[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 8 (Monday, February 23, 2004)]
[Pages 247-253]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With Mouafac Harb of the Middle East Television Network

January 29, 2004

President's Religious Perspective

    Mr. Harb. Mr. President, thank you very much for supporting our 
channel and our initiative. We will make sure on our channel, your 
policy, the point of view of your administration, will always be 
presented clearly and in fair context. However, we will make

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sure--we want to be a model for the free press, the American tradition--
other point of views, relevant ones, will always be there, even if they 
are critical of you.
    The President. Well, I understand that. I hope so. First of all, I 
appreciate your willingness to allow the people in the Middle East to 
hear my views. My views are one that speaks to freedom. I believe the 
Almighty God's gift to every person in the world is freedom, and I work 
for free societies because I believe in people.
    I want people to know that I respect religion. I'm a religious man, 
myself. I respect the religion of other people as well. I believe we 
pray to the same Almighty God. I want people to know that I believe in 
peace. I want there to be peace. I also want people to know that it's 
very important for us to work together to fight terror, to fight those 
who would be willing to kill innocent lives in order to foster their own 
personal agendas.
    I appreciate that. I also don't mind people expressing opinions 
other than mine. I expect that to happen. It happens here in America, 
and I expect it to happen around the world.

Freedom and Democracy in the Middle East

    Mr. Harb. You may be the only world leader today, and maybe the 
first American President, to pay a lot of attention to freedom and 
democracy in the Middle East. Why is that? Are you so committed to that?
    The President. I am very committed to freedom and democracy in the 
Middle East. I believe people can self-govern around the world. Now, 
there are some, admittedly, say, ``Well, they can't have freedom and 
democracy in the Middle East.'' But I think that point of view is 
condescending. I think it diminishes the hopes and aspirations of the 
citizenry of the Middle East. I absolutely believe in freedom and peace, 
and I look forward to working with governments to achieve freedom and 
peace.
    Now, I recognize not every government is going to fashion a free 
society in the vision of America. I don't expect that, but I do expect 
every government to uphold the aspirations of the average citizens in a 
free society.

National Endowment for Democracy

    Mr. Harb. You mentioned in the State of the Union Address that you 
would be doubling the budget for the National Endowment of Democracy 
towards the Middle East. What's your vision? How are you trying to 
accomplish that?
    The President. Well, I think we need to work with governments and 
institutions and NGOs to encourage the institutions of a free society. 
See, one of the interesting things in the Oval Office--I love to bring 
people into the Oval Office, right around the corner from here, and say, 
``This is where I office, but I want you to know the office is always 
bigger than the person.'' In other words, free societies are societies 
where people come and go, but the institutions that protect the rights 
of people never leave. And that's what the institute is going to be 
working on, free press, just like we just talked about, free elections, 
free society.

Evolution of Democracy

    Mr. Harb. You said you would be working with governments in the 
Middle East.
    The President. Sure.
    Mr. Harb. And you know the type of governments that now exist in the 
Middle East, and for how long the U.S. has been accused of playing ball 
with governments that people hate. When you say you want this strategy, 
forward strategy of freedom, are you saying you're going to be 
abandoning the monarchies and, you know, those guys?
    The President. No, of course not. I know them well. First of all, 
many of the countries in the Middle East are modernizing. And that's 
what I look for. I fully understand it takes time for free societies, 
truly free societies to evolve. I don't expect instant success. After 
all, in my own country it took a while for our current system to evolve.
    Take Saudi Arabia, for example. First of all, I respect Crown Prince 
Abdullah and like Crown Prince Abdullah. He's a man of great faith and 
great integrity who gave a speech the other day about the need to 
modernize and to reform Saudi society. I take him for his word. To me 
that was a positive development.
    King Abdullah of Jordan, the King of Morocco, I mean, there's a 
series of places--

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Qatar, Oman--I mean, places that are developing--Bahrain--they're all 
developing the habits of free societies. They evolve differently. But 
nevertheless, progress is being made. And for that, I'm very grateful.

Discussions With Middle Eastern Leaders

    Mr. Harb. When you sit down with the leaders of the countries you 
just mentioned, Mr. President, do you get a sense of the urgency, when 
we talk about the issues of reform and democracy, from them?
    The President. Well, I get a sense of two things from them. One, I 
do believe they understand the need to reform. But I also know they 
agree that we need to continue to work together to fight terror. And 
that's vital, because it's hard for a free society to develop with 
terrorists killing innocent people.
    For example, I have a vision in the Middle East for there to be a 
Palestinian state. I'm the first President to have ever articulated a 
Palestinian state. I believe there needs to be a Palestinian state, and 
I'm not going to change my opinion. On the other hand, I know how hard 
it is to achieve a Palestinian state so long as there's groups of 
terrorists willing to murder in order to prevent that from happening.
    And so I hear two things. I hear, one, the need to reform, to 
include more people in the process which is taking place, but also the 
clear understanding from leaders that we must continue to work together 
to fight off the terrorists. And I say this with conviction. There's a--
the murderous ambitions of a few are trying to derail the hopes of many. 
And my Government wants to work with governments to prevent that from 
happening.

