[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
[October 14, 2003]
[Pages 1317-1327]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Interview With Asian Print Journalists
October 14, 2003
The President. I'll make an opening statement. We'll go around and
see how many times we can make it around.
First, I'm really looking forward to this trip. It is a long trip,
and it is an important trip. It is a chance for me to say thanks to a
lot of nations for cooperating with America, for being friends with
America, for working with America to achieve common objectives. It's a
chance to strengthen alliances, longstanding alliances. Alliances are
important, an important part of our foreign policy. Together we can
accomplish a lot of important objectives--no more important objective
than continuing to fight terror.
It's going to be an important part of my discussions with each
leader, to renew our efforts to find those who would kill innocent
people and bring them to justice, disrupt cells, cut off financing,
prevent the catastrophes that have taken place, that have taken innocent
life, from happening again. That's really our call. And I go with a
strong determination to continue to work with the leaders and to fight
terror. And it's very important for them to look at me and listen to me,
because my determination is just as strong today as it was on September
the 12th, 2001.
Secondly, I'm looking forward to talking about economic matters. I
will tell our friends that things are looking up for the U.S. economy
but that there's more work to be done. And one of the key components of
economic growth in America and job creation here, as well as job
creation with our friends, is a trade policy that opens markets and at
the same time recognizes that what we call a level playing field is
prevalent, that trade must be free and it must, at the same time, be a
fair policy, that people on both sides of any trade equation ought to be
treated fairly.
[[Page 1318]]
I'll bring up the WTO, of course. It's a missed opportunity. I'll
talk about free trade agreements with friends. We've just completed one
with Singapore. There will be other trade agreements that we'll discuss.
But a key component of--a key part of this trip is going to be the
discussion about mutually beneficial economic policy.
And finally, an important part of the trip is for me to talk about
the values of freedom and democracy and to herald the moderate Islamic
movements in certain countries as their being a very important part of a
hopeful society, that those movements are willing to participate in the
democratic traditions of their respective countries. And one of the
things that we stand for in this country is democracy, and I will remind
people about those values. It's those shared values with some of our
friends that have caused us to take very decisive action in the world,
not only for world security but for freedom. It's an important shared
value, and I look forward to speaking to the legislative bodies, the
parliaments, and express my deep appreciation as well as our mutual
shared goals of freedom and peace and opportunity.
So listen, thanks for coming. I'll be glad to answer some questions.
We'll start with Paul John.
Australia-U.S. Relations
Q. Looking at the alliance between Australia and the United States,
Mr. President, how important is Australia to America as an ally? And
given the war on terrorism, do you think that this alliance, that this
relationship is likely to become more important in the future?
The President. I would put--I would say that the alliance between
America and Australia is a critical alliance. And the reason I say so is
that Australia has got a keen understanding of the relationship between
good, strong, decisive action and security and a relationship between
freedom and peace.
And it's a very important connection and very important mutual
understanding that helps us--``us'' being all of us--take the action
necessary to make the world more peaceful. So I call it a critical
alliance.
I found that John Howard was a visionary
person, who was able to see kind of beyond the immediate noise inherent
in a democracy, and could see the future and realize that sometimes
difficult decisions will yield short-term issues but long-term success.
And I appreciate that vision. And it says to me that many in Australia
share that as well. He's got good standing with the people. And
therefore, when I go to Australia, I'll be speaking to a country which
does understand the consequences of sacrificing for something greater
than themselves.
And yes, the alliance in this relationship is going to be critical
in the future because the war on terror goes on. See, John
Howard understands that. And it's important to
have friends and allies who understand that the war on terror is a long-
term issue that requires decisive action and close cooperation. And so I
go to Australia with a great deal of gratitude and respect. I look
forward to speaking at the Parliament. I look forward, of course,
having--breaking bread with my friend. He's a good guy. He's a very
strong leader.
Australia's Role in the War on Terror
Q. Of course, we've just commemorated the 12-month anniversary of
the Bali bombing.
The President. Yes.
Q. How concerned are you about terrorism in Southeast Asia, about
the links that have been established there? And what role do you think
that Australia should be playing in this? To what extent do you see a
leadership role for Australia in combating regional terrorism?
