[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
[February 18, 2005]
[Pages 266-269]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Interview With Slovak State Television
February 18, 2005
President's Upcoming Visit to the Slovak Republic
Q. Mr. President, I assume that your trip to Europe, after your
reelection, was very well tailored, and we can imagine why you go to
Brussels and to Germany. But there are lots of--lots of speculation
about why you decided to go to Bratislava. So what was behind this
decision? And what will be your message for Slovaks and people in our
region?
The President. Thanks. I've been trying to think about when this
thought got in
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my mind. I think--I have to credit your Prime Minister, who, in the Oval Office, said, ``You need to come to
our country.'' And I thought about it, and I think I told Condi
Rice then, when she was my National
Security Adviser, before I named her Secretary of State, that would be a
great idea.
I'd like to come, and I'm thankful for the invitation, because I
want to say to the world, ``Freedom is a beautiful thing, and here is a
country that is working hard to promote democracy.'' The spirit of your
Prime Minister, talking about overcoming
the difficulties to become a free society, is--was just wonderful.
I've always felt like countries like the Slovak Republic are very
important for the world to know more about, and--because, as you know,
I'm a big believer in liberty, and this is a country which is
succeeding. And it's not--there's bumps in the road. It's difficult, but
it's successful.
So I'm looking forward to coming. It's going to be one of the
highlights of the trip; it really is.
Iraq/Europe-U.S. Relations
Q. You have, obviously, a very good relationship with Slovak
Government and the other governments of so-called new Europe. But the
public does not always necessarily agree with our Government and with
American policy. And you, many time, stress that you want to have a very
good relationship with the whole Europe. So what is your strategy to
improve the relationship with the nations, with the citizens?
The President. That's a good point. Well, first of all, nobody likes
war. And basically what you're referring to is my decision to go into
Iraq. And I can understand why citizens, particularly if they didn't
feel threatened by Saddam Hussein, would say,
``We don't like war, and we don't agree with what George Bush decided.''
And I know that.
But now they've got to see what's happening in Iraq. Eight million
people voted in the face of terror. I mean, there's a free country. And
so what's going to be very important for me is to connect that free
country emerging with peace for their children and grandchildren. In
other words, there has to be a connection in order for people to say,
``Well, now I understand what, you know, what the policy means.'' It's
a--and so one of the reasons--that's what I'll speak about not only--I
mean, in Europe, it's very important to make that connection.
It's--ours is a--mine is a mission and a trip that says, ``We share
values, human rights and human dignity and rule of law and minority
rights and respect for women.'' And therefore, it's those values that
should unite our voices when it comes to spreading those values in parts
of the world that are troubled parts of the world, Iran or Syria or, as
you saw recently, in Lebanon. I'm convinced that as democracy--and
particularly, Israel and the Palestinian Territories--as democracy takes
hold there, the people of the Slovak Republic will see, ``Gosh, I'm
beginning to understand what President Bush was trying to do.''
U.S. Visa Policy
Q. United States and you, personally, helped to fulfill the vision
of free, democratic, and united Europe. But there is something missing
from this picture, and people feel that they're treated like second-
class Europeans because of visa.
The President. Oh. [Laughter]
Q. And I'm sure you will hear about the visa very often, not only in
Slovakia but also in European Union.
The President. Sure.
Q. I know your Government has many other priorities, maybe much,
much bigger priorities. But can I count on your leadership, Mr.
President, on this issue?
The President. No, I've heard about the visa issue.
Q. No?
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The President. No, I have--yes. I mean, yes, I've heard about the
visa issue. In other words, what I was saying, ``No, this is not a minor
issue.'' This is an issue that our friends have brought up quite
frequently. And we're trying to work it through. There's an old policy
in place that needs to be renewed and reviewed, given the new realities
of the Slovak Republic or Poland or the Czech Republic or wherever. And
so I've told Condi Rice, ``Let's just make
sure our visa policy is fair and balanced.''
Q. So we can count on your help?
The President. I'm not sure you can count on the results, but you
can count on my interest.
Russia
Q. Mr. President, you are going to meet President Putin in
Bratislava.
The President. Yes.
Q. And in Washington, many people are concerned about corrosion of
democracy in Russia. And you, in a summit in Chile, you also raised the
issue of Russia's curb on democracy. So how much you are concerned about
this issue of Russia?
The President. Well, I have a good relationship with President
Putin. And the reason--and that's important,
because that then will give me a chance to say in private--ask him why
he's been making some of the decisions he's been making. I mean, he's
done some things that has concerned people. And I--it's going to be--I
want him to be able to have a chance to say he's done it for this reason
or done that, so I can explain to him as best I can--in a friendly way,
of course--that Western values are--you know, are based upon
transparency and rule of law, the right for the people to express
themselves, checks and balances in government. In other words, not one
part of the government is so powerful they can overwhelm all the rest of
the government. And I'm looking forward to doing that right there in
your beautiful country.
Listen, I think this is going to be my 12th meeting with President
Putin. It's an important relationship that
we'll continue to nurture and work.
Iraq/Europe-U.S. Relations
Q. You mentioned the war in Iraq and relationship. What is your
personal lesson how this war in Iraq changed relationship between United
States and Europe and built relation with Eastern Europe?
The President. Yes, I appreciate that very much. First of all, war
is a terrible thing. And a lot of Europe supported the decision to
enforce the United Nations resolutions. Remember, this wasn't a U.S.--
you know, this came about as a result of the United Nations passing
1441, which said--and by the way, the 16th resolution to Mr. Saddam
Hussein that said, ``Disarm, disclose, or
face serious consequences.'' He chose not to do either, so he faced
serious consequences. And a lot of Europe supported the decision to go
and have him face serious consequences because the international body,
the United Nations, needed to be credible when it spoke.
But people need to see why the actions and why a free Iraq will make
them safer. In other words, there has to be a connection. And the
Eastern Europeans were great friends on this subject, and it's
interesting. They understand what it means to live under tyranny. They
know what it means to have secret police. And they began to smell that
great freedom that comes, and then all of a sudden, democracies began to
emerge. And what a fantastic example for the world, and Europe benefits
with countries like the Slovak Republic a part of NATO or the European
Union. I mean, these are very important lessons for people to see, that
you cannot take freedom for granted, and freedom is hard, and democracy
is hard work.
But it is inspiring to see what's taking place in the Slovak
Republic. My message to the Slovak people is, ``Thank you for doing what
you're doing. Thank you for
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your courage. And freedom is a beautiful thing, and you're showing it
right here.''
Q. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
The President. God bless. Thank you.
Note: The interview was taped at 10:57 a.m. in the Map Room at the White
House for later broadcast. In his remarks, the President referred to
Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda of Slovakia; former President Saddam
Hussein of Iraq; and President Vladimir Putin of Russia. A tape was not
available for verification of the content of this interview.