    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [July 6, 2006]
    [Pages 1325-1332]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Stephen
    Harper of Canada
    July 6, 2006

        President Bush. Thank you all. Welcome. It's been my honor to visit
    with Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, in the Oval Office.
    After this exercise in democracy, I'll be buying him lunch, where we'll
    continue our discussions. I'm impressed by his leadership style. I
    appreciate the fact that he doesn't mince words. He tells me what's on
    his mind, and he does so in a real, clear fashion.
        We talked about a lot of subjects. We talked about Iran and our
    joint desire to convince the Iranian regime to give up its nuclear
    weapons ambitions. We talked about North Korea, and I shared with him
    our strategy to work with five other--four other nations to convince the
    North Koreans to adhere to agreements they had already reached with the
    world.
        We talked about the war on terror, and I told the Prime Minister how
    pleased Americans were that the Canadian Government did the hard work
    necessary to disrupt terrorist plots. It just goes to show how safe
    Canada is. When you've got a government that's active and a police force
    that's capable, people ought to be rest assured that Canada is on top of
    any plots.
        I thanked the Prime Minister and the Canadian people for their
    involvement in Afghanistan. This is a serious foreign policy decision by
    the Government, and it's a necessary decision, in my judgment, to help
    make this world a more peaceful place. It just goes to show the
    important role Canada can play in foreign policy. Canada has got a set
    of values that are extremely important for the world to see.
        And I do want to thank the families of those soldiers who are in
    Afghanistan for supporting their loved ones. Their soldiers are doing
    fantastic work. I asked prior to your visit here from our military folks
    how they were doing; they said, great. And they're making the country
    proud.
        I appreciate very much our discussion about Darfur. I believe that
    Canada and the United States can make a difference in Darfur and should.
    As you know, our Nation declared the situation in Darfur a genocide. We
    will work with the international community to bolster the AU forces that
    are there now. I believe they ought to be blue-helmeted, and I believe
    there ought to be NATO involvement with a blue-helmeted, AU-augmented
    force on the ground. The message has got to be clear to the Government
    of Sudan: We're not going to tolerate this kind of activity.
        I speak frequently with my Secretary of State on this issue, Mr. Prime Minister, to make sure
    that we expedite the arrival of augmented troops to save lives. I talked
    to Kofi Annan the other night, by the way, about
    this very subject. And so I appreciate your understanding, and I really
    appreciate your working on this.
        You know, we cooperate closely in our neighborhood. We just renewed
    the NORAD accord, and I want to thank you for that. I remember going
    out--one of the hurricanes was about to hit us here,

    [[Page 1326]]

    and I can remember talking to and having dinner with a Canadian general
    there, and it was a--it just reminded me of how close that our relations
    need to be.
        We talked about trade. We have a lot of trade with Canada. It's in
    this Nation's interest to trade with Canada. It's in, I think, the
    Canadian interest to trade with the United States. I'll let the Prime
    Minister speak to that. But it's important when you have trade to have
    goods and services and people flow as smoothly as possible between our
    two countries.
        We've had some disputes in the past, trade disputes. That's what you
    expect when you have a lot of trade. And probably the most nettlesome
    trade dispute was softwood lumber. And I appreciate the Prime Minister's
    leadership in helping us resolve this issue. It's a tough issue. It was
    a tough issue for the Canadian Government; it's a tough issue for us.
    Nevertheless, the fact that we were able to reach an accord just goes to
    show how trading partners can be active in trade and be willing--and
    solve problems. I think this is a really important solution, and I want
    to thank you for that.
        Needless to say, the Prime Minister expressed deep concerns about
    the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The last time I was with him,
    he expressed concerns. He basically was a little impatient, if I might
    clarify your--it seemed like you were impatient, at least--[laughter]--
    and straightforward. ``Look,'' he said, ``I understand there's a law on
    the books. Show us what's going to happen.'' And I understand the
    concerns. If you have a relationship like we have, where there's a lot
    of activity and a lot of people moving across the border, it makes sense
    for the Prime Minister of Canada to say, ``Look, we just want to know
    what the rules are to determine whether or not it is compatible with our
    relationship.''
        And so I assured him that my view is--simple and easy to understand
    is the operative words. And we will continue our discussions about this
    initiative, particularly since the Secretary of Homeland
    Security, Chertoff--who is sitting right
    over there, by the way--will be joining us for lunch. Unless you don't
    want me to invite him. [Laughter]
        We talked about--well, we talked about a lot of subjects, and that's
    what you'd expect friends to do.
        Mr. Prime Minister, the floor is yours. I'm proud you're here, and
    thanks for coming.
        Prime Minister Harper. Well, thank you very much, Mr. President, for
    the invitation and for the kind words. And thank you for doing something
    I never thought I'd see, which is have the Canadian media stand when I
    entered the room. But we certainly enjoy that.