The President. Well, there's no question that Southeast Asia has
seen its share of violence from terrorist activities. That's why one of
the key agenda items on my trip
[[Page 1319]]
is to discuss terror and to remind people that we're dealing with
coldblooded killers, people who just take innocent life in order to
create and instill a sense of fear. They want people to be afraid, and
they want governments to take action.
The great thing about the Australians is they're not afraid. Howard
knows that--Prime Minister Howard knows that one
of the tactics of the terrorists is to create the conditions so that
people say, ``Well, let's withdraw and let them have their way.'' And
therefore, the relationship in Southeast Asia is an important
relationship because--starting first and foremost with the strength of
John Howard and the Australian people. The Australians know firsthand
what it means to be attacked without impunity or without care. And I
remind our people in our country that, yes, September the 11th was
devastating here, but there have been other victims, including the
victims in Bali.
And John has played a very important role.
And there's a lot of things that we must continue to do together, and
that's part of the purpose of my trip. First of all, we've got to
identify who these people are, which requires good, smart intelligence-
gathering, and the Australians are good at that. Secondly, it means that
we've got to work to cut off funding. When we find cells in respective
countries that are utilizing the international finance system to move
money, we've got to collectively cut off money. John Howard knows that.
And then we've got to have the capacity to move and work with other
governments to bring these killers to justice. And the Australians are
very good at that as well.
And so there's a major role to be played in this war on terror. It
starts with the mentality, though, Paul John, it starts with a
recognition about what is possible and what is needed. And the Prime
Minister has shown that, as has the Parliament.
And that's one of the key things I'm going to talk about when I go to
Australia.
Yes, sir. Rikard.
Indonesia
Q. Yes. Indonesia is a moderate country, but the campaign against
terrorism has invited much controversy between a small minority of
militant groups and the more dominant militant groups--moderate groups.
The President. Moderate groups, yes.
Q. The problem is that the militants have big opportunities to voice
its interest, ideology, and values, harming the process of--
[inaudible]--and democratization in Indonesia. So what should be done?
The President. Well, I think it's very important for Indonesia to
understand that--first of all, to herald the nature of its moderate
Islamic population, to make it clear to the world that, by far, the vast
majority of the Muslims in that country value democracy and want to have
a peaceful life. At the same time, it's very important not to allow a
few killers to define Indonesia. And therefore, there needs to be a
focused, concerted effort to bring people to justice.
Now, one of the things I will thank the people from Thailand for is
we brought Hambali to
justice. He's the guy that masterminded the Bali bombing. And by the
way, Paul John, I was over in--gosh, I can't even remember where it was.
It was recently, where I met a mother and dad whose--oh, this was in
Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, when I was there to help this fellow
running for Governor. And a mom and dad came
up to me and said, ``We lost a twin daughter in the Bali bombing.'' This
bombing struck a lot. It really hurt Australia. It hurts your own
country.
And my point is, I'm going to continue to talk with Madam
Megawati about this, that it is--we
cannot allow Indonesia to be defined by the hatred of a few, and that
it's very important that we combine efforts, not just the United States
with Indonesia but all assets, to help Ms. Megawati bring the rest of
the cells to justice and prevent this from happening. It's unfortunate
that a country have an attack. It
[[Page 1320]]
should be viewed as an opportunity for people of good will to come
together and prevent this from happening.
There is a--Indonesia is a very important country. It's important
because of its strategic location. It's important because of the nature
of its population. It's important that this country succeed, and we look
forward to working with Indonesia.
Reform of the Palestinian Authority
Q. Last September, in the U.N. General Assembly, President Megawati
stated that terrorism issues cannot be solved without removing their
roots in the Middle East conflict. As long as countries, great countries
maintain injustice--unjust and a one-sided policy toward Middle East,
the conflict will continue and the campaign against terrorism will
suffer.
The President. First of all--I'll be glad to talk about my Middle
East policy. I have with Ms. Megawati.
And I made it very clear to her that the roadmap to peace still exists.
The problem is, we need people who are willing to uphold their
responsibilities. I gave a speech here in the Rose Garden on June 24,
2002, which laid out a vision for a Palestinian state living side by
side with Israel. But I also said that the Palestinians must do
everything in their power to fight off terror, to prevent the few that
want to kill to stop the peace process from going forward from doing so.