Roadmap for Peace/Reform of the Palestinian Authority

    Mr. Harb. Has the roadmap failed? Do we need a new approach to 
revive the peace talks and work towards your vision?
    The President. No, not at all, no. The roadmap is in place. What has 
failed is the--some parties are not advancing on the roadmap. They're 
stuck. And I stood up with Mr. Abu Mazen, at that time the Prime 
Minister of the Palestinian Authority, with Prime Minister Sharon, in 
Aqaba, Jordan--and King Abdullah, of course, our host--and we linked 
arms and said, ``Let us move forward on the roadmap to peace.'' There 
needs to be a commitment to fight terror. There needs to be a commitment 
to put the institutions of a free society in place. There needs to be a 
commitment on the Israelis to worry about the plight of the average 
Palestinian citizen--to encourage a society to evolve that is 
commercially viable and free. There needs to be a commitment from the 
neighborhood to help fight off the flow of funds to fund the terrorist 
groups, that would stop.
    And we were making progress. We really were, and then he got shoved 
aside. And so the roadmap is still intact. The vision for where we need 
to go is intact. What we need right now are parties who are willing to 
take a risk for peace and to lead. And I look forward to working with 
any such party.
    Mr. Harb. Why then are some people in the U.S. or some of your 
friends and allies in the Middle East say that you're not personally 
doing enough? How would you respond to that?
    The President. Well, I would remind them of the pictures of Aqaba, 
Jordan. I mean, it's--it is a rare occurrence when the President stands 
up with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and says, ``We're linked 
together to move toward peace.'' The problem was, was that somebody 
undermined that peace process by making it very difficult for Prime 
Minister Abu Mazen to work to achieve his vision. And that somebody was 
Chairman Arafat. I'm sorry that happened. On the other hand, I still 
believe that a Palestinian state is essential for the aspirations of the 
Palestinian people. And I fully understand there needs to be a firm 
commitment to fight off terror in order for that to happen.

Transition in Iraq

    Mr. Harb. On the issue of Iraq, how do you see the transition of 
sovereignty to the Iraqis?
    The President. Moving. I mean, if you really take a step back, we're 
here in February of 2004, and the Iraqi people weren't really liberated 
until April of 2003. We haven't been there a year. And yet, there's 
tremendous progress being made. The first thing I pay attention to--
there are voices

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speaking out about how to achieve democracy. Had those voices spoken out 
last year or the year before or the year before, they probably wouldn't 
be a voice anymore, given the fact that Saddam Hussein was willing to 
torture and kill dissidents.
    And today, a free society is emerging. And it may look bumpy at 
times, but democracy sometimes looks bumpy. I mean, here in our own 
country I'm sure people take a step back and say, ``What is happening in 
the election process?'' I mean, it looks like there are some sharp 
elbows. But I am encouraged by what is taking place in Iraq. I 
appreciate so very much the fact that the Shi'as speak out for freedom. 
I appreciate the fact that the Sunnis are questioning whether or not 
they have a role in the future of their country. I appreciate the fact 
that the Kurds are active. I appreciate the fact that all three parties 
are trying to work for a common law that guarantees the religious rights 
of others, the minority rights of people in a free society.
    So I think it's very positive. We look forward to working with the 
United Nations to help the process along, to add some international 
legitimacy to what the Iraqis think is necessary to move the process 
toward a new constitution and elections of people.

Ayatollah Sistani

    Mr. Harb. From the outside, it looked like the Grand Ayatollah in 
Iraq, he's a religious man, he's calling for immediate elections, and 
we're kind of hesitant to do it right now. What's your reaction to that?
    The President. Well, that's very interesting. No, I understanding 
completely. First of all, I admire the fact that he is confident enough 
in democracy to call for elections. I mean, after all, America believes 
in elections. I think the only hesitancy from the experts is whether or 
not the process is ready to absorb direct elections. And we want to work 
with Mr. Sistani, the Ayatollah. He's a wise man. He's a distinguished 
gentleman who cares deeply about the Iraqi people. And I'm confident we 
can work toward a solution that is in Iraq's interest and, at the same 
time, addresses his deep desire to have the people of Iraq participate 
in the process.
    I think the fact that he's willing to be involved is a very positive 
development. It shows people care about the future of Iraq. We just must 
all work together to come up with an Iraqi solution as to how best to 
get a constitution written and then direct elections. The first step, of 
course, is a general law and then a temporary assembly of some kind to 
help--so we can hand over sovereignty. And then the process moves 
forward.

