[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
[December 4, 2003]
[Pages 1672-1674]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Prior to Discussions With King Abdullah II of Jordan and an Exchange With Reporters
December 4, 2003

    President Bush. We're going to have some opening statements, and 
then I'll take a couple of questions--two questions. The Jordanian press 
may want to ask a question.
    First, Your Majesty, thanks for coming. It's great to have you back. 
I view His Majesty as one of our really close friends in the world. You 
know, I went to London recently and gave a speech about reform and 
reform in the Middle East and the possibilities of governments that 
adhere to rule of law and transparency and women's rights and economic 
freedom. And Your Majesty, you're doing just that. I'm proud of your 
leadership. It's--you're a modern leader with a big heart and a vision 
for what is best for your people.
    I also want to thank you for your very strong support in our mutual 
desire to bring peace to the Middle East. We made a tough decision when 
it came to Iraq, and Your Majesty, you stood with us. And we made the 
right decision when it came to Iraq, because Iraq will be free and will 
be peaceful. And that's in your interests, and it's in our interests, 
and it's in the world's interests that we succeed.
    I look forward to discussing with you a wide range of issues of 
our--of mutual concern. And I look forward to your wise counsel and 
advice.
    King Abdullah II. Thank you, sir. Well, Mr. President, again, it's 
always a pleasure to see you and to be back here in Washington. I'm very 
grateful for your support for the region, what you're trying to do to 
bring peace and stability for all of us in the Middle East--Iraq, the 
Israelis, the

[[Page 1673]]

Palestinians. And so I'm looking forward to our discussions today, and 
see how we can best bring hope to all of the people of our part of the 
world.
    And the President has always been very courageous in trying to do 
the right thing and to push for a dialog and hope for all of us in the 
Middle East. And I'm very appreciative.
    President Bush. Thanks for coming.
    We'll answer a couple of questions, starting with this fellow right 
there, Scott [Scott Lindlaw, Associated Press].

Steel Tariffs

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Are you going to repeal all the steel 
tariffs today?
    President Bush. I am making a decision--let me--the decision I make 
will be based upon my strong belief that America's consumers, the 
American economy is better off with a world that trades freely and a 
world that trades fairly. And I listened to an International Trade 
Commission report about the effects that steel imports were having upon 
our important industry. I acted. I acted to give the steel industry time 
to adjust. I acted in time for us to say to the world that we will 
trade, but we want to trade in a fair way. And the decision will be 
announced here shortly.

Discussion With Prime Minister Blair

    Q. Did you talk to Mr. Blair about it today?
    President Bush. No, it didn't come up today with Prime Minister 
Blair. I did talk with the Prime Minister today. Let's see, you're not 
the only guy asking questions throughout this thing, but----
    Q. No.
    President Bush. ----it's good that you recognize that. I did talk to 
the Prime Minister. We talked about our--we talked about Iraq. We talked 
about NATO, and we had a good discussion. I talk to him about once a 
week, maybe once every 2 weeks. His Majesty just was with the Prime 
Minister.
    King Abdullah II. Yes, the day before yesterday.
    President Bush. Steady friend of ours, a steady friend of Jordan's 
as well.
    Anybody here from the Jordanian press that you would like to call 
on?

Middle East Peace Process

    Q. Your Majesty, given some of the recent events, such as the 
Palestinians' factions are meeting in Cairo, Geneva Accords, and the 
Palestinian--proposals, do you feel that there is hope to revive the 
negotiations? What is your next step to revive the roadmap?
    King Abdullah II. Well, the President has always been out front in 
trying to move the process forward. There is a lot of difficulties on 
the ground at the moment, as we know, but we've all been working very 
hard behind the scenes to encourage the Palestinian Prime Minister to be 
able to have the dialog with the Israelis. We believe that there will 
be, I hope, some small steps on the ground that move the process 
forward. We haven't given up on the peace process. The President has 
been very dedicated from day one. We appreciate his support. But it's 
going to be a tough road ahead for all of us.
    President Bush. Steven [Steve Holland, Reuters].
    Q. The Geneva Accord, do you think some of these proposals should be 
included in an overall peace agreement? And why is Secretary Powell 
meeting with these people?
    President Bush. Everybody knows where I stand. I gave a speech right 
here in Rose Garden in June of 2002. I laid out what I believe is 
necessary to achieve peace in the Middle East. It starts with having a 
Palestinian state that is at peace with Israel, a Palestinian state 
based upon democratic principles, a Palestinian state which recognizes 
the hopes and aspirations of the Palestinian people, and a Palestinian 
state with leadership which is committed to defeating and dismantling 
the terrorist organizations

[[Page 1674]]

who are trying to prevent a Palestinian state from emerging.
    I also talked about the need for the Israelis to keep in mind that 
if they support a Palestinian state, which they have told me they do, 
that the conditions on the ground must be such for a Palestinian state 
to be able to emerge. And that's why we're continuing to talk to them 
about the illegal settlements and outposts--illegal outposts and 
settlements as well as the fence.
    As well, nations in the neighborhood must take responsibility. The 
King and I have spent a lot of time talking about this subject. He 
understands fully what I'm talking about. I want to remind you that it 
was in Jordan where His Majesty hosted us. I stood up with His Majesty 
as well as Prime Minister Sharon and then Prime 
Minister Abu Mazen. and made a 
public declaration that we were prepared to work together for the 
creation of a Palestinian state. Abu Mazen has since been shoved aside, 
and the process stalled. What the Palestinians need is leadership 
willing to remain committed to the aspirations of their people and bold 
enough to stand up and fight off the terrorists' organizations. And His 
Majesty and I will be glad to work with such leaders as they emerge.
    Q. This is a productive process, the Geneva Accords and Secretary 
Powell's meeting?
    President Bush. Well, I think it's productive, so long as they 
adhere to the principles I have just outlined. And that is, we must 
fight off terror, that there must be security, and there must be the 
emergence of a Palestinian state that is democratic and free.
    And it's--the position of this Government is clear, and it's firm. 
We appreciate people discussing peace. We just want to make sure people 
understand that the principles to peace are clear.
    Thank you all for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 10:07 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Tony Blair of the 
United Kingdom; Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel; and former Prime 
Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the Palestinian Authority. King 
Abdullah II referred to Prime Minister Ahmed Korei of the Palestinian 
Authority. A tape was not available for verification of the content of 
these remarks.