    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [March 25, 2008]
    [Pages 413-414]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following Discussions With King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain
    March 25, 2008

        President Bush. Your Majesty, welcome back to Washington. It is such
    a pleasure to see you. I still have such fond memories of our trip to
    the Kingdom of Bahrain. His Majesty and I were reminiscing about the
    sword dance that you put on. It was spectacular. And you've got a--not
    only do you have a beautiful country, but you've got a prosperous
    country and a country that is a great friend of the United States. It's
    just such a honor to welcome you back here.
        We had a good discussion--and we'll continue our discussion over
    lunch--on a variety of subjects. First, I do want to thank the Kingdom
    for sending an ambassador to Iraq. That's a very strong move that
    indicates a willingness to lead, as well as a willingness to send a
    signal that when a young democracy like Iraq is beginning to make
    progress, that it is important for the neighborhood to recognize that
    progress. And I really do want to thank Your Majesty for that.
        We talked about security measures, the need to work together on
    joint security operations. I congratulated His Majesty on Bahrain's
    leadership of a joint task force that's--that is enabling nations to
    learn how to work together in order to keep the peace.
        All in all, it's been what you would expect: a visit that's cordial
    and comfortable and amongst friends. And so, Your Majesty, welcome back,
    and thank you for coming.
        King Hamad. Thank you. Thank you. I would like to thank the
    President for his kind invitation and his great support to Bahrain and
    to the stability and prosperity of our region.
        And concerning sending back ambassador--an ambassador to Iraq, Iraq
    is an Arab state. Iraq is a founder of the Arab League, so it deserves
    all the support that it can get from other brother Arabs.
        And the discussion today focused on bilateral relations concerning
    the free trade agreement, which we have signed, and concerning the
    energy as well, which yesterday was signed by the Secretary of State and
    our Foreign Minister. And we talked about security matters, which really
    are the most important issue for maintaining the development and the
    prosperity in our region.
        And I came all the way to thank the President for what he has done
    for Bahrain and for our region and for the whole world--stability and
    security in fighting terrorism and extremism. And we hope we achieve our
    common goals by having a stable world.
        So thank you, Mr. President. Thank you.
        President Bush. Thank you, Majesty. Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:32 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. King Hamad referred to Minister of Foreign Affairs Khalid bin
    Ahmad al-Khalifa of Bahrain.

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