[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
[July 6, 2005]
[Pages 1189-1196]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Anders Fogh 
Rasmussen of Denmark in Kongens 
Lyngby, Denmark
July 6, 2005

    Prime Minister Rasmussen. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I am 
delighted to be here today with my good friend, the President of the 
United States. Even more so because you chose to visit us, your friends 
in Denmark, on this very special day, your 59th birthday. So happy 
birthday, Mr. President.
    President Bush. Thank you.
    Prime Minister Rasmussen. We have already celebrated the event in a 
small way with a traditional Danish birthday breakfast, together with 
our families.
    Denmark and the United States have long been close friends and 
allies. We share the same fundamental goals and values. The close 
personal ties between the Danes and the Americans are highlighted every 
year when the biggest Fourth of July celebration outside the United 
States takes place here in Denmark. Thousands of Danish Americans gather 
in the Rebild Hills to manifest not just family ties but also shared 
beliefs. It's our common desire to spread liberty and promote democracy. 
We do not accept the thesis that certain peoples and nations are not yet 
ready for democracy and therefore, better suited for dictatorship. We 
share the belief that freedom is universal, and we share the belief that 
in the struggle between democracy and dictatorship, you cannot stay 
neutral.
    This is why Denmark contributes with more than 500 troops in Iraq, 
why we make an active contribution to the joint allied effort in 
Afghanistan, why we wish to promote democracy and reform in the Middle 
East, and why we urge all parties to find

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a peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
    On these and other global challenges, the United States needs the 
European Union as a strong and active partner. The present internal 
difficulties must not distract the European Union from its global 
responsibilities.
    Nobody needs a strong and generous Europe more than Africa. As other 
regions progress, Africa remains haunted by poverty, war, and epidemics. 
I feel a strong obligation to focus more on Africa, and I'm going to pay 
an official visit to the region in October. The President and I share 
the view that the upcoming G-8 summit should focus on how to make 
poverty history in Africa. I see five main challenges.
    Firstly, Africa needs to overcome epidemic diseases. AIDS in Africa 
is a fully blown disaster. The Copenhagen Consensus meeting last year 
concluded that combating AIDS should be the world's absolute top 
priority. It is a fight we must win. During the last 4 years, Denmark 
has increased funding for the combat of AIDS with more than 60 percent. 
I urge the G-8 to make a similar extra effort.
    Secondly, Africa needs trade. Free trade and better access to the 
world market provide the means to improve economic growth and fight 
poverty. When trade advances, poverty retreats. The European Union and 
the United States have already granted very generous access to their 
markets for the poorest African countries. We should go further and 
dismantle trade-distorting agricultural subsidies. I urge the G-8 to do 
their part in creating a new, balanced, and fair trade regime to benefit 
Africa.
    Thirdly, Africa needs peace. No peace, no progress. Africans, 
themselves, must prevent conflicts and manage crisis, but we must help 
them to do this. That is why Denmark has developed a new African program 
for peace to support the promising endeavors of the African Union. I 
urge the G-8 to support this program and the peacekeeping efforts of the 
African Union.
    Fourthly, Africa needs more aid--help to self-help. It therefore 
pleases me greatly that you, President Bush, has just announced your 
intention to double American assistance to Africa. Denmark is one of the 
most generous donors, and we're going to focus even more on Africa in 
the future. In fact, if all G-8 countries matched our effort, Africa 
would get $90 billion a year, instead of only 25. I therefore urge all 
G-8 countries to follow our good example.
    And finally, Africa needs better governance. All our aid will come 
to nothing if countries are ruled by corrupt dictators. When aid and 
trade are linked to good policies, more people are lifted out of 
poverty. We should generously reward countries that fight corruption, 
ensure political liberty and economic freedom, invest in health and 
education of their people, and promote women's rights. And we should not 
be afraid to stop aid to dictators like Zimbabwe's Mugabe. I urge the G-
8 to make no compromise in the demand for good governance.
    We must all join efforts to make poverty history. We must fight 
poverty because human decency requires it, because hope for each 
individual is essential for human dignity. We must take action so that 
despair and darkness can be replaced with hope and light for hundreds of 
millions of people. The ball is in our court. Let us not waste our 
chances. The G-8 should not miss this golden opportunity.
    Mr. President.
    President Bush. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. Thanks for the 
birthday breakfast. I would strongly recommend the Danish birthday cake. 
[Laughter] I am really honored to be here in Copenhagen. I appreciate 
your friendship, and I appreciate the friendship the Danish people have 
for my country, and vice versa.
    Denmark is a close ally and a partner of the United States. Mr. 
Prime Minister, America values its longstanding relationship

