[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[December 4, 2004]
[Pages 3041-3044]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks Following Discussions With President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan and an Exchange With Reporters
December 4, 2004
President Bush. It's my honor to welcome a friend, a leader,
President Musharraf of Pakistan. He is a person with whom I've worked
very closely over the past 4 years, a person with whom I look forward to
working closely over the next 4 years. And we had a really good
discussion.
We discussed international politics. I assured President Musharraf
that there is an opportunity at hand to work toward the development of a
Palestinian state and peace in the Middle East. I told him that this
will be a priority of my administration. The goal is two states living
side by side in peace and security.
We spent time talking about our bilateral relations. We reviewed the
relationship between India and Pakistan. He has showed great courage in
that relationship, leading toward what we hope will be a peaceful
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solution of what has been a historically difficult problem.
We talked about our own bilateral relations. The President and I are
absolutely committed to fighting off the terrorists who would destroy
life in Pakistan or the United States or anywhere else. And I appreciate
very much your clear vision of the need for people of good will and hope
to prevail over those who are willing to inflict death in order to
achieve an ideology that is--the predominance of an ideology that is
just backward and dark in its view.
I--we talked about commerce between our countries. The President is
very concerned about whether or not Pakistan goods are being treated
equally, as fairly as other goods coming into the United States. I
listened very carefully to what he had to say. He had some constructive
ideas as to how to deal with that situation.
Having brought up his economy, however, I reminded him that he's
doing quite a good job of making sure that the economy grows in Pakistan
so that people have got a chance to realize their dreams. And I
congratulate you on the good stewardship of the Pakistan economy.
All in all, our relationships are good; they're strong; and they
will remain that way. And I'm honored you're here.
President Musharraf. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
I don't have much to add to what the President has already said. We had
a very wholesome interaction. And all that I would like to say, that
I've come here basically to congratulate the President very sincerely,
with all my sincerity, for having won the elections. And he does me an
honor by receiving me on a Saturday. [Laughter]
And therefore, the other issues that we discussed were incidental
and all the important issues--the most important issue, a resolution of
the Palestinian dispute, in the interest of peace in the whole world,
and I would repeat whatever the President has already said: Enhancement
of our bilateral relations, enhancement of our commercial ties with the
United States.
I'm grateful for the extreme understanding that the President has
shown towards the concerns of Pakistan.
Thank you.
President Bush. Welcome. Welcome.
We'll answer a question from the American side, and the Pakistani
side, and the American side, and Pakistani side. And that will be it, in
the spirit of Saturday morning meetings. And so the first person that
will be asking the question will be Mr. Mark Knoller [CBS Radio].
Homeland Security
Q. Thank you. Mr. President, what do you make of the warning sounded
yesterday by Tommy Thompson that the American food supply may be at risk
to terrorist attack?
President Bush. Tommy was commenting
on the fact that we're a large company--country, with all kinds of
avenues where somebody can inflict harm. And we're doing everything we
can to protect the American people. I picked a good man to head the
Homeland Security Department in Bernie Kerik. I hope the Senate confirms him quickly so he can get to
work. There's a lot of work to be done. We've made a lot of progress in
protecting our country, and there's more work to be done. And this
administration is committed to doing it.
Q. Mr. President----
President Bush. Do you want to call on somebody?
President Musharraf. I know that--I know that you're trying your
best to address the issue of terrorism all over the world, and
obviously, the most important part is to protect your own, the United
States, from terrorism.
President Bush. Actually, I wasn't asking you necessarily to answer
the question; I was asking you to call on somebody from the Pakistani
press, I'm sorry. [Laughter] You don't have to answer every question
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they ask me. I would advise you not answering those questions.
[Laughter]
Pakistan-U.S. Relations
Q. Mr. President, the public perception in Pakistan is that Pakistan
is doing much more, deeper cooperation, and doing more favors to the
United States than Pakistan is getting anything in return. What is your
comment, and what is the room for Pak-U.S. relations during your next
term?
