[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 24 (Monday, June 18, 2001)]
[Pages 908-913]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With President Aleksander Kwasniewski of 
Poland in Warsaw, Poland

June 15, 2001

    President Kwasniewski. Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen. First of 
all, once again, I'd like to extend my words of welcome to all those 
attending the press conference. And I wish to express my joy upon the 
occasion of the official visit of the President of the United States of 
America, George Walker Bush, Jr., in Poland.
    We are very honored that the first visit of the newly elected 
President of the United States of America is taking place in Poland. We 
take it as a symbol but, at the same time, as the confirmation of 
friendly and allied relations that Poland and the United States have 
enjoyed for more than a 100 years and which have developed in the last 
decade very strongly, and that is a good reason for respect. I, once 
again, want to welcome Mr. President Bush here in Poland.

[[Page 909]]

    This transformation began in Poland over 12 years ago is successful. 
Also, thanks to our allies, to our friends, and also thanks to American 
politics--politicians, businessmen, all those who have supported us in 
this uneasy work. We remember the visit of George Bush, Sr., President 
of the United States in 1989, when Poland was just starting its 
transformation. We are happy, Mr. President, that we can demonstrate a 
better and changed democratic Poland to you--the Poland that is using 
its political opportunity.
    During our talks, we discussed the international border, and I wish 
to accept the determination on the part of the United States towards the 
enlargement of NATO. We're happy to say that we have similar views over 
the political situation and political relations in central and eastern 
Europe. The United States has been very supportive of Poland's 
aspirations as a future member of the European Union.
    We're very close, not only in the political sense, but in everyday 
cooperation we have been very close, as well. We have adopted the common 
resolution of the President of the Republic of Poland and the President 
of the United States of America. You've been distributed this important 
document because it refers to all important, most important issues and, 
at the same time, it has been written in a very legible and 
understandable language to everyone.
    In our joint resolution, there is nothing that relates to diplomacy, 
but there is only the substance of our very close, friendly, and allied 
relations.
    This is what I wanted to say by introduction and welcome you, Mr. 
President, once again.
    President Bush. Thank you for the beautiful weather.
    President Kwasniewski. We have special relations. [Laughter]
    President Bush. I'll try to highlight that in my speech this 
afternoon.
    I'm the third President to come to your beautiful land since Poland 
regained freedom. Many more will follow, because the bond between our 
two countries is very strong, and that bond is formed of many things, 
starting with our love for freedom.
    Over the last generation, the people of Poland have suffered greatly 
to win freedom. America stood with Poland in that struggle, and we stand 
with you today in facing the challenges of a new era of democracy and 
economic progress.
    Our hopes for peace for Poland and all of Europe depend on NATO. 
Since joining the Alliance 2 years ago, Poland has contributed greatly 
to its success and serves as a fine example for all future members of 
NATO.
    The President and I talked about how NATO must continue to enlarge, 
to increase Europe's security. We talked about the challenges and 
opportunity NATO faces in its relations with Russia and with neighbors 
in transition, like the Ukraine.
    Today, U.S. and Polish soldiers serve side by side as part of the 
NATO contingent that seeks to bring peace and democracy to the Balkans. 
It's important that Poland's military remain well equipped. To that end, 
I'm pleased to announce the United States is making the necessary 
legislative preparations to transfer a second frigate to the Polish 
Navy.
    The President and I also discussed Poland's move toward membership 
in the European Union. The EU is America's largest trading partner 
outside North America. Joining Poland's economy to that of the EU is in 
all our interests and will only strengthen America's ties with all our 
Atlantic partners.
    The interests of America and Poland are clear, and they are the 
same: to continue building a more stable Europe, to strengthen the 
institutions of democracy, freedom, commerce, and mutual security, and 
to promote the prosperity that comes through investment and open trade.
    Another topic we covered today was the common commitment of the 
United States and Poland to spreading prosperity and democracy in this 
part of the world. And I was pleased to inform the President that the 
Polish American Enterprise Fund will transfer $20 million to the new 
Polish-American Freedom Foundation. In this way, our countries can 
continue the joint work of promoting democracy and free markets and the 
rule of law throughout central and eastern Europe.