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with Denmark, and that's why I've come. I've come to reaffirm my 
Nation's respect for Denmark and our ties that bind us forever and the 
fact that we share common values. I've also come because I want to let 
the people know how much I admire your leadership and your character and 
your vision.
    I appreciate your nation's support in advancing freedom in Eastern 
Europe and the broader Middle East and around the world. We are grateful 
for your understanding and the people's understanding that freedom is a 
universal right and that as we promote freedom and democracy, we'll lay 
the foundation for peace for generations to come. Under your leadership, 
Mr. Prime Minister, your commitment has been steadfast and strong in the 
fight against terror.
    You know, for some in Europe, September the 11th was a tragic date, 
a terrible moment. For me and many in the American public, September the 
11th was a change of attitude, a recognition that we're involved with a 
global war against ideological extremists who will kill the innocent in 
order to achieve their objectives.
    I want to thank you very much for your steadfast support for freedom 
and peace in Afghanistan and Iraq. I particularly want to thank the 
loved ones, the family members of the troops stationed abroad for the 
sake of peace and freedom, for their sacrifice. I know many miss their 
loved ones, and I know how hard it is for families during times of 
deployment. And I appreciate them very much. I also want to thank you 
very much for being such a key contributor to our common security within 
NATO.
    You know, one of the interesting initiatives that we worked together 
on, and I don't think a lot of people pay attention to, is what's called 
the Proliferation Security Initiative. It's a group of free nations that 
have bound together to help interdict the transport of weapons of mass 
destruction. One of the most harmful aspects of the war on terror could 
be if these killers were able to gain weapons of mass destruction, which 
in my mind--no doubt in my mind, they'd use on a moment's notice. And 
the Proliferation Security Initiative is an attempt by free countries to 
prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction. And you've played a 
leading role.
    We've had a great discussion today. We talked about the upcoming G-8 
meeting. We talked about Africa and climate change. As well, we talked 
about Guantanamo. The Prime Minister is concerned about what the 
situation on Guantanamo says about America and our view of liberty. Let 
me tell you what I told him. I said, ``First, the prisoners are well-
treated in Guantanamo. There's total transparency. The International Red 
Cross can inspect any time, any day. And you're welcome to go.'' The 
press, of course, is welcome to go down to Guantanamo.
    Secondly, we have sent many home. These people were picked up on the 
battlefield. They didn't wear uniforms. They weren't associated with a 
government, but they were on the battlefield. And so we put them in 
Guantanamo. We wanted to find out as much as we could about what they 
knew about this war on terror, in order to protect our citizens. Many, 
it turned out, were sent home.
    Thirdly, I assured the Prime Minister there's got to be a way 
forward for people held in Guantanamo, and there will be. The reason why 
you haven't seen any adjudication of individuals is because our court 
system is determining where best to try people, whether it be in a 
military tribunal where a person would have all--lawyers and rights or 
whether it be in the civilian courts. And once the judicial branch of 
our Government makes its decision, then we'll proceed forward, giving 
people fair and open trials.
    I just want you to remember we are in a war against these 
terrorists. My most solemn obligation is to protect the American people 
from further attack. These people are being treated humanely. There's 
very

