    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
    [August 30, 2007]
    [Pages 1145-1148]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Interview With David Speers of Sky News
    August 30, 2007

    Australia's Role in the War on Terror

        Mr. Speers. Mr. President, the United States has around 160,000
    troops in Iraq at the moment. Australia has, in its battle group, only
    around 500 in the relatively safe Dhi Qar Province. Is this just a
    symbolic contribution? Would it really matter if they were brought home?
        The President. First, I want to thank the Howard Government and the people of Australia for joining this
    global struggle against extremists and radicals who are trying to impose
    their vision on the world. And that struggle is found--being played out
    in Iraq and Afghanistan right now and other places.
        And so I view Australia's contribution to peace and freedom as more
    than just Iraq. I view it as, one, a strategic partnership with the
    United States. I view their contribution as intelligence contributions.
    But I also understand that there's a commitment to helping people live
    in freedom as a long-term solution to this ideological struggle.
        And I'm often asked about coalition troops. And my attitude is, our
    coalition partners ought to be making decisions based upon conditions on
    the ground, because failure in Iraq would lead to, in my judgment, to
    turmoil, chaos in the Middle East, and other attacks on the United
    States and other nations. Success will be a major blow to these radicals
    and extremists that will make it easier for us to say we've done our
    duty and laid the foundation for peace.

    Opposition Leader Kevin M. Rudd of Australia/
    War on Terror

        Mr. Speers. Well, as you know, there's an election only 2 or 3
    months away in Australia, and Kevin Rudd, the Opposition Leader, is
    ahead in all of the polls. And he has promised to pull those combat
    troops out of Iraq if he wins. He says he'll consult with the U.S. So,
    if he does win, what would you be saying to him? Would you be trying to
    convince him not to do that?
        The President. Well, actually, I believe he's on my calendar. I, of
    course, will be meeting with the Prime Minister,
    and then I'll be meeting with Mr. Rudd, and I'm looking forward to it.
    He doesn't know me, and I don't know him. And so I look forward to
    sharing my views and would ask, if he were to win, that he consider
    conditions on the ground before making any decisions, that what matters
    is success. And I believe we can be successful. And I know it's
    important to be successful. And I will be glad to explain to him why I'm
    optimistic that this hard work will achieve what we all want, which is,
    over time, fewer troops and peace. The main thing we want

    [[Page 1146]]

    is to make sure that we deal these radicals and extremists a major blow,
    which is success in Iraq.
        See, here's the interesting thing that I hope the people of
    Australia understand: There are two forms of extremism that have now
    converged on Iraq. One is Sunni extremism in the likes of Al Qaida.
    These people in Iraq swore allegiance to the very same person that
    ordered the attack on the United States of America. Sunni extremists
    have killed Australians. Sunni extremists that are inspired by this
    ideology are killing around the world.
        And then there's the strain of Shiism extremism that is fostered by
    Iran. And these are the two major threats to world peace, and they've
    converged on Iraq, which should say that we need to do the hard work
    necessary so we can have peace in the long term for children growing up
    both in the United States and Australia.

    Military Operations in Afghanistan and Iraq

        Mr. Speers. So you need those Australian troops there.
        The President. We need all our coalition partners. And I would hope
    that--and I understand, look, everybody has got their own internal
    politics. My only point is, is that whether it be Afghanistan or Iraq,
    we've got more work to do. We, the free world, has got more work to do.
    And I believe those of us who live in liberty have a responsibility to
    promote forms of government that deal with what causes 19 kids to get on
    airplanes to kill 3,000 students [citizens].*
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        *White House correction.
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    United Kingdom's Role in Iraq

        Mr. Speers. What, then, do you say about the British withdrawing
    significant numbers from southern Iraq in what many of your officers say
    is still a dangerous zone of the country?
        The President. Well, I've talked to--I've said the exact same thing
    to Gordon Brown: Make sure you're dictated by
    conditions on the ground. And he--listen, that's exactly what he said
    he's going to do.
        Mr. Speers. So that's not premature, that British withdrawal.
        The President. Well, he said that he's
    going to make decisions based upon conditions. And by the way, the Brits
    are going to keep a presence. When you say ``withdraw,'' it makes it
    sound like all their troops are coming home, but that's not what's going
    to happen.
        Mr. Speers. But a significant number of them are.
        The President. Well, you know, he will let
    me know when he makes that decision. He has said that he is going to
    make decisions in southern Iraq based upon conditions. They're now moved
    out of the Basra Palace into an air base, which is fine. But they will
    have a presence there to help this Iraqi Government succeed.