[[Page 910]]

    I look forward to my meeting, as well, with the Prime Minister. I 
look forward to conveying my respect to him for his role in helping 
bring Poland into NATO. Friendship and cooperation between our two 
countries is strong and is growing stronger. The Republic of Poland 
today is an equal partner in the work of building greater prosperity and 
security across Europe, and it's a huge honor for me to be here.
    Thank you, Mr. President.
    President Kwasniewski. Thank you, Mr. President. Now is time for 
questions.

NATO Expansion

    Q. In accordance with the Brussels decision yesterday, in one year's 
time there will be further candidates in Europe to negotiate their 
membership. Will that one year be a sufficient period of time, and will 
one of the criteria be for NATO membership so that NATO could constitute 
a wholeness, a whole area, in political terms?
    President Bush. If I understand the question correctly, it was about 
NATO expansion.
    Q. Yes.
    President Bush. My Government believes NATO should expand. We 
believe no one should be excluded because of history or location or 
geography. And we don't believe any nation should have a veto over who 
is accepted. We also believe a lot of progress has been made toward 
achieving the requirements necessary to be accepted into NATO and look 
forward to the Prague summit a year from this fall, to a positive 
statement of expansion. I think it will happen; to the extent, we will 
see. How many nations are accepted, we will see. But in my speech today 
I will say it's not a matter of whether NATO expands; it's a matter of 
when NATO expands. We strongly stand on the side of expansion of NATO.
    Major Garrett [Cable News Network].

Russia

    Q. President Kwasniewski, thank you for your hospitality. President 
Bush, there are fresh reports today about concerns of the U.S. 
Government of proliferation from the Russian Government, selling certain 
materials to nations such as Iran. And before we left on this trip, your 
National Security Adviser expressed some doubts about President Putin's 
commitment to democracy.
    I'm curious, sir, what is your general assessment of Russia on these 
two vital questions, proliferation and its commitment to democracy?
    Thank you, sir.
    President Bush. As you know full well, I've got a meeting with 
President Putin tomorrow. And I am really looking forward to it, because 
it's an opportunity for me to say to President Putin, the United States 
is no longer your enemy.
    I also will stress that my vision of Europe includes Russia and that 
Russia should not fear the expansion of freedom-loving people to her 
borders. Russia has got vast potential and great opportunity, 
particularly if she makes a commitment to democratic institutions and to 
the rule of law and embraces the open market.
    I am concerned about some reports of the proliferation of weapons 
throughout--on Russia's southern border, for example, countries on her 
southern border, and I'll bring that subject up. I think it's important 
for Russia to hear that our Nation is concerned about the spreading of 
weapons of mass destruction. And I'll bring it up in the context of 
explaining why it is important for us think differently about missile 
defenses, to think differently about the cold war doctrine that is 
codified in the ABM Treaty of 1972.
    The more capacity a nation has to develop a--a nation that can't 
stand America or our friends or Allies--to develop weapons of mass 
destruction, the more necessary it is for freedom-loving people to have 
the capacity to halt any political blackmail they may choose to inflict 
upon us. And so I will talk about democracy--democracy building. I'll 
talk about capital investment and the need for capital to have open 
markets and rule of law, transparency in economy, and I will also talk 
about security measures.

Visas for Polish Visitors to the U.S.

    Q. This is a question to Mr. Bush--[inaudible]--to Poland, as a 
symbol of our openness and our sympathy for the U.S. Unfortunately, this 
gesture is not returned. I'd like to ask you, may Poles count on not 
needing American visas soon? Thank you.