    [At this point, Prime Minister Harper spoke in French, and no
    translation was provided. He then continued in English, as follows.]

        Prime Minister Harper. ----your hospitality. The United States and
    Canada have a strong relationship, strong and firm relationship based on
    the largest commerce and social interaction in the history of any two
    countries of the world, and we were able to discuss a wide range of
    bilateral and international matters where we, more often than not, share
    common values and common objectives.
        We discussed many topics of interest to our respective countries and
    citizens, in particular, as the President mentioned, the Western
    Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The President and I agreed that the
    implementation of the provisions of the WHTI must not unduly hinder
    cross-border travel or tourism or trade. And to that end, we've tasked
    our officials to agree on common standards for securing alternate
    documents and, preferably, as soon as possible.
        We discussed the critical role Canada, in particular our oil sands,
    can play in providing energy security. The President and

    [[Page 1327]]

    I have agreed to task our officials to provide a more forward-looking
    approach focused on the environment, climate change, air quality, and
    energy issues in which our Governments can cooperate. We raised the
    issue of how regulatory cooperation could increase productivity, while
    helping to protect our health, safety, and environment.
        We also expressed, as the President just did, our mutual
    satisfaction on the significant progress made on the longstanding
    softwood lumber dispute. Both countries have now initialed the legal
    text. That legal text faithfully reproduces and documents the agreements
    reached between our Governments and various premiers on April the 27th,
    and I now urge all relevant parties to move forward with its
    implementation.
        The President and I also discussed a number of important
    international issues, in particular our role in Afghanistan. We have
    2,300 men and women on the ground as part of the Canadian forces.
    They're playing an important role in security and development in order
    to protect our national interest, rebuild Afghanistan, and ensure it
    never becomes again a safe haven for terrorists.
        We also discussed recent developments in Iran, and we expressed our
    mutual concern about North Korea's latest provocative acts. We also
    discussed the upcoming G-8 meeting in Russia, where issues like energy
    security, infectious diseases, education, and innovation will be on the
    agenda. And finally, we did touch briefly on the recent Mexican
    election. Canada has full confidence in Mexico's institutions and
    processes, and I look forward very much to working with the next
    President of Mexico.
        President Bush. Thank you, sir.
        Keil [Richard Keil, Bloomberg News].