And we had an opportunity to move the process forward when Mr. Abu
Mazen stepped up and was willing
to say publicly and clearly that the Palestinians wanted to dismantle
the terrorist groups that were destroying innocent life, and that
provided a hopeful moment. It allowed me to continue to articulate the
policy that all parties are responsible. Israel is responsible for
helping a peaceful Palestinian country emerge and create the conditions
necessary for a peace to move forward. The Arab nations are responsible
to not support these terrorist groups.
And unfortunately, the Prime Minister, who I stood by--next to in Aqaba, Jordan, no longer
is in power because he was shoved aside by the old guard, which has
failed the Palestinian people. This old guard has been in power for
quite a period of time, and life is worse, not better. And therefore I
will continue to remind Prime Minister Megawati that we do have a vision for two states living
side by side in peace.
I was the first President, American President, ever to articulate
that vision. But in order to do so, there are certain prerequisites. And
one of the prerequisites is there be a universal condemnation and
fighting of terror. And that applies not only to the Middle East; that
applies elsewhere, because Indonesia, unfortunately, has seen--as has
America and Australia and Thailand and the Philippines--a few people, a
few killers--they don't have an ideology except for one, destruction to
create fear. They've hijacked a great religion. They kill innocent life
in the name of a great religion in order to have their way, in order to
create conditions of fear.
And that we must fight them--we must fight them. There's no
negotiations with these people. There's no, ``We'll sit down at a peace
table.'' You cannot deal with these killers that way. So I will continue
to explain and articulate our Middle East policy but at the same time
make it very clear that there's only one way to deal with the few who
want to destroy the hopes of the many, and that is to bring them to
justice.
And we are. We're making good progress. The world has significantly
changed. If you think about what cooperation was like prior to September
the 11th, 2001, compared to today, it's a different world. And so part
of my trip is to continue to emphasize the mutual need, in order to
enhance democracy and to support those peaceful people that live within
Indonesia or in any other country to support them, to support their
hopes and aspirations by defeating those who would like to--who
[[Page 1321]]
run absolutely contrary to what moderate, peaceful people believe.
Roger.
Q. Roger.
The President. I'm just trying to be international in my flavor.
[Laughter]
Upcoming APEC Summit Discussions
Q. Mr. President, are you concerned at the way American jobs are
being sucked away to Asia, particularly China, but also Malaysia,
Indonesia, Thailand? Are you going to be speaking to your APEC
colleagues to try to help you do something about this?
The President. Well, I'm going to say that where there is trade
imbalances, countries need to be mindful that we expect there to be fair
trade. And I fully understand a competitive world is one that I think is
positive, so long as the competition is fair. And we'll talk about
currency with the Chinese and with my friend Prime Minister
Koizumi. I will remind them that this
Nation has a strong dollar policy, and we expect the markets to reflect
the true value of currency, that the way that currencies ought to be
valued is based upon economic activity, fiscal policy, monetary policy
of the respective governments, the potential for growth, the potential
for long-term viability of the economies. That's how our respective
currencies ought to be valued.
Yes, we'll bring that up. And I am--my main focus here in America is
there to be significant job creation. It looks like we're getting some
positive results. Part of making sure that the job creation--momentum of
the job creation is viable is to make sure--is to talk to our trading
partners about fair trade. And there are some trade imbalances that I
will be discussing.
Singapore-U.S. Relations
Q. Singapore supported you in the war in Iraq and in general, and
you've signed a free trade agreement with Singapore recently.
The President. I did.
Q. But in the past, there have been tiffs over social and political
issues. How do you characterize U.S.-Singapore relations now?
The President. Well, I would say they're very positive. I mean, I've
had--first of all, we do free trade agreements with countries with whom
we'd like to trade. I guess that's fairly logical. And these are
countries we respect. And we respect Singapore people. We respect the
Government, and we respect the fact that they want to trade with us. And
the cooperation in the war on terror has been excellent with Singapore.
As you know, one of the interesting opportunities is to create a
new--the use of technology to better have a handle on what's leaving
ports, what's in containers, what's on ships, and have basically a port
inspection process prior to a cargo leaving a particular port of exit.
And Singapore has been in the lead on this, helping to establish kind of
a virtual customs inspection process, so we're able to better track that
which is being shipped and have a better handle about that which is
coming into our respective countries. It makes eminent sense that we
have full transparency from the point a cargo ship leaves until when it
arrives in our ports. Singapore has been in the lead on this, and for
that, I appreciate Prime Minister Goh's
leadership.