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few prison systems around the world that have seen such scrutiny as this 
one. And for those of you here on the continent of Europe who have 
doubt, I'd suggest buying an airplane ticket and going down and look--
take a look for yourself.
    We also talked about Africa. I told the Prime Minister I was proud 
of my country's tripling of aid to Africa since I've been the President. 
And as he mentioned, I proposed to double aid to Africa once again.
    Our primary focus in Africa is going to be to focus efforts on 
solving people's problems. They've got a problem in HIV/AIDS, and we're 
leading the world when it comes to contributions--along with Denmark, by 
the way--in making sure antiretroviral drugs get to people who need help 
and helping set up an infrastructure so that prevention programs begin 
to work and follow up with programs that will help the orphans of HIV/
AIDS families. Denmark has put a robust effort in place, as had the 
United States, and I'm proud of our efforts.
    Over a million people die of malaria on the continent of Africa on 
an annual basis, most of whom are under 5 years old. This is a problem 
we can solve. I laid out an initiative the other day for $1.2 billion to 
help eradicate the scourges of malaria on the continent of Africa. This 
is an area where we can work together. And I agree strongly with what 
the Prime Minister said: We expect there to be good governance on the 
continent of Africa. I don't know how we can look our taxpayers in the 
eye and say, ``This is a good deal, to give money to countries that are 
corrupt.'' What we're interested in, in our countries, is helping 
people, and therefore, we have said that we'll give aid, absolutely. 
We'll cancel debt--you bet--but we want to make sure that the 
governments invest in their people, invest in the health of their 
people, the education of their people, and fight corruption.
    And then we talked about climate change as well. I'm looking forward 
to going to the G-8. Listen, I recognize that the surface of the Earth 
is warmer and that an increase in greenhouse gases caused by humans is 
contributing to the problem. Kyoto didn't work for the United States, 
and it, frankly, didn't work for the world. The reason it didn't work 
for the world is many developing nations weren't included in Kyoto.
    I've also told our friends in Europe that Kyoto would have wrecked 
our economy. I don't see how you can be President of the United States 
and sign and agree to an agreement that would have put a lot of people 
out of work. See, I think there's a better way forward. I would call it 
the post-Kyoto era, where we can work together to share technologies, to 
control greenhouse gases as best as possible.
    Listen, the United States, for national security reasons and 
economic security reasons, needs to diversify away from fossil fuels. 
And so we've put out a strategy to do just that, and I can't wait to 
share with our G-8 friends, just like I shared with the Prime Minister, 
our strategy. We spent about over $20 billion last year on research and 
development on new technologies that we are willing to share with the 
world.
    There's no doubt in my mind that we'll be driving a different kind 
of automobile within a reasonable period of time, one powered by 
hydrogen. And the Prime Minister is most interested in this subject, and 
I look forward to sharing technologies, not only with our G-8 friends 
but also with countries like India and China, who will be at the G-8.
    I want to thank you again, Mr. Prime Minister, for being such a 
steadfast person. You know, a lot of times people in politics chase 
opinion polls. I don't know if you poll this much in Denmark. We poll 
way too much in America, it seems like to me. [Laughter] It's a growth 
industry. [Laughter] What I appreciate is a leader who has a vision and 
the strength of character to do what he thinks is right, and that's what 
your Prime Minister has done. I'm proud

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to call him friend. And thanks for hosting me today.
    Prime Minister Rasmussen. Thank you, Mr. President.
    And we are ready to answer some questions from Danish side, from 
American side.

