[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 29 (Monday, July 23, 2001)]
[Pages 1045-1047]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Accepting a Bust of Winston Churchill and an Exchange With 
Reporters

July 16, 2001

    The President. Thank you, Mr. Ambassador.
    I think I casually mentioned to the Ambassador, right after my 
swearing-in, that I lamented the fact that there was not a proper bust 
of Winston Churchill for me to put in the Oval Office. He's a man of 
great action, because here sits a bust on loan from Her Majesty's 
Government that I accept gratefully and will place right here, where the 
flowers are, beneath one of my favorite west Texas paintings. I accept 
gratefully, and I look forward to looking at Sir Winston on a daily 
basis.
    People said, ``Why would you be interested in having the bust of an 
Englishman in your Oval Office?'' And the answer is, because he was one 
of the great leaders in the 20th century. He was an enormous 
personality. He stood on principle. He was a man of great courage. He 
knew what he believed, and he really kind of went after it in a way that 
seemed like a Texan to me: He wasn't afraid of public opinion polls; he 
wasn't afraid of--he didn't need focus groups to tell him what was 
right. He charged ahead, and the world is better for it.
    He also had a great sense of humor. There have been a lot of 
Churchill stories, some of which you can repeat on TV, some of which you 
can't, Mr. Ambassador. One that came to mind was, after he lost office 
in the election in 1945, King George VI offered him the Order of the 
Garter. And here is what he said: ``I could hardly accept His Majesty's 
offer of the Garter when his people have given me the order of the 
boot.'' [Laughter]
    Churchill reminds me of two things--one, we need more humor in the 
public arena. He had a great wit. He had a fantastic way of making 
people smile and laugh. And secondly, he reminds me of the importance of 
our relationship, the relationship between Great Britain and America.
    As the Ambassador mentions, in a couple of days' time, I will go to 
confirm and renew that relationship. Not only will I have the honor of 
meeting with Her Majesty; I will also spend some quality time again with 
the Prime Minister. We've got a strong personal relationship that is 
most helpful to making sure our countries continue the tie that binds.
    I'm looking forward to my trip overseas. And a perfect way to begin 
is to stop off in London and then, eventually, go to Chequers, and 
then--and have a very constructive and honest and straightforward dialog 
about areas where we cooperate to make the world a better place.
    In the meantime, Mr. Ambassador, I'm honored that you came by. Thank 
you very much for bringing Sir Winston. I look forward to visiting with 
him. Sometimes he'll talk back; sometimes he won't, depending upon the 
stress of the moment. But he is a constant reminder of what a great 
leader is like.
    So, thank you for coming, sir.

United Kingdom-U.S. Relations

    Q. Mr. President, is the special relationship as healthy today as it 
was in Churchill's time?
    The President. I think it is. I do. We cooperate in the Balkans. The 
Prime Minister and I talk quite frequently on issues that are

[[Page 1046]]

of concern for world peace. We don't agree on every single detail of 
issues, but we do agree that the relationship is special and unique. And 
I think it is very strong.

Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change

    Q. Are you expecting criticism, on your UK trip, of your policies on 
the Kyoto treaty and missile defense?
    The President. You mean, from whom? Editorial page writers? Oh, 
perhaps. But on both issues I have made my positions clear. People 
shouldn't doubt where the United States stands. And I made those 
positions on principle. In principle, it's important for us to develop a 
new strategic framework to make the world more peaceful. The Prime 
Minister, in his public statement at Camp David, understood exact--said 
to the people he understood exactly where I was coming from.
    We will continue to consult with Great Britain on the issue. I will 
keep him posted about my dialog with Mr. Putin. As a matter of fact, one 
of the things I look forward to doing is sharing the conversations I had 
with Mr. Putin and what my intentions are in Genoa, as well as in 
Shanghai, when I meet Mr. Putin.
    And I think the Prime Minister and others are beginning to realize 
the cold war is over. I know he knows it's over. And the fundamental 
question is, how do we deal with the threats of the 21st century? And on 
global warming, the Prime Minister knows, as do the leaders of the EU, 
they heard me say as loudly and as clearly as I can, we agree with the 
goal of reducing greenhouse gases, but we don't accept the methodology 
of the Kyoto treaty.
    So I look forward, over time, to detailing our strategy with our 
friends and allies. And again, I repeat, it's with the goal in mind of 
making sure that we all work in the world developing and--developing 
nations as well as industrial nations of reducing greenhouse gases.

