    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 18 (Monday, May 3, 2004)]
    [Pages 704-706]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks Following Discussions With Prime Minister Goran Persson of
    Sweden and an Exchange With Reporters

    April 28, 2004

        President Bush. Okay, listen. There will be two opening statements.
    We'll answer a couple of questions. We'll alternate an American--not
    yet, a couple of opening statements. Thank you.
        Welcome. Mr. Prime Minister, thanks for coming. We just had a really
    good discussion about common opportunities. The Prime Minister has got a
    clear vision about freedom and opportunity, and he's an optimistic
    person. He's optimistic that by working together we can achieve great
    things in the 21st century. We had a good discussion about bilateral
    relations. I reminded him there's a lot of Swedish Americans who are
    really proud of their heritage, proud of their home country.
        So Mr. Prime Minister, welcome back. Thanks for your time. Thanks
    for your consideration.
        Prime Minister Persson. Thank you, sir. And let me also underline
    that we have had a very fruitful discussion, not least with the
    background to improve, strengthen the transatlantic relations between
    U.S. and Europe. It's not only about security and foreign policy; it's
    also about economic relations and international cooperations, not least
    inside multilateral structures like United Nations. With that as a
    framework, we have covered a discussion about Iraq, Palestinian-Israel
    conflict, the situation in Afghanistan, also North Korea and European
    matters.
        And thank you, Mr. President, for receiving me. As always, frank and
    friendly discussion.
        President Bush. Frank and friendly. Deb [Deb Riechmann, Associated
    Press].

    Situation in Iraq

        Q. Mr. President, is it going to take an all-out military offensive
    to put down the insurgency in Fallujah? And can you really have a
    successful transfer of power in 60 days if Iraq is wracked by violence?
        President Bush. First, we will have a successful transfer of power.
    I assured the Prime Minister that the June 30th date is a solid date,
    and I appreciate so very much the work by the United Nations and Mr.
    Brahimi to lay the groundwork for the transfer of sovereignty.
        Secondly, I have laid out a broad strategy that says that Iraq will
    be as secure as possible, that we will deal with those who want

    [[Page 705]]

    to stop the march to freedom. And that's exactly what's happening in
    Fallujah. Our commanders on the ground have got the authorities
    necessary to take action to help the Iraqi people realize a free and
    peaceful society.
        And what you must realize is happening in a place like Fallujah is,
    the closer we come to passing sovereignty, the more likely it is that
    foreign fighters, disgruntled Ba'athists, or friends of the Shi'a cleric
    will try to stop progress. That's what's happening. They want to kill
    innocent life to try to get us to quit. And we're not going to. And our
    military commanders will take whatever action is necessary to secure
    Fallujah on behalf of the Iraqi people.
        I'm pleased to--I had a meeting with General Abizaid today. He's the
    commander in charge of the theater. He was reporting that there will be
    joint patrols with Iraqi police in Fallujah. Most of Fallujah is
    returning to normal. There are pockets of resistance, and we will--our
    military, along with Iraqis, will make sure it's secure.

    Swedish Detainee in Guantanamo Bay

        Q. Mr. President, what will happen to the Swedish prisoner at
    Guantanamo Bay?
        President Bush. The Prime Minister--the first matter he brought up
    was the Swedish prisoner. He was very forthright, very frank, and very
    concerned about the prisoner. I told him we want to work closely with
    our friends. We have done so with other countries, and we will do so
    with Sweden. There is a delegation coming over so that we can fully
    understand the facts and the consequences, but the Prime Minister made
    it clear he expects this to be resolved. I made it clear to him we want
    to work with him.
        I think that's an accurate statement.
        Prime Minister Persson. It is.
        Q. How do you comment on that, Persson?
        Prime Minister Persson. I think it's necessary to have that time to
    reply, because he has been there for 2 years. He should be released or
    brought to trial. That is the two alternatives, and we need to come to
    an end with this discussion, and I've expressed it clearly and had good
    response from the President.
        President Bush. Adam [Adam Entous, Reuters].

    Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

        Q. Yes, thank you, Mr. President. What does Vice President Cheney
    bring to your 9/11 testimony that you couldn't provide alone? And don't
    you owe history and the 9/11 families a transcript or a recording?
        President Bush. What he's asking about is a meeting I'm going to
    have tomorrow morning, talking with this 9/11 Commission about--my
    attitude and the attitude of the Vice President about our country, our
    security, what happened on that particular date, what happened leading
    up to that. And I look forward to the discussion. I look forward to
    giving the Commissioners a chance to question both of us. And it's a--it
    will be an ample--it will be a good opportunity for these people to help
    write a report that hopefully will help future Presidents deal with
    terrorist threats to the country.
        Prime Minister Persson. The Evening Star.
        President Bush. Evening Star? [Laughter] I've never ever heard a
    leader call a reporter a ``star''--[laughter]--except what I call
    Roberts [John Roberts, CBS News]. I call him a star.

    Discussions With Prime Minister Persson

        Q. Mr. President, you're a Republican and our PM is a Social
    Democrat. What do you have in common? What do you not have in common?
        President Bush. First of all, we have the ability to not talk
    politics but talk policy. We've been given great responsibilities, and
    we spend a lot of time talking about our mutual desire for the world to
    be peaceful. And we understand that free societies are peaceful
    societies.
        One of the great things about the Prime Minister is--I don't want to
    put words in his mouth; he can correct me if I'm wrong, but
    nevertheless--he has this great sense of optimism that people want to be
    free and that people have the ability to self-govern. And to me, it's a
    wonderful spirit, and it gives us a chance to share our strategies about
    how to spread freedom.
        We talked about a lot of issues. We talked about the plight of the
    people in North Korea and the danger of the dictator in North

    [[Page 706]]

    Korea. We talked about the Palestinian/Israeli issue. I reminded him
    that I was the first President ever to articulate the vision of a
    Palestinian state. No other President has ever done that. I was pleased
    to do so because I believe that is the best hope for the Palestinian
    people and the best way to promote peace.
        But no, our discussions--we don't spend any time on politics, you'll
    be happy to hear. We spend time on what's best for our respective
    countries and how we can work together.
        Prime Minister Persson. We talked about all people's freedom and
    peace in the whole world, and then we touched upon some specific issues
    that is of mutual interest to us. We can discuss that because we are
    both democrats, and we are both strongly in favor of freedom and
    building democratic institutions. That what's--is what we have in
    common. And then, also, we realize that Europe--and Sweden is a part of
    Europe--and U.S. are interdependent and we need each other for the
    future good development in the world.
        President Bush. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:45 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Adviser
    to the U.N. Secretary-General; Muqtada Al Sadr, Iraqi Shiite leader
    whose militia engaged in an uprising in Iraq in early April; Gen. John
    P. Abizaid, USA, combatant commander, U.S. Central Command; and Chairman
    Kim Chong-il of North Korea.