[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
[July 18, 2005]
[Pages 1232-1236]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Monmohan
Singh of India
July 18, 2005
President Bush. Thank you. I'm proud to stand here today with Prime
Minister Singh, the leader of one of the world's great democracies. Mr.
Prime Minister, welcome to America. I applaud your vision, and I applaud
your leadership. Laura and I are honored to
welcome you and Mrs. Kaur to the White House.
We just had a great discussion, a very frank and open discussion.
And tonight we look forward to welcoming you for a little family dinner.
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India and the United States share a commitment to freedom and a
belief that democracy provides the best path to a more hopeful future
for all people. We also believe that the spread of liberty is the best
alternative to hatred and violence. Because of our shared values, the
relationship between our two countries has never been stronger. We're
working together to make our nations more secure, deliver a better life
to our citizens, and advance the cause of peace and freedom throughout
the world.
The Governments of India and the United States are working together
to safeguard our people. We are charting new steps in our defense
relationship through the recently signed new framework that will help
our two nations work toward common security objectives. We're working
together on counterterrorism to help protect our people and make the
world a safer place. We're also committed to increasing the prosperity
of the people of India and America alike. Today we announced the
completion of the next steps in strategic partnership. Completing this
partnership will help us further enhance our cooperation in the areas of
civil nuclear, civil space, and high technology commerce.
Last month, we launched a reinvigorated U.S.-India economic dialog
to focus high-level attention on trade, finance, investment, and the
environment. Prime Minister Singh and I are about to meet with business
leaders from both our nations who have joined us here today for the
inaugural meeting of the CEO Forum. The expertise of these private
sector leaders will help our two Governments build trade and increase
investment for the good of our peoples. Cleaner energy resources,
including nuclear power, are vital for the future of both our economies.
We have begun a bilateral energy dialog to find ways to work together in
this important area. Our two nations also have a common interest in
bettering the lives of people around the world. We are launching a
disaster response initiative to better respond to future disasters, just
not in Asia but around the world.
I appreciate Prime Minister Singh's leadership. He's a man who's
committed to peace and liberty. I look forward to working with you,
Prime Minister. I thank you for coming. The podium is yours.
Prime Minister Singh. Thank you very much, Mr. President. Ladies and
gentlemen of the press, I would like to begin by thanking President Bush
for the warmth of his hospitality and the wide-ranging discussions that
we've had this morning with him. These discussions have been, indeed,
very productive and focused on the future direction of a transformation
in our multifaceted relations.
I am happy that the President and I share the common goal of making
this one of the principal relationships for each of our countries. The
President's personal commitment to this relationship is deeply admired
by the people of India. The support and good will of the friendly people
of the United States in managing the transition from a developing
country to a fast-expanding economy is something we greatly welcome and
greatly appreciate. The President's assurance to me that India's
sustained economic growth has his strong support and support of the
United States means a lot to us.
The joint statement that we have agreed upon lays out the full
potential of our multifaceted cooperation. The President has accepted my
invitation to visit India at the earliest, and we are confident that the
results of the understanding that we have reached today would be fully
evident by then.
Our partnership is one between rigorous and vibrant democracies, and
we have agreed today to give expression to our shared values in a
variety of ways. The President's steadfast determination and leadership
in meeting the challenges of international terrorism is widely
appreciated by us, in particular, but all the world, all civilized men
and women all over the
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world. There can be no cause that justifies the killing of innocent and
defenseless civilians. There must be an international norm of zero
tolerance for terrorists.
Meeting global challenges requires credible and effective global
institutions. Today, the world is debating the reform of the United
Nations. In our talks, President and I were of one mind that the
contemporary reality must be fully reflected in the central organs and
decisionmaking processes of the U.N. India has a compelling case for
permanent membership of the Security Council. We are convinced that
India can significantly contribute to U.N. decisionmaking and
capabilities.
A growing Indian economy, with an accelerated growth rate averaging
about 6 to 7 percent in recent years, and its integration with the world
economy would expand the scope for commerce, investment, and
technological cooperation between our two countries. Shortly after this
press interaction, the President and I will spend a few minutes with
corporate leaders from both countries of the first meeting of the CEO's
Forum. This forum includes some of the best business minds of our two
countries. We have announced today a series of other initiatives
designed to build a long-term, knowledge-driven partnership between
India and the United States. These reflect the vision that the President
and I have of our shared future.
We also discussed the importance of ensuring adequate energy and
affordable supplies at a time when oil prices remain high. Both of us
recognize that civilian nuclear energy has a greater role in meeting
global energy demands. We in India have an ambitious and attainable
national roadmap in this regard. We look forward to President Bush's
strong leadership on this important issues.
I must, once again, thank you, Mr. President, for the warmth of your
welcome and for your deep and abiding personal commitment to the
building of our partnership.
I would now be glad to take your questions.
