    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [June 1, 2006]
    [Pages 1063-1065]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Cabinet Meeting and an Exchange With Reporters
    June 1, 2006

        The President. I want to thank the members of my Cabinet who came
    today. We had a really good discussion about a variety of important
    issues. We talked about the war against terror, and I reminded our
    Cabinet Secretaries that we all have a responsibility to help us win
    this war, including sending members of our administration to Iraq to
    help this new democracy succeed.
        We talked about the hurricane season that's upon us, and the work
    we're doing to help local governments and State governments prepare for
    the hurricane season.
        I talked about the immigration issue. I talked about how strongly I
    feel for this country to have comprehensive immigration reform.
        And then we heard from Secretary Snow about
    the strength of this economy and what we intend to do to keep it strong.
    One thing we intend to do is to continue to work with the United States
    Congress to make sure the tax cuts we passed are permanent. It turns
    out, our progrowth economic policies have worked, and the best way to
    make sure that the recovery we have is sustainable is to keep those
    taxes low. The Secretary briefed us on the fact that revenues coming
    into our Treasury look very robust. The best way to balance the budget
    is to keep progrowth economic policies in place and, at the same time,

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    work with our Cabinet Secretaries to keep spending down.
        And so I'm very pleased with the progress on our economy. And I want
    to, again, thank my Cabinet Secretaries for being here.
        And now I'll answer a couple of questions. Jennifer [Jennifer Loven,
    Associated Press].

    Iran

        Q. Thank you, sir. Do you have either China or Russia on board with
    Iran?
        The President. Yesterday, Secretary Rice, at my instructions, said to the world that we
    want to solve the problem of the Iranian nuclear issue diplomatically.
    And we made it very clear publicly that we're willing to come to the
    table, so long as the Iranians verifiably suspend their program. In
    other words, we said to the Iranians, the United States of America wants
    to work with our partners to solve the problem.
        I spoke to the President of Russia and
    explained my position clearly to him, and that is, the choice is up to
    the Iranians whether or not they're going to listen to the world demand,
    and if they do, we've got something to talk to them about. And if they
    don't, we expect Russia to participate in the United Nations Security
    Council. We'll see whether or not they agree to do that. I got a
    positive response from the President. He said he understands our
    strategy, and he agrees we want to solve this issue diplomatically.
        I also spoke to President Hu Jintao this
    morning. I laid out to him why I instructed Secretary Rice to do what she did. And now it's going to be up
    to the Iranians to make their decision, and if they choose not to
    verifiably suspend, we have laid the groundwork for an effective
    international response.
        Q. Was the response from President Hu positive?
        The President. They understood our strategy, and they understood--
    the most positive thing about all the conversations I had is there is
    uniform agreement that the Iranians should not have a nuclear weapon.
    And we'll discuss tactics and strategies to make sure that the
    international community speaks with one clear voice if the Iranians
    choose not to verifiably suspend. And so we'll see what their decision
    is. My decision is to be robust in trying to solve this problem
    diplomatically.
        Matthew [Matt Spetalnick], Reuters. Yes, there you are.
        Q. But the Iranian Foreign Minister, today, has already--while
    welcoming the offer of talks, has rejected the idea that they would
    first suspend uranium enrichment. How do you react to that, and is it
    now----
        The President. My reaction is, the choice is theirs. And we'll see
    whether or not that is the firm position of their Government. If that's
    what they decide to do, then the next step, of course, will be to--for
    our coalition partners to go to the United Nations Security Council. And
    the choice is up to the Iranians. And they've already said, by the way,
    that they're willing to suspend. And this gives them a second chance to
    make their words mean something.
        I want to solve this problem diplomatically, and I want to solve it
    peacefully. And the best thing for the Iranians to understand is that if
    they choose not to suspend in a verifiable--if they continue their
    obstinance, if they continue to say to the world, ``We really don't care
    what your opinion is,'' then the world is going to act in concert. The
    next step of acting in concert is to go to the United Nations Security
    Council.
        Ann [Ann Compton, ABC News].

    Iraq/U.S. Armed Forces

        Q. Why do American forces in Iraq need retraining on core values, as
    the military puts it?
        The President. Our troops have been trained on core values
    throughout their

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    training, but obviously there was an incident that took place in Iraq.
    It's now being investigated. And this is just a reminder for troops
    either in Iraq, or throughout our military that there are high standards
    expected of them and that there are strong rules of engagement. The
    Haditha incident is under investigation. Obviously, the allegations are
    very troubling for me and equally troubling for our military, especially
    the Marine Corps. I've spoken to General Pace
    about this issue quite a few times. And he's troubled by the
    allegations, because he understands that the Marine Corps has got a
    proud tradition of upholding rules of engagement.
        One of the things that happens in a transparent society like ours is
    that there is--there will be a full and complete investigation. The
    world will see the full and complete investigation. It also is a
    reminder to our commanders that they must constantly enforce the proud
    tradition of our military, and that's what they're doing.
        Q. Have you gotten updates on the situation?
        The President. Well, I'm not involved with the investigation, and
    you shouldn't expect me to be. I expect this investigation to be
    conducted independent of the White House, with a full and thorough
    investigation. And I'm confident.
        Listen, the Marine Corps wants to get to the bottom of this. If
    anybody wants to make sure that they know the facts and to correct
    problems, if they do exist, it's the United States Marine Corps. They
    are run by--the Marines are run by an incredibly proud group of men and
    women who understand the history and tradition of the Marines. And
    they'll get to the bottom of this.
        And if there is wrongdoing, people will be held to account. And at
    the same time, what you're seeing is the Marine Corps reminding our
    troops about what it means to be a marine, what it means to uphold the
    honor of that Corps, and what it means to adhere to the rules of
    engagement that we expect our soldiers to adhere to. The United States
    of America has got a willingness to deal with issues like this in an
    upfront way, in an open way, and correct problems. And that's what
    you're going to see unfold.
        Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:01 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to President Vladimir V. Putin of
    Russia; President Hu Jintao of China; and Gen. Peter Pace, USMC,
    Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. A reporter referred to Minister of
    Foreign Affairs Manuchehr Motaki of Iran.