[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 21 (Monday, May 24, 2004)]
[Pages 924-925]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of 
Italy

May 19, 2004

    President Bush. Thank you for coming. You just interrupted a 
conversation about how we're working on a strategy to help the Iraqis 
become a free nation.
    First, I want to thank my friend Silvio Berlusconi for being here 
this evening. He's a man of good judgment, good advice, and he's a good 
friend. And after we have dinner, we're going to go to the Sons of Italy 
banquet tonight.
    I also want to thank the Italian people for the great humanitarian 
mission that they're undertaking in Iraq. I appreciate their 
contribution to a free society in a part of the world that is desperate 
for freedom.
    The Prime Minister and I have spent time working on a strategy 
that's based upon the following points: One, there will be a full 
transfer of sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government on June the 30th. 
That will be accompanied by a United Nations Security Council 
resolution. He had some very good ideas about what should be in that 
resolution. I, of course, listened to his good ideas.
    We also talked about the need to make sure there is a security force 
to help the Iraqis move toward elections. It's tough work there now, 
because killers want to stop progress. It will be tough work after 
sovereignty is transferred, because there will still be people there 
trying to derail the election process. And that's why one of the 
discussion points we had was how to continue to broaden the coalition. 
And finally, we talked about how to make sure that Iraq does have free 
elections, as Mr. Brahimi has scheduled.
    It's an easy conversation to have with Silvio, because we share 
values. We believe in human rights, human dignity, rule of law, and the 
right for people to self-govern.
    And so I'm proud my friend is here. I appreciate your leadership.
    Prime Minister Berlusconi. Thank you.
    President Bush. Thank you for your advice.
    Prime Minister Berlusconi. As far as I'm concerned, I'm very happy 
to be here, and I'm very happy to have had this discussion with my 
friend President Bush, discussion on this plan, which is very detailed 
in terms of the date and is a very convincing plan.
    As the President already said, within 2 weeks or even probably 
before, by the end of this month, the envoy of the Secretary-General of 
the United Nations will indicate the names of the members of the interim 
government.
    And something else that President Bush did not mention right now, 
but we discussed, is the possibility, opportunity of convening a meeting 
in New York, where your President should be invited and he should meet 
the members of the Security Council of the United Nations and the top 
representatives of the countries--members of the coalition. And this in 
order to provide this government with an international legitimization 
which is not only useful for the international community but mostly for 
domestic purposes for this government in Iraq.
    And by month--the end of July, there would be the possibility of 
setting up an electoral commission which will be formed and

[[Page 925]]

made up of--also of celebrities and personalities from United Nations 
which will help preparing the elections to be held in January.
    And we have discussed also other issues, and over dinner we'll have 
the possibility of discussing additional initiatives which I think 
should be taken. Since I have the possibility and chance of talking to 
the President of the Russian Federation, Putin, and to Tony Blair and 
other leaders, I also submitted to President Bush the possibility of 
organizing an international conference on Iraq, which could be held 
before the elections in Iraq in January.
    And I can say that we agreed on all of these future possibilities, 
and we fully share the strategy which needs to be followed. The West 
must defend itself against international terror. We can think--we are 
winning this battle if we remain united. Should we leave, abandon Iraq 
before a democracy takes hold, should we abandon it before this takes 
place, then we would leave this country to chaos and to a lengthy--to 
many, many years of civil war, with thousands and thousands of 
casualties and victims, and this country would probably be a 
authoritarian country, a fundamentalist country, and certainly an 
exporter of terror.
    I think we've started the work which cannot be left halfway. We have 
to complete it and until we are sure that we can guarantee the unlucky 
Iraqi people democracy and freedom, founded in democracy and freedom.
    President Bush. Good job. Thank you, sir.

Note: The President spoke at 6:18 p.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. Prime Minister Berlusconi referred to 
President Vladimir Putin of Russia; and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the 
United Kingdom. The Prime Minister spoke in Italian, and his remarks 
were translated by an interpreter.