    Australian Elections/Australia-U.S. Relations

        Mr. Speers. You've had a very close relationship with John Howard.
    You famously called him the ``man of steel.'' If he doesn't win the
    election, and Kevin Rudd does become Prime Minister, given that you have
    differences over such a big issue as Iraq, will the alliance still be
    the same? Will the relationship be the same?
        The President. I refuse to accept your hypothesis.
        Mr. Speers. If he wins.
        The President. Well, that's if. You're asking me to answer a
    hypothetical.
        Mr. Speers. But will the alliance change?
        The President. All I can tell you is, is that I remember John
    Howard has been behind in polls before and he's
    won. And so certainly, I'm not going to prejudge the decision of the
    Australian people. And I will end up dealing with whomever and work hard
    to make sure that the Australian

    [[Page 1147]]

    and U.S. relationship is good. But I don't buy into your hypothesis.
        Mr. Speers. But essentially, the relationship won't suffer if Kevin
    Rudd becomes Prime Minister?
        The President. Look, I'll be glad to deal with the situation. See,
    that's a loaded question. In this sense, you're trying to get me to
    predict the outcome of the election, and I'm not going to do it. I don't
    know enough about it, and I am going down there to deal with the current
    Prime Minister, who, no doubt about it, is a
    close personal friend of mine. And I think a man--he is a man of steel,
    because he's a person who stands on conviction and principle. I don't
    know Mr. Rudd; I'm looking forward to getting to
    know him. But that's all I really want to comment about your elections.
        Mr. Speers. A lot of Australians will be weighing out, what's going
    to happen to the alliance if Labor wins the election?
        The President. Yes, as I said, I really am not going to get involved
    in your election down there. I am going to be--I'm going down as the
    U.S. President, proud of the relationship between the United States and
    Australia. It is a relationship based upon our common values; it's a
    relationship based upon good economic ties; and it's a really important
    relationship. And I presume whoever the U.S. President is after me and
    the Prime Ministers to come in Australia will understand how important
    that is.

    China

        Mr. Speers. Labor also wants the alliance to focus more on China and
    its military buildup in particular, its nuclear arms stocks. Should more
    attention be given to that and China's tensions with Japan?
        The President. Well, we spend a lot of time on China in this
    administration. I've got good relations with both the Japanese and
    Chinese leadership. My view is, is that it's important for there to be
    an active U.S. presence in Asia, precisely to make sure that old
    tensions don't flare up.
        And I'm pleased with the progress that's being made in Asia. And
    obviously, the interesting relationship now in Asia is the trading
    relationship. Australia, fortunately, has got a surplus with China. And
    America, however, has got a major deficit with China.
        Mr. Speers. Does the military issue concern you?
        The President. It only concerns me if there's hostility. In other
    words, it only concerns me if the Government declares its hostility
    toward the world. I happen to believe that China's most important issue
    internally is for them to grow their economy to deal with--they've got
    to create, like, 25 million new jobs a year in order to stay even, in
    order to keep their economy growing. And so therefore, my view of China
    is that they're internally focused to the extent that they want economic
    growth and vitality; they're externally focused in order to get the raw
    materials they need. But if they ever turn hostile, I would be concerned
    about, you know, a military----

    President's Upcoming Visit to Australia

        Mr. Speers. Mr. President, just finally, a lot of Sydneysiders are
    complaining about the impost of APEC, in particular your security detail
    and how that will affect the city for a week while you're there, almost
    a week while you're there. Do you have any message for them?
        The President. Well, first, I'm looking forward to coming to the
    beautiful city, and to the extent that I inconvenience them, I
    apologize. I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about, in terms of--
    --
        Mr. Speers. The security lockdown in the city.
        The President. It's the first--thank you for sharing that with me. I
    got a lot on my mind, and one of the things that's one [on]* my mind is
    I'm looking forward to

    [[Page 1148]]

    coming to one of the most beautiful cities in the world. If I
    inconvenience people, that's not my intent. My intent is to represent my
    country in an important meeting in a country that I admire a lot and a
    country with whom we've got great relations. And it's important that we
    continue to have great relations.
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        *White House correction.
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        I hope people--I hope people understand why it's done, and I just
    hope it doesn't disrupt their lives too much.
        Mr. Speers. Mr. President, we do look forward to seeing you in
    Sydney. Thank you very much for your time.
        The President. I'm looking forward to it. Thank you for your time.
        Mr. Speers. Thank you.

    Note: The interview was taped at 3:39 p.m. in the Map Room at the White
    House for later broadcast. In his remarks, the President referred to
    Prime Minister John W. Howard of Australia; and Prime Minister Gordon
    Brown of the United Kingdom. This transcript was released by the Office
    of the Press Secretary on August 31. A tape was not available for
    verification of the content of this interview.