Syria

    Mr. Harb. If we can move towards Syria.
    The President. Sure.
    Mr. Harb. You had a couple of phone calls with the Syrian President 
after September 11, and things looked, you know, that the President of 
Syria was going in the right direction, according to your 
administration. And then things went sour. What happened?
    The President. Well, first of all, I think we made some legitimate 
requests. I said, ``Look, Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. They 
headquartered in your country. You need to shut down those headquarters. 
You need to prevent terrorist activities from being planned and/or 
orders being--emanating out of Syria. Secondly, you've got to work on 
the border to make sure that the border between Iraq and Syria is not 
porous, but in fact, you are able to stop the flow of people and 
contraband and information back and forth. We don't want terrorists 
coming in from Syria into Iraq to kill innocent Iraqis and/or American 
troops.'' And it's very important for us to keep sending that message to 
him. That's why I appreciate doing this interview. The message still 
stands. And we would hope there would be a strong cooperation on these 
very reasonable points.
    Mr. Harb. The Syrian President sent a couple of signals recently 
expressing his willingness to resume peace talks with Israel. Would you 
be willing--how do you assess this----
    The President. It's very interesting. First of all, I'm interested 
in peace. And the fact that a party is willing to talk about peace is, I 
think, a positive signal. I look forward to understanding fully what 
that means. As you know, there was--some progress had been made prior to 
my arrival as President on Syrian-Israeli peace talks. And we've just 
got to understand the intent, the sincerity, and the

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desire of both parties involved, that would be Syria and Israel.

Libya

    Mr. Harb. Libya.
    The President. Yes.
    Mr. Harb. Although some people, maybe in Washington, and you may 
consider what happened with Libya as a success for diplomacy, but it did 
not sit well with the Libyans. It looks like it contradicts this forward 
strategy of freedom.
    The President. How do you mean it didn't sit well with them? It sat 
well with Colonel Qadhafi because he made the decision.
    Mr. Harb. But in terms of democracy, I mean, you know, Qadhafi is a 
dictator----
    The President. Oh, whether or not democracy then follows--I see. 
Well, we hope it does, of course, and we look forward to working with 
him. But first things first. We had no relationship with Libya, and now 
the relationship can improve because he has made a very wise decision to 
disclose programs and dismantle those programs. To me, it's a signal 
that Colonel Qadhafi is interested in a peaceful--is interested in peace 
and a resumption of relations with a country like the United States, and 
that will begin to change the relationship.
    Right now we want to make sure that we all fulfill our obligations. 
And a key obligation is for the United States and Great Britain and the 
IAEA to work with the Libyans to fully disclose and dismantle, in a 
transparent way, weapons programs.
    Mr. Harb. Would it be safe to say that the United States would not 
fully normalize with Libya unless the human rights record of the Libyan 
Government were to improve----
    The President. Well, obviously, there's a lot of conditionality in 
any relationship. We do want to improve relationships with Libya, but 
the first thing--the first step, of course, is for the Colonel to 
fulfill his commitment to the entire world, and that is to disclose and 
dismantle. And then the relationship will evolve.

Iran and Weapons of Mass Destruction

    Mr. Harb. On the issue of weapons of mass destruction--Iran.
    The President. Yes.
    Mr. Harb. Libya is a case where diplomacy worked. Iraq is a place 
where----
    The President. Diplomacy didn't work.
    Mr. Harb. ----didn't work.
    The President. Well, it didn't work. It was tried for 12 years, and 
it didn't work. And the world continually said, ``Disarm,'' and he 
didn't do it. And finally, I went to the United Nations and said to the 
United Nations, ``For your sake and for our sake--you, the United 
Nations' sake--for our sake, America, and for the world's sake, let us 
enforce these resolutions.''
    Mr. Harb. So we've got the Libyan model, and we've got the Iraqi 
model.
    The President. Yes.
    Mr. Harb. Which one would fit Iran today?
    The President. All models must start with a strong effort by the 
world community to convince people to abandon--in this case, abandon 
programs, nuclear weapons programs. And we certainly hope the Iranian 
situation can be resolved diplomatically. I appreciate very much the 
fact that members of the European Community have spoken with one voice 
about the need for Iran * to fully disclose and disarm its weapons 
programs, and IAEA is very much involved.
    * White House correction.
    So, in other words, we're now early in the stage, obviously, and 
it's a stage where I'm hopeful that diplomacy will work.