On a personal basis, he has got a very good handle about--and a good
feel for the neighborhood. And I value his advice. He is, as we say here
in America, plugged in to the political currents and is a very savvy
man. And I really have enjoyed my relationship with him. I'm looking
forward to going to Singapore.
Q. Do you--I'm sorry.
The President. Go ahead.
Q. I was going to say----
The President. This is a followup on a followup. [Laughter]
Q. You stressed the war on terror----
The President. Our press corps does the same thing--if we don't stay
with, they --[laughter]. I'm used to it. I'm well trained by them.
[Laughter]
[[Page 1322]]
Addressing the U.S. Image in Southeast Asia
Q. You stressed dealing with moderate Muslims in Indonesia and other
places, but there seems to have been a rising tide of anti-American
sentiment in parts of Southeast Asia. Are you going to try and stem it?
The President. Sure, that's part of the purpose, is to make sure
that the people who are suspicious of our country understand our motives
are pure. We believe in freedom for all people. We believe in peace. We
don't believe a few killers ought to determine the fate and the future
of a lot of people. We believe in education. We believe in health. One
of the things about this Nation is that we're strong militarily, but
we're also very compassionate. We're helping lead the fight against
international AIDS. Part of the trip is to say as clearly as possible,
is that this country is a--is full of decent and caring people who care
about the future of the people in these nations.
On the other hand, people have just got to understand that we've got
to fight those who are willing to kill. As you can tell from my
language, terrorists who take innocent life must be treated as
coldblooded killers, because that's what they are.
And we will continue to work with our friends who understand that,
to bring people to justice, so we don't go to funerals and lay wreaths,
so we don't commemorate anniversaries of the brutal slaughter of
innocent people in the name of a religion or in the name of--with any
attempt to instill fear. That's all they're trying to do. They want us
to crumple and go away, so they can then spread their false ideology
based upon hate. And America's ideology is based upon compassion and
decency and justice. And I look forward to making that case.
Pichai.
War on Terror in Southeast Asia
Q. Mr. President, you mentioned progress against terror. I just want
your assessment. Has the threat of the network in Southeast Asia
diminished as a result of the policies so far?
The President. Yes, it has. When Hambali is gone, thanks to the Thai officials, a major
operator in the war on terror--one of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's close buddies, the organizer of the attack that
killed a lot of people--he has been brought to justice. And that is a
major blow for the Al-Qaida-affiliated networks.
There's more to do. This is a--let me just remind everybody that, at
least from our perspective, from the perspective of the Government of
the United States, the war on terror is going to last a while. I don't
know how long it is, but it's--it is very important that free nations
understand that this is a long-term effort and that we just can't relent
and can't yield.
And I knew one of the hardest tasks I would have is explaining that
this is a different kind of war to our own people. Wars--we used to
think about flotillas and bombing runs and whatever. And for the war on
terror, although there has been some traditional battle moments,
military moments--like parts of the battle for Baghdad, which is a part
of the war on terror--most of the war on terror will be fought by the
use of intelligence, highly trained teams that have got the capacity to
move quickly, and the willingness and will of collective governments to
stay on the hunt. And in--we're making good progress. But there's more
to do.
Trade Negotiations
Q. All right. Could I just have a question on trade?
The President. Sure.
Q. The WTO failed----
The President. Wait, wait, wait. The meetings in Cancun did not go
well, but I wouldn't condemn the WTO round to failure yet.
[[Page 1323]]
Q. Okay, but there's--there's a theory----
The President. Sometimes I have a bad habit of correcting the
interlocutors--[laughter]--because sometimes they're not always correct.
[Laughter]
Q. So what's the future, then? You feel that there's still an
opportunity----
The President. I do. I do feel we can get the Doha round up and
running. Now, the meetings were disbanded in Cancun. The sense I get is
a lot of countries feel this was a missed opportunity and that our
Ambassador, Zoellick, believes there is a
framework to get the process restarted and moved forward, that there was
substantial progress made, and that we're interested in getting the
process up and running again. In other words, the United States has not
quit on the process, is the best way to say it. And I look forward to
talking to the Prime Minister about a free trade agreement. As you know,
discussions are going on--with a bilateral free trade----
Q. That's right, yes.
The President. ----with Thailand. And we'll continue our
discussions.