[[Page 911]]

    President Bush. American visas?
    Q. Yes. Yes, sir.
    President Bush. In other words, whether or not someone going to 
America needs a visa?
    Q. Yes, sir.
    President Bush. We can discuss that issue at the State Department 
level. But Poles are welcome in America. We welcome you to come. There 
are, as you know--Chicago is a city with many, many people of Polish 
heritage. I would hope that it's easy to travel to our country.
    David Gregory [NBC News].
    Q. Mr. President, good afternoon.
    President Bush. Thank you, sir. You look mighty sharp today, by the 
way.
    Q. Well, thank you very much.
    President Bush. Don't you think? [Laughter]

Russia

    Q. I wonder if you would be specific, sir, about what incentives 
you're prepared to offer Russian President Putin to get both his 
blessing and perhaps his cooperation in missile defense. And 
additionally, as you just mentioned, you no longer consider Russia an 
adversary. Then what is it? What do you want Russia to become--an ally, 
a strategic partner, a strategic adversary, what?
    President Bush. My hopes are the same as the President's hopes about 
Russia. We want Russia to be a partner and an ally--a partner in peace, 
a partner in democracy, a country that embraces freedom, a country that 
enhances the security of Europe.
    The discussion tomorrow, David, is going to be a broad discussion. 
It won't focus just on defenses, security arrangements. It will focus on 
a frame of mind and an attitude. This is my first meeting with the 
President, and certainly won't be my last. The purpose of the meeting is 
to share a vision about Russia's role in the world and in Europe. It is 
to assure--it is to provide assurances to Russia that our country 
doesn't want to diminish the nation; we want to help elevate the nation.
    We will have a long discussion about the role of capital in a 
society, that if Russia makes the right choices, she will attract a lot 
of capital, U.S. capital. Russia has got enormous resources and great 
potential. This is the first of what I hope are many meetings between 
Mr. Putin and me, and many discussions. And first and foremost is to 
develop a trust between us. He doesn't know me, and I don't know him 
very well. But at my press conference tomorrow, I am confident I will be 
able to say I've got a pretty good feel for the man, and he's got a good 
feel for me. And he'll see that I'm the President of a peace-loving 
nation, a nation that wants Russia to succeed and do well.
    The definition of the relationship will evolve over time, but first 
and foremost, it's got to start with the simple word, ``friend.''

National Missile Defense

    Q. The first question to President Kwasniewski, I am intrigued 
whether you used the opportunity during your talks with the President, 
and have you asked the question about the missile defense? Have you 
talked also about Brussels, and have you developed that subject, or have 
you rather concentrated on bilateral relations and--in connection 
between Russia and NATO and good relations between NATO and Russia--and 
of course, in future relations in the world?
    President Kwasniewski. When it comes to the missile defense system, 
following the presentation of President Bush's opinion in Brussels, the 
case seems very clear. The United States wishes to build this system, 
not exclusively safeguarding its own interests but to reinforce a 
general world security. And the United States wants to do some more 
research and enter dialog with all partners, both in NATO as well as 
in--with Russia and other partners about that issue.
    And I think this is a very rightful and a very appropriate position. 
And if we're going to work along these lines, it may turn out that the 
new security systems are not controversial at all and that they would 
not constitute any problems for us but would, rather, reinforce our 
feeling of security. It goes beyond any doubt that the cold war is over 
and that today we do not have such enemies that we used to have in the 
past and that it is possible to cooperate with every democratically 
organized state in the world.
    We're convinced that if reaching these decisions could be--if these 
decisions could be

