    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [March 29, 2006]
    [Pages 598-619]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to Freedom House and a Question-and-Answer Session
    March 29, 2006

        The President. Thank you. Please be seated. I shouldn't be so
    instructive to the diplomatic corps. [Laughter] Peter, thank you for your warm introduction. Thank you for
    your commitment to freedom. It turns out freedom runs pretty deep in
    Peter's family. I don't know if you know this or not, but his son is a
    Marine First Lieutenant named Elliot Ackerman. He fought in the battle of Fallujah. I know you're
    proud of your son, and I'm proud to be the Commander in Chief of men and
    women who volunteer to defend our own freedom.
        I appreciate very much the men and women of Freedom House. For more
    than 60 years, this organization has been a tireless champion for
    liberty. You've been a clear voice for the oppressed across the world.
    At Freedom House, you understand that the only path to lasting peace is
    the expansion of freedom and liberty.
        Free societies are peaceful societies. When governments are
    accountable to their own citizens, when people are free to speak and
    assemble, when minorities are protected, then justice prevails. And so
    does the cause of peace.
        Freedom House was founded on the principle that no nation is exempt
    from the demands of human dignity. And you're carrying that message
    across the world, from Africa to China to Belarus and beyond. At Freedom
    House, you also understand free societies do not take root overnight,
    especially in countries that suffer from decades of tyranny and
    repression. You understand that free elections are an instrument of
    change, yet they're only the first step. So as you press for democratic
    change across the world, you're helping new democracies build free
    institutions they need to overcome the legacies of tyranny and
    dictatorship.
        I want to thank you for your vital work. You're making a significant
    contribution to the security of our country. I'm also honored that we've
    got distinguished members of the legislative body with us, particularly
    Senators--John Warner, who is the chairman of
    the Armed Services Committee; Senator Dick Lugar, who is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
    Committee; and, of course, Senator Ted Stevens. I thank the Members from the House and Senate who have
    joined these distinguished Senators. I appreciate you taking time to
    come and listen to me. Just listen to me a little more often. [Laughter]

    [[Page 599]]

        I particularly want to pay homage to Ambassador Max
    Kampelman. Thank you very much. I was
    telling the Ambassador, right before I came over I was having a little
    visit with my Chief of Staff-to-be, Josh Bolten. It turns out that Josh's dad and the Ambassador were
    lifelong friends. And as I came over here, he said, ``You make sure that
    you say hello to one of the finest men our country has ever produced.''
    So, Mr. Chairman, on behalf of a grateful President and a grateful Chief
    of Staff-to-be, thank you for serving our country.
        I appreciate the other members of the Freedom House Board of
    Trustees. And I thank the diplomatic corps for joining us as well.
        We meet at a time of war but also at a moment of great hope. In our
    world and due in part to our efforts, freedom is taking root in places
    where liberty was unimaginable a couple of years ago. Just 25 years ago,
    at the start of the 1980s, there were only 45 democracies on the face of
    the Earth. Today, Freedom House reports there are 122 democracies, and
    more people now live in liberty than ever before.
        The advance of freedom is the story of our time, and we're seeing
    new chapters written before our eyes. Since the beginning of 2005, we've
    witnessed remarkable democratic changes across the globe. The people of
    Afghanistan have elected their first democratic Parliament in more than
    a generation. The people of Lebanon have recovered their independence
    and chosen their leaders in free elections. The people of Kyrgyzstan
    have driven a corrupt regime from power and voted for democratic change.
    The people of Liberia have overcome decades of violence and are now led
    by the first woman elected as a head of state in any African nation. And
    the courageous people of Iraq have gone to the polls not once, not
    twice, but three times, choosing a transitional government, a democratic
    Constitution, and a new Government under that Constitution.
        Each of these countries still faces enormous challenges that will
    take patience and the support of the international community to
    overcome. Yet Freedom House has declared, the year 2005 was one of the
    most successful years for freedom since the Freedom House began
    measuring world freedom more than 30 years ago. From Kabul to Baghdad to
    Beirut and beyond, freedom's tide is rising, and we should not rest, and
    we must not rest, until the promise of liberty reaches every people and
    every nation.
        In our history, most democratic progress has come with the end of a
    war. After the defeat of the Axis powers in World War II and the
    collapse of communism in the cold war, scores of nations cleared away
    the rubble of tyranny and laid the foundations of freedom and democracy.
        Today, the situation is very different. Liberty is advancing not in
    a time of peace but in the midst of a war, at a moment when a global
    movement of great brutality and ambition is fighting freedom's progress
    with all the hateful violence they can muster. In this new century, the
    advance of freedom is a vital element of our strategy to protect the
    American people and to secure the peace for generations to come. We're
    fighting the terrorists across the world because we know that if America
    were not fighting this enemy in other lands, we'd be facing them here in
    our own land.
        On September the 11th, 2001, we saw the violence and the hatred of a
    vicious enemy and the future that they intend for us. That day I made a
    decision: America will not wait to be attacked again. We will confront
    this mortal danger. We will stay on the offensive. America will defend
    our freedom.
        We're pursuing the terrorists on many battlefronts. Today, the
    central front in the war on terror is Iraq. This month, I've given a
    series of speeches on recent events in Iraq and how we're adapting our
    approach to deal with the events on the ground. At George Washington
    University,

    [[Page 600]]

    I reported on the progress we have made in training the Iraqi security
    forces, the growing number of Iraqi units that are taking the lead in
    the fight, the territory we're handing over to them, and the performance
    they turned in after the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra.
        Last week in Cleveland, I told the American people about the
    northern Iraqi city of Tall `Afar, which was once a key base of
    operations for Al Qaida and is now a free city that gives us reason to
    hope for a free Iraq. I explained how the story of Tall `Afar gives me
    confidence in our strategy, because in that city, we see the outlines of
    the Iraq we've been fighting for, a free and secure people who are
    getting back on their feet, who are participating in government and
    civic life, and are becoming allies in the fight against the terrorists.
        Today I'm going to discuss the stakes in Iraq and our efforts to
    help the Iraqi people overcome past divisions and form a lasting
    democracy, and why it is vital to the security of the American people
    that we help them succeed.
        In the wake of recent violence in Iraq, many Americans are asking
    legitimate questions: Why are Iraqis so divided? And did America cause
    the instability by removing Saddam Hussein
    from power? They ask, after three elections, why are the Iraqi people
    having such a hard time coming together? And can a country with so many
    divisions ever build a stable democracy? They ask why we can't bring our
    troops home now and let the Iraqis sort out their differences on their
    own.
        These are fair questions, and today I'll do my best to answer them.
    I'll discuss some of the reasons for the instability we're seeing in
    Iraq, why democracy is the only force that can overcome these divisions,
    why I believe the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in freedom and
    peace, and why the security of our Nation depends on the success of a
    free Iraq.
        Today, some Americans ask whether removing Saddam caused the divisions and instability we're now seeing.
    In fact, much of the animosity and violence we now see is the legacy of
    Saddam Hussein. He is a tyrant who exacerbated sectarian divisions to
    keep himself in power. Iraq is a nation with many ethnic and religious
    and sectarian and regional and tribal divisions. Before Saddam Hussein,
    Iraqis from different communities managed to live together. Even today,
    many Iraqi tribes have both Sunni and Shi'a branches. And in many small
    towns with mixed populations, there's often only one mosque, where Sunni
    and Shi'a worship together. Intermarriage is also common with mixed
    families that include Arabs and Kurds and Sunnis and Shi'a and Turkmen
    and Assyrians and Chaldeans.
        To prevent these different groups from coming to challenge his
    regime, Saddam Hussein undertook a deliberate
    strategy of maintaining control by dividing the Iraqi people. He stayed
    on top by brutally repressing different Iraqi communities and pitting
    them one against the other. He forced hundreds of thousands of Iraqis
    out of their homes, using expulsion as a weapon to subdue and punish any
    group that resisted his rule. By displacing Iraqi communities and
    dividing the Iraqi people, he sought to establish himself as the only
    force that could hold the country together.
        In Saddam's campaign of repression and
    division, no Iraqi group was spared. In the late 1980s, Saddam Hussein
    unleashed a brutal ethnic cleansing operation against Kurds in northern
    Iraq. Kurdish towns and villages were destroyed. Tens of thousands of
    Kurds disappeared or were killed. In his effort to terrorize the Kurds
    into submission, Saddam dropped chemical weapons on scores of Kurdish
    villages. In one village alone, a town called Halabja, his regime killed
    thousands of innocent men and women and children, using mustard gas and
    nerve agents. Saddam also forcibly removed hundreds of thousands of
    Kurds from their homes, and then he moved Arabs into

