[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[November 20, 2004]
[Pages 2984-2985]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Following Discussions With Prime Minister Junichiro 
Koizumi of Japan and an Exchange With 
Reporters in Santiago
November 20, 2004

    President Bush. It was my honor to have spent some quality time with 
my friend the leader of our strong ally, Japan. I enjoyed visiting with 
the Prime Minister. He's a man of clear vision and inner strength.
    We covered a wide range of subjects, including the North Korean 
Peninsula and Iraq. I also explained to him that my Nation is committed 
to a strong dollar, and I assured him that in my upcoming contacts in 
working with Congress, we'll work to reduce our short-term and long-term 
deficit. It was a great conversation.
    Prime Minister Koizumi. I'm very happy to be able to see the 
President in person, the first time after his reelection. And we have 
shared a view that the U.S. had a great effect in terms of security and 
also in terms of the well-being of the world economy. And I completely 
agree with the view of the President that a strong dollar has good 
impact on the U.S. economy and is also important for the world economy.
    And I was also gratified to know that President Bush has a strong 
intent for further strengthening the framework of cooperation, 
international cooperation, to cope with the issue of Iraq.
    And we also agreed to continue to place importance on the six-party 
talks process concerning North Korea and that we would also continue to 
pursue a diplomatic solution to dismantle all their nuclear programs.
    It was a very short meeting, but it was a meeting of great content; 
so I'm very happy about that.
    President Bush. A couple of questions. AP lady [Jennifer Loven, 
Associated Press].

North Korea

    Q. Yes, sir. Thank you. Can I ask you what level of flexibility 
you're willing to accept towards North Korea to try to bring them back 
to the table?
    President Bush. What's very important is for the leader of North 
Korea to understand that the six-party talks are--will be the framework 
in which we continue to discuss the mutual goal we all have, which is to 
rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons, and that here, at this 
summit, I will not only speak with my friend the Prime Minister of Japan 
but also the President of South Korea, the 
President of China, and the President of 
Russia about making sure that our intention 
remains the same, that we work together to achieve the goal. And the 
leader of North Korea will hear a common voice.
    Somebody from the Japanese press?

U.S. Forces in Japan

    Q. Was there discussion concerning the realignment of U.S. force in 
Japan?
    Prime Minister Koizumi. We had a very good discussion from the 
viewpoint of maintaining the deterrence capability of U.S. force in 
Japan and also of reducing the burden that the U.S. bases are posing on 
Japanese communities, including Okinawa. We had a good discussion from 
this kind of point of view. And we also agreed that we would have the 
relevant authorities, the foreign ministry and defense authorities, both 
countries--have them discuss this issue in more detail.
    President Bush. David [David Morgan, Reuters].

Iran

    Q. Mr. President, given the intelligence failures over weapons of 
mass destruction in Iraq, do you think the U.S. now faces a more 
skeptical world in--when it comes to the nuclear program in Iran?
    President Bush. We appreciate the efforts of the Governments of 
France, Germany, and Great Britain to convince the Iranians

[[Page 2985]]

to give up any nuclear ambitions they may have. And the reason why 
they're involved is because they do believe that Iran has got nuclear 
ambitions, as do we, as do many around the world. And it's very 
important for the Iranian Government to hear a--to hear that we are 
concerned about their desires, and we're concerned about reports that 
show that prior to a certain international meeting, they're willing to 
speed up processing of materials that could lead to a nuclear weapon. 
This is a very serious matter. The world knows it's a serious matter, 
and we're working together to solve this matter.

Iraqi Elections

    Q. There will be elections--elections to be held in Iraq at the end 
of January next year, and I'd like to know if there were any discussions 
on what kind of efforts you will be making towards making this election 
a success?
    Prime Minister Koizumi. Successful reconstruction and nation-
building in Iraq is just not an important matter for Japan and the 
United States; it's an issue for the entire international community. And 
of course, there were some disagreements concerning the beginning of the 
use of force in that country in the international community, but the 
U.N. resolution providing for reconstruction efforts in Iraq was adopted 
by overwhelming consensus. And we have to make this effort into a 
success. And from that standpoint, Japan intends to continue to do as 
much as it can based on its own initiatives.
    And I told Mr. President that we would like for him to leave it to 
us to decide what kind of assistance that we would be providing, and the 
President was agreeable to this.
    President Bush. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 10:05 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Santiago. 
In his remarks, he referred to President Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea; 
President Hu Jintao of China; President Vladimir Putin of Russia; and 
Chairman Kim Chong-il of North Korea. A tape was not available for 
verification of the content of these remarks.