    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
    [June 9, 2008]
    [Pages 771-772]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Departure for Kranj, Slovenia
    June 9, 2008

        Good morning. I'm just about to leave for Europe. I'm looking
    forward to my trip. I'm looking forward to meeting with our friends and
    allies. We've got strong relations in Europe, and this trip will help
    solidify those relations. And we got a lot to talk about.
        First, I'm looking forward to talking about the freedom agenda with
    the European nations. You know, we've got a lot

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    of work to do in Afghanistan. And the countries I'm going to have
    committed troops to Afghanistan, and of course, I want to thank them and
    remind them there's a lot of work to be done.
        I talked to Laura yesterday, who, as you now
    know, took a trip to Afghanistan. I want to thank her for going. She
    gave me a good assessment about what she saw. She saw progress, but she
    also saw there needs to be a lot of work to be done--there's a lot of
    work to be done. And so she's going to go to the Paris conference, along
    with Secretary Rice, on our behalf to ask
    nations to contribute to the development of Afghanistan, which will mean
    they'll be contributing to peace.
        And then, of course, we'll be talking about the economy. A lot of
    Americans are concerned about our economy. I can understand why.
    Gasoline prices are high; energy prices are high. I do remind them that
    we have put a stimulus package forward that is expected to help boost
    the economy. Of course, we'll be monitoring the situation.
        We'll remind our friends and allies overseas that we're all too
    dependent on hydrocarbons and must work to advance technologies to help
    us become less dependent on hydrocarbons. I'll also remind them, though,
    that the United States has an opportunity to help increase the supply of
    oil on the market, therefore, taking pressure off gasoline for hard-
    working Americans, and that I've proposed to the Congress that they open
    up ANWR and open up the Continental Shelf, and give this country a
    chance to help us through this difficult period by finding more supplies
    of crude oil, which will take the pressure off the price of gasoline.
        These are global issues we'll be discussing. Secretary
    Paulson will be also discussing issues
    at the G-8 ministers in Japan this week.
        As well, I'll talk about our Nation's commitment to a strong dollar.
    A strong dollar is in our Nation's interests; it is in the interests of
    the global economy. Our economy is large, and it's open and flexible.
    Our capital markets are some of the deepest and most liquid. And the
    long-term health and strong foundation of our economy will shine through
    and be reflected in currency values.
        U.S. economy has continued to grow in the face of unprecedented
    challenges. We got to keep our economies flexible. Both the U.S. economy
    and European economies need to be flexible in order to deal with today's
    challenges.
        I'm looking forward to my trip, and I'm looking forward to seeing
    Laura. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:55 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White
    House.