    [[Page 601]]

    those homes and onto the properties of the people who were forced to
    leave. As a result of his strategy, deep tensions persist to this day.
        Saddam also waged a brutal campaign of
    suppression and genocide against the Shi'a in the south of Iraq. He
    targeted prominent Shi'a clerics for assassination. He destroyed Shi'a
    mosques and holy sites. He killed thousands of innocent men, women, and
    children. He piled their bodies into mass graves. After the 1991 Persian
    Gulf war, Saddam brutally crushed a Shi'a uprising. Many Shi'a fled to
    the marshes of southern Iraq. They hid in the wetlands that could not be
    easily reached by Saddam's army.
        The wetlands, by the way, were also home to the Marsh Arabs, an
    ancient civilization that traces its roots back 5,000 years. So
    Saddam destroyed the Marsh Arabs and those
    who hid in the marshes by draining the marshes where they lived. In less
    than a decade, the majority of these lush wetlands were turned into
    barren desert, and most of the Marsh Arabs were driven from their
    ancestral home. It is no wonder that deep divisions and scars exist in
    much of the Shi'a population.
        Saddam also oppressed his fellow Sunnis.
    One of the great misperceptions about Iraq is that every Sunni enjoyed a
    privileged status under Saddam's regime. In truth, Saddam trusted few
    outside his family and his tribe. He installed his sons and his brothers
    and his cousins in key positions. Almost everyone was considered
    suspect, and often those suspicions led to brutal violence.
        In one instance, Saddam's security
    services tortured to death a pilot from a prominent Sunni tribe and then
    dumped his headless body in front of his family's house. It caused riots
    that he then brutally suppressed. In the mid-1990s, Saddam rounded up
    scores of prominent Sunni economists and lawyers and retired army
    officers and former government officials. Many were never heard from
    again.
        It is hard to overstate the effects of Saddam's brutality on the Iraqi nation. Here's what one
    marine recalls when he was on the streets of the
    Iraqi capital. He said, quote, ``I had an Iraqi citizen come up to me.
    She opened her mouth, and she had no tongue. She was pointing at the
    statue. There were people with no fingers waving at the statue of
    Saddam, telling us he tortured them. People were showing us scars on
    their back.'' Iraq is a nation that is physically and emotionally
    scarred by three decades of Saddam's tyranny, and these wounds will take
    time to heal. As one Marsh Arab put it,
    ``Saddam did everything he could to kill us. You cannot recover from
    that right away.''
        These are the kinds of tensions Iraqis are dealing with today. They
    are the divisions that Saddam aggravated
    through deliberate policies of ethnic cleansing and sectarian violence.
    As one Middle East scholar has put it, Iraq
    under Saddam Hussein was ``a society slowly and systematically poisoned
    by political terror. The toxic atmosphere in today's Iraq bears witness
    to his terrible handiwork.''
        The argument that Iraq was stable under Saddam and that stability is now in danger because we removed
    him is wrong. While liberation has brought its own set of challenges,
    Saddam Hussein's removal from power was the necessary first step in
    restoring stability and freedom to the people of Iraq.
        Today, some Americans are asking why the Iraqi people are having
    such a hard time building a democracy. The reason is that the terrorists
    and former regime elements are exploiting the wounds inflicted under
    Saddam's tyranny. The enemies of a free Iraq
    are employing the same tactics Saddam used--killing and terrorizing the
    Iraqi people in an effort to foment sectarian division.
        For the Saddamists, provoking sectarian strife is business as usual.
    And we know from the terrorists' own words that they're

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    using the same tactics with the goal of inciting a civil war. Two years
    ago, we intercepted a letter to Usama bin Laden from the terrorist Zarqawi, in which he explains his plan to stop the advance of
    democracy in Iraq. Zarqawi wrote: ``If we succeed in dragging the Shi'a
    into the arena of sectarian war, it will become possible to awaken the
    inattentive Sunnis as they feel imminent danger. The only solution is
    for us to strike the religious and military and other cadres among the
    Shi'a with blow after blow.''
        The terrorists and Saddamists have been brutal in the pursuit of
    this strategy. They target innocent civilians; they blow up police
    officers; they attack mosques; and they commit other acts of horrific
    violence for the cameras. Their objective is to stop Iraq's democratic
    progress. They tried to stop the transfer of sovereignty. They tried to
    stop millions of Iraqis from voting in the January 2005 elections. They
    tried to stop Sunnis from participating in the October referendum on the
    Constitution. And they tried to stop millions from voting in the
    December elections to form a Government under that Constitution.
        And in each case, they failed. With every election, participation
    was larger and broader than the one that came before. And in December,
    almost 12 million people--more than 75 percent of eligible voters--
    defied the terrorists to cast their ballots. With their votes, the Iraqi
    people have spoken and made their intentions clear: They want to live in
    liberty and unity, and they're determined to chart their own destiny.
        Now the elements of a free Iraq are trying to stop the--the enemies
    of a free Iraq are trying to stop the formation of unity government.
    They've learned they cannot succeed by facing coalition and Iraqi forces
    on the battlefield, so they've taken their violence to a new level by
    attacking one of Shi'a Islam's holiest sites. They blew up the Golden
    Mosque in Samarra in the hope that this outrageous act would provoke the
    Shi'a masses into widespread reprisals which would provoke Sunnis to
    retaliate and drag the nation into a civil war.
        Yet despite massive provocations, Iraq has not descended into civil
    war. Most Iraqis have not turned to violence. The Iraqi security forces
    have not broken up into sectarian groups waging war against each other.
    Instead, Sunni, Shi'a, and Kurdish soldiers stood together to protect
    religious sites, enforce a curfew, and restore civil order.
        In recent weeks, these forces passed another important test when
    they successfully protected millions of Shi'a pilgrims who marched to
    the cities of Karbala and Najaf for an annual religious holiday. In
    2004, the terrorists launched coordinated strikes against the pilgrims,
    killing scores of innocent worshipers. This year, the pilgrimage was
    largely peaceful, thanks to the courage and the unity of the Iraqi
    security forces. In the midst of today's sectarian tension, the ability
    of Iraqis to hold a peaceful gathering by millions of people is a
    hopeful sign for the future of Iraq.
        In these last few weeks, we've also seen terrible acts of violence.
    The kidnapings and brutal executions and beheadings are very disturbing.
    There's no place in a free and democratic Iraq for armed groups
    operating outside the law. It's vital to the security of a free Iraq
    that the police are free of militia influence. And so we're working with
    Iraqi leaders to find and remove leaders from the National Police who
    show evidence of loyalties to militias. We're partnering U.S. battalions
    with Iraqi national police to teach them about the role of a
    professional police force in a democratic society. We're making clear to
    Iraqi leaders that reining in the illegal militias must be a top
    priority of Iraq's new government when it takes office.
        The violence we're seeing is showing the Iraqi leaders the danger of
    sectarian division and underscoring the urgency of forming a national
    unity government. Today, Iraqi leaders from every major ethnic and

