    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [January 26, 2005]
    [Pages 95-99]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Interview With Al Arabiya Television
    January 26, 2005

        The President. Before you ask your question, Lukman, let me--if you don't mind, I'd like to say one thing
    to the Iraqi people. This is a historic opportunity for the people of
    Iraq to vote for a Government. And I want to express my appreciation for
    the courageous Iraqis who are willing to step forth and promote
    democracy and urge all the citizens in Iraq to vote and to show the
    terrorists they cannot stop the march of freedom.
        I'm proud of the country. I'm proud of the citizens and look forward
    to the day when Iraq is democratic and free with Iraqi traditions and
    Iraqi customs. And it will be a grand day on Sunday.

    Upcoming Iraqi Elections

        Lukman Ahmed. Thank you, Mr. President. And
    that's before we thank you again for giving us this opportunity here on
    Al Arabiya. We'd like to congratulate you for entering your second term.
    But with regard to this Iraqi election, do you expect a big or a good
    voter turnout?
        The President. You know, it is amazing, first of all, they're having
    a vote at all. A couple of years ago, people would have been puzzled by
    someone saying that the Iraqis will be given a chance to vote. And now
    they are. I know this: I know thousands and thousands of Iraqis want to
    vote. I know they cherish the idea of being able to vote, and I hope as
    many Iraqis vote as possible.

    U.S. Super Stallion Helicopter Crash in Iraq

        Mr. Ahmed. Let me ask you how you feel
    about this incident today, about the helicopter incident. How do you
    feel about it, and will that affect your engagement in Iraq?
        The President. I appreciate you bringing that up. First of all, any
    time a soldier loses life is a sad day, sad for the family, sad for the
    friends, sad for his or her fellow troops. And we offer our prayers and
    condolences and ask for God's grace and comfort on those who suffer.
        Today a tragic helicopter accident is a reminder of the risks
    inherent in military operations. We mourn the loss of life. But I am
    convinced we're doing the right thing by helping Iraq become a free
    country, because a free Iraq will have long-term effects in the world
    and it will help the people of Iraq realize their dreams and aspirations
    and hopes.

    Sunni's Role Following Elections

        Mr. Ahmed. Some details, sir, about this
    election. As you know, that the Iraqis will go to vote, Shi'as whom
    expected to participate in large numbers and Sunni whom expected to
    participate in smaller numbers. What is the role you see Sunnis as
    playing in Iraq after the election?
        The President. Well, first of all, I hope all Sunnis vote. I think
    it's very important. Secondly, I've been heartened by some of the
    comments of Shi'a leadership that has said the new Government must be
    inclusive, that, in order for Iraq to achieve its ultimate objective,
    which is a stable, free society, that everybody ought to be able to
    participate in the writing of the constitution, that there needs to be
    respect for minority rights. And to me, those are very healthy,
    important comments that are being made by Shi'a leaders. And it is an
    understanding that a free society is one which honors the voices of all.

    Iran

        Mr. Ahmed. Mr. President, there are report
    coming out of Iraq suggesting that the Iranian are getting millions of
    dollars into

    [[Page 96]]

    Iraq, sending people to influence the election. First, how do you plan
    to deal with Iranian to this regard?
        The President. Well, one way is to speak clearly and make it very
    clear that the Iranians should not be trying to unduly influence the
    elections. I'm confident that the Iraqi citizens will want Iraq to be
    free from any influence--in other words, they want to be able to vote
    and elect people that will represent their views, not the views of a
    foreign government.
        Mr. Ahmed. If I may follow up. Will it
    concern you that some sort of pro-Iranian Government will emerge?
        The President. Well, I don't think so. I think that the Iraqis who
    are willing to serve are people who understand that the future of Iraq
    depends upon Iraqi nationalism and the Iraq character--the character of
    Iraq and Iraqi people emerging. You know, there's been longtime problems
    between Iran and Iraq, and I'm confident that Iraqi nationalism and
    Iraqi pride and the history of Iraq and traditions of Iraq will be the
    main focus of the new Government and reflect the new Government.
        Mr. Ahmed. Another issue regarding that or
    concerning that country and its tradition is monitored in statements
    regarding Iran. Mr. Vice President warned Israel not to have any action
    against Iran. In Israel, nevertheless, they think that a strike on Iran
    will help to delay the nuclear effort, like the strike on Iraq by Israel
    on 1981. How do you force this situation?
        The President. Well, I think we can solve this problem
    diplomatically. And I appreciate the efforts of France, Germany, and
    Great Britain to interface with the Iranians, all attempting to convince
    them that they must give up their nuclear weapons programs. And we'll
    work closely with IAEA, as well as the United Nations, to effect that
    end. And I feel comfortable that we can achieve a understanding with the
    Iranians on the diplomatic front.

