    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [February 24, 2005]
    [Pages 307-309]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following Discussions With Prime Minister Mikulas
    Dzurinda of Slovakia and an Exchange With
    Reporters in Bratislava, Slovakia
    February 24, 2005

        Prime Minister Dzurinda. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm very happy that
    the President of the United States is, for the first time, in Slovakia.
    This day is historical for my country. I have had very good debate with
    President Bush, telling him the basic orientation of our foreign policy.
    I appreciate the role of the United States, doing a lot of things in the
    world.
        I told to President Bush that Slovakia supports the policy of the
    United States based on advancing freedom and democracy, based on
    preventing nuclear proliferation. This is why Slovakia supports the
    position of principle of the United States in many areas, regarding
    Iran, North Korea. This is why we support the effort of the United
    States to advance peace and stability in the Middle East and the
    democratization process all over the world.
        I told to President Bush that there are many reasons why not only
    America but also the democratic world, including Slovakia, my home--we
    all need to have a strong President in the United States. And I'm very,
    very happy that the U.S. President is really very strong and courageous
    leader.
        Thank you very much.
        President Bush. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. I'm thrilled to be
    here. I have really been looking forward to this trip to Slovakia.
        We've just had a great discussion. First, I complimented the Prime
    Minister on putting policies in place that have helped this economy
    grow. The most important responsibility we have at home is to make sure
    our people can find work. And the President [Prime Minister] * put a
    flat tax in place; he simplified his tax code, which has helped to
    attract capital and create economic vitality and growth.
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        * White House correction.
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        I really congratulate you and your Government for making wise
    decisions. Slovakia is a great example of what can happen when people
    are set free. And this is an exciting place to be.
        Secondly, I appreciate so very much the Prime Minister's vision on
    foreign policy. I want to thank you for having your troops by our troops
    in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Prime Minister understands that those of us
    who are free have a responsibility to

    [[Page 308]]

    help free others in order to make ourselves more secure. I'm so honored
    to have your commitment.
        I told him that the supplemental that's working its way through
    Congress--in the supplemental there will be money for reimbursement to
    help our friends with troops on the ground.
        I also talked about visa policy. The Prime Minister was very strong
    about reminding me that he wants there to be a different visa policy, a
    better visa policy for the citizens of Slovakia. He made the case very
    clearly on behalf of the citizens of Slovakia. I listened very closely
    to what he had to say. I told him that we will work with the Slovakian
    Government to reform the visa policy--reform in a way that conforms with
    the desires of our Congress, but nevertheless, the Slovakian people
    should see a different visa policy coming out of the United States
    because we've now got a roadmap that we both must work on. It won't
    happen instantly--the policy won't happen instantly, but the Prime
    Minister urged me to move down the roadmap. And I want to thank you for
    taking that leadership position as well.
        Again, I want to thank the citizens of this great country for your
    hospitality. I want to thank my friend the Prime Minister for inviting
    me here in the first place and for extending such a warm greeting to me
    and Laura and our delegation.
        Thank you, sir. Appreciate you.
        Prime Minister Dzurinda. Questions were not planned, but I asked Mr.
    President that the first visit needs to give an opportunity----
        President Bush. Of course they were planned, Mr. Prime Minister.
    [Laughter]
        Prime Minister Dzurinda. One or two questions, please.

    Iran

        Q. Mr. President, you've talked a lot about Iran in many of your
    meetings on this trip, and we understand that you did a lot of listening
    about incentives for Iran, using them as negotiating tools, if you will.
    And first I'd ask you, why will you not join the EU-3 in direct talks
    with Iran? And then, what would you approve of as possible incentives?
    Did you hear anything that you liked?
        President Bush. I appreciate that. First of all, we talked about
    Iran here, with our great friend. The reason why we talked about it,
    because it's a world problem. And one of the things I wanted to make
    sure I heard clearly from our friends in Europe was whether or not they
    viewed the Iran problem the same way I did. And they do. Chancellor
    Schroeder and Prime Minister Blair and President Chirac all said
    loud and clear that the Iranians should not have a nuclear weapon.
        And secondly, I was listening very carefully to the different ideas
    on negotiating strategies. We have a common objective, which is to
    convince the ayatollahs not to have a nuclear weapon. And I'm going to
    go back and think about the suggestions I've heard and the ways forward.
    But the key thing is, is that we're united in our--in the goal.
        The most effective way to achieve that goal is to have our partners,
    Great Britain and France and Germany, represent not only the EU, not
    only NATO but the United States. And hopefully we'll be able to reach a
    diplomatic solution to this effort. We're more likely to do so when
    we're all on the same page, and I know we're on the same page on this
    issue when it comes to a common goal.
        Prime Minister Dzurinda. The last one, please.
        President Bush. Anybody from Slovakia who would like to ask a
    question to the Prime Minister?

    Visa Policy

        Q. Mr. President, dropping of visa regime is probably the most
    important thing for Slovak citizens that would like to come to America
    and get to know your country. And I'm sure that all of them are very

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    interested if you could tell us at least an approximate date, when do
    you believe that these visas could be dropped? Thank you.
        President Bush. Well, I appreciate you asking that. I can't give you
    a date. I wish--you know, if I could, I would. What I can tell you is
    that, one, the issue had been effectively put on the table by the Prime
    Minister and the Government; secondly, that we do have a way forward, a
    way to--look, the visa policy was basically set based upon decisions
    made prior to 1989. And so our policy still reflects overstays as a
    result of people who left when the people of this part of the world were
    not free. And we need to adjust that. We need to address those overstays
    in the light of people escaping a totalitarian regime. And we're in the
    process of doing that not just for Slovakia but for other countries in
    Eastern Europe. And we want to do this as quickly as possible.
        Secondly, something else has changed, and that is the Slovak
    Republic has joined the European Union. And there is a new history now
    that that has been done, and that history needs to be included in the
    process. And so we're working our way through a new set of analyses that
    we can take to our Congress and say here's how people are--people from
    the Slovak Republic have behaved since free. And that's very important;
    that's very important.
        It's--I can't predict how fast bureaucracies move. They tend not to
    move quickly. But the promise is, is that not only the President but the
    Secretary of State will do all we can to
    move this forward as quickly as possible, to be able to answer the
    question you asked, which is a legitimate question. I'm going to speak
    to this issue, by the way, in the square in a couple of minutes here,
    because I want people to hear that I am concerned about making sure our
    visa policy works.
        Prime Minister Dzurinda. I'm very happy because Mr. President has
    confirmed that this problem is a part of his personal agenda, so I'm
    very, very happy because of it.
        President Bush. It is.
        Prime Minister Dzurinda. We will continue on this tour. Thank you
    very much.
        President Bush. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:15 a.m. in the Office of the Prime
    Minister. In his remarks, he referred to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of
    Germany; Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom; and President
    Jacques Chirac of France.