    North Korea

        Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Do you want the United Nations to
    impose sanctions on North Korea? And how will you go about persuading
    the Russians and the Chinese to back those moves if you make them? And
    in addition to that, sir, what kind of threat do you think North Korea
    poses to world peace right now?
        President Bush. Nontransparent societies run by Governments that
    aren't selected by the people are--very difficult to tell what's going
    on. That's part of the problem. We're dealing with a person who was asked not to fire a rocket by the Chinese, the
    South Koreans, the United States, the Japanese, and the Russians. And he
    fired seven of them, which then caused the Secretary of State and myself to get on the phone with our partners
    and reminded them that--of the importance of speaking with one voice.
        It's to--saying to Kim Jong Il, there is a
    better way forward for you than isolating yourself from the rest of the
    world; that there is a opportunity for you to stick to some of your
    agreements, and that is to verifiably disarm; and that there will be a
    better life than being isolated and, most importantly, a better life for
    your people than isolation will bring.
        And so I was on the phone this morning with Hu Jintao and President Putin, and
    last night I talked to Prime Minister Koizumi and President Roh. And my
    message was that we want to solve this problem diplomatically, and the
    best way to solve the problem diplomatically is for all of us to be
    working in concert and to send one message, and that is--to Kim Jong Il--that we expect you to adhere to international
    norms, and we expect you to keep your word.
        One way to send a message is through the United Nations. And the
    Japanese laid down a resolution which we support. But we're working with
    our partners to make sure we speak with one voice. Diplomacy takes a
    while, particularly when you're dealing with a variety of partners. And
    so we're spending time diplomatically making sure that voice is unified.
        I was pleased from the responses I got from the leaders. They, like
    me, were--are concerned, concerned about a person

    [[Page 1328]]

    who doesn't seem to really care about what others say. And so we're
    working it, working it hard. And it's--and by the way, an effective
    policy is one which is not just the United States trying to solve
    problems. So I spent time talking to the Canadian Prime Minister about
    it. I mean, Canada is a, should be, and must be an active participant in
    helping deal with problems.
        He brought up Haiti, for example, in the Oval Office. Canada has
    made a significant contribution to stability in Haiti in the past. And
    it's an important--my only point is, is that we will continue to work
    with others to deal with problems that crop up.
        Q. How much of a threat to the world----
        President Bush. Well, you know, Dick, I think that--let's put it
    this way--he's going to pose less of a threat the
    more isolated he becomes and the more we work together. And as I
    mentioned to you, it's hard to tell. This is a society in which there's
    very little freedom, including freedom of the press. There's not a lot
    of light shining in there.
        And so we take his statements very seriously. He's kind of declared himself to be a nuclear power. We
    obviously watch very carefully his testings. We're trying to make sure,
    by the way, that the missile that he fired wasn't headed for Canada. We
    don't know for a fact where it was headed. But, for example, one thing
    that Stephen and I talked about is he could be seemingly firing a
    missile at the United States, say, at--I don't know, this is all
    speculation--but could be headed toward the Northwest of our country.
    And it wouldn't take much for it to get off course and end somewhere
    where he may not have intended.
        My only point is, is that we will work very closely on these matters
    together. It's in our interests that we send a clear message to the
    leader of North Korea.

    Canada-U.S. Border

        Q. Christian St. Pierre, Radio Canada. Happy birthday, sir.
        President Bush. It's amazing, the first birthday greeting I got from
    the press came from the Canadian press. [Laughter] Thank you. I am
    grateful. You're not 60 years old, are you? [Laughter] Well, let me just
    say this--it's a lot younger than you think.
        Q. President Bush----
        President Bush. Sure.
        Q. My question is about the security at the border. On the passport
    issue, you seem very open, but there is a deadline of 2008.
        President Bush. Yes.
        Q. Is there any chance of getting a--of dealing? And Mr. Harper, can
    you comment in French and English, please?
        President Bush. Thank you. We are responding to congressional law.
    And I--let me reinterpret your--is your question, is there flexibility
    in the law, basically? Yes, I think that if Congress decides there needs
    to be flexibility, there will flexibility. Interestingly enough, the
    Senate passed--made its intention clear to extend deadlines. That hasn't
    happened in the House yet. And so we are operating in the executive
    branch under the idea that nothing will change, and therefore, we need
    to get to the Canadian Government as quickly as possible our definition
    of what a reasonable policy is. If Congress decides to be flexible, we
    obviously will be flexible.
        But the reason we're dealing with this issue is because the
    legislative branch put this into law, put the need to have these kind of
    documents into law. And as I told Chertoff,
    who is responsible for implementing the law, that I would like this--to
    the extent the law allows, for there to be a lot of flexibility and
    simplicity.
        As the Governor of Texas, I'm used to a border situation where
    hundreds of thousands of people crossed every day. See, we--on our
    southern border, there are a lot of Mexican citizens who come into the
    United States and work on a daily basis and then go back home. It
    happens a lot. And therefore, I fully understand the need