Q. Any announcement expected in----
The President. Well, you know the problem is, if I were to make the
announcement now to you in order to help you with your editors, it would
take away kind of the--yes, it would take away the excitement. I don't
know. We'll see. We'll see. [Laughter]
Yes, Mercedes.
Mindanao/Philippines-U.S. Relations
Q. Thank you, sir. There is this 30-year-old, low-intensity war in
Mindanao. And the United States, through your administration, has now a
role in the peace process. Would you like to address that?
The President. Have not had a role? Or have had a role?
Q. They have a role now.
The President. Yes, a role in the peace----
Q. Right.
The President. Well, that's right. I made a statement when President
Arroyo was here, urging the parties
to come together and that we would--as a matter of fact, there was some
progress. I'm not exactly sure where we are in the discussions, but
shortly after her visit, the parties came to the table, which is a very
positive development.
Let me speak to a broader issue, if you don't mind, in the
Philippines. First of all, I respect President Arroyo. I respect her will. I respect her desire to deal with
the Abu Sayyaf, for example. She's been very strong, and there's been
progress made in dealing with the leaders of this group. There is still
more to be done.
She knows, for example, very
well that when U.S. citizens, or any citizen for that matter, gets
kidnaped, killed, it defines the Philippines in a negative way. It
doesn't really talk to the true character and the nature of the
Philippines. The Philippines are loving, decent, kind people. And her
country--these terrorists, again, want to create a different atmosphere,
a different environment. And Gloria Arroyo knows that, and that's why
she's been very strong. And that's why we've been in--got a very
cooperative relationship. A training mission and now a comprehensive
security review is ongoing, which I will discuss with President Arroyo.
So in the larger context, the President's strategy of dealing firmly with those who would kill,
kidnap, maim, is a very good strategy, one that we support strongly, and
are willing to cooperate to the extent that she asks for help.
In terms of bringing long-simmering disputes to peaceful conclusion,
my judgment is the stronger a leader acts against terror, the more
likely those people are going to be willing to want to sit down and
conclude--make arrangements, make accord. And I believe that's one of
the reasons why President Arroyo has
been able to make some progress on long-simmering disputes.
[[Page 1324]]
Cancun WTO Meeting/Philippines-U.S. Free Trade Agreement
Q. I have a question that relates to the Philippines and the WTO.
The President. Sure.
Q. In Cancun, the Philippines left the U.S. to join the G-21
countries.
The President. Yes.
Q. It appears that it displeased your administration.
The President. It displeased us? Well, I'm not--do I look
displeased? I'm a friendly guy.
Q. Well, does that--does that put into a risk----
The President. No, not at all.
Q. ----the bilateral and trade agreement?
The President. No, it doesn't. Not at all. I mean, it's very
important for me to explain to the leaders that we are interested in
moving the process forward, that WTO negotiations are complicated and
complex matters, that we believe that it is in the Philippines'
interest, in Thailand's interest, or any other country's interest that
the Doha round succeed, that we want to work through the difficult
issues.
And I think a lot of countries, Mercedes, now believe that this was
a missed opportunity, that it was an opportunity to make progress. And
the fact that it didn't, that we didn't make progress, may actually
serve as an impetus to get people back together. Let's don't miss this
opportunity again. Let's move on. So the purpose of my trip is to say
that we want Doha to succeed.
I'm also saying as clearly as possible that we will negotiate
bilateral agreements with countries. Our strategy is to have a--is to
have free trade worldwide, free trade regionally through the Free Trade
of the Americas and free trade on a bilateral basis. And when Congress
gave me what's called trade promotion authority, I then had the capacity
to negotiate--our people to negotiate free trade agreements and then
bring that to Congress in an up-or-down vote, which makes it more likely
nations will want to negotiate with us. Singapore was one of the first--
and Chile--were two countries that said, ``Okay, fine, now the
President's got it. We can negotiate a treaty. We know it won't be
amended on the floor of the Congress, and therefore, we can negotiate in
good faith. And the President will submit it for up-or-down votes.''
This has given me the opportunity to be--to move forward on trade on
a bilateral basis. And so we've got a two--a three-pronged strategy when
it comes to trade. And we do hope that the WTO goes forward. But that
won't prevent us from doing--negotiating bilaterally with nations.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. One in English?
