[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
[November 20, 2003]
[Pages 1588-1590]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 1588]]


Effective Multilateralism To Build a Better World: Joint Statement by 
President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair
November 20, 2003

    President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair reaffirm the 
unique alliance of values and common purpose that binds the United 
States and the United Kingdom. We confront great challenges: global 
terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, poverty and 
disease, and hostile dictators who oppress their own people and threaten 
peace. We, and our allies among the world's democracies, have a special 
responsibility to take action and mobilize international institutions to 
meet these challenges and build a more secure, just, and prosperous 
world.
    We applaud the achievements of the Transatlantic Alliance, the 
foundation of our security, under whose aegis Europe whole, free, and at 
peace is becoming reality. We welcome NATO's major and growing role in 
Afghanistan, and its support for the Polish-led multinational division 
in Iraq. We welcome NATO's new cooperation with Russia, Ukraine, and 
other members of the Partnership for Peace. We reaffirm our support for 
a European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) of the European Union that 
improves Europe's capabilities to act, and develops in a way that is 
fully coordinated, compatible, and transparent with NATO. We seek a 
dynamic, mutually-reinforcing relationship between NATO and the EU, 
without duplication and divisiveness, and grounded in the essential 
NATO-EU agreements which underpin it. With new members and new 
capabilities, NATO will be a cornerstone of world security in the 21st 
century.
    We urge all nations to join together in common purpose, to put aside 
temporary disagreements, and to recognize our responsibility to work for 
the common good in the world. Our tasks are great, but so are our 
capabilities, when we work together.
    Effective multilateralism, and neither unilateralism nor 
international paralysis, will guide our approach. We must:

     Launch efforts to promote freedom in the nations of the 
            greater Middle East. We have a vision of this region moving 
            toward peace through freedom. We cannot sacrifice our 
            commitment to democracy to purchase security, for in that 
            case we shall have neither. We applaud those in the region 
            striving to advance human rights and economic freedom, fight 
            corruption, and advance equal justice under law. The leaders 
            of the Transatlantic community and the G8 must find new ways 
            to cooperate with the people and states of the region to 
            promote democratic development, economic freedom, and 
            security, over the years that true transformation will take. 
            We will work in partnership with those leaders in the region 
            who are promoting political and economic reform and 
            development.

             We reaffirm our commitment to the vision of peace between 
            two states--Israel and Palestine--living side by side in 
            peace and security. The Roadmap to peace remains the way to 
            achieve this vision, and we call on all parties to fulfill 
            their obligations under its terms, taking effective action 
            to stop all terrorism, and refraining from steps that would 
            prevent or prejudge the terms of a final settlement. To this 
            end, we will remain actively involved with the leaders of 
            the region and work closely with the international 
            community.

     Continue the fight against international terrorism. What we 
            have begun we will

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            finish. Terrorists must know no sanctuary, neither in the 
            mountains of Afghanistan or Iraq, nor hidden in the cities 
            of Europe or America, nor disguised as freedom fighters or 
            charities. We will continue to enhance our joint, bilateral 
            work, internationally and through strengthened domestic 
            cooperation.
     Strengthen global efforts against proliferators of weapons 
            of mass destruction. We must increase international capacity 
            and will to deal effectively with this threat. We will 
            intensify efforts to counter both Iran's and also North 
            Korea's dangerous nuclear programs; and also strengthen the 
            basis for multilateral counter-proliferation and non-
            proliferation actions, including through the Proliferation 
            Security Initiative and through our upcoming G8 
            Presidencies.
     Promote global health. Fighting the global HIV/AIDS 
            pandemic requires sustained international effort, 
            coordination, and resources. The U.S. and UK will work 
            together to strengthen efforts in prevention, treatment, 
            care, and support, beginning in five African countries. To 
            further this collaborative effort, we will establish a 
            Special Joint Task Force on HIV/AIDS. This Task Force will 
            focus our national efforts, and enlist the efforts of 
            others, aimed at the struggle against HIV/AIDS. We will 
            pursue a comprehensive approach to expanding the delivery of 
            HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment, including greater 
            access to safe and effective medicines, better health system 
            delivery, and building a skilled force of health workers. We 
            share a commitment to rapidly increasing the availability of 
            HIV treatment in the most affected countries, to reducing 
            HIV infection rates, and to developing programs to provide 
            care and support for those infected with, and affected by, 
            HIV/AIDS, including orphans and vulnerable children. We call 
            on others to join us to fulfill the G8 goal of eradication 
            of polio by 2005.
     Support development in Africa. We reaffirm our support for 
            Africa and for NEPAD, through the G8 Africa Action Plan. We 
            have agreed to work to support the development of effective 
            African mechanisms to prevent conflict and run peacekeeping 
            operations; continue to work for a return to democratically-
            accountable government and the rule of law in Zimbabwe; and 
            support the building of peace in Liberia and Sierra Leone. 
            We will deliver on the commitments we made at Monterrey and 
            in the Africa Action Plan to improve the effectiveness of 
            our development assistance. We welcome the launch of the 
            Africa Partnership Forum, expanding the international 
            support for Africa's development. Building Africa's 
            foundation for success is our shared goal, and we commit to 
            support the Forum's efforts in the region. We will work 
            through bilateral and multilateral channels to improve trade 
            opportunities in Africa.
     Advance an open trade regime. We are committed to an open, 
            fair, and multilateral world trading system. Recognizing 
            that WTO Ministerial in Cancun was a missed opportunity, we 
            reaffirm our commitment to a successful conclusion of the 
            WTO's Doha Development Agenda. We will work with our 
            international partners to achieve a successful conclusion to 
            the Round that will benefit both developed and developing 
            countries. We call for a resumption of the negotiations, and 
            encourage all parties to make serious and substantial 
            contributions to these important negotiations.
     Increase technological cooperation on cleaner energy. We 
            will bring together our scientific and technological

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            strengths to accelerate development of practical and 
            efficient technologies for the use and production of clean 
            energy. To help improve human health by reducing pollution, 
            and address the challenge of climate change by mitigating 
            greenhouse gases, we have established a joint team to 
            implement the energy, science and technology commitments 
            from Evian through both of our G8 Presidencies.
     Deepen defense cooperation. We will work to remove barriers 
            to increased defense industrial cooperation, 
            interoperability, and information exchange. Our goals 
            include achieving fair and consistent reciprocal access to 
            each other's equipment markets, maximizing information 
            sharing, and extending joint working and training 
            opportunities. We will create a closer and more open 
            relationship by the removal of outdated barriers between our 
            armed forces and officials. We consider it a high priority 
            to implement a licensing exemption that will facilitate 
            defense trade between our countries. We reaffirm our strong 
            commitment to proceed with the Joint Strike Fighter project.
     Promote innovative education initiatives. We are committed 
            to increasing the number and quality of U.S.-UK school 
            partnerships. To this end, we are inaugurating a new annual 
            prize--the Transatlantic Education Prize--to reward schools 
            for particularly creative and innovative partnerships. The 
            first prizes will be awarded early next year and will 
            include reciprocal visits for head teachers and principals.

Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this joint statement.