U.S. Sanctions on Cuba

    Q. Mr. President, on a question that is of interest to Europe, do 
you plan to extend the waiver of the Title III of Helms-Burton for 
another 6 months?
    The President. I do.

Northern Ireland Peace Process

    Q. Mr. President, do you have any initiative to suggest in Northern 
Ireland that might break the deadlock between the parties there?
    The President. Where? Northern Ireland? No, what I told the leaders 
of--Prime Minister Blair and Ahern, I said, ``Call me if you need 
help.'' They're the folks closest to the ground. They're intricately 
involved in the situation, and the United States stands ready to assist. 
If there's anything we can do to help bring peace to the region, my 
government is more than willing to do so.
    Q. But you haven't received a call yet?
    The President. I have not, but I suspect that Tony Blair and I will 
discuss this issue. I look forward to getting his perspective on the 
issue. And again, if he needs our help, we'll be glad to help.

President's Upcoming Visit to the United Kingdom

    Q. You've been to Britain before, Mr. President. What are you 
looking forward to most on your revisit?
    The President. Well, I'm looking forward to going to Chequers. The 
Prime Minister told me when he came to Camp David that he thought I 
was--would really love to see Chequers. And my dad told me the same 
thing; the Ambassador's confirmed that, as well. I look forward to 
going. I look forward to seeing Her Majesty the Queen.
    I had the honor of coming to a state dinner here in Washington that 
my mother and dad gave for her. And it's--I found her to be a lovely, 
dignified, smart lady. And I look forward to representing my country in 
her presence.
    My first trip to overseas was a successful trip. I'm confident this 
will be, as well. It's such an honor to represent our Nation in foreign 
capitals and to be with foreign leaders. I look forward to--but I really 
look forward to making progress on key issues, such as missile defense 
and world trade, working with nations who are less fortunate than Great 
Britain and the United States--nations in Africa.

[[Page 1047]]

    We're going to have a very interesting session in Genoa with the 
leaders of developing nations. And the United States and Great Britain 
will take the lead in helping convince all our friends and allies to 
provide support necessary to help nations develop, starting with free 
trade.

Energy Policy

    Q. Mr. President, on energy, your Cabinet is out today, pushing your 
energy plan. Is it a tougher sell now, given that gas prices have come 
down; we're not seeing the rolling blackouts in California that we were 
just a couple of months ago?
    The President. Well, I think anytime there's not an immediate 
problem that's apparent to people, it's tough to convince people to 
think long term. But it's clear that there are warning signs. It's 
clear--it should be clear to the American people that we're dependent 
upon foreign sources of crude oil, when every quarter, we worry about 
whether or not OPEC is going to run the price of crude up. It should be 
worrisome to people that the State that's had the best conservation 
efforts is the State that's had brownouts. And even though there may not 
be a brownout today, it's an indication that we need an energy policy.
    And so we're going to take a very strong effort to convince the 
American people that we've got a plan that couples not only sound 
conservation but the need to develop new sources of energy. And one of 
the primary topics that will be on the agenda when the President of 
Mexico, Vicente Fox, comes after our August recess, in the beginning of 
September, will be to continue to talk about the hemispheric strategy to 
bring natural gas into the United States, and to Mexico, for that 
matter.
    I'm going to meet with Jean Chretien in Genoa, and we'll be talking 
about energy, I can assure you. Canada has got a lot of natural gas in 
the Northwest Territories; we need to figure out how to get that gas 
into the United States.
    And I think the American people will listen to a rational, logical 
approach about how best to create energy security and diversification, 
as well as how to promote conservation.

Note: The President spoke at 1:12 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Christopher Meyer, United Kingdom 
Ambassador to the U.S., who presented the bust; Queen Elizabeth II and 
Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom; President Vladimir 
Putin of Russia; Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of Ireland; and Prime 
Minister Jean Chretien of Canada. A reporter referred to Title III 
(protection of property rights of U.S. nationals) of the Cuban Liberty 
and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (Public Law No. 104-
114).