[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 40 (Monday, October 6, 2003)]
[Page 1290]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Prior to Discussions With Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan 
Jamali of Pakistan

October 1, 2003

    President Bush. Listen, Mr. Prime Minister, thank you. It's my honor 
to welcome you to the Oval Office. I look forward to our discussions. We 
will have discussions here in the Oval Office. Then we'll go to have 
lunch. And over lunch we'll discuss a wide range of issues: Our mutual 
desire to fight terror; our keen desire to bring stability and peace 
throughout the world; look forward to discussions about our bilateral 
relations in regards to commerce and opportunities to enhance the 
livelihood of our fellow citizens.
    There's a lot of Pakistani Americans who are pleased you are here 
today, sir. And on their behalf, I welcome you to the Oval Office. And 
it gives me a chance to say publicly how much we appreciate the 
friendship of Pakistan.
    Prime Minister Jamali. Thank you, Mr. President.
    President Bush. You're welcome.
    Prime Minister Jamali. Well, I can see you're pleased. I'm sure that 
the Pakistan community is pleased that I'm here. And Pakistan is helping 
as a partner--is a partner as far as the fight against terrorism is 
concerned, as far as our bilateral relations are concerned. We want a 
long, lasting friendship with the United States, and that is why I'm 
here, to bring a message of the new democratic setup which I set in 
Pakistan the last 10 months. And in short, we intend getting that 
through--of course, with a pat on the back as far as President Bush is 
concerned. [Laughter] Will that be all right?
    Thank you very much.
    President Bush. Thank you, sir. Glad you're here.

Note: The President spoke at 11:41 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these 
remarks.