    [[Page 1329]]

    for there to be simplicity in the documentation. It needs to be easy for
    somebody who is known and a person that is--makes a living on the other
    side of the border. There's--a lot of kids go to college in, like, El
    Paso, Texas, and they're living in Mexico, so they've got to go back and
    forth on a regular basis. So I'm familiar with this issue a lot, and I
    really do emphasize the need for us to be mindful of what a onerous
    program could mean to good relations as well as facilitation of trade.
        I can remember Stephen's concerns about the effect of this
    initiative might have on conventions, for example, in Canada. He brought
    up today an interesting example of Little League teams playing baseball
    in Manitoba. And so, in other words, there's a lot of just daily
    commerce that we've got to be mindful about, not just trade, but the
    movement of people. And we are, we are.
        And so to answer your question, if the Congress provides
    flexibility, of course we will work with the Canadian Government to
    extend deadlines. If the Congress says, ``No, this is what our intent
    is,'' we will work with the Canadian Government to make the law work.

    [Prime Minister Harper spoke in French, and no translation was
    provided.]

        Prime Minister Harper. We're on two tracks here. We've indicated we
    want to cooperate. We understand this is a congressional law the
    administration has to put into place. We're prepared to cooperate to
    make it work as smoothly and effectively as possible. We need more
    information, and we've been pressing for that for some time, and we'll
    continue to do so.
        At the same time, our other track is obviously to encourage some
    reexamination of the law. The Senate has recently passed an amendment
    that would delay this process by a year and a half. We have some
    indications from some quarters of the House of Representatives, some
    will there to consider the same thing.
        As I say, we--and I just want to emphasize--we in Canada share the
    United States security concerns and objectives. I think, as you all
    know, recently with events in Toronto, it's been brought home to all of
    us that we face exactly the same kind of security threats and are
    defending exactly the same kinds of values. And I would hate to see a
    law go into place that has the effect of not just limiting and
    endangering trade or tourism but endangering all those thousands of
    social interactions that occur across our border every day and are the
    reason why Canada and the United States have the strongest relationship
    of any two countries, not just on the planet but in the history of
    mankind.
        And I would just urge the Congress to think carefully, that if the
    fight for security ends up meaning that the United States becomes more
    closed to its friends, then the terrorists have won. And I don't think
    either of us want that. So we're prepared to cooperate, and also urge
    the Congress to apply some flexibility in reaching their objectives of
    security.
        President Bush. Thank you.
        Jim Axelrod [CBS News].

    North Korea/Foreign Policy

        Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Kim Jong Il has been described as
    quirky, as odd. A member of your administration yesterday compared him
    to an unloved child looking for attention. And I'm wondering if you
    agree with that assessment. Does he pose----
        President Bush. Who was that person? [Laughter]
        Q. Does he pose--come to the booth, sir, I'll tell you who it was.
    [Laughter] Does he pose any particular unique problems to deal with? And
    do you feel that he's looking, for instance, at what's been offered to
    the Iranians by the world community in terms of incentives and saying,
    ``I'd like a little of that for myself''?
        President Bush. It's hard for me to tell you what's on his mind.
    He lives in a very

    [[Page 1330]]

