[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.