    Upcoming Iraqi Elections/Completing the Mission

        Mr. Ahmed. We've got to go back to the
    Iraqi election again. I want to talk about the Iraqi election. Also, we
    see the future of the coalition forces there, the future of the U.S.
    forces over there. How do you see the future of the coalition forces
    after the election in Iraq?
        The President. Well, I think it's very important for the Iraqi
    citizens to know what I've been telling the American citizens, and that
    is, is that we will stay as long as is necessary to help the Iraqis
    secure their country. And we'll come home as soon as possible. But that
    mission must be completed. And the mission is to train Iraqi soldiers,
    to give Iraqis the tools and the command structure necessary to be able
    to fight off the few who want to stop the aspirations of the many.
        I've heard talk about that we are occupiers. No, the United States
    and our troops and our coalition are there to help the Iraqi citizens.
    And so our mission is to do our job as quickly as we can and then come
    home.
        Now, it is up to the Iraqi citizens to eventually fight off the
    terrorists, and we want to give them the tools necessary to do so. And I
    think we're making good progress. I mean, obviously there's more work to
    be done, but many Iraqi units have proven themselves worthy in fighting
    off these terrorists. And it's important for the Iraqi citizens to know
    that their own citizens are out defending their freedom.

    Iraqi Troops

        Mr. Ahmed. And this is--you put it as an
    exit strategy--with regard to the training that you just mentioned here
    right now, what exact number you think for Iraqi force already being
    trained in Iraq?
        The President. Oh, how many have been trained so far?
        Mr. Ahmed. Yes.
        The President. Well, I think we've trained 120,000, but that doesn't
    necessarily mean

    [[Page 97]]

    they're ready. There's a difference between quantity and quality. And so
    our focus over the next year will be to make sure that the quality of
    the troops is necessary. And there's been great progress on the ground.
    Some of the fighting units in Iraq have been very strong and very
    capable. We want to make sure there's a command structure--in other
    words, from top to bottom there's a chain of command that will enable
    forces to move at the will of the Iraqi Government. In other words, when
    the Iraqi Government makes a decision to go defend the Iraqi people,
    that there's decisive and quick movement.
        And we're making progress. There's more work to be done. That's the
    point. There's more work to be done on the border guards. There's more
    work to be done with infrastructure guards. There's more work to be done
    with the regular army as well as the national guard and the police. But
    we're there to help, as are other countries.

    Future Iraq-U.S. Military Relationship

        Mr. Ahmed. After securing Iraq and having
    the Iraqi security forces able to secure their country, there is talk
    about the thought that here in Washington, they might be a permanent
    U.S. military base on Iraq. How do you----
        The President. Well, that's going to be up to the Iraqi Government.
    A Government elected by the people will be making the decisions as to
    how best to secure their country, what kind of help they need to make
    sure their democracy is able to flourish. And I think the free world
    will be willing to provide that help. But these are sovereign decisions
    made by an elected Government.
        You know, it hasn't been all that long that we transferred
    sovereignty to the current Government. It was last June of 2004 that
    sovereignty was transferred and that Iraqi citizens could see Iraqis
    making the decisions necessary to move forward. And now the elections
    will start a process so that by the end of this year there will be an
    elected Assembly that will be honoring a constitution approved by the
    people. And it's--I think it's a glorious moment.
        And I, again, want to reiterate what I said. I hope the Iraqis--the
    Iraqis I've heard from have this great desire for freedom. And I hope
    they're willing to exercise their right and defy the terrorists. The
    terrorists have no vision for Iraq. They have no vision for a positive
    and hopeful country--unlike the people who will be elected, who will be
    listening to the voices of the Iraqis as they develop a society which
    will help educate people and provide health care. The businesses will
    flourish in Iraq. Iraq has got--Iraqis have got a great entrepreneurial
    spirit. They're good businesspeople, and of course we want to help.