[[Page 912]]

achieved through a dialog, and the search for opinions in the form of a 
dialog, then certainly we will achieve mutual understanding.
    And this is how I understood President Bush's presentation in 
Brussels. And I think that President Bush's presentation actually took 
away all those fears that were connected with this position. I think 
this is a very reasonable, very appropriate attitude on the part of the 
United States of America. Star Wars was an idea that matched the 
ideological confrontation. Today we're talking about global security, 
and these are completely two different animals.
    President Bush. I appreciate what the President said in the meeting 
that went on in Brussels, and he's right. There was receptivity to a new 
way of thinking about the ABM Treaty. And I was very pleased to see how 
forward-leaning many nations were during our discussion. There are a lot 
of leaders who understand that the old cold war mentality is not 
necessary anymore, that it's time to set a new strategic framework for 
the peace of Europe and peace for the world. I don't know what the press 
reports are like, but I can assure you, inside the meeting there was a 
receptivity that was very warm and for which I was very grateful, and 
the President just reflected that.
    Secondly, Poland serves as an example of what's possible. One of the 
reasons I came here was to be with my friend. But I also came here to 
show nations that are hungry for democracy or striving for democracy or 
looking at democracy what's possible. And Poland serves as a bridge and 
an important example. If you believe in a Europe whole and free and 
secure, a good place to make that case is right here.
    And so, you bet, we talked about Poland's important role, and it's 
an incredibly important role. We spent time talking about the Ukraine, 
as well. Poland has played, thanks to the President's leadership, a very 
important role in the Ukraine. The Ukraine is a country in transition. 
And Poland and the United States and other nations in Europe must work 
with the Ukraine to help Ukraine make the right decisions and right 
choices for the future, and those decisions are freedom and democracy 
and open markets, the very same values embraced by Ukraine's neighbor, 
Poland. I'm proud of the accomplishments of the President, and proud of 
the accomplishments of this great people.
    Holly [Holly Rosenkrantz, Bloomberg News].

General Electric-Honeywell Merger/National Missile Defense

    Q. The Europeans have never rejected a merger between a U.S. and 
European company, but they're set to reject a deal between GE and 
Honeywell, the largest merger ever. In your talks this week, has your 
administration raised the issue? And if the deal is rejected, what would 
that do for U.S.-European relations?
    And Mr. Kwasniewski, how deep is Poland's support for the 
President's missile defense deal, and do you have reservations about it?
    Thank you.
    President Kwasniewski. Well, I explained our position in last 
question. When we will discuss not about MD system in sense of American 
security and some technical concept, but we'll see it is necessary to 
create effective security system for new world, for global world after 
World War II and after cold war. So I think we can discuss many details, 
and we can support such concept.
    I repeat again what President Bush said in Brussels. I understood 
American approach to this question as a very open, very full-of-wish of 
dialog. And--in speech and statement of President Bush in Brussels, it 
was a concept not for the United States; it was a concept for all of us, 
and a concept which is absolutely different than everything what we had 
during cold war. That is not the repetition of Star Wars again. That is 
a new idea how to create better system for security, which can be for 
disposal of all of us, of NATO countries and all countries, including 
Russia and then China.
    So I think this approach is extremely interesting and is necessary 
to continue this dialog.
    President Bush. We have brought up the proposed merger at the 
appropriate levels during this trip and before the trip. Our Government 
looked at the merger and approved it. The Canadian Government looked at 
the merger and approved it, and I am concerned

[[Page 913]]

that the Europeans have rejected it. That's all I've got to say on it.
    Thank you, all.
    President Kwasniewski. We have--no questions more? You know, this is 
a souvenir for Poland. One question more, please.
    President Bush. All you're trying to do is butter up to your press 
corps. [Laughter]
    Q. A question to President Kwasniewski, would you be so kind as to 
mention what is included in the joint declaration we received in the 
English version? Do you know if there's any Polish joke?
    President Kwasniewski. That is the main mistake of the politician to 
give chance for next question. [Laughter]
    Thank you very much for your attention. Thank you.

Note: The President's 10th news conference began at 12:40 p.m. in the 
Presidential Palace. President Kwasniewski spoke in Polish, and his 
remarks were translated by an interpreter. In his remarks, President 
Bush referred to Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek of Poland and President 
Vladimir Putin of Russia. A portion of this news conference could not be 
verified because the tape was incomplete.