Iraq

    Mr. Harb. You mentioned the international community. Are you 
satisfied with the way the international community is reacting towards 
the rebuilding of Iraq?
    The President. Yes, I really am. I mean, gosh, there's a lot of 
countries that are very much involved in Iraq. The other night in the 
State of the Union, I began to read off the list. And the longer the 
list got, the more the American people begin to realize this is a truly 
internationalized effort. And people are contributing money. I mean, I 
was talking about forces on the ground, and the level of contributions 
are very generous, starting with the United States, I might add. And I'm 
most proud of the Congress for being willing

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to help rebuild Iraq, because they understand, like I understand, that a 
free Iraq is going to be an agent of change in a positive way in the 
Middle East.
    Again, I want to go back to where we began. See, if you didn't 
believe certain countries in the Middle East could be free, then you 
wouldn't be worried about rebuilding of a country. But I believe they 
can be free, and I know free societies are peaceful societies. And I 
believe in the Iraqi people of all walks of life, and I believe that 
they're going to show the world what is possible.
    After all, the Iraqi people have such a--Iraqi history is so rich. 
The culture of Iraq is fantastic. And it's--I have visions of a 
university system that really leads the Middle East in education and on 
the forefront of science and engineering, because I know the Iraqi 
Americans who are here, very bright, capable, honorable people who have 
come to our country, realized the benefits of freedom, taken advantage 
of some fantastic opportunities, and made great citizens.
    Well, the same thing is going to happen in Iraq. And that will cause 
others to say, ``Well, gosh, if it's happening in Iraq, let's follow 
that model of a free society.'' And the American Congress understands 
that. I understand that, and a lot of people around the world understand 
it. And I am grateful for the contributions that people are willing to 
make for the reconstruction of Iraq.
    Mr. Harb. Are you concerned that Iraq's neighbors may work to 
undermine the democracy because it doesn't suit the region?
    The President. Well, it's an interesting question. I certainly hope 
not. But if--look, one of the neighbors to Iraq is Turkey. And they 
withstood any pressure, if there was any pressure, to undermine the 
development of a free and secular society. They still maintain its 
respect for Islam.
    Pakistan is another country which is evolving, showing what is 
possible in terms of a free society and an active Parliament and, at the 
same time, honoring Islam.
    No, I think a truly free society will resist foreign efforts to 
undermine the development of that society.

2004 Election/Future of the Middle East

    Mr. Harb. Mr. President, this is an election year for you.
    The President. Yes.
    Mr. Harb. If, hypothetically, people in the Middle East could vote, 
would the next 4 years be--if you were to be elected--would be good for 
them?
    The President. Oh, absolutely.
    Mr. Harb. Why would they vote for you?
    The President. Absolutely. Well, they'd vote for me because I am 
strong on the war on terror, for starters. I refuse to relent to 
terrorist groups. There's no negotiation with these people. These are 
people that are willing to kill people who are devout, religious people, 
and not care about it. They kill innocent women and children and not 
care about it. More Muslims have died at the hands of killers than--I 
say more Muslims--a lot of Muslims have died--I don't know the exact 
count--at Istanbul. Look at these different places around the world 
where there's been tremendous death and destruction because killers 
kill.
    They would appreciate George W. in the future because I understand 
that freedom and prosperity go hand in hand. And a free society is more 
likely to be a prosperous society where people can realize their hopes 
and aspirations.
    Listen, I'm a dad. I love my girls more than anything in life, our 
daughters. I know that other dads feel the same way about their 
children, and all they want is for their children to have a chance to 
succeed, to grow up in a peaceful society, to be well-educated and to 
realize their God-given potential. I share that dream.
    I think the people of the Middle East will see that the Bush 
administration is unrelenting when it comes to dealing with the few who 
want to hurt the many but, at the same time, believes in the people of 
the Middle East, believes in their hopes and aspirations.
    Mr. Harb. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
    The President. Yes, sir.

Note: The interview was taped at 10:02 a.m. in the Map Room at the White 
House for later broadcast, and the transcript was released by the

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Office of the Press Secretary on February 18. In his remarks, the 
President referred to Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia; King 
Abdullah II of Jordan; King Mohamed VI of Morocco; former Prime Minister 
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the Palestinian Authority; Prime Minister 
Ariel Sharon of Israel; Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian 
Authority; former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Grand Ayatollah Ali 
al-Sistani, Iraqi Shiite leader; President Bashar al-Asad of Syria; and 
Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi, leader of Libya. A tape was not 
available for verification of the content of this interview.