War on Terror

    Q. Thank you. Mr. President, you are visiting a country which you 
call a close ally and a partner. You're visiting a man whom you call 
your friend, and you just said you admire him and you are grateful for 
his support. Yet, I know you don't like the polls, but when you look at 
the opinion polls, when you look at what the public, the Danish people 
say, they don't quite agree with this strong support. They don't quite 
agree with your policies. One opinion poll said, less than 20 percent--
over the weekend, said less than 20 percent support your foreign policy. 
Now, this is your chance--I'm sure you think what you're doing is right. 
This is your chance to tell these people, say something to convince them 
that you are right. What are you going to say to them?
    President Bush. Well, I appreciate that. You just made my point 
about relying on polls. But that's fine, I mean, that's the current 
wisdom these days.
    Look, we are laying the foundation for peace. Democracies don't war 
with each other. There is a debate going on around the world about the 
nature of this war on terror. I readily concede, some think it's just a 
law enforcement matter. I believe we're in for an ideological struggle. 
I believe the people that cause such great harm, not only in America but 
in other spots around the world, have an ideology that is vastly 
different from our ideology, one that's based upon human rights, freedom 
of religion, the ability for people to express themselves in the public 
square without fear of reprisal. And they use tactics that are trying to 
drive us from the world. They will kill on a moment's notice. They kill 
innocent women and children because they want to shake our will. That's 
what they're trying to do, and they have objectives. Their objective is 
to topple government. Their objective is to control. They use power, and 
we just can't let them do that.
    And so I understand people aren't going to agree with decisions I 
make, but my job is to make decisions that I think are right and to 
lead. You know, I tell the American press corps all the time, following 
public polls is like chasing your tail, a dog chasing a tail. I truly 
believe we're laying the foundation for peace. I know the only way to 
defeat this ideology is with a better ideology, based upon freedom and 
human rights and dignity--human dignity. And it's--it hasn't been an 
easy period of time for a lot of people. I know that, but I feel 
strongly in my heart of hearts that the decisions we have made will make 
it easier for our grandchildren to look back at this point--to grow up 
in a peaceful--and look back and say, ``Thank goodness these people had 
the courage of their convictions.''
    Tom [Tom Raum, Associated Press].

Upcoming Supreme Court Nomination

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. If I can ask you about a very important 
nomination you have to make back at home----
    President Bush. Yes.
    Q. You said you'd have a----
    President Bush. This is the Supreme Court nomination.
    Q. This is the Supreme Court nomination. You said you would fill it 
by October, by the new term of the Court. But would you consider 
delaying up until that point as much as possible to minimize the 
opposition's massive campaign against your choice? And when you do sit 
down and actually talk to prospective nominees, what kind of questions 
will you ask them?
    President Bush. Thanks, Tom. The--first of all, I want the person 
confirmed and sitting by the time the Court meets again in October. 
And--in other words, that's the

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backstop, and we'll work backwards to determine what is best for the 
Senate calendar to get the hearing and to get the vote, up or down, on 
the floor of the Senate.
    Secondly, I've begun the review process of prospective candidates. 
On Air Force One, flying over, I've been reading about the different 
backgrounds and different opinions and different attitudes of the 
prospective nominees. As you know, I'm not a lawyer, thankfully. 
[Laughter] And so I will let my legal experts deal with the 
ramifications of legal opinions. I'll talk to people about just--I'll 
try to assess their character, their interests. I'm looking forward to 
the review process, the interview process as well.
    When I first get back, I will consult with Members of the Senate--I 
have done so far; our staff continues to do so--and then I'll begin the 
interview process.

Africa

    Q. Mr. President, when will you extend the fight for freedom and 
democracy to the African Continent? And could that involve use of 
military power, and if so, a new coalition of the willing, maybe 
including Danish forces?
    Last part of the question is for the Prime Minister.
    President Bush. Go ahead. Do you want to ask him the question first, 
before I finish? Okay--you said African Continent? Our attitude is that 
the best way for the African Continent to be peaceful and to resolve 
disputes is to have African troops do the work. The Prime Minister is 
right in calling for more training for peacekeepers. As a matter of 
fact, America has strongly thought that was the best way to go forward, 
and I think we promoted this concept at the last G-8.
    I'm sure you're aware that the Sudan has been of great interest for 
my Government. As a matter of fact, thanks to the good efforts of former 
Secretary of State Colin Powell and 
Ambassador Jack Danforth, we actually 
negotiated a treaty between north and south that we're now in the 
process of implementing. And then, of course, Darfur broke out. And 
we've been greatly concerned about the human suffering--as a matter of 
fact, I believe the only nation thus far to call the conditions there 
genocide.
    And we've been deeply involved in providing, first, aid, but also a 
strategy that will help calm the situation down so that there can be a 
settlement, a peaceful settlement of the situation. And that requires 
the transportation of African Union forces. I believe we're going to go 
from about--the world, that is--is going to go from 2,200 African Union 
forces to 7,100 African Union forces. The United States, in working with 
NATO and the EU, will be providing airlift capacity to help get those 
troops on the ground. The other day I announced that we're going to work 
with the folks on the ground there to help construct new camps so that 
the refugees will have better conditions.
    The whole idea is to, one, get aid to people as quickly as possible, 
so as to prevent any mass starvation and, secondly, get a political 
settlement moving forward. But no, the best way to deal with dispute and 
the civil war that make it awfully hard for the human condition to 
improve on the continent is for African nations to be trained and 
equipped and prepared to do the job.
    You've got a question for him? Give him a question.
    Prime Minister Rasmussen. Yes, the last part of it. We have engaged 
ourselves in peacekeeping missions in Africa. We have provided funds for 
the African Union to enable the Africans to prevent and manage crisis 
themselves. And we will pursue that strategy in the future.
    President Bush. Reuters man, Toby [Tabassum Zakaria, Reuters]. 
Woman--excuse me. I can see that. [Laughter] So how long have you been 
on the Presidential beat?