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    religious community are working to construct the path forward. Our
    Ambassador to Iraq, Zal Khalilzad, is
    helping Iraq's leaders reach out across political and religious and
    sectarian lines, so they can form a government that will earn the trust
    and the confidence of all Iraqis.
        Putting aside differences to build a democracy that reflects the
    country's diversity is a difficult thing to do. It's even more difficult
    when enemies are working daily to stop your progress and divide your
    nation. Yet Iraqis are rising to the moment. They deserve enormous
    credit for their courage and their determination to succeed.
        Iraqi leaders are coming to grips with an important truth: The only
    practical way to overcome the divisions of three decades of tyranny is
    through democracy. Democracy is the only form of government where every
    person has a say in the governance of a country. It's the only form of
    government that will yield to a peaceful Middle East. So Iraqis are
    working to overcome past divisions and build a free society that
    protects the rights of all its citizens. They're undertaking this
    progress with just a year's experience in democratic politics.
        Many of the institutions and traditions we take for granted here in
    America--from party structures to centuries' experience with peaceful
    transitions of power--are new to Iraq, so we should not be surprised if
    Iraqis make mistakes or face setbacks in their efforts to build a
    government that unites the Iraqi people.
        We're beginning to see the signs of progress. Earlier this month,
    Iraqi leaders announced they had reached an agreement on the need to
    address critical issues, such as de-Ba'athification in the operation of
    security ministries and the distribution of oil revenues, in the spirit
    of national unity. They agreed to form a new national security council
    that will improve coordination within the government on these and other
    difficult issues. This council will include representatives from all
    major political groups, as well as leaders from Iraq's executive,
    judicial, and legislative branches. As a result of this council's
    considered advice, the Iraqi Government that emerges will be more
    effective and more unified.
        Another important sign of progress is that Saddam Hussein is now being called to account for his crimes by the
    free citizens of a free Iraq. Millions of Iraqis are seeing their
    independent judiciary in action. At the former dictator's trial, Iraqis
    recently saw something that's got to be truly amazing to them. When
    Saddam Hussein stood up and began to give a political speech, the
    presiding judge gaveled him down.
    Saddam growled at the judge, declaring, ``I'm the head of state.'' The
    judge replied, ``You used to be the head of the state. And now you're a
    defendant.'' Three years ago, any Iraqi who addressed Saddam in this way
    would have been killed on the spot. Now the former dictator is answering
    to a judge instead of meting out arbitrary justice, and Iraqis are
    replacing the rule of a tyrant with the rule of law.
        Finally, some Americans are asking if it's time to pull out our
    troops and leave the Iraqis to settle their own differences. I know the
    work in Iraq is really difficult, but I strongly feel it's vital to the
    security of our country. The terrorists are killing and maiming and
    fighting desperately to stop the formation of a unity government because
    they understand what a free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East means
    for them and their ideology. They know that when freedom sets root in
    Iraq, it will be a mortal blow to their aspirations to dominate the
    region and advance their hateful vision. So they're determined to stop
    the advance of a free Iraq, and we must be equally determined to stop
    them.
        The irony is that the enemy seems to have a much clearer sense of
    what's at stake than some of the politicians here in Washington, DC. One
    Member of Congress who has proposed an
    immediate withdrawal of American forces in Iraq recently explained that
    what would happen after American forces pulled out was this:

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    He said, ``They'll fight each other; somebody will win; they'll settle
    it for themselves.'' While it might sound attractive to some, it would
    have disastrous consequences for American security. The Iraqi Government
    is still in transition, and the Iraqi security forces are still
    gathering capacity. If we leave Iraq before they're capable of defending
    their own democracy, the terrorists will win. They will achieve their
    stated goal. This is what the terrorists have told us they want to
    achieve. They will turn Iraq into a safe haven. They will seek to arm
    themselves with weapons of mass destruction. They will use Iraq as a
    base to overthrow moderate governments in the Middle East. They will use
    Iraq as a base from which to launch further attacks against the United
    States of America.
        Mindful of recent history, I ask you to think about what happened in
    Afghanistan. In the 1980s, the United States helped Afghan freedom
    fighters drive the Soviet Red Army from Kabul, and once the Soviets
    withdrew, we decided our work was finished and left the Afghans to
    defend themselves. Soon the terrorists moved in to fill the vacuum. They
    took over the country; they turned it into a safe haven from which they
    planned and launched the attacks of September the 11th.
        If we leave Iraq before the job is done, the terrorists will move in
    and fill the vacuum, and they will use that failed state to bring murder
    and destruction to freedom-loving nations.
        I know some in our country disagree with my decision to liberate
    Iraq. Whatever one thought about the decision to remove Saddam from power, I hope we should all agree that pulling
    our troops out prematurely would be a disaster. If we were to let the
    terrorists drive us out of Iraq, we would signal to the world that
    America cannot be trusted to keep its word. We would undermine the
    morale of our troops by betraying the cause for which they have
    sacrificed. We would cause the tyrants in the Middle East to laugh at
    our failed resolve and tighten their repressive grip. The global
    terrorist movement would be emboldened and more dangerous than ever. For
    the security of our citizens and the peace of the world, we will not
    turn the future of Iraq over to the followers of a failed dictator or to
    evil men like bin Laden and
    Zarqawi.
        America will leave Iraq, but we will not retreat from Iraq. We will
    leave because Iraqi forces have gained in strength, not because
    America's will has weakened. We will complete the mission in Iraq
    because the security of the American people is linked to the success in
    Iraq.
        We're pursuing a clear strategy for victory. Victory requires an
    integrated strategy: political, economic, and security. These three
    elements depend on and reinforce one another. By working with Iraqi
    leaders to build the foundations of a strong democracy, we will ensure
    they have the popular support they need to defeat the terrorists. By
    going after the terrorists, coalition and Iraqi forces are creating the
    conditions that allow the Iraqi people to begin rebuilding their lives
    and their country. By helping Iraqis with economic reconstruction, we're
    giving every citizen a real stake in the success of a free Iraq. And as
    all this happens, the terrorists, those who offer nothing but death and
    destruction, are becoming isolated from the population.
        I wish I could tell you the violence in Iraq is waning and that all
    the tough days in the struggle are behind us. They're not. There will be
    more tough fighting ahead with difficult days that test the patience and
    the resolve of our country. Yet we can have faith in the final outcome
    because we've seen freedom overcome the darkness of tyranny and terror
    and secure the peace before. And in this century, freedom is going to
    prevail again.
        In 1941, the year the Freedom House began its work, the future of
    freedom seemed bleak. There were about a dozen lonely democracies in the
    world. The Soviet Union was led by the tyrant Stalin, who

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    massacred millions. Hitler was leading Nazi Germany in a campaign to
    dominate Europe and eliminate the Jewish people from the face of the
    Earth. An imperial Japan launched a brutal surprise attack on America.
    Today, six decades later, the Soviet Empire is no more; Germany and
    Japan are free nations, and they are allies in the cause of peace; and
    the majority of the world's governments are democracies.
        There were doubters six decades ago who said that freedom could not
    prevail. History has proved them wrong. In this young century, the
    doubters are still with us but so is the unstoppable power of freedom.
    In Afghanistan and Iraq and other nations, that power is replacing
    tyranny with hope, and no one should bet against it.
        One of the greatest forces for freedom in the history of the world
    is the United States Armed Forces. In the past 4\1/2\ years, our troops
    have liberated more people than at any time since World War II. Because
    of the men and women who wear our Nation's uniform, 50 million people in
    Iraq and Afghanistan have tasted freedom, and their liberation has
    inspired millions more across the broader Middle East to believe that
    freedom is theirs as well.
        This is going to be freedom's century. Thank you for giving me a
    chance to come and visit with you. May God bless. [Applause]
        Okay, sit down, please. All right, I'll be glad to answer some
    questions.
        Yes, sir. Yes, please.

    Millennium Challenge Account

        Q. I have a question. I am from Mali. A couple of years ago, the
    Millennium Challenge Account was created to help countries that were
    already on the path to democracy. Looking at a country like Mali in West
    Africa, where just yesterday we celebrated our 15 years of freedom--we
    haven't seen any money yet. [Laughter]
        The President. I like a good lobbyist. [Laughter]
        Q. Well, isn't it cheaper and easier for people--people from Mali
    and all throughout Africa, who already are in love with America, and
    isn't it easier politically to you and show to your critics that, look,
    in Iraq, maybe we need some [inaudible]--we're in there, but in places
    like Mali that have freedom, we can step in and help them without
    expecting something back? Thank you.
        The President. No, I appreciate that. I--he's referring to a foreign
    policy initiative of mine called the Millennium Challenge Account. I
    want to thank the Members of Congress who have been strong supporters of
    the Millennium Challenge Account. I would hope they would continue to
    support the Millennium Challenge Account.
        The Millennium Challenge Account, the idea behind it was, is that
    nations are capable of defeating corruption; they are capable of
    investing in health and education for their citizens; and they are
    capable about supporting market-oriented economies. If you believe that,
    then why shouldn't our aid say, you get aid in return for fighting
    corruption, investing in the health and education of your citizens, and
    putting market-oriented economic measures in place?
        We started the process recognizing that a lot of people would raise
    their hands, including Mali, by saying we'll start with the poorest
    nations first. I must confess that our Millennium Challenge Account,
    while funded in its first year, was a little slow to get going. We've
    changed the structure to make sure money gets out the door so that other
    nations such as Mali will be eligible for application and consideration.
        I can remember when I first put in the Millennium Challenge Account.
    People were somewhat aghast that the United States would dare ask for
    conditions for its money. Those are the defeatists in the world, those
    who believe that certain people can't fight corruption. We believe
    opposite of that in America. We believe in high

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    standards, and the taxpayers sure believe in accountability for our
    foreign dollars.
        So thank you for bringing it up. I appreciate a man who is willing
    to stand up and defend his country in front of the President and all the
    cameras. [Laughter]
        Yes, sir.