President Bush. Hold on a second. The way this is going to work--the
way this will work is, I'll call on somebody from the American side, and
then the Prime Minister will do so. Then I'll call somebody, and the
Prime Minister will do so. We'll answer two questions apiece, starting
with Terry [Terence Hunt, Associated Press].
Disclosure of CIA Employee's Identity
Q. Mr. President, you said you don't want to talk about an ongoing
investigation, so I'd like to ask you, regardless of whether a crime was
committed, do you still intend to fire anyone found to be involved in
the CIA leak case? And are you displeased that Karl Rove told a reporter
that Ambassador Joe Wilson's wife worked for the Agency on WMD issues?
President Bush. We have a serious ongoing investigation here--
[laughter]--and it's being played out in the press. And I think it's
best that people wait until the investigation is complete before you
jump to conclusions. And I will do so as well. I don't know all the
facts. I want to know all the facts. The best place for the facts to be
done is by somebody who's spending time investigating it. I would like
this to end as quickly as possible so we know the facts, and if someone
committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration.
Kashmir
Q. My question is to President Bush. The question relates to the
line of control in Kashmir, Mr. President. President Clinton had made
clear the U.S. policy that in the interest of peace, the sanctity of the
line of control must be maintained by every side.
Would you, Mr. President, like to reaffirm the U.S. stand that the
sanctity of the line of control cannot be violated by anyone in future,
in the interest of the peace? Mr. President.
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President Bush. Well, U.S. policy has not changed. This problem will
be solved by India and Pakistan. And our role is to encourage the
leaders from both countries to work in good faith to solve this long-
standing problem. And I am pleased with the progress being made, as
should the people of India. I think the people of India ought to applaud
strong leaders that are willing to work to achieve peace. And I think we
have an opportunity to help facilitate the dialog on this long-standing
issue.
But the truth of the matter is, in order for there to be a solution,
the Prime Minister, representing the great people of India, and
President Musharraf, representing the
people of Pakistan, are going to have to come to a mutually acceptable
agreement. To the extent we can help, we're more than willing to try to
help. But we're not a party to the agreement, of course. I'm hopeful--
I'm hopeful that the progress achieved thus far can be continued. And I
applauded the Prime Minister in my private meeting with him for taking a
step toward peace.
Adam [Adam Entous, Reuters].
Upcoming Supreme Court Nomination
Q. Thank you.
President Bush. Yes, thanks.
Q. Thank you, Mr. President. We understand you are now close to a
decision on a Supreme Court nominee.
President Bush. Really? [Laughter] It's amazing how Washington
works, Mr. Prime Minister. [Laughter]
Q. Have you narrowed down the list and met with finalists? Will you
now share the list with Senate leaders to avoid a confirmation battle,
as Democrats have proposed?
President Bush. Well, thank you for telling me where I am in the
process. I appreciate that. We've consulted with the Senate. We will
continue to consult with the Senate. I, of course, am the person that
picks the nominee, and they get to decide whether or not the nominee
gets confirmed. That's the way it has worked in the past. That's the way
it's going to work in this administration.
And of course I'm reviewing a different candidate. I'm reviewing
their curriculum vitae, as well as their findings. I will sit down with
some and talk to them face to face, those who I have not known already.
You know, we've got some people that--perhaps in contention that I've
already spent time with, that I know. In other words, I'm familiar with
some of the people that are being speculated about in the press. And so
I don't need to interview those. But of course I'm going to take a very
thorough approach.
What they're referring to is a Supreme Court vacancy. And this is a
really important decision. And I'm going to take my time, and I will be
thorough and deliberate. But make no mistake, we have heard a lot of
suggestions from Members of the United States Senate--a lot. It turns
out, many of the Senators have got strong opinions one way or the other,
and of course we're listening to them.
But my desire, Adam, is to get this process moving so that someone
will be confirmed, whoever he or she is, will be confirmed by October.
And if that's the backstop, we're working back to try to accommodate the
Senate and their desire. Part of the consultation was to ask the
Senators, ``What's it take to get somebody in place by the October
session?''
And thank you for your question, and thank you for telling me how
close I am to--or at least indicating what others think. [Laughter]
Nuclear Technology
Q. Mr. Prime Minister, you have sought the removal of restrictions
on nuclear and high technology supplies to India. After the meeting with
President Bush, how do you see the prospects in this area?
Prime Minister Singh. Well, I think we have had a very constructive
and productive meeting. And as you will see from the joint statement,
this issue has been addressed
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in a manner which gives me great satisfaction. And I thank the President
for his personal role and interest in facilitating a solution to this
complex problem.
President Bush. Mr. Prime Minister, thank you. Very good job. Well
done. Thank you, sir.
Note: The President's news conference began at 11:08 a.m. in the East
Room at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Gursharan Kaur,
wife of Prime Minister Singh; and President Pervez Musharraf of
Pakistan.