    Syria

        Mr. Ahmed. Another country that is so
    essential to the security in Iraq, that country is Syria--the Interim
    Iraq Government accusing Syria of aiding the former regime element and
    providing a safe haven to the thousands of former Ba'athists. The Syrian
    Government is saying they are only a few hundred, and they cannot
    control their border. How do you plan to deal with Syria to this regard?
        The President. Well, we've sent messages to the Syrians, very clear
    messages that they should not be meddling, on the one hand, and they
    should do everything they can to prevent money, arms, people from going
    from Syria into Iraq whose intent it is to destabilize and terrorize the
    citizens and harm our soldiers. And we expect the Government to act on
    our request.
        But it's just not our request. It's also the request of the Iraqi
    Government. Prime Minister Allawi, as you
    mentioned, has sent a very clear signal to the Syrians that they expect
    there to be cooperation and a 100 percent effort to prevent people who
    would destabilize the Iraqi Government from getting into Iraq.

    [[Page 98]]

    Situation in the Middle East

        Mr. Ahmed. Mr. President, another issue is
    so essential to the area; that is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The
    latest joint survey conducted by Palestinian and Israeli shows that
    majority of Palestinians and Israelis support the idea of the permanent
    two-state solution that you laid out in your peace plan, the roadmap.
    But the problem is about how to move forward, how to get there. Today,
    here, again, I need to have a news from you about how we going to have
    something really new to accelerate the process.
        The President. Well, I think you've seen something new that will
    help accelerate the process, and that is Abu Mazen, who has been elected by the Palestinians, who's
    showed strong leadership. He has declared that they will do everything
    they can to protect innocent life from terrorists as well as
    consolidating security forces. And, therefore, we're on the roadmap. In
    other words, there's a commitment by this man toward--heading toward
    peace. And there's obligations for both sides as we go down the path
    toward the establishment of a Palestinian state. And our job is to hold
    people to their word, is to say, ``Wait a minute. This has happened''--
    how the Israelis must make it easier for people to move, for example, or
    make sure tax revenues move to the Palestinian Government so that
    they're able to more fully function.
        At the same time, we very strongly support the conference in London,
    which will help the Palestinians develop a strategy to develop the
    institutions necessary for a state to emerge. I'm sending Condoleezza
    Rice, who was confirmed today as the
    Secretary of State, to show our commitment to the Palestinian cause, a
    cause based upon peace, a cause based upon democracy.
        Again, I'm very optimistic about the establishment of a Palestinian
    state. I'm optimistic because the leadership is showing strength. I'm
    optimistic because there is a very strong entrepreneurial class of
    people that can--if given a chance, will be able to develop small
    businesses in the industrial sector that will help the Palestinians find
    work.
        I'm very optimistic because I believe that most Israelis do
    understand that in the long term their survival depends upon a
    democratic state coexisting peacefully with Israel. And I'm very
    optimistic because I believe the world now sees an opportunity to come
    together to help the process forward. And so I'm--I can't make you a
    prediction, but I can tell you that I believe that a Palestinian state
    is very possible. And we look forward to working with the parties who
    have declared themselves willing to fight off the terrorists and develop
    a peaceful society.

    Prospective Visit by Abu Mazen

        Mr. Ahmed. By mentioning Abu Mazen, that--
    my time is up, this is going to be the last question. You mentioned
    you're going to send Dr. Rice. And are we expecting to see you inviting
    Abu Mazen here to the White House? And just to have a clear assurance,
    whether you think there is enough agreement and work for you to get the
    Palestinian state made by 2009?
        The President. Well, that's a very good question. Hopefully--I'm a
    person who tries to avoid timetables because sometimes it creates
    expectations that may not be met. I would hope that we could establish a
    Palestinian state as quickly as possible, and the United States of
    America as well as friends and allies will be willing to help along
    those lines. It is conceivable it could happen before then if there is
    that firm commitment. And it looks like there is a firm commitment.
        Secondly, I had the honor of welcoming Abu Mazen here to the White
    House before. I'd love to see him again at his convenience. He's got a
    lot of work to do, and it's up to him to decide when he wants to travel.
    And if he wants to come to the United States, if he chooses to do so, of

    [[Page 99]]

    course he's invited. I saw him in Aqaba, Jordan, so I've had a chance to
    meet with this man twice. And it's--he's a fellow who has, initially, in
    his new position, made some very difficult decisions, but the right
    decisions. And I think the Palestinians, if they continue to follow a
    path toward peaceful relations and the development of a free state where
    people can express their opinions and have dissent and an open press,
    there's a very good chance the state will happen. And I'm looking
    forward to that.
        Mr. Ahmed. Mr. President, thank you so
    much.
        The President. Thank you, sir. Lukman, good job.

    Note: The interview was taped at 1:23 p.m. in the Map Room at the White
    House for later broadcast. In his remarks, the President referred to
    Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; and
    President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the Palestinian Authority. A tape
    was not available for verification of the content of this interview.