    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [July 12, 2003]
    [Pages 863-864]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 863]]

    Remarks Prior to Discussions With President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and an Exchange With Reporters in Abuja,
    Nigeria
    July 12, 2003

        President Obasanjo. Mr. President----
        President Bush. Here, I'll stand up with you.
        President Obasanjo. Is that what you want?
        President Bush. Oh, absolutely. I want to be over here. [Laughter]
        President Obasanjo. It is, indeed, a matter of general honor and
    pleasure for me to welcome you, Mr. President, to our country, Nigeria.
    On behalf of all the people of Nigeria, I sincerely extend to you our
    warmest greetings on this historic visit to our continent of Africa in
    general and to Nigeria in particular.
        President has generally acknowledged that much has changed in the
    world since the end of the cold war. There's no doubt there is an
    emerging new world order, with new realities of nations and people
    throughout the world--their international outlooks, seek new friends and
    confirm old realities in the bid to find fresh places for global peace,
    harmony, and security.
        In this imagined new world order, Mr. President, the rest of the
    world acknowledges that the United States of America will remain a key
    player politically, economically, and militarily. Thus we appreciate
    your visit to our continent as indication that Africa is to be reckoned
    with in the emerging world order. We salute your visit to so many
    African countries--four of them--and now Nigeria, in particular, as an
    expression that Africa should not be sidelined or even detached from
    the--of the emerging world order.
        We in Africa realize the extent to which we are ultimately
    responsible for our own development and that we are the architects of
    our fortune or misfortune. Nevertheless, this is also generally true
    that hardly any country has transformed its fortunes without external
    support from friends and well-wishers. That is why we acknowledge with
    deepest appreciation the role that the United States has played and
    continues to play, particularly within the G-8, in supporting the vision
    of the New Partnership for African Development, NEPAD. As you are well
    aware, Mr. President, NEPAD is our vision as well as our blueprint for
    making our continent great.
        Through the NEPAD, African leaders have made a commitment to the
    African peoples and to the world to work together in developing the
    continent by consolidating democracy, good governance, and implementing
    such general social, economic development programs. Implicit in the
    NEPAD program are all the universal values, such as democracy, human
    rights, rule of law, eradication of corruption, conflict resolution, and
    fight against terrorism. We are hopeful that NEPAD will strengthen
    Africa's position in the emerging world order.
        Here in Nigeria, we are making bold strides to consolidate democracy
    and reform our Government structures as well as the national economy. We
    also have continuing and new regional responsibilities, especially in
    the area of maintaining security. These areas require global
    understanding, cooperation, and substantial financial support. You will
    agree with me that sustainable national reforms are central to regional
    and global transformation and for development.
        Thank you, Mr. President.
        President Bush. Thank you, friend.
        It's my honor, Mr. President, to be here as your guest. Gosh, we've
    met three or four times already. You keep telling me to come to your
    country--finally made it. And I'm glad we're here. It's been a--it's an
    honor.

    [[Page 864]]

        Listen, Nigeria is a very important country on the continent of
    Africa. And because of your forthrightness and your style and your
    commitment, you're a very important leader on this continent, and I'm
    honored to be here with you.
        I appreciate very much your commitment to trade and markets, and we
    look forward to being an active trading partner with Nigeria. I
    appreciate your commitment to regional peace, and we will work with
    Nigeria and ECOWAS on issues such as Liberia. I appreciate very much
    your focus on education, and the United States stands ready to help.
        But most of all, Mr. President, I appreciate your honesty and
    openness and forthrightness when it comes to battling the pandemic of
    AIDS. You're truly an international leader on this issue. And the United
    States of America, when Congress acts, will stand side by side with
    leaders such as yourself to fight the pandemic of AIDS to save lives.
        So Mr. President, it's an honor to be here. I've been looking
    forward to this visit for a long time. I appreciate your leadership, and
    I appreciate your friendship. Thank you very much.

    Director of Central Intelligence/State of the Union Address

        Q. Mr. President, do you have faith in your CIA Director?
        President Bush. Yes, I do, absolutely. I've got confidence in George
    Tenet. I've got confidence in the men and
    women who work at the CIA, and I continue to--I look forward to working
    with them and--as we win this war on terror.
        Q. Mr. President----
        Assistant Press Secretary Reed Dickens.
    Thank you all. Thank you.
        Q. Is the matter over then?
        Q. Mr. Bush, what about----
        Q. Do you consider the matter over, sir, that----
        President Bush. I do.

    Liberia

        Q. What about Liberia? Is America sending troops to Liberia?
        President Bush. The President and I just talked about Liberia, and
    we are--our assessment teams are still in place. We need to know exactly
    what is necessary to achieve our objectives. The first objective, of
    course, is for Mr. Taylor to leave the
    country, which he said he is--do. And I want to thank the President for
    his leadership on that issue. It's been a tough issue, but he's led. And
    the world is grateful for that.
        Secondly, we've got a commitment to the cease-fire. And therefore,
    we need to know exactly what it means to keep the cease-fire in place.
    Thirdly, we got a commitment to relieve human suffering, and we need to
    know what that has required. And so, we're still in the process of
    assessing. And I told the President we would be active. And the
    definition of that will be made known when we're--when we understand all
    the parameters.
        Q. See a decision next week, sir?
        Assistant Press Secretary Dickens. Thank
    you all very much. Thank you----
        President Bush. I'm not sure yet when, Randy [Randall Mikkelsen,
    Reuters].
        Assistant Press Secretary Dickens. Pool,
    let's go.
        Q. Thank you, sir.
        President Bush. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at approximately 10:58 a.m. at Aso
    Presidential Villa. In his remarks, he referred to President Charles
    Taylor of Liberia. A tape was not available for verification of the
    content of these remarks.