    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [February 21, 2005]
    [Pages 281-283]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following Discussions With President Jacques Chirac of France and an Exchange With Reporters in Brussels
    February 21, 2005

        President Bush. It's my honor to be joining Jacques Chirac for
    dinner. I thank you for coming, sir. I've really been looking forward to
    this moment.
        Every time I meet with Jacques, he's got good advice. And I'm
    looking forward to listening to you. We've got a lot of issues to talk
    about: Middle Eastern peace, Lebanon, Iran, helping to feed the hungry,
    and working together to help spread medicines necessary to cure illness.
        So, Mr. President, thank you very much for your--coming by for
    dinner, and thank you for your time.
        President Chirac. Thank you. It's, of course, a great pleasure. It
    always is great pleasure to meet with President Bush. And let me take
    this opportunity to thank him for his very warm welcome to me today as
    always.
        Now, President Bush and I have always shared very--always had very
    warm relations, which in fact translate, to a certain extent, of
    relations--of warm relations that have always been characterized--the
    links between our countries and the relations, be they bilateral or
    transatlantic ones, which have always been excellent between France and
    the United States.
        Indeed, we have struggled for some two centuries, 200 years now, to
    uphold and keep alive these values which we share, and which our people
    share and hold very dear to their hearts, and which we are very attached
    to.
        We are present together, that is to say France and the United
    States, in some of the world's hotspots. I'm thinking of Afghanistan.
    I'm thinking of the Balkans, of course, but I'm thinking also of what
    we're doing in Haiti and in Africa. I'm thinking also of our excellent
    cooperation over the tragedy in Asia; I'm talking about the tsunami
    here. And let me take this opportunity to thank the President for all
    the help that was extended to our military by the American military, for
    instance, the making available to our military of American helicopters,
    which made our work that much easier.
        So we do share many, many ideals and values. We have many things in
    common. For instance, we, together, are struggling against the scourge
    of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. And we adopted--we have
    the same approach to the situation which is prevailing in Lebanon,
    especially following the murder of former Prime Minister Hariri, who, of
    course, was a man who enshrined the ideals of democracy, independence,
    and liberty of that country.
        Therefore, I am looking forward to a very constructive discussion,
    and I welcome this new opportunity to meet with the President and in a
    broader context, which is that of the continuing dialog, ongoing dialog
    between the United States and the rest of Europe.
        President Bush. Tom [Tom Raum, Associated Press].

    Russia

        Q. For both Presidents: You talked about Russia, Mr. President, in
    your speech. What practical things can you do to pressure Russia to go
    back to a path towards

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    democracy? And should you, for instance, make membership in the WTO
    contingent on Russia renewing its commitment to democracy? For both
    Presidents, please.
        President Bush. Part of the WTO requirements are that there be an
    open market, that there be a liberal economy. And open markets and
    liberal economies tend to attract countries that are open to the voices
    of their people.
        I look forward to seeing Vladimir Putin
    in 2 days. I've got a good relationship with Vladimir; I intend to keep
    it that way. But as well, I intend to remind him that if his interests
    lie West, that we share values, and that we--and those values are
    important. They're not only important for people that live within
    Russia; they're important to have good relations with the West.

    France-U.S. Relations

        Q. The first question to President Chirac. You have said, sir,
    yourself, that relations have always been excellent between France and
    the United States. We get the sense that in recent weeks they have
    become even better. They have become warmer and that there's a veritable
    new honeymoon, as it were, taking place.
        And to you, President Bush, may I ask the following question: If,
    indeed, relations have improved, if indeed they are better between
    France and the United States, are they good enough as yet for that to
    warrant an invitation to President Chirac to go to the United States,
    possibly even to your ranch, sir? [Laughter]
        President Bush. I'm looking for a good cowboy. [Laughter]
        President Chirac. Let me say--repeat what I already said, namely,
    that our relations are indeed excellent. But they have been excellent
    for over 200 years now, because--why do I say that? Because they are
    based upon common values, common values that we share. And these things
    don't change overnight, with the wave of a wand.
        Now, of course, that doesn't mean that because we share common
    values we don't--we necessarily agree on everything all the time. Of
    course, we can have our differences, or our divergence of opinion.
    Recently, this was the case. We didn't share the same view over Iraq.
    But this in no way affects or in no way undermines the bedrock of our
    relations, namely, our common values and our common vision. And I repeat
    what I said earlier on, namely, that I feel it's very important that
    within the broader context of U.S.-EU relations, this relationship
    should continue to be cemented, broadened, and strengthened.
        President Bush. This is my first dinner, since I've been reelected,
    on European soil, and it's with Jacques Chirac, and that ought to say
    something. It ought to say how important this relationship is for me,
    personally, and how important this relationship is for my country.

    Note: The President spoke at 7:13 p.m. in the Ambassador's residence at
    the U.S. Embassy. In his remarks, he referred to President Vladimir
    Putin of Russia. President Chirac referred to former Prime Minister
    Rafiq Hariri of Lebanon, who was assassinated on February 14 in Beirut.
    President Chirac and a reporter spoke in French, and their remarks were
    translated by an interpreter.

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