    Liberia/Sudan

        Q. Mr. President, I'm from The Economist magazine. I understand, Mr.
    President, you met with President Obasanjo of Nigeria today. I wonder if
    you could tell us what you discussed and also if----
        The President. No, but keep going. [Laughter]
        Q. Okay. Are you now confident----
        The President. I can tell you what I discussed.
        Q. Are you now confident that Charles Taylor, the recently
    recaptured Liberian warlord, will stand trial?
        The President. I am much more confident today than I was yesterday.
    [Laughter] This is what we call embedding. [Laughter] I talked to the
    President about a variety of things, one
    of which, of course, was Charles Taylor. There is a process to get
    Charles Taylor to the court in the
    Netherlands. Such a process will require a United Nations Security
    Council resolution. Secretary Rice, who was
    in the meeting, told me that she thought that might happen relatively
    quickly. And so therefore, I think he is headed for where he belongs,
    which is trial.
        I spoke to President Sirleaf about
    this issue as well. She was deeply concerned that Charles Taylor could be in a position to disturb this young
    democracy. I must tell you that I was most impressed by the leader from
    Liberia. I think America is going to be--should be very anxious to work
    with her and help this country overcome years of violence.
        But I do believe that he is headed for
    trial. We certainly will do our efforts in the diplomatic channels to
    see to it that that's the case.
        We also talked about Sudan. I'm deeply worried about the human
    conditions in Darfur. Ours is a government that spoke out about
    genocide, and we meant it. I thanked President Obasanjo for the AU presence in the Sudan. I told him,
    however, I did not think the presence was robust enough. I do believe
    there needs to be a blue helmeting of not only the AU forces but
    additional forces with a NATO overlay. And the reason I believe that
    NATO ought to be a part of the operation is twofold: one, to provide
    logistical and command and control and airlift capability but also to
    send a clear signal to parties involved that the West is determined to
    help a settlement--to help affect in a settlement, that this is serious
    business, that we're just not playing a diplomatic holding game, but
    that when we say ``genocide,'' we mean that the genocide needs to be
    stopped.
        Secondly, we talked about the need for a parallel track, a peace
    process to go forward, that there needs to be unity amongst the rebel
    groups. The President told me he has met
    with the rebel groups, trying to come up with a focused message that can
    then be used to negotiate with the Government of Sudan. There is a
    pretty good template to go by, a resource-sharing arrangement. There's a
    governing structure that, if implemented, would be--in the north/south--
    because of the north/south agreement, could be a go-by for the Darfur
    region. But those are the two main things I talked to him about.
        Yes, sir. Are you embedded? [Laughter]

    Environment/Alternative Fuel Sources

        Q. From Australia--I've got a question about global warming. A
    couple of days ago, in the Australian Parliament, Tony Blair called for
    greater action. And this seems to be something that the U.S. President
    could make a major difference on. There's a virtual consensus that the
    planet is warming. If you addressed issues like emissions, fuel
    efficiency, issues to do with alternative energy in your last few years

    [[Page 607]]

    as President, it could make a significant difference, I think, to the--
    --
        The President. I appreciate you bringing that up.
        Q. And I suppose I want to know, what is your plan?
        The President. Good. We--first of all, there is--the globe is
    warming. The fundamental debate: Is it manmade or natural? Put that
    aside. It is in our interests that we use technologies that will not
    only clean the air but make us less dependent on oil. That's what I said
    in my State of the Union the other day. I said, look--and I know it came
    as quite a shock to--for people to hear a Texan stand up and say,
    ``We've got a national problem; we're addicted to oil.'' But I meant
    what I said.
        Being addicted to oil is a problem for our economy. In a global
    economy, when burgeoning economies like India and China use more fossil
    fuels, it affects the price of gasoline here in America. In a world in
    which sometimes people have got the oil we need, don't like us--kind of
    a undiplomatic way of putting it--it means we've got a national security
    issue.
        I have--much of my position was defined early on in my Presidency
    when I told the world I thought that Kyoto was a lousy deal for America.
    And I tell you why it was a lousy deal for America. It meant that we had
    to cut emissions below 1990 levels, which would have meant I would have
    presided over massive layoffs and economic destruction. I believe the
    best way to put technologies in place that will not only achieve
    national objectives like less addiction to oil but also help clean the
    air is to be wealthy enough to invest in technologies and then to share
    those technologies with parts of the world that were excluded from the
    Kyoto Protocol.
        And so I guess I should have started differently when I first became
    President, and said, ``We will invest in new technologies that will
    enable us to use fossil fuels in a much wiser way.'' And what does that
    mean? Well, it means that we've got to figure out how to use ethanol
    more in our cars. Ethanol is produced mainly by cane and corn. But we're
    near some breakthroughs--that we can use saw grass and biomass to be
    able to produce ethanol.
        It means we got to continue investing in hybrid batteries. Ours is a
    country where many people live in urban centers, like Washington, DC.
    And it's possible to have a hybrid battery breakthrough which says that
    the first 40 miles of an automobile can be used by electricity alone.
    Right now the hybrid vehicles, as you know, switch between gasoline and
    electrical power. But that consumes gasoline, which means we're still
    reliant upon oil. The idea is to get off of oil.
        On the electricity front, we need to be using nuclear power more in
    this country, in my judgment. It is a renewable source of energy that
    has zero gas emissions. We've got a great natural resource here in
    America called coal. We have 250-plus years of coal reserves. But we
    also recognize that by--burning coal causes environmental problems, and
    so we're spending billions on research to come up with clean coal
    technologies. And we'd like to share those technologies with other
    nations of the world that are beginning to grow, so that they are good
    stewards of the environment as well.
        And so I got a comprehensive plan that uses technologies to help
    this Nation from a national and economic perspective but also will help
    improve the global economy--the environment from those new, burgeoning
    economies that are--like China and India, to be exact.
        Yes.

    Iraq/Syria/Iran

        Q. Mr. President, first, thank you for your remarks and your
    commitment to advance freedom and the courage to use your office to
    follow through with it. My question is about Iraq. And I wonder if you
    could tell us, to what degree do you think the insurgency inside Iraq is
    dependent--

    [[Page 608]]

    dependent on foreign support, particularly from regional powers----
        The President. Yes.
        Q. ----and what are we doing, or what could we do more to prevent
    that?
        The President. There are three elements of the insurgency. One are
    the rejectionists. Those are the Sunnis that didn't feel like they were
    going to get a fair shake in what they viewed would be a Shi'a-led
    government. They are slowly but surely recognizing that democracy is
    their best hope. Then there are the Saddamists. Those are the folks that
    received enormous privilege under Saddam Hussein, and they're furious that they don't have those
    privileges. And the last group, of course, is Al Qaida. Now, Al Qaida
    has stated clearly what I told you during the speech. They have made it
    abundantly clear that their ambitions are to drive us from the country.
    They're the ones that we worry about--were receiving foreign
    assistance--money, as well as safe haven.
        The two countries that worry us the most, of course, are the two
    neighboring countries next to Iraq. That would be Syria and Iran. And we
    are making it abundantly clear to both that we think it's in their
    interests to let an Iraqi democracy develop.
        Syria has been a--Syria is a complicated issue because of Lebanon.
    It's not complicated; actually, it's quite clear what needs to be done.
    Our first focus with Syria, besides stopping cross-border infiltration--
    that, frankly, has required our--required us to adjust our tactics on
    the ground and spend a lot of time training people to stop the cross-
    border infiltration, because there's some doubt as to whether or not
    we're getting much cooperation on the other side of the border. But we
    spend a lot of time working with, particularly, France in making it
    abundantly clear we expect the Syrians to allow the Lebanese democracy
    to evolve.
        I guess it's kind of hard to give up on a country on which you've
    had a stranglehold. There was a troop withdrawal, as you know. My main
    concern is to whether or not they withdraw more than just troops,
    whether they draw intelligence services and people that were in a
    position to influence the future of the country.
        It is very important that there be full cooperation in the
    investigation of the death of Mr. Hariri. But our message to Bashar
    Asad is that we expect--if they want to be a
    welcomed country into the world, that they have got to free Lebanon,
    shut down cross-border infiltration, and stop allowing Hizballah, PIJ,
    and other terrorist groups to meet inside the country.
        The Iranian issue is more--in dealing with Iran, we're dealing with
    more than just influence into the formation of a national unity
    government. I happen to believe that ultimately the Iraqis will say, we
    want to have our own government. We want to be on our own feet. We've
    had a little problem with Iran in the past, and therefore, let us, kind
    of, manage our own affairs. No question, right now we're concerned,
    however, about influencing the formation of the government, but also,
    obviously, we're deeply concerned about whether or not the Iranians have
    the wherewithal and/or the knowledge about building a nuclear weapon.
        My negotiation strategy on this issue is that I believe it is better
    for the Iranians to hear from more than one voice as to whether or not
    the world accepts them as a viable nation in the international affairs.
    And so we have asked Germany and France and Great Britain to take the
    lead, to send a clear message to the Iranian Government.
        It's difficult to negotiate with nontransparent societies. It's
    easier for a nontransparent society to try to negotiate with countries
    in which there's a free press and a free political opposition and a
    place where people can express their opinions, because it sometimes
    causes people to play their cards publicly. In negotiating with
    nontransparent societies, it's important to keep your counsel.

