    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [March 20, 2006]
    [Pages 502-504]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following Discussions With Secretary General Jakob Gijsbert
    ``Jaap'' de Hoop Scheffer of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
    March 20, 2006

        President Bush. Fine-looking crowd we've attracted here, fine-
    looking crowd.
        Mr. Secretary General, thanks for coming. We've just had a wide-
    ranging discussion on a variety of issues, which is what you'd expect
    when allies and friends come together. We discussed Iraq, and I want to
    thank NATO for its involvement in helping train Iraqi security forces so
    they can end up protecting the Iraqi people from the--from those who
    want to kill innocent life in order to affect the outcome of that
    democracy.
        I want to thank you very much for your strong involvement in
    Afghanistan. A

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    NATO presence in Afghanistan is really important. I learned that
    firsthand when I went to Afghanistan and talked to the--President
    Karzai and his Government. They were very
    supportive of the mission and thankful for the mission. NATO is
    effective, and that's one of the things that's really important for our
    citizens to understand, that our relationship with NATO is an important
    part of helping us to win the war on terror.
        We also talked about Darfur in the Sudan. I'd called the Secretary
    General earlier this year. I talked to him about a strategy that would
    enable NATO to take the lead in Darfur. However, some things have to
    happen prior to that happening. And the first thing is that the African
    Union must request from the United Nations a U.N. mission to convert the
    AU mission to a U.N. mission, at which point if that's done, the--NATO
    can move in with United States help--inside of NATO--to make it clear to
    the Sudanese Government that we're intent upon providing security for
    the people there and intent upon helping work toward a lasting peace
    agreement.
        And so I appreciate your understanding of that. The first time I
    made the phone call to the Secretary General, he fully understood the
    challenge, fully understood the need, and it was great to work with a
    friend in peace to devise a strategy on how to move forward.
        So thanks for coming. Looking forward to the meeting later on this
    year, big NATO summit. And I'm convinced that, like the last summit we
    had, you'll lead that meeting with the efficiency and professionalism
    that you're known for.
        Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer. Thank you very much, Mr.
    President. Let me echo what the President has been saying about NATO
    delivering, about NATO making the difference. In Afghanistan, the fight
    against terror is an extremely important element there. NATO indeed
    assists in the African Union in Darfur, and I'm quite sure, as I've told
    the President, that when the U.N. comes, the NATO allies will be ready
    to do more in enabling the United Nations force in Darfur.
        NATO assisted after Hurricane Katrina. NATO had a major humanitarian
    operation in Pakistan. NATO is in the Balkans. All 26 NATO allies
    participate in one way or the other in the training mission in Iraq. Now
    I want to see NATO-trained Iraqi officers taking their responsibility in
    fighting the terrorists in their own country.
        In other words, NATO is delivering. And in the runup to the NATO
    summit in Riga at the end of the year, as the President mentioned, we'll
    make sure--and NATO will make sure that this will be an important event.
        In NATO's outreach, let me mention the Middle East, North Africa,
    Israel, Jordan, the nations of the gulf--NATO's contacts with other
    nations who share our values--we have Australia, Japan, South Korea--in
    other words, we'll see to it that the military agenda of NATO and the
    political agenda of NATO will be very seriously addressed in Riga. And
    I'm very glad for the support, the permanent support, and the friendship
    of our most important ally, the United States, and its leader, President
    Bush.
        Thank you very much.
        President Bush. Thank you. Yes, good. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:16 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to President Hamid Karzai of
    Afghanistan.

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