[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
[March 9, 2006]
[Pages 438-441]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Interview With Diana Moukalled of Future
Television of Lebanon
March 9, 2006
Lebanese Freedom
Ms. Moukalled. Mr. President, thank you for receiving Future
Television. As you know, head of U.N. inquiry, Serge Brammertz, will
present his report to the Security Council in a few days. How should the
international community respond if the report concluded that Syria did
not fully cooperate with the inquiry, as previous efforts did?
The President. Our position is, is that we want to know the truth,
and we expect all parties to be forthcoming with the truth. The truth is
really important to help Lebanon meet a goal that we want for Lebanon,
which is free of foreign interference, democratic and peaceful, so that
people can realize dreams and so the great country of Lebanon can grow
and prosper like I'm confident it can.
So the United States will constantly remind all parties that we seek
the truth, and we expect parties, when asked about the truth, to be
forthcoming with the truth. I'm worried about people who stall and hope
that the world turns a blind eye to a terrible death. And we're not
going to turn a blind eye. We will keep focused on this important issue,
because we believe in the future of Lebanon.
Syrian Withdrawal From Lebanon
Ms. Moukalled. From what you say, many in Lebanon fear that there
might be a deal between Washington and Damascus. In other words, if
Damascus complied with Washington demands regarding Iraq, regarding
Hizballah and Hamas, would you let the inquiry not reach its ultimate?
The President. Part of our desires for Damascus is, of course, to
shut down terrorist bases in their country, and is, of course, to stop
cross-border infiltration into Iraq, is, of course, to stop allowing
people to find safe haven to plot and plan attacks in the neighborhood.
But part of our demands was to--was 1559, which is, completely out of
Lebanon. And so there are no deals. We are people who believe that when
we say something, we've got to keep our word. And again, I repeat to
you: I think that the light of truth is very important toward
establishing a peace that we all want in the region.
I really do want young boys and girls in Lebanon to be able to grow
up in a world free of violence. Lebanon is a fabulous country; Beirut is
one of the great international cities of all time. And it's in the
world's interest that this democracy survive, and not only survive but
flourish and
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thrive. And so we don't--we really aren't going to deal away Lebanon's
future.
U.S. Support for Lebanese Freedom
Ms. Moukalled. Regarding U.N. Resolution 1559, the Lebanese
Government says that it wants to reach a true result with the issue
through a national dialog----
The President. Yes.
Ms. Moukalled. ----and you have demanded repeatedly that Lebanon
should implement this resolution. Will you give the Lebanese Government
a chance to resolve this issue through national dialog, or you will
exercise more pressure?
The President. I think it's very important that the national dialog
process succeed. The truth of the matter is that peace in Lebanon is
going to be achieved by Lebanese leaders, people in Lebanon who are
dedicated to the future. The United States can--we can work; we can
help; we can pressure Syria; or we can do things. But what we can't do
is to force people to be courageous in the name of peace. That's up to
Lebanon's people themselves--the people of Lebanon themselves. The
Lebanese must stand up and say, ``We demand a open and free and
transparent society so we can live in peace.''
We'll help, but courage comes from within people's souls. And we
have been encouraged by courage being shown by those who believe in
Lebanon's future.
Ms. Moukalled. Are you following the national dialog that's
happening now in Lebanon?
The President. I am.
Ms. Moukalled. Many believe that without international efforts, this
dialog will not succeed, where other parties think that the American
pressure is keeping Lebanese from reaching an agreement.
The President. No, I hope--I believe that an agreement can be
reached. I understand the talks have been suspended for a week, but they
will be ongoing, and I think it's a very important part of the Lebanese
folks putting aside past--the past and focusing on a bright future. And
we will help, and we will encourage, but ultimately the decisions have
to be made by the Lebanese citizens, that they want something better
than violence and war and division.
Hizballah
Ms. Moukalled. The two controversial items are the ousting of
President Emile Lahud and the disarming of Hizballah.
The President. Yes.
Ms. Moukalled. What's your comment? What----
The President. Our position is clear: 1559, which we strongly
support, says that armed militias should be disarmed. And secondly, we
believe that the President ought to be independent, ought to be someone
who will strongly represent the interests of the Lebanese people.
Ms. Moukalled. The Lebanese Government considers Hizballah a
resistance. What's your comment?