    [[Page 609]]

        But I am pleased with the progress we have made on the diplomatic
    front. As you know, there are now talks of a Presidential letter out of
    the United Nations, and my Secretary of State, working with Ambassador John Bolton, are constructing such a letter and trying to make sure
    that there is common consensus, particularly amongst the P-5 plus
    Germany. As a matter of fact, Condi leaves, I think, today, if not
    tomorrow, for Europe to sit down with the P-5 plus Germany to continue
    keeping people knitted up on our strategy. Obviously, there's some cross
    pressures to some members of the P-5. There's a lot of politics in
    Europe, there's--which is a good thing, by the way, that people are
    questioning whether or not it's worth it to try to stop the Iranians
    from having a nuclear weapon. I just believe strongly it's worth it. Now
    is the time to deal with these problems before they become acute.
        I'm troubled by a nontransparent regime having a weapon which could
    be used to blackmail freedom-loving nations. I'm troubled by a
    President who has declared his
    intentions to destroy our ally, Israel. And we need to take these
    admonitions and these threats very seriously in order to keep the peace.
        So issues around Iraq are complicated and necessary, and that's why
    my administration spends a lot of time on them.
        Yes, sir. You're going to ask me if I read the book. [Laughter]

    Spread of Democracy/Russia/China

        Q. Mr. President, as you noted at the beginning--I'm with Freedom
    House, and I gave the President a copy of our annual report, ``Freedom
    in the World,'' before he took the stage. And as you noted, our reports
    have----
        The President. Little print, no pictures. Go ahead. [Laughter]
        Q. It's the bible of freedom, yes. [Laughter]
        The President. I'm the funny guy. Go ahead. [Laughter]
        Q. Our publications have confirmed that freedom is advancing overall
    in the world during the years of your administration. There is one big,
    important country, however, in which freedom has declined year by year
    the last several years, and that's Russia.
        The President. Correct.
        Q. You have a big summit coming up in July with the G-8 in St.
    Petersburg. There's been an increasing crackdown on civil society and
    political parties in Russia. And I'm wondering, if the time between now
    and the St. Petersburg summit, what you and the administration can do to
    raise these issues and try to help the defenders of freedom in Russia.
        The President. I appreciate that. The G-8 will raise the issue.
    That's the interesting thing about, kind of, meetings and moments. And I
    have worked very hard to convince Vladimir Putin that it's in his interest to adopt Western-style values
    and universal values--rule of law, freedom of religion, the right to
    people to assemble, political parties, free press.
        My strategy with Vladimir Putin is to
    be in a position where I can talk frankly to him. I've heard some say,
    ``Don't go to the G-8.'' I think that would be a mistake for the United
    States not to go to the G-8. I remember very--because I need to be in a
    position where I can sit down with him and be very frank about our
    concerns.
        I remember meeting with the human rights groups in Russia. And I
    asked them, ``What strategy should I take as the President of the United
    States? Should I be in a position where I can engage the
    President in frank discussion? Or should I
    publicly scold him, in which case he may turn a deaf ear?'' And the
    universal consensus for them kind of played to my own instincts, which
    is that I think it's important for the United States to be in a position
    to be able to express our concerns.
        Listen, we work with Russia on a variety of issues. Nunn-Lugar is an
    issue where

    [[Page 610]]

    we work with Russia, for example. But I spend a lot of time with the
    President making it clear that he should
    not fear democracy on his border, nor should he fear democracy within
    his borders. I like to make the case to him that democracies don't war
    with each other. You don't need to remind him about the brutal history
    that the Soviet Union went through in World War II. But I do think it's
    illustrative to point out--like I pointed out in the speech--that Europe
    is now free, whole, and at peace, and there's a reason why. It's what
    Americans have got to understand. We tend to forget. Ours is a society
    where things are, like, instant, so therefore, history almost is, like,
    so far back it doesn't count. But it counts when you really think about
    life lost on the continent of Africa and wonder why there's no war
    today. And there's a reason why there's no war today. And that's because
    history has proven democracies don't war with each other.
        And so in my explanation, to different events that are taking place,
    to the President, I try to point to
    historical truths, that it's in an interest of a country like Russia to
    understand and welcome democracy. It's in an interest for the country to
    give people the freedom to express themselves.
        I do spend time with him in private talking about issues like the
    NGO law. And as you noticed, they changed laws--obviously now the--it's
    how laws get implemented matters. But I'm confident that will be a topic
    of discussion.
        I haven't given up on Russia. I still think Russia understands that
    it's in her interest to be West, to work with the West, and to act in
    concert with the West. Nobody is saying to Russia, you must look like
    the United States of America. But we are saying there's just some basic
    institutions that ought to be adopted. And I will continue making that
    case.
        I do think it's important for me to go to the G-8 so I can make the
    case. One of the things that I find is that nations oftentimes approach
    me at these different meetings we go to and say, ``Hey, pass the message
    for me, will you? We need you to pass a message, Mr. President. You're
    the person who can best make the case.'' And so I'm pretty confidence in
    these countries' interest that I be in a position where I'm able to walk
    into the room with the President of Russia
    and him not throw me out. And, in fact, that he--you know, we've got a
    relationship--personal relationships such that there is the possibility
    for candid conversation.
        The other big opportunity for democracy, of course, is China.
    President Hu Jintao is coming to our country, as
    you know. I will continue to remind him, ours is a complex relationship
    and that we would hope that he would not fear a free society, just like
    it doesn't appear that he's fearing a free market. I happen to believe
    free markets eventually yield free societies. One of the most pure forms
    of democracy is the marketplace, where demand causes something to
    happen. Excess demand causes prices to--the supply causes prices to go
    up, and vice versa. That stands in contrast to governments that felt
    like they could set price and control demand.
        One of the things that I think should be a part of any foreign
    policy is to shine the spotlight, is to open societies. You heard me
    talk about what it's like to deal with nontransparent societies. I think
    a useful tool of foreign policy for our country is try to let the sun
    shine in. China has recently read the book on Mao. It's an amazing
    history of a couple of things: one, about how fooled much of the world
    was, and how brutal this country was. And yet now there's more
    transparency into China.
        I will make it clear, of course, to the President that our relationship is vital on a variety of fronts.
    One such front is the economy, and we expect that country to treat us
    fairly. We expect there to be strong adherence to intellectual property
    rights. We believe that we grow pretty good crops and grow good beef,
    and perhaps it's in their interest to open up their markets to

