    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [February 18, 2005]
    [Pages 264-266]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Interview With ARD-German Television
    February 18, 2005

    Agenda for the President's Upcoming Visit to Europe

        Q. Mr. President, your visit to Europe is an important gesture. Now
    what many people wonder is, beyond the style, what substance you're
    going to add to the--invigorating the transatlantic relationship?
    Schroeder has just proposed a NATO reform, to have a forum to discuss
    policy. What do you think about things like that?
        The President. Well, I--look, I mean, first of all, I think NATO is
    vital, and I look forward to reminding him
    that the U.S. position is that NATO is a vital institution, and that--
    but so is the EU. And we look forward to working with the EU.
        In terms of--and I think it's a legitimate question for people to
    say, ``Look, it's fine to have nice words, but it's--what can we do
    together? What can we do together to make the world a better place?'' We
    can continue to fight disease and hunger, which we will. The United
    States is actively involved on the continent of Africa on HIV/AIDS and
    wants to work with our European friends through the Global Fund to do
    so. We can work on trade matters, a benefit to the citizens of the U.S.
    and to Europe that there be active trade. And equally importantly, we
    can work to spread freedom and peace.
        And so I'm going to talk about Middle Eastern peace, my vision about
    two states living side by side in peace, Israel and Palestine. I'm going
    to talk about Iran. I'll talk about Syria. I'll talk about Lebanon.

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    I mean, there's a lot of things--concrete things--that we need to be
    working on so that we can say when it's all said and done, the world is
    more peaceful for our children.

    Iran and Syria

        Q. You mentioned Iran and Syria, two real hot spots, two conflicts
    in the making. Now, 70 percent of all Germans are convinced, according
    to a latest poll, that you are already planning a military action
    against Iran. Now, what do you say to disperse these fears? You know
    that Blair, Schroeder, and Bush would like you to play a more active
    role in the diplomatic----
        The President. No, I know--listen, we're playing--look, first of
    all, I hear all these rumors about military attacks, and it's just not
    the truth. We want diplomacy to work. And I believe diplomacy can work
    so long as the Iranians don't divide Europe and the United States. And
    the common goal is for them not to have a nuclear weapon. It's in the
    interests of the German people and the American people and all people
    for the Iranians not to develop that nuclear weapon.
        And so I want to applaud and will applaud Gerhard and the other leaders for sending a clear message to
    Iran. The Iranians need to know--they know what they need to do. And so
    what they're trying to do is kind of wiggle out. They're trying to say,
    ``Well, we won't do anything, because America is not involved.'' But
    America is involved. We're in close consultation with our friends. We're
    on the board of the IAEA. And we will continue to work with friends and
    allies to make it clear.
        The other thing Iran's got to do--two other things they've got to
    do, is stop exporting terror through Hizballah, which could be a
    devastating blow to the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian
    people, and they ought to open up their country to more democracy and
    freedom, just like we do in the United States and Germany, give their
    people a chance to express themselves in a free way.
        Q. Now, some people are reminded, when you say you have no plans for
    military actions, they're reminded of the pre-Iraq crisis, when you
    said, ``No war plans on my desk,'' and then one month later, there was.
    What's different this time?
        The President. Well, it's totally different. The Iraqi situation was
    one where many good people tried diplomacy to solve the problem.
    Remember, the whole world thought the man had
    weapons of mass destruction. The United Nations thought he had weapons
    of mass destruction. And that's why--one of the reasons why they passed
    16 resolutions. I mean, this was an issue where diplomacy had been
    exhausted.
        And I went to the United Nations and said, ``Let's, one more time,
    hold the man to account.'' And the United
    Nations said, ``Disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.'' That's
    what the world body said. The United Nations Security Council voted 15
    to nothing for that resolution.
        The Iranian issue hasn't even been to the United Nations yet. In
    other words, there's a lot more diplomacy to be done. And the people of
    Germany have just got--I know the rumors, and I've heard all the gossip
    and the false stories about this, that--the people have got to know that
    we will try diplomacy for all means.

    Iraq

        Q. Are you happy with the way things are going in Iraq? They just
    had elections, but they seemed to not support the moderate Allawi but
    more the Shiites. And in that situation, what are you going to ask the
    Germans to do on top of what they're already doing in the training?
        The President. Well, you know, look, I think Gerhard is comfortable in the training mission. But I'm going
    to wait for him to tell me if he's interested in participating. If so,
    the German Government would be welcome. Germany is really good at
    certain things, like we're good at things. And Germany is good at
    training and ministerial--developing ministries and humanitarian aid

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    and the PRT in Afghanistan, for example, is a great German contribution.
    And what friends do is they say, ``Are you comfortable? If you're
    interested in helping this fledgling democracy get to be a more mature
    democracy, where's your comfort level?'' And so I'm looking forward to
    talking to him about that.
        You mentioned the Shi'as. Allawi is a Shi'a
    himself. My attitude is this: A Government that has been voted on by the
    people is going to be, by its very nature, a reasonable Government. In
    other words, it's a--governments tend to reflect the will of the people,
    and the people of Iraq want to live in peace. The mothers and dads want
    to raise their children in a peaceful environment.
        I am heartened by the political posturing going on. I think it is
    healthy to see the different factions of Government begin to emerge, all
    of whom are saying--this is an important point--all of whom are saying,
    ``There needs to be a unified Iraq, respect for minority rights.'' And
    there's a nationalist feeling there. I mean, some are saying, ``Are you
    worried about Iranian influence?'' Well, if the Iranian Government tries
    to destabilize an elected government, I am. But to the extent that the
    Iraqi people love Iraq before they love Iran, I take comfort. And Iraq
    is a proud nation, and they care deeply about their national heritage
    and tradition and future.

    Germany and the U.N. Security Council

        Q. One word about Germany's aspirations for a permanent seat in the
    Security Council?
        The President. Yes, right. [Laughter]
        Q. You knew I'd ask that.
        The President. No, you should ask it. And Gerhard--I'm very aware of that. And we'll look
    forward to working--look, I haven't taken a position on reform yet. And
    I want to see how this--the different models of reform come forward. But
    Germany is a great nation, and Germany is--Europe is vital for the
    future of the United States, and Germany is vital for the future of
    Europe. And I'm open for suggestions.
        Q. Thank you very much.
        The President. Thanks for coming.
        Q. We should do this every month.
        The President. I'd like to.

    Note: The interview was taped at 10:48 a.m. in the Map Room at the White
    House for later broadcast. In his remarks, the President referred to
    Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of Germany; former President Saddam Hussein
    of Iraq; and Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government.
    He also referred to Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), a component
    of NATO's International Security Assistance Force operating in
    Afghanistan. The interviewer referred to Prime Minister Tony Blair of
    the United Kingdom. A tape was not available for verification of the
    content of this interview.