    closed society. It's unlike our societies where we have press
    conferences and people are entitled to ask questions, and there's all
    kinds of discussions out of administrations and people saying this,
    saying that, and the other. This is a very closed society.
        We do know there's a lot of concentration camps. We do know that
    people are starving. As a matter of fact, our Nation has tried to help
    feed the hungry. But what we don't know is his intentions, and so I
    think we've got to plan for the worst and hope for the best. And
    planning for the worst means to make sure that we continue to work with
    friends and allies, as well as those who've agreed to be a part of the
    six-party talks, to continue to send a unified message.
        We've also got a very strong Proliferation Security Initiative,
    because one of the threats that can emanate from a closed society,
    particularly one that claims to have nuclear weapons, is proliferation.
    One of the real dangers we face is weapons of mass destruction in the
    hands of people who would like to continue to hurt us, hurt the United
    States or hurt Canada, hurt anybody who has the courage to stand up and
    embrace freedom, see. That's the big threat.
        And so we don't know, Jim, about his intentions, but we take--we're
    planning. And so one of the things we've done--and I thank Canada's
    contribution--is for there to be a very strong initiative to prevent
    proliferation, through what we call the Proliferation Security
    Initiative. And it's an important initiative. It's a way to say, we're
    not going to allow you to threaten us; we're not going to allow you to--
    the rocket--as I say, I'm not exactly sure what the azimuth was of the
    rocket. We've got our people still analyzing that. But, for example, we
    didn't--we don't know what was on the rocket. We don't know where the
    rocket was headed. It would have been helpful, of course, had he said, ``Here's what we're going to do. Here's our
    intentions. Here's what--we want to work with you; we want to explain
    it.'' Who knows--maybe send a satellite--who knows what his intention
    was.
        But that's not the way he decided to deal
    with it. He just decided to say--to start firing, and he fired seven of
    them. And we take this seriously. We take, and we all should take,
    threats seriously. That's one of the lessons of September the 11th, is
    that what takes place in other parts of the world can come home to hurt
    the American people. See, a failed government in Afghanistan enabled
    plotters and planners to train and then come and kill 3,000 of our
    citizens. And so it used to be that's it's okay if something were
    happening from afar, oceans could protect us. I presume that's how some
    in Canada used to feel. The lesson of September the 11th is, is that
    we're vulnerable, and therefore, we've got to deal with each threat.
        I've assured the American people and assured our friends and allies,
    we want to deal with threats diplomatically. The best way to deal with
    threats diplomatically is to encourage others to be a part of the
    process. And that's what we're doing. That's why we've got the six-party
    talks.
        And one of the keys in the six-party talks is for all the nations to
    send clear messages to Kim Jong Il. That's why I
    was on the phone this morning, saying as clearly as I could to our
    fellow partners,
    four other
    leaders, to say, let's send a common message that you won't be rewarded
    for ignoring the world and that you'll be isolated if you continue to do
    this, and yet there's a way forward.
        See, I care deeply about the people in North Korea. I truly do. It
    breaks my heart to know that young children are literally starving to
    death. And I wish--I just wish at some point in time there was an
    openness in that society where we could help save lives. I'm also
    realistic enough to realize what weapons of mass destruction could mean
    in the world in which we live.
        And so we're working this issue hard. We're working the Iranian
    issue hard. Steve

    [[Page 1331]]

    and I talked about a strategy going into the G-8 session. I talked to
    President Putin this morning abut making
    sure that not only do we send messages to the North Koreans but that our
    strategy will work with Iran.
        And it's just really important for the American President to see the
    world the way it is, not the way we would hope it would be, and to deal
    with threats, and to do so in a way that will achieve results. And it
    takes a while. I mean, these threats didn't arise overnight, and these
    problems won't be solved overnight. But we've got strategies in place to
    deal with them.
        And one of the reasons why it's important to have Steve here is so
    we can talk about how we can work together to deal with it. And they're
    not just threats to our security that normal people think of. HIV/AIDS
    on the continent of Africa is a threat to our security in the long run.
    That's why I'm proud to report the United States took the lead on
    setting up the Global Fund, as well as bilateral programs to help save
    people's lives. I think it's in our interests. I also happen to believe
    in the admonition, ``To whom much is given, much is required.''
        And so we've got a robust foreign policy on a lot of fronts, and I
    intend to keep it that way. And I'm confident that what we're doing is
    going to make this world a better place. And I'm proud to have allies
    like Steve who understand the stakes of the 21st century.