The President. My comment is, is that armed militias should disarm.
And I think it's very important to understand that democracy--you can't
have a democracy if political parties have their own armed force. Our
position is that the Lebanese forces ought to be in control of the
security of Lebanon, for the good of the people.
Lebanese Freedom
Ms. Moukalled. What's your position regarding ousting President
Emile Lahud?
The President. Again, I repeat to you: I think the characteristics
for the President ought to be somebody who is independent-minded,
somebody who focuses on his--the future of the country, somebody who
understands that foreign influences inside of a country can be very
negative.
Spread of Democracy
Ms. Moukalled. Mr. President, as you know, the situation in Iraq is
really deteriorating; the country is on the edge of a civil war. The
support for U.S. policies among Arab public opinion is--it's minimal.
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Many believe that you are focusing on Lebanon to divert attention from
what's going on in Iraq, or it's a part of a whole scenario to control
the region. Why did Lebanon get so much of your attention in the past
year, whereas Syria controlled Lebanon for 30 years?
The President. Because I believe in democracy. I believe democracy
yields peace. That's a historical--it's been proven throughout history
that democracies yield the peace we all want. And I repeat to you: I
want young boys and girls in Lebanon to grow up in peace. It's what I
want.
I am--I want the same thing for Iraq. I want Iraq to be a
democracy--not a U.S. democracy but a democracy that takes into the--the
traditions, the Iraqi traditions and the history of Iraq, just like the
Lebanese democracy will reflect the history of Lebanon and the
traditions of Lebanon.
I believe there are such things as universal values, and I believe
everybody desires to be free. And it's difficult in Iraq, no question
about it. But I want--I want you to remember that the Iraqi people
expressed their opinion last December about civil war. Eleven million
people went to vote in difficult conditions saying, ``We want freedom,
and we want democracy. Give us a chance.'' And I'm convinced,
ultimately, the people's will will win out and defeat those who want to
try to create a civil war. Our position in the Middle East and
throughout the Muslim world is that we want to be a partner in peace; we
want to help people realize their potential.
And I hear the--I hear the language about the United States, that
United States is anti-Islam. It's just not true. We view Islam as a
religion of peace--or that the United States has got this design. But
we'll protect ourselves. But the best way to protect ourselves
ultimately is to encourage good relations amongst Muslim people and to
encourage democracy. That's what we want. We want people to be able to
be free. We want there to be minority rights and human rights; we want
there to be women's rights. We believe in societies where women have got
a chance to realize their dreams. We want there to be good education and
good health care, and to the extent that people want our help, we're
willing to help.
Ms. Moukalled. But so far, you're not winning the hearts and minds
of Arab people. Why not?
The President. Well, it's--there's a lot of negative news on TV.
There's a--the enemy to democracy has got one tool, and that is the
capacity and willingness to kill innocent people. And that shocks
people. People of good conscience grieve when they see innocent life
being taken by car bombs or when they read about beheadings.
And it's really important for those of us who believe in peace and
the civilized world--it's not civilized to kill innocent people, nor do
I think it's religious. It's very important for us to be steadfast and
strong and have faith in the capacity of freedom to help answer people's
desires and change society for the better.
My dream is for there to be a Palestinian state at peace with
Israel. My dream is for Lebanon's democracy to flourish. My hope is that
Iraq's democracy will serve as an example for others, and so people can
realize their potential. And I believe this is going to happen. But
there are people who want to stop that progress, and I know that. But
I'm a firm believer in the future, and we'll continue to work in a way
that tries to share our deepest desires to help people, that will try to
combat some of the ugly news people see on the TV with positive policies
that uplift lives, give people a chance.
Ms. Moukalled. Thank you, Mr. President. Unfortunately, we ran out
of time.
The President. Well, thank you for coming.
Ms. Moukalled. Thank you.
The President. I'm honored you would come all the way from Beirut to
interview me.
[[Page 441]]
Note: The interview was taped at 10:40 a.m. in the Map Room at the White
House for later broadcast. Ms. Moukalled referred to Serge Brammertz,
commissioner, United Nations International Independent Investigation
Commission into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri
of Lebanon; and President Emile Lahud of Lebanon. The transcript was
released by the Office of the Press Secretary on March 10. A tape was
not available for verification of the content of this interview.