    [[Page 611]]

    our agricultural products. We expect our manufacturers to be treated
    fairly. We don't believe in state subsidization of industry to give
    unfair advantage to state-owned enterprise. In other words, there's a
    variety of things we'll talk about, and one of them is freedom.
        I have been--I don't hesitate to talk to him about my visits with
    the Dalai Lama who is--comes and
    sees me in the White House; nor do I hesitate to talk about the concerns
    of the Catholic Church. I'm anxious to talk to him about the
    evangelicals' concerns inside of China, reminding him that a whole
    society is one that's just more than open markets; there's institutions
    and common values that are necessary.
        Some, of course--let me say, if I might make a philosophical
    statement about how I think. As Peter
    mentioned, there is a philosophical debate taking place in the world--at
    least I think it is--and that is, whether freedom is universal, or
    whether, one way to put it, it just applies to only a handful of us. I
    believe in the universality of freedom. That's what I believe. Much of
    my foreign policy is driven by my firm belief that everybody desires to
    be free; that embedded in the soul of each man and woman on the face of
    the Earth is this deep desire to live in liberty. That's what I believe.
    I don't believe freedom is confined just to the United States of
    America, nor do I believe that we should shy away from expressing our
    deep desire for there to be universal liberty.
        You hear the debate, ``Well, they're just imposing their values.
    That's all they're doing.'' Well, those are the folks who must not think
    that freedom is universal. They're not American values. There's
    something universal about the notion of liberty--at least I think it is.
    And that's what's going to drive my foreign policy. I'll be unabashed
    about trying to work for more free societies. I believe that's the
    calling of the 21st century. I meant what I said, that in the 21st
    century, America ought to work to end tyranny in our world. It is a
    noble goal for the United States of America.
        I'm concerned about isolationist tendencies in our country that
    would say, ``Well, maybe this isn't--maybe we're not up to this task.''
    Well, if we're not up to this task, who is up to the task? I'm concerned
    about protectionist policies in our country, which says to me, ``We
    don't have the confidence to compete anymore. Let us withdraw within our
    borders.'' I strongly reject isolationism and protectionism. It's not in
    our country's interest, nor is it in the world's interest.
        There's great talk about what you do as the American President with
    American influence. I believe American Presidents ought to confidently
    use American influence for the good of the world, and that includes
    demanding universal liberty and human rights and human dignity.
        Yes, sir.

    Spread of Democracy/Egypt

        Q. Mr. President, I'm from the Public International Law and Policy
    Group. I'm also from Egypt, and I aspire to one day go back there and
    join Egyptian politics. So my question is----
        The President. Go for President. [Laughter]
        Q. I'm working on it; I'm working on it--in 2017, everyone.
    [Laughter] But my question is, would you support the regime of Gamal
    Mubarak if he takes over after President Mubarak?
        The President. That's a leading question. [Laughter]
        Q. ----question.
        The President. No. That's a ``question I don't answer'' question.
    [Laughter] I support a country which does not fear political movements
    but is willing to compete with political movements. That's the kind of
    country I support.
        There's a--first of all, I appreciate the fact that there were
    elections in Egypt. That's positive. I think people in positions of
    responsibility, like mine, ought to say,

    [[Page 612]]

    if there seems to be a movement gaining ground on the streets, the
    question ought to be why--not how can we repress it, but what is taking
    place? What is it that's causing somebody to be in favor? What are they
    saying that I'm not saying, or what are they doing that I'm not doing?
        Competition for ideas and the votes of people are very healthy in
    societies. As a matter of fact, it's one of the ways to defeat the
    terrorists. Terrorists feed on resentment. When people don't feel their
    voices are heard, they become resentful, and then they become eligible
    for recruitment. If people don't feel like they have a chance to express
    themselves and have a government listen to them, they're likely to turn
    to people--the false prophets, people who subvert a great religion to
    play on people's frustrations and then use that false prophecy to kill.
        And so I--to answer your question is, is that I support an openness
    in the political process. I think when--I think Egypt is a--has a chance
    to be one of the leaders of the freedom movement in the Middle East. And
    I recognize that not everybody is going to embrace this concept of
    democracy and freedom as firmly as I'd like them to. But all of us have
    got to continue to advance progress.
        One of the interesting debates we have about the freedom movement is
    whether or not institutions have to be right before there's elections.
    So in other words, kind of, one of these interesting philosophical
    debates that's taking place. My answer--you heard my answer--my answer
    is, you got to have--you can't wait for perfect, because it's an excuse
    for the status quo.
        Elections start the process; they're not the end of the process.
    They're oftentimes the beginning of the process. And one of the reasons
    I respect the Freedom House is because you understand that you follow
    elections with institution-building and the creation of civil society.
    But for those who say, ``Well, we can't have elections until everything
    is just right or until we know the outcome of the elections,'' are those
    who provide excuse, in my judgment, for a foreign policy which in the
    past has said, it's okay, just so long as energy is priced okay; and
    okay, so there's no ruffles on the--the sea looks calm. My problem with
    that attitude is beneath the surface, there's resentment and anger.
        I'll also tell you another--I'm not going to tell you your business
    in the Freedom House, but I think a movement that must be tapped into in
    order to advance freedom is the women's movement. I just--there is
    something universal about the desire to be treated fairly and equally.
    And therefore, in societies in which women are not being treated fairly
    and equally--provides great opportunities to advance the cause of
    freedom. We've got to be wise about how we do it in the United States.
    Sometimes the stamp of America, obviously, provides those who are trying
    to resist freedom, giving them an excuse not to; I understand that. But
    it's--there are great opportunities in the world.
        The temptation in today's society is to say, it's not worth it, or
    certain people can't self-govern. It's really part of the debate in
    Iraq, isn't it, when you think about it--is, can these people self-
    govern? And I can understand why some in America say they can't, because
    all they see is unbelievable violence. And we're a country of deep
    compassion; we care. One of the great things about America, one of the
    beauties of our country, is that when we see a young, innocent child
    blown up by an IED, we cry. We don't care what the child's religion may
    be or where that child may live; we cry. It upsets us. The enemy knows
    that, and they're willing to kill to shake our confidence. That's what
    they're trying to do.
        They're not going to shake my confidence, I just want you to know. I
    understand their tactics, and I know their designs. But I also believe
    that Iraqis can and want to self-govern. That's what I believe. And so
    when you see me make decisions or make statements like I make,

    [[Page 613]]

    you've got to understand it's coming from a basic set of beliefs. That's
    what I believe. And that's what a decisionmaker ought to do. The
    decisionmaker ought to make decisions based upon deep-seated beliefs.
    You don't need a President chasing polls and focus groups in order to
    make tough decisions. You need Presidents who make decisions based upon
    sound principle.
        Now, people may not agree with the decisions; I understand that. But
    I hope after this talk, those of you who didn't agree at least know I'm
    making my decisions based on something I believe deep in my soul and
    something that's worked in the past. Democracies have yielded the peace.
    I believe 30 years form now, people are going to look back at this
    moment and say, thank goodness a generation of Americans stood up and
    said, ``We have faith in democracy, faith in democracy to lay the
    foundation for peace,'' and an American President will be discussing
    issues of peace with duly elected leaders in the Middle East, and our
    children will be better off for it.
        And I want to tell you one anecdote now that you've got me wound up.
    [Laughter] I sit down at the table with Prime Minister Koizumi. I tell this story all the time, because one of my
    jobs is to go out and explain to the American people the consequences of
    the decisions that I have made and why I think it's in our interests.
    Koizumi and I are not only good friends, but we're partners in peace. We
    talk about a variety of issues--North Korea is an issue, we talk--you
    know, he's got 1,000 troops in Iraq. Isn't that amazing, when you think
    about it? Because he understands the benefits of democracy in the
    broader Middle East. We're close friends.
        Sixty years ago--it seems like an eternity for a lot of people, I
    recognize that, but it's not that long ago--my dad fought the Japanese, and so did your relatives. They
    were the sworn enemy of the United States of America. I find it
    unbelievable part of history that I am now sitting down at the table
    with the Prime Minister of Japan talking
    about the peace, and my dad fought them. And so what happened? What
    happened was, Japan adopted a Japanese-style democracy. That's what
    happened. And now they're peaceful. And they sit at the table with their
    former enemy. I think that's a lesson worth listening to and
    understanding.
        But I bet you after World War II, there were great doubters as to
    whether or not Harry Truman was doing the right thing to help Japan
    become a democracy. I see Stevens
    nodding; he was there. Weren't you? [Laughter] Well, I wasn't.
    [Laughter] But I'm reading a lot about it. And I believe it's a lesson
    for all of us in this--in the 21st century. Spreading democracy is hard
    work. It's hard to overcome sectarian division and torture. It's hard to
    overcome that. But it's worth it, for the sake of our children and
    grandchildren.
        Yes. Yes, ma'am. Okay, I'll get you over there. [Laughter] You're in
    the end zone. You're next.

