[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
[March 21, 2007]
[Pages 338-339]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Following a Discussion With Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand
March 21, 2007

    President Bush. Madam Prime Minister, welcome. We've had a really 
fruitful discussion. The Prime Minister and I have visited several times 
over the course of the years. Every time I've talked to Helen Clark, 
I've found a very straightforward, honest woman who cares deeply about 
the country she represents. And I really thank you very much for coming 
back.
    We talked about a lot of subjects. We talked about the importance 
for the United States and New Zealand to work cooperatively in helping 
democracy in places like Afghanistan. We talked about North Korea and 
Iran, our mutual desire for these problems of nations wanting to have 
nuclear weapons to be solved in a peaceful way by using the diplomatic 
process.
    We talked about commerce. We talked about the environment and the 
need for our respective countries to work toward energy security. I 
assured the Prime Minister that my initiative to reduce gasoline in the 
United States by 20 percent over the next 10 years was a realistic 
initiative that's going to require new technologies, which we hope that 
other parts of the world, including New Zealand, will find useful to 
help achieve the common objective.
    We talked about the South Pacific, and I praised the Prime Minister 
on her leadership in dealing with some difficult issues. I assured her 
that our Government want to help in any way we can. We understand this 
is a--some of the countries there have got difficult issues, and it 
requires New Zealand's leadership, with U.S. help, to help solve the 
problems--and Australian help as well.
    We talked about the need for us to continue to work together in the 
Asia Pacific region, about how APEC is a useful forum for New Zealand 
and the United States to work with China and other nations.
    All in all, I found it to be a constructive conversation, such a 
good conversation I've decided to invite her for lunch.
    Madam Prime Minister.
    Prime Minister Clark Well, thank you, Mr. President. It has been a 
good conversation. It's a very good relationship. And we've talked about 
the areas in the new international security environment where we're 
working particularly closely--counter-terrorism, counterproliferation. 
The President is very familiar with the work New Zealand has been doing 
in Afghanistan and very appreciative of it, as I know the Afghanistan 
Government and people are.
    We've talked about New Zealand's support in the counterproliferation 
area. I've told the President today that following on

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the good work his country and others have done in the six-party talks on 
North Korea, New Zealand is prepared to offer support for the energy 
package as part of the initial actions agreement that came out of the 
last session of the six-party talks. We've been involved with the Korean 
issue before, support of the KEDO fund. So we're prepared to be in and 
support denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
    We're also participating with the U.S. on another project under the 
G-8 global partnership for eliminating the weapons of mass destruction 
still floating around the ex-Soviet countries. And we'll be involved in 
another partnership with the U.S. on the Ukranian border, which involves 
training officials and detecting material which might be crossing 
borders.
    I've talked about the importance to us of the U.S. presence in the 
Asia Pacific. We cooperate a lot on the Asia Pacific, a lot of common 
objectives, work well in APEC together. I particularly welcomed the 
President's support for developing up the concept of a free trade area 
of the Asia Pacific, which we have to look at again at the Sydney APEC 
summit.
    Also appreciative of the fact that the U.S. is focusing on the 
problems of the South Pacific. We've had close coordination on the 
aftermath of the coup in Fiji, on the issues in the Solomon Islands, on 
Tonga, where the State Department is shortly to send another envoy to 
look at the situation there. Quite a considerable Tonga population in 
the U.S., as well as in New Zealand.
    And of course, Timor, which has many of the characteristics of a 
South Pacific country, we're very active in as well; just sent a new 
helicopter contingent up there to support the peace effort.
    So all in all, we've run through those issues. I've indicated that 
New Zealand is very supportive of fast-track authority being extended 
because the Doha round needs that extension. And if at some point in the 
future the U.S. is in a position to consider negotiating with more 
countries on FTA, New Zealand is there. And we think we present very, 
very few problems for the U.S.
    So had the opportunity to run over a lot of issues, and a very, very 
good relationship, and thank the President for the invitation to be here 
today.
    President Bush. Thank you, Madam Prime Minister. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 11:48 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House.