President Bush. Well, first of all, I don't view relations as, one,
that there's a scorecard that says, you know, ``Well, if we all fight
terror together, therefore, somebody owes somebody something.'' This is
a world in which cooperation is essential, and mutual cooperation is
really essential between Pakistan and the United States.
Obviously, there's ways to strengthen our bilateral relations. The
President and I are constantly discussing ways to do so. After all, he
is the strongest advocate for the Pakistan people I have ever met. His
duty is to represent Pakistan, and so, therefore, we talk about ways to
enhance trade. Trade between the United States and Pakistan is good. It
can be better, and we discussed ways to enhance that.
But our cooperation has been very strong. But let me just say
something. Friends don't sit there and have a scorecard that says,
``Well, he did this,'' or ``He did that, and therefore, somebody is--
there's a deficit.'' Our relationship is much bigger than that. Our
relationship is one where we work closely together for the common good
of our own people and for the common good of the world.
Jennifer [Jennifer Loven, Associated Press].
President Musharraf's Role in the War on Terror
Q. Thank you, sir. You've talked repeatedly about how pleased you've
been with President Musharraf's cooperation in the arrest of Al Qaida
suspects. But are you not disappointed that his army has somewhat
downgraded the search for Usama bin Laden?
President Bush. Quite the contrary. His army has been incredibly
active and very brave in southern Waziristan, flushing out an enemy that
had thought they had found safe haven. His army has suffered casualty,
and for that, we want to thank their loved ones for the sacrifice that
their family has made.
The President has been a determined leader to bring to justice not
only people like Usama bin Laden but to
bring to justice those who would inflict harm and pain on his own
people. Remember, this is a man whose life had been threatened by and
still is threatened by Al Qaida leadership. He's the person who survived
two direct assassination attempts. And there is nobody more dedicated
than--in the protection of his own people than President Musharraf.
And I am very pleased with his efforts and his focused efforts, and
our discussions today were to determine how best we can help the
President achieve his objective and--which is not only protect himself
but protect his country.
Pakistan-U.S. Relations/Pakistan's Role in the Middle East Peace Process
Q. Mr. President, it's determined that you have a long vision, long-
term vision between Pakistan and the United States. How would you define
it, and how do you see it in the days to come?
President Bush. I think the long-term vision is one that is a
relationship which is very mature in this sense: that there is a
commercial relationship which is fair and balanced, mutually beneficial
to both people; a defense relationship which is one in which there is
close collaboration and complementary efforts based upon the true
threats of the 21st century; and thirdly, there's a relationship in
which I can call upon my friend to help deal with international issues
such as the development of
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a Palestinian state, one in which the aspirations of the Palestinian
people are met and listened to because democracy has taken hold.
One of the interesting lessons that the world can look at is
Pakistan. You see, there are some in the world who do not believe that a
Muslim society can self-govern. Some believe that the only solution for
government in parts of the world is for there to be tyranny or
despotism. I don't believe that. The Pakistan people have proven that
those cynics are wrong. And where President Musharraf can help in world
peace is to help remind people what is possible. And the solution in the
Middle East is for there to be a world effort to help the Palestinians
develop a state that is truly free, one that's got an independent
judiciary, one that's got a civil society, one that's got the capacity
to fight off the terrorists, one that allows for dissent, one in which
people can vote. And President Musharraf can play a big role in helping
achieve that objective.
None of us can convince the Palestinians to say--or make the
Palestinians adhere to this point of view, but we can help convince
them. And that's precisely what I intend to do. And as a Palestinian
state evolves there will be much more confidence, and when that happens,
peace is more likely to happen.
And I look forward to working with this world leader on that
important issue.
Thank you all for taking time out of your weekend. I know it's been
a disappointment for you to have to work on Saturday, but--[laughter]--
the press. But nevertheless----
President Musharraf. Because of me. [Laughter]
President Bush. ----the President and I are thrilled you're here.
Thank you.
Note: The President spoke at 9:50 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al
Qaida terrorist organization.