bush. Yes, he's a good fellow. Anyway, we've got work to
    do. This is a long war on terror. And removing Saddam Hussein from power was an important part of winning the war on
    terror. Ridding Afghanistan of the Taliban was an important part of
    winning the war on terror.
        I haven't seen the Secretary's
    comments, but somebody told me they thought he said we need to make sure
    our military's intelligence services are focused on the war on terror.
    And I couldn't agree more with you. That's exactly what we're doing.

    Australian Detainees in Guantanamo Bay/Iraq

        Q. Mr. President, on the war on terror, and in light of the Rumsfeld
    memo, are you inclined now to ask Australia for more assistance in Iraq?
    And how long do you intend to hold the two Australians detained in
    Guantanamo Bay without charge or trial? And have you discussed that with
    the Prime Minister?
        President Bush. I did discuss it with the Prime Minister. There's a
    process, ongoing process to deal with these two people that were picked
    up off of a battlefield of war. And I think one of the--somebody in the
    Australian media, when they were in America, asked me about torture or
    some--it's alleged allegations of torture. It's ridiculous, utterly
    ridiculous. And we will deal with them in a--in a way that conforms to
    our standards.
        John--the Prime Minister--I keep calling him John; we're close
    friends. The Prime Minister and I have talked about the procedures, and
    I assured him these people will be taken care of in a way that conforms
    with our rules and regulations.
        The first question was--oh, Iraq. Listen, Australia has made a
    tremendous contribution in Iraq. Their troops were fantastic. They laid
    it on the line, and every military person I talked to about the
    contribution of the Australians was--had high praise for the skill and
    the strength and spirit of the Aussie troops.
        In my judgment, Australia has made a significant contribution to
    peace and freedom, and the people of Iraq who suffered in the hands of a
    brutal tyrant are very thankful for the contributions of the
    Australians.
        Adam.

    Australia-U.S. Relations

        Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, you called Australia a
    ``sheriff.'' Does that mean Australia should flex its military might
    more in Asia? And Mr. Howard, how do you see the job of a sheriff?
        President Bush. Yes, Adam--can I put it in context?
        Q. Please.
        President Bush. I was asked the question, is Australia America's
    deputy sheriff; that was the question. It was a very careful, clever
    question. I don't think you were--I don't think you asked it, Adam. And
    my

    [[Page 1382]]

    answer was, ``No, we're equal. We're equal partners on the war on
    terror. We're equal partners working for a world that's more free.''
        And today in my speech to the Parliament, I will praise Australia's
    work in this part of the world. I'll note the fact that Australia led in
    East Timor. And Australia's--Australia is carrying a heavy load, for
    which we are grateful. And I appreciate you, Mr. Prime Minister.
        I said Mr. Prime Minister--somebody told me that they made fun of me
    for calling--or they made fun of the Prime Minister, when they call him
    ``the man of steel.'' I'm going to repeat the words. That's a high
    compliment. That means in the face of criticism, he's staying strong,
    that he does what he think is right. And the world is better for the
    leader--leaders like Prime Minister John Howard.
        Prime Minister Howard. You asked me, did the President put in
    correct and proper Texan--we were in Crawford. And so the language of
    sheriff and deputy sort of rolls easily off any tongue, particularly an
    American tongue.
        Look, our role in the region is--I've categorized it as that of
    helpem fren. That is--for the benefit of the Americans, that is pidgin
    English used by the Pacific Islanders. It means helping a friend. And I
    see Australia's role in the region as helping friends. And that's what
    we're doing in the Solomons. It's what we did in East Timor. It's what
    we may have to do again in other parts of that region. But when
    necessity arises, we help people. We don't see ourselves as having any
    kind of enforcement role, but we're always good to our allies,
    particularly the United States, to defend values that are important to
    both our societies.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:46 a.m. at the Australian Parliament
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin (known
    as Hambali), Al Qaida's chief operational planner in Southeast Asia; and
    former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. A reporter referred to
    Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld. A tape was not available for
    verification of the content of these remarks.