    Progress in Iraq

        Q. Oh, I'm next.
        The President. No, you're not next. She's next. [Laughter]
        Q. I'm with Creative Associates, and we're one of the small
    companies that has the honor to work in Iraq, so today is a real honor
    to be here. As you were mentioning all the steps that we're going to
    have to go through in the near future, I'm still very concerned that we
    might not be concentrating on the suffering of the children.
        The President. In Iraq?
        Q. In Iraq. So I would like to be sure that as the different
    programs get processed that we don't give up on the children.
        The President. Good, thank you very much. Our soldiers are good
    Samaritans. They're unbelievable. I see pictures all the time from
    family members of our soldiers

    [[Page 614]]

    in Iraq of their loved one showing compassion to children. No question,
    I'm concerned about the children in Iraq as well. So our--we've got
    people in the field who care about the children too. The truth of the
    matter is, if you care about the children of Iraq, then you would want
    to make sure that Iraq doesn't slip back into tyranny. Thousands of
    children lost their parents because of Saddam Hussein.
        And so I want to thank you for your work. It's very important for
    the security situation to improve so that NGOs, people of compassion,
    are able to help lift lives. But there's a lot of work to be done.
    There's just a lot of work to be done--same in Afghanistan. First of
    all, we've rebuilt thousands of schools in Iraq, as we have in
    Afghanistan as well. And the world is more hopeful as the result of the
    liberation of these people. Afghanistan--it's obvious--when you have a
    society in which young girls weren't allowed to go to school because of
    the Taliban--thought it was, like, against humanity to send girls to
    school, and now they can, there's an amazing change in that society.
        But I readily concede there's a lot of work left to be done. It's--
    there's no such thing as instant success. I told you that--and by the
    way, after World War II, Germany and Japan took a while to rebuild, and
    it took a while for those societies to become stable societies. It just
    takes a while.
        Our march, by the way, between Revolution, liberation, and
    Constitution wasn't all that smooth either. And frankly, our adhering to
    the full extent of the liberties embedded in the Constitution and the
    Declaration of Independence took a while. I realize that when I talk to
    my Secretary of State. We were--we had
    people enslaved in the United States for a century. It takes a while.
    It's hard work. And the fundamental question the American people have to
    answer is, is it worth it? You've got my position; it absolutely is
    worth it.
        Freedom is contagious, by the way. As liberty begins to spread in
    the Middle East, more people will demand it. And we should not shirk our
    duty, nor should we be afraid to encourage reformers. The worst thing
    that could happen, in my judgment, for the peace of the world is for the
    United States to lose our nerve and retreat. And there's--anyway. Yes.
        Thank you. You've been very anxious. This better be a good one. Yes,
    you've been waving and yelling over there--[laughter]--waving, yelling,
    stomping your feet. It's a free society. That's what happens. [Laughter]

    Message to the People of Iraq

        Q. I'm Iraqi-American.
        The President. Thank you.
        Q. Thank you, Mr. President. I think based on what--review over 30
    years of Saddam's oppression and the regime in Iraq, and also based on
    the belief that you have--as an Iraqi mother, Iraqi-American mother and
    a woman--and I went back 2 years ago without--I worked for a year--
    there's always that concern and still worrisome. These are beautiful
    messages, yet there's a big gap that never crosses that ocean. It never
    gets to the Iraqi, to the simple man, the Iraqis facing despair,
    disillusionments, all kinds of things. I speak to Iraqi friends and
    families on daily basis. This is what their message is: We hear of these
    things, but we don't see it. It doesn't get to us.
        The President. Yes, tangible results on the street, right.
        Q. But it's not only us, Mr. President. It's not only that. It
    doesn't reach them in any kind of media, unfortunately. So how can we do
    that? I've been wondering about this, and you are the only person, I
    think, who can maybe do something.
        The President. Talk to the Iraqi people?
        Q. Talk to someone, talk to the Iraqi, relay that message that we
    are honest, we have great beliefs, and we want to do something.

    [[Page 615]]

        The President. Well, I appreciate that. First of all, I've got great
    confidence in the people of Iraq. Iraqis are entrepreneurial; they're
    well-educated; they're peace-loving. Iraqi mothers want their children
    to grow up in a peaceful world. That's what mothers want all over the
    world.
        And so I--what my concern is, is that the tangible benefits of
    democracy aren't reaching into people's pockets yet. I mean, there's got
    to be a direct correlation with someone's lifestyle, someone's standard
    of living, and a style of government. And that's one of the things that
    people who push freedom understand. I mean, there's got to be a--people
    got to see the direct benefits at some point in time about being free.
    One direct benefit is that there's not going to be a central government
    summarily pulling you out of society and killing you if need be. That's
    the biggest benefit.
        But there also has to be tangible benefits on the street. I try to
    speak to the Iraqi people all the time. Sometimes the message gets
    through the filters; sometimes it doesn't. I want them to hear a couple
    of things. I want the Iraqi people to hear I've got great confidence in
    their capacity to self-govern. I also want to hear--the Iraqi people to
    hear it's about time you get a unity government going. In other words,
    Americans understand newcomers to the political arena, but pretty soon,
    it's time to shut her down and get governing.
        I want the Iraqi people to hear that we care deeply about the
    individuals in Iraq, regardless of their religion. That's what we care
    about. And we want them to worship freely. I like the fact in Iraq that
    there's a burgeoning free press; there's a lot of press, which is a
    positive sign. It's a healthy indication. I also want the Iraqis to hear
    that while there's a political debate going on here in America, I
    believe in what we're doing, and we're not going to leave prematurely,
    that we have got a mission, along with the Iraqis, and that is to secure
    a country for its democracy and to help them defend themselves, deny Al
    Qaida a safe haven, and have an ally in the war on terror.
        And so I thank you for that admonition for me to speak out to the
    Iraqi people. I try to do it as much as I possibly can.
        Yes, ma'am. No, not--[laughter]. Ambassador, you want to ask a question next? Yes, okay, fine.

    Immigration Reform

        Q. Good afternoon, Mr. President. I'm glad to see you here speaking
    today. I have a question about the immigration issue that's going on
    right now. And I'm just curious--the Senate will probably pass a
    measure; the House has already passed a measure. And I'm curious, what
    kinds of components are you looking for in an immigration bill that you
    can support? And how do you reconcile a guest-worker program for
    undocumented residents who are here, versus those who are on line and in
    the system waiting 5 and 10 years to get here?
        The President. No, that's a great question. Thanks. It's obviously
    topic du jour and--[laughter]. Pretty fancy, huh? Topic du jour?
    [Laughter] I don't want to ruin the image. [Laughter]
        I believe there ought to be three components to good immigration
    law. First of all, I hope we get a bill out of the Senate. There's one
    out of the House. It goes to what's called conference. And here's my
    suggestions: One, that we're a nation of law, and we ought to enforce
    our borders. Both the House and the Senate passed good border
    enforcement measures. We're modernizing or upgrading our border. We
    recognize that it's important to have more Border Patrol, which we do.
    But the Border Patrol needs additional tools in order to do their job.
    We're talking about long borders. It's a subject I'm quite familiar with
    since I was the Governor of a State that had a long border with Mexico.
    And so the American people have got to know that we'll enforce law.
        Secondly, we've got to enforce--and by the way, part of enforcing
    law means to

    [[Page 616]]

    make sure that when somebody is caught coming into our country
    illegally, they're not let back out in society. We had a real issue with
    detention beds, particularly for non-Mexican illegal people coming in.
    We'd catch people from Central America. And people worked hard; they
    spotted people being smuggled across. They were detained--the people
    being smuggled across. They said, ``Check in with your immigration
    officer in 15 days,'' and nobody did. And so now we've added the number
    of detention beds and are working for expedited removal procedures with
    the countries in Central America. As far as the Mexican folks sneaking
    in the border, they're sent back very quickly, back into their country.
    Since 2001, believe it or not, we've stopped 6 million people trying to
    sneak into our country--an amazing statistic. It's a lot.
        Secondly, there's got to be better interior enforcement. But it's
    very difficult to enforce--get an employer to enforce the law when the
    employer is uncertain as to whether or not the documentation being
    presented for the needed worker is legal.
        It turns out--what's very interesting is that when you deny--when
    you make something illegal and there's a demand for it, people find ways
    around it. That's why you've got a whole smuggling industry called
    coyotes. That's why you've got unbelievable document forging going on.
    That's why there's tunnels. I mean, there's imaginative ways by people--
    by unscrupulous people to take advantage of people who are coming here
    to do an honest day's work.
        Thirdly, my judgment is, you cannot enforce the border without
    having a temporary guest-worker program. The two go hand in hand. There
    are people doing jobs Americans will not do. Many people who have come
    into our country are helping our economy grow. That's just a fact of
    life. And I believe that we ought to say to somebody doing a job an
    American won't do, here is a tamper-proof identity card that will enable
    you to be here for a period of time. And if that person wants to become
    a citizen of the United States, because we're a nation of law, they get
    at the end of the line, not the beginning of the line.
        I also believe--and the Senate is working through different measures
    to say to the person getting into the line, there's a consequence for
    being here illegally. Now, if Congress believes that the line is too
    long or that we should facilitate people's capacity to then get a green
    card and become a citizen, increase the number of green cards. But
    people who have been here legally should not be penalized by someone
    who's been here illegally.
        And so I'd like to tell the American people, we are a nation of law
    but that doesn't preclude us from being a welcoming nation. I think a
    system which forces people underground and into the shadows of our
    society, which causes people to have to sneak across our border and risk
    their life, is a system that needs to be changed.
        I also know--and I used to tell this to people down there in Texas--
    family values don't stop at the Rio Grande River. If you're a mother or
    a father who's worried about putting food on the table and you're living
    in an impoverished area and you know there's a job that Americans won't
    do here, you'll come to do it for the sake of your family. And
    therefore, I think it makes sense to have a temporary-worker program
    that says, you're not an automatic citizen, to help, one, enforce the
    border, and two, uphold the decency of America. If our Border Patrol
    agents don't have to focus on people trying to sneak across to get a
    job, they will be able to be more focused on people smuggling drugs,
    smuggling guns, smuggling terrorists.
        And so I look forward to the debate. I'm going to say again what
    I've said before on this debate. It's very important for all of us in
    this debate to conduct ourselves with the following principles in mind:
    One, we're a nation of immigrants; two, our soul is refreshed by
    newcomers to our society;