Q. Yes.
The President. Okay. My Japanese is a little limited. [Laughter]
Q. If you speak--if you speak Japanese?
The President. No, I don't speak Japanese. [Laughter] Some accuse me
of not speaking English. [Laughter]
Japan's Reconstruction Aid to Iraq
Q. So before you come visit to Japan, we Japanese would like to hear
your views on a couple things, first of all, your evaluation about
Japan's contribution to reconstruction of Iraq.
The President. Yes, well, I talked to my friend Prime Minister
Koizumi. And he is my friend, let me
emphasize that. We've got a great relationship. And he told me that he
would try to work with the leaders to come up with a reconstruction
package for Iraq, and I believe he will. And I look forward to talking
to him about it. And he's a fellow, when he says something, at least to
me, he means it. And that's why I'm optimistic that Japan will be an
active participant in the reconstruction of Iraq.
They certainly were an active participant in the reconstruction of
Afghanistan. And for that we are grateful. Japan played a key role in
the early stages of the postwar in Afghanistan environment--loya jirga
got
[[Page 1325]]
started, but also Japan took a lead in terms of the reconstruction
effort.
North Korea
Q. One about North Korea.
The President. Yes.
Q. Well, how do you place the--North Korea's abduction of Japanese
people in the six-party----
The President. Well, the key notion on the six-party framework is to
make sure that the stated objective of the five countries involved with
the six-party--with North Korea in the six-party discussions is
achieved. The key objective, the most important objective is for there
to be a Korean Peninsula that is free of nuclear weapons. That's the
primary focus of our discussions, and we're making progress, because now
there are five nations other than the United States--or four nations
other than the United States sitting down the North Koreans, making the
very same point.
And I will talk to the Prime Minister
about how to--you know, what we need to do to keep the process alive and
strong and to keep the coalition of the peaceful united so that we have
one message and one voice.
In terms of the relationship between North Korea and Japan, that is
for Prime Minister Koizumi to manage.
Obviously, if you have abductees, it is a very serious issue. And it
speaks to the nature of the North Korean Government and hence another
reason for us to work for a nuclear-weapons-free Korean Peninsula.
Monetary Policy
Q. Given the recent depreciation of the dollar vis-a-vis the yen,
what do you think of the dollar's devaluation?
The President. I think I'm for a strong policy. We have a strong
dollar policy in this administration. Currencies ought to be valued
based upon the respective strengths of the economies, based upon the
policies of the governments. We have had a very progrowth policy in this
administration. I've worked with Congress to enact historic tax relief
in order to give our people more of their own money back and let them
spend it and drive demand for goods and service. And it's beginning to
pay off. The economy is improving. And markets ought to be evaluating
our respective currencies.
Q. So what is your view on Japan's----
The President. Well, that's my view, that markets ought to be
determining respective to currencies.
North Korea
Q. Well, come back to the North Koreans----
The President. Sure. This is the multiple----
Q. I'm sorry.
The President. No, you're doing a fine job, Toshio, that's good.
Short questions, short answers. [Laughter]
Q. I appreciate it.
The President. You're setting a new standard for the followup. Keep
that in mind. [Laughter]
Q. Do you think the North Koreans' nuclear problem should be brought
to the U.N. Security Council?
The President. No, I think----
Q. If yes, why? When?
The President. I appreciate that. That's part my discussions with
Prime Minister Koizumi. First things first
is that we've got to make sure our strategy of the five of us moves
forward. I'm looking forward to discussing this with Mr. Hu Jintao. He has been a important part of these discussions, and
I will visit the strategy with--about the mutual desire to move forward
with Prime Minister Koizumi.
Yes, Mercedes.
Designation of the Philippines as a Major Non-NATO Ally
Q. Anything on the designation of the Philippines as a major NATO--
--
The President. Yes, we'll be discussing that. Short question, short
answers.
[[Page 1326]]
Burma
Q. Yes, you mentioned democracy, a take on Burma. How do you see
things going there now in recent developments?
The President. It's--pleased about Burma. I think the fact that
Burma continues to--that there is an historic figure in Burma that needs
to be treated with respect, and the wishes of the people need to be
honored. And we will continue to speak out, and I will talk to the Prime
Minister about that, as I have in the past.
He is concerned, as you know, about narcotics and the flow of
narcotics. I believe free societies and the ability to control narcotics
and terrorism go hand in hand. We will continue to press for freedom in
Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi is a great figure.