    Birthday Present for the President

        Q. Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, before I ask you a question,
    I'm just curious what you think of that belt buckle the Prime Minister
    gave you as a birthday gift, and are you wearing it?
        President Bush. I hadn't seen it yet. [Laughter] Oh, Lee, you gave
    it away. [Laughter]

    North Korea/Missile Defense System

        Q. Mr. President, on a serious note, in light of the North Korean
    missile test and the fact that North Korea could launch another series
    of missiles at any minute, did you ask Canada to reconsider joining in
    the Ballistic Missile Defense Shield?
        And, Prime Minister, do you still think it's wrong and not in
    Canada's interest to join the BMD? And if--when you're responding, could
    you do it in French and English, please?
        President Bush. Anyway, thanks for the belt buckle in advance.
    [Laughter]
        Prime Minister Harper. No problem at all.
        President Bush. Looking forward to getting it.
        Prime Minister Harper. Figure if you're going to be 60, you should
    get something.
        President Bush. That's right. Just hope the belt fits. [Laughter]
        No, I didn't bring it up, because I figured if he was interested, he
    would tell me. I did explain to him, however, that we will continue to
    build a robust system, because I think it's in--I know it's in our
    interest to make sure that we're never in a position where somebody can
    blackmail us.
        So we'll continue to invest and spend. And since this issue first
    came up, we've made a lot of progress on how to--towards having an
    effective system. And it's in our interest that we continue to work
    along these lines.
        But, no, my attitude was--this is a--this was a particularly
    difficult political issue inside Canada, and my relationship is such
    that if Stephen thought it was of importance, he would have told me
    what's on his mind. Now, maybe he's going to bring it up over lunch, but
    he didn't bring it up earlier.
        Prime Minister Harper. Let me just begin by saying----
        President Bush. Interesting question, though.
        Prime Minister Harper. Let me just begin by saying that--first of
    all, the question was asked earlier, I think, is North Korea a threat. I
    don't think the issue is

    [[Page 1332]]

    whether North Korea is a threat. North Korea clearly wants to be a
    threat. And I think--I just want to repeat what the President has said.
    Given that that's a society of the kind of nature it is, I think this
    should concern us immensely, and the fact that it is prepared to arm
    itself and prepared to threaten to use such armaments--I think it is
    something that we should be gravely concerned about, as was said
    earlier.
        Missiles that are fired in the direction of the United States
    constitute a threat to Canada. That's one of the reasons why our
    Government renewed, on a permanent basis, the NORAD treaty. Through
    NORAD we have a special relationship on air defense and we share
    information on these kind of matters. I think as you know, to answer
    your specific question, the Government of Canada is not prepared to open
    a missile defense issue at this time, but I will say that I think it
    should be obvious, when we look at this kind of threat, why the United
    States and others would want to have a modern and flexible defense
    system against this kind of threat. So I think that's something, at
    least, our Government fully understands.

    [Prime Minister Harper spoke in French, and no translation was
    provided.]

        President Bush. Welcome. Thank you for your birthday greetings.

    President's Birthday

        Q. Mr. President, happy birthday.
        President Bush. Thank you very much. Yes.
        Q. It's also my birthday.
        President Bush. Today's your birthday, too?
        Q. Yes, sir.
        President Bush. It is? Come on up. Let's have a birthday picture.
    Come up, come up, come up. [Laughter] Come on. Get up here. Anybody else
    have their birthday today? [Laughter] It's your birthday? Yes, sure. It
    is your birthday? Come on. [Laughter] It's amazing how everybody's
    birthday is today.

    [All present sang Happy Birthday to the President and others celebrating
    birthdays.]

        President Bush. Dear Richard--he just told me he's 30 years old.
    [Laughter] Happy birthday. Happy birthday.

    Note: The President's news conference began at 11:55 a.m. in the East
    Room at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Secretary-
    General Kofi Annan of the United Nations; Chairman Kim Jong Il of North
    Korea; President Hu Jintao of China; President Vladimir V. Putin of
    Russia; Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; and President Roh
    Moo-hyun of South Korea.