    [[Page 617]]

    three, we love the idea of people starting with nothing and ending up
    with something in America; four, we value family values, no matter where
    they may be; and five, we've got to be careful about the language we use
    when it comes to debating this important subject. People should not pit
    neighbor against neighbor, group of people against group of people in
    our country. Ours is a nation that's able to assimilate people because
    we believe in human rights and human dignity of all.
        Final question.

    Palestinian Government/Israel

        Q. Mr. President----
        The President. Okay, two questions. Please, ma'am. You're last.
    You're the last guy. You're the closer. [Laughter] It's a baseball term.
    Yes, you're the closer. You've been persistent. [Laughter]
        Q. Thank you, Mr. President, and I think I sprained my arm trying to
    get your attention. But the main reason for that is because I think I
    speak for the unheard people. I'm a Palestinian, and I come from a
    refugee camp, and I'm currently working at the World Bank.
        The President. Welcome.
        Q. Thank you. What can I say to my cousins, my friends, people in
    the streets who are asking, why is the United States punishing us and
    cutting funds for people who choose fair and free elections? I think the
    National Endowment for Democracy has characterized it as the textbook,
    fair and free elections. Then why are we punishing the people of--I
    don't mean the government--the people of Palestine--the refugees, the
    poor, the malnourished mothers and children?
        The President. No, great question. Thank you for asking it. Just to
    step back, I believe I'm the first President to have articulated the--my
    desires for there to be a Palestinian state living at peace with Israel.
    And I still think it's a real possibility for that to happen. I believe
    democracies don't war with each other, and I believe a Palestinian
    democracy is in the interests of the Palestinian people, the Israelis,
    and the rest of the world.
        Secondly, I think that aid should go to suffering Palestinians, but
    nor should it go to a government, however, which has expressed its
    desire to destroy its neighbor. If the goal of the United States is two
    states living side by side in peace, and one government elected says,
    ``We want to destroy one of the parties,'' it makes no sense for us to
    support that government. We support the election process. We support
    democracy, but that doesn't mean we have to support governments that get
    elected as a result of democracy.
        Now, Palestinians must make a choice as to whether or not it makes
    sense for them to have a government that says they want to destroy their
    neighbor. I don't think it does. As a matter of fact, I think it's
    important for governments to say, we want to work out our differences in
    a peaceful way. But I am concerned about the suffering Palestinian
    people. I think the U.S. Government has got aid that goes directly to
    people. And I know that we'll continue to call upon governments in the
    region to support the Palestinian people.
        I weep about the suffering of the Palestinians. I particularly weep
    about the fact that the leadership has let them down for year after year
    after year. And now is the time for strong leaders to stand up and say,
    we want the people to decide. And I was pleased that there was an
    election in the Palestinian Territories, and I agree with you that the
    elections were good elections. And--but now the government has to make a
    choice, and we will continue to watch very carefully about the choice
    they make.
        Final question. Then I'm going down to be with the President of
    Mexico and the Prime Minister with Canada--Cancun. [Laughter] No Speedo suit here.
    [Laughter] Thankfully. [Laughter]

    [[Page 618]]

    Progress in Iraq

        Q. You ready?
        The President. Yes. Sorry to interrupt you. Just testing your
    concentration. [Laughter]
        Q. Mr. President, I am on the board of trustees of Freedom House.
        The President. Thank you for having me.
        Q. And my--you mentioned about Iraq.
        The President. Iraq?
        Q. About Iraq, the effect of leaving prematurely and the issue it
    would cause--is there an opportunity right now to perhaps supplement the
    American forces and perhaps finally to replace them with a strong,
    large, broad-based troops, security forces of Muslim countries from
    North Africa, from Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, which could
    go in there and then perhaps help in the situation? Because Iraq--a
    disaster in Iraq is a disaster for the whole region.
        The President. That's a really good question. I think the preferred
    strategy is to spend time and efforts on getting the Iraqis stood up so
    they can defend themselves. At some point in time, the Iraqi citizens
    are going to have to make the conscious decision that democracy is worth
    defending. And I appreciate the efforts of some in the Arab world to
    help train Iraqi police, like the Jordanian academy. There is support
    for training amongst different Arab nations, as there is from NATO. And
    the fundamental question is, what will expedite the situation so that
    the Iraqis are fully prepared to do their job?

        So the question--I would reverse your question and say, are we
    prepared to have others help the Iraqis defend themselves? And the
    answer is, absolutely. But the Iraqis must be encouraged to continue to
    take the lead. And that's a measurable part of our progress on the
    ground, more territories controlled by Iraqis. The march I just
    described to you was policed by, or guarded by Iraqi units who were in
    thelead. That Tall `Afar example I used the other day talked about the
    Iraqi divisions in the lead that helped secure this city.
        The ultimate solution for Iraq is for there to be a unity government
    which brings people confidence, one that unites different factions,
    thereby marginalizing the rejectionists, but also making sure the Iraqi
    Army is prepared to do what it needs to do, as well as a police force.
        When we first got in there, we said, ``Well, let's prepare an Iraqi
    Army for an outside threat.'' It turns out it wasn't necessary. The
    biggest threat was inside the country. And so we adjusted our strategy
    and started training Iraqis so that they are prepared to be able to
    defend sectors of their country. And now the big--Senator Warner came and briefed us at the White House the other day.
    He said--and this is what the General
    is telling me as well--we've made good progress in training the Iraqi
    Army. The problem is the Iraqi police force. And there is a national
    police force, which is more efficient than local police forces. It still
    needs to make sure there are coalition troops embedded in the police
    force to make sure that these police understand that there's--you don't
    seek reprisal as a police force. You've got to earn the confidence of
    all people, no matter what their religion is. And we're still working
    with local police forces.

        So in due respect, I think the question is, how do we expedite more
    Iraqis to earn the confidence of the Iraqi people. We're dealing with a
    shattered confidence. There's a sense that, well, they may leave us, or
    our guys aren't prepared to provide security. And the quicker we can get
    the Iraqis stood up and trained, the faster the Iraqi people will have
    confidence, not only in their own security situation but in their
    government.

        And so thanks for the suggestion. Listen, I've enjoyed it; I hope
    you have. God bless.

    [[Page 619]]

    Note: The President spoke at 12:53 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Capitol
    Hill. In his remarks, he referred to Peter Ackerman, chairman of the
    board, Freedom House; President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia; Usama
    bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization; senior Al
    Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; President Olusegun Obasanjo of
    Nigeria; former President Charles Taylor of Liberia, who was arrested on
    March 29 in Nigeria on United Nations war crimes charges; President
    Bashar al-Asad of Syria; President Mahmud Ahmadi-nejad of Iran;
    President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia; President Hu Jintao of China;
    Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; former President Saddam
    Hussein of Iraq; President Vicente Fox Quesada of Mexico; and Prime
    Minister Stephen Harper of Canada. Participants referred to Prime
    Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom; and Gamal Mubarak, son of
    President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.