She is a heroic woman. And this country honors her, and we'll continue
to press for her freedom. I did so at the United Nations. I will
continue to do so on a bilateral basis.
The Presidency
Q. How does it feel to be the most powerful man in the world?
The President. Humbling.
Q. Humbling?
The President. Yes. And it also means there's tremendous
responsibilities with that. Very interesting question; the fundamental
question is what you do with power. And I believe it's very important
for the President to work with others to lead for a more peaceful and
free world. And part of that use of power now--we must use our power to
fight terror.
And at the same time, we must use our power and wealth to help
improve the lives of those who suffer. It's humbling to think about
that. It is also an awesome responsibility which I take seriously. And
part of the trip, I hope you can get from the tenor of these
discussions, part of the trip is to say very clearly to our friends and
allies, ``We want to work together to achieve common objectives.'' I'm
very serious about it.
Indonesia
Q. Yes. Can I just ask, Indonesia is one of the victims of terrorist
attack, but, however----
The President. Which the innocent is? Yes, always.
Q. Indonesia also victimized by--[inaudible]--from several
countries----
The President. The----
Q. Victimized, yes.
The President. In other words, people come from other countries to
your country to create terrorist acts?
Q. Yes.
The President. Yes. That's why it's important that we cooperate
closely to watch these terrorists, to track terrorists, to make sure we
know who's coming in and out of our countries, to share intelligence, to
get inside these networks as best we can, to use all means available to
understand them, to watch their movements, and when they move, bring
them to justice, arrest them, get them off the streets.
And you're right, countries are--if a country is viewed as a safe
haven, terrorists will tend to flock to that country. And that's why the
strong action of governments sends a clear sign: Not welcome here. And
that's why arrests and strong action are necessary to prevent people
from feeling comfortable about migration.
And that's why the decisions by Prime Minister Megawati to arrest people is a very important signal to
people. And I continue to talk to her and work with her on this. I
appreciate very much the efforts made by the Indonesian Government to
bring terrorists to justice.
Australia's Role in the War on Terror/Australia-U.S. Free Trade
Agreement
Q. How confident can we be that we will see an Australia-America FTA
and with the negotiations finalized by the end of this year, which is
the deadline you said you wanted? And secondly, does the United States
actually see Australia as its deputy sheriff in Southeast Asia?
[[Page 1327]]
The President. No. We don't see it as a deputy sheriff. We see it as
a sheriff. [Laughter] There's a difference. I see you're playing off the
Crawford visit to the ranch, the sheriff thing. [Laughter] Anyway, no,
equal partners and friends and allies--there's nothing deputy about this
relationship.
I'm optimistic on free trade agreement, and I'll talk to
John about that. We did set a deadline.
Deadlines are important. Sometimes you get things done, and we'll work
toward that deadline. And part of our discussions will be the free trade
agreement. It's in our Nation's interest to do so. We've got some heavy
lift in certain areas that we're just going to have to work through
them. And I know our negotiators and our people are talking in the
spirit of trying to complete the agreement.
Okay, looking forward to it. Anybody gets to go with us?
Q. Thank you, Mr. President.
Note: The interview began at 9:40 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the
White House, and the transcript was released by the Office of the Press
Secretary on October 16. In his remarks, the President referred to Prime
Minister John Howard of Australia; Nurjaman Riduan Isamuddin (known as
Hambali), Al Qaida's chief operational planner in Southeast Asia;
President Sukarnoputri Megawati of Indonesia; former Prime Minister
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the Palestinian Authority; Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong of Singapore;
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, senior Al Qaida leader responsible for planning
the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack, who was captured in Pakistan
on March 1; Prime Minister Thaksin Chinnawat of Thailand; President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines; President Hu Jintao of
China; and Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy
of Burma. Participants in the interview were: Toshio Mizushima, bureau
chief of the Americas, Yomiuri Shimbun; Mercedes Tira Andrei, Washington
correspondent, BusinessWorld; Pichai Chuensuksawadi, editor-in-chief,
Bangkok Post; Roger Mitton, Washington correspondent, The Straits Times;
Rikard Bagun, deputy chief editor, Kompas; and Paul John Kelly, editor-
at-large, The Australian. A tape was not available for verification of
the content of this interview.