[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
[May 20, 2005]
[Pages 837-840]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks Prior to Discussions With Prime Minister Anders Fogh
Rasmussen of Denmark and an Exchange
With Reporters
May 20, 2005
President Bush. The Prime Minister and I will be glad to answer two
questions per side.
First, Mr. Prime Minister, welcome back. It is so wonderful to see
you. He's a good friend of mine. Denmark is a good friend of America. I
appreciate your contributions to transatlantic ties. The Prime Minister
has made very constructive and helpful comments to make sure that the
transatlantic ties between the United States and Europe are strong. And
I want to thank you for your leadership role.
I also appreciate your clear understanding about the historic times
in which we live, times in which more and more people are becoming free.
I appreciate your strong support for those who desire to live in a
democracy in Iraq. I thank you for your contributions to a new democracy
called Afghanistan. I thank you for your very constructive work in
helping the Palestinians develop a democratic state that can live side
by side with Israel in peace.
So welcome back. It's good to see you, sir.
Prime Minister Rasmussen. Thank you very much, Mr. President. I'm
happy to be back in Washington. It's my fourth visit as Prime Minister,
which underlines that the United States and Denmark are close friends
and allies. We share the same fundamental values. We are allied in our
efforts to promote freedom and democracy worldwide.
And I'm happy to say, in addition to this, that I appreciate very
much your straightforward style. I consider you a friend, and I know
that with you, I'll always have a very frank discussion and exchange of
views. So I'm happy to be back.
President Bush. Fortunately, he's not that good a friend that I
would go running with him. [Laughter] He's one of the best runners in
the world, amongst the world leaders. Yes. He's a good one.
Deb [Deb Riechmann, Associated Press].
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Stem Cell Research
Q. Mr. President, on stem cells, specifically, would you veto
legislation that loosened the requirement on Federal funding for stem
cell research? And secondly----
President Bush. Now----
Q. ----what's your reaction to the news about the South Koreans
cloning an----
President Bush. I'm--first, I'm very concerned about cloning. I
worry about a world in which cloning becomes acceptable. Secondly, I
made my position very clear on embryonic stem cells. I'm a strong
supporter of adult stem cell research, of course. But I made it very
clear to the Congress that the use of Federal money, taxpayers' money to
promote science which destroys life in order to save life is--I'm
against that. And therefore, if the bill does that, I will veto it.
Investigations of Prisoner Abuse
Q. Mr. President, how do you react to the continuing reports about
mistreatment of prisoners held by American military around the world,
and also the perception abroad that the ones that are paying for it are
low-ranking soldiers but that nobody higher up is taking any
responsibility?
President Bush. I think the world ought to be--pay attention to the
contrast between a society which was run by a brutal tyrant in which
there was no transparency and a society in which the whole world watches
a Government find the facts, lay the facts out for the citizens to see,
and that punishment, when appropriate, be delivered.
If I'm not mistaken, I think about over 20 percent of the people
thus far that have been held to account as a result of the Abu Ghraib
issue have been officers. There have been over, I think, nine
investigations, eight or nine investigations by independent
investigators that have made the reports very public. I'm comfortable
that we're getting to the bottom of the situation, and I know we're
doing so in a transparent way. Obviously, ours is a country that
respects human rights and human dignity, and if those rights and dignity
have been denied, we will hold people to account.
Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].
Spread of Freedom in the Middle East/War on Terror
Q. Sir, are you worried that the publication of the Saddam photo,
along with the Newsweek story, will further inflame tensions and inspire
the Iraq insurgency and anti-Americanism in the Middle East?
President Bush. No, I think the Iraq insurgency is inspired by their
desire to stop the march of freedom. Remember, these are ideologues of--
that murder innocent people in order to spread their dark vision of
hate. And therefore, when light begins to show up in the form of
democracy, it frightens them. There is no future for these haters in a
free world. And so they're inspired by the fact that they see democracy
emerging in Iraq. That's what causes them to want to kill. They're
frightened by the fact--and inspired the wrong way, by the way--by the
fact that Afghanistan is free. They're seeing the people in Lebanon
demand free and fair elections. And their ideology cannot survive in a
democratic society. See, the only way they can survive is to try to
shake our will by killing innocent life.
And that's why our strategy in Iraq is to train the Iraqis so that
they, themselves, can fight off these terrorists. Listen, 8\1/2\ million
people went to the polls, in spite of the fact that the--people had been
killed and there was incredible intimidation. And they defied the
bombers. These people want to be free, and the killers don't want them
to be free. And so our strategy is to help the Iraqis realize the dream
of a free society. And when the Iraqi troops are properly trained--and
we're headed in that direction--of course it will take less of a
coalition effort to help this new democracy get started.
Yes, Steve.
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Q. What about the Saddam photo? Does that have an impact----
President Bush. Well, you asked me whether or not that would inspire
people. You know, I don't think a photo inspires murderers. I think
they're inspired by an ideology that is so barbaric and backwards that
it's hard for many in the Western world to comprehend how they think.
But I would just remind people, if you want to know how ideologically
grim their vision of the world is, just remember the Taliban. They said,
``If you don't agree with our religious views, you'll be prosecuted. If
you're a woman who seeks freedom, you'll be beaten.'' So these people
are motivated by a vision of the world that is backward and barbaric.
Timetable for Troop Withdrawal From Iraq
Q. Mr. President, while the Danish people might support the war and
appreciate the progress in Iraq, they're also curious when our soldiers
will come back home. Can you elaborate on that?
President Bush. Well, I appreciate that question a lot, and of
course I get asked that in our own country a lot. And my answer is, it
makes no sense to set a timetable. And the reason why is, is because it
will allow an enemy to adjust.
On the other hand, as I tell our folks, is that we would like to get
our troops out as quickly as possible. And the definition of that will
be how soon our commanders on the ground think that the Iraqis are able
to take the fight to the enemy.
I just got off of a video--which I'm looking to briefing the Prime
Minister on--with General Casey, who is
our general on the ground; he's the commander of the coalition forces.
And he was describing to us the Iraqi training and the quality of
training. And some units are in really good shape, and other units need
additional work. But one of the things that's important to understand is
the Iraqi Government understands that as civilian governments change,
there needs to be stability in the military and a chain of command that
links top to bottom. And General Casey knows we're making progress
toward establishing that chain of command.
My answer to the Danish people is, as soon as we can possibly get it
done. We've got to complete the mission. A free Iraq in the midst of the
Middle East is going to be a powerful--a powerful agent for peace.
Listen, thank you all for coming.
Q. One more?
President Bush. We don't want to break precedent. Was that you, Mark
[Mark Knoller, CBS Radio], who asked that?
Q. It was.
President Bush. No. [Laughter] You know better than that.
Note: The President spoke at 10:48 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to former President Saddam Hussein of
Iraq; and Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., USA, commanding general, Multi-
National Force--Iraq. A portion of these remarks could not be verified
because the tape was incomplete.
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