[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
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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
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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.