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    Q. Since February.
    President Bush. Yes. Well, make yourself less scarce.

Upcoming Supreme Court Nomination

    Q. I also wanted to ask you a question about your Supreme Court 
nomination.
    President Bush. Here I am, trying to talk to the people of Denmark, 
and you're asking me about local news. That's fine.
    Q. What do you think of the criticism of Attorney General Gonzales 
as a potential nominee? And will there be a litmus test on abortion and 
gay marriage when you consider your choice?
    President Bush. Thanks. First of all, as I said during both of my 
campaigns, there will be no litmus test. I'll pick people who, one, can 
do the job, people who are honest, people who are bright, and people who 
will strictly interpret the Constitution and not use the bench to 
legislate from. That's what I campaigned on, and that's what I'm going 
to do.
    She's referring to the fact that my Attorney General, longtime friend, a guy who was my--close when I 
was the Governor of Texas, came up to Washington with me as part of the 
movement of Texans south to north during the Government. He's been my 
lawyer in the White House. He's now the Attorney General. He's under--
he's being criticized. I don't like it when a friend gets criticized. 
I'm loyal to my friends. And all of a sudden this fellow, who is a good 
public servant and a really fine person, is under fire. And so, do I 
like it? No, I don't like it at all.
    I look forward to making the pick. And I look forward to doing what 
I said I was going to do when it comes to making that pick. This is a 
very important selection, and I understand its importance. I will take 
my time. I will be thorough in my investigation. My staff has already 
done a lot of work. They continue to work today, not only in reaching 
out to the Senate but also spending time making sure that all the 
candidates will be put forward in a proper way.
    The other thing about this debate is, I hope the United States 
Senate conducts themselves in a way that brings dignity to the process 
and that the Senators don't listen to the special interest groups, 
particularly those on the extremes that are trying to exploit this 
opportunity for not only their--what they may think is right but also 
for their own fundraising capabilities. The Senate needs to conduct 
themselves in a dignified way and have a good, honest debate about the 
credentials of the person I have put forward, no matter who he or she 
is, and then give the person an up-or-down vote. That's how the process 
ought to work.
    And so this is an opportunity for good public servants to exhibit a 
civil discourse on a very important matter and not let these groups, 
these money-raising groups, these special interest groups, these groups 
outside the process dictate the rhetoric, the tone. And I'm confident 
the Senators, most Senators want to conduct themselves this way.
    It will be a really interesting moment, and I'm sure you're 
interested in watching the process, for those of you in the Danish 
press. It's going to be quite an interesting exercise in democracy. I 
just hope that the people responsible for hearing--holding the hearings 
and voting up or down are able to have a civil discourse. It would be 
good for the country; it would be good for people's understanding of how 
democracy works.
    Listen, Her Majesty is fixing to host 
a lunch, for which I am grateful. Thank you all for coming. Thank you, 
Prime Minister.
    Prime Minister Rasmussen. Thank you very much.

Note: The President's news conference began at 10:02 a.m. in the 
Marienborg. In his remarks, he referred to Queen Margrethe II of 
Denmark. Prime Minister Rasmussen referred to President Robert Mugabe of 
Zimbabwe.

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