[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 24 (Monday, June 14, 2004)]
[Pages 1020-1026]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of 
Italy in Rome, Italy

June 5, 2004

    Prime Minister Berlusconi. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Villa 
Madama today, which has been around for more than 500 years. I'd like to 
very cordially and warmly welcome the President of the United States. I 
welcome him on my own behalf and on behalf of the Government and on 
behalf of the Italian people that have really welcomed the U.S. 
President very warmly because we remember what the people of the U.S. 
have done for us and for our freedom.
    Later on during this press conference, I'm certain that I'll have 
the time to go into these issues that link us and connect us to the 
United States because of our past. But I would like also to mention to 
you why we feel very close to the United States today, and we will so in 
the future.
    And I'd like for the President to now take the floor.
    President Bush. Mr. Prime Minister, thank you very much. Laura and I 
are so pleased to be in Rome to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the 
Allied liberation of the Eternal City. I'm proud to stand with you, Mr. 
Prime Minister, my friend. I always look forward to our conversations. I 
listen to your advice. I trust your judgment. I take you for your word.
    We are bound together by ties of family history and shared values. 
The friendship between our two nations has withstood many trials, 
including those perilous times in 1944 that we recall and we honor 
today. Over two centuries, our Governments have been allies and 
adversaries. And today, the affection between our peoples have never 
been stronger.
    For the last 60 years, our Alliance has helped secure the peace of 
the world. Italy stood on the frontlines of freedom throughout the cold 
war. Italy's membership in NATO has given strength and purpose to that 
vital Alliance. And today in the Balkans and in Afghanistan and in Iraq, 
Americans and Italians are once again defending freedom against the 
forces of oppression and terror.
    All Americans join me in honoring the more than 20 Italians who have 
fallen in the cause of liberty in Iraq. Their sacrifice was worthy of 
the ideals of this great nation. Their service will help make Italy, 
America, and the world more secure, as a free and democratic Iraq arises 
in the heart of the Middle East.
    Our coalition is moving forward with a plan to help Iraq achieve 
democracy and freedom. Later this month, we'll hand over authority to a 
sovereign Iraqi government. The members of that government were 
announced earlier this week in Baghdad, and they are a team of Iraqi 
patriots that reflect the religious, ethnic, and religious diversity of 
the Iraqi nation.
    Italian and American military forces will remain in Iraq to help 
Iraqis establish the security so that the Iraqi people can live their 
lives free of fear and so that democracy can take root. Our countries 
will continue to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure and help Iraq's economy 
grow and prosper, and we will help Iraq move toward a national election 
that will bring forward new leaders empowered by the Iraqi people.

[[Page 1021]]

    These efforts deserve the full support of the international 
community. More importantly, a free Iraq deserves our best efforts, our 
hard work. Members of the U.N. Security Council and Iraq's new leaders 
are working toward a new resolution that will express international 
support for Iraq's interim government. The Security Council resolution 
will reaffirm the world's security commitment to the Iraqi nation and 
encourage other U.N. members to join in helping the Iraqi people as they 
establish a representative government. I want to thank you for your help 
in this resolution, Mr. Prime Minister.
    I also look forward to joining the Prime Minister in Sea Island, 
Georgia, next week and in Turkey at the NATO conference. Of course, at 
Sea Island we'll be having the G-8, where we'll discuss the role our 
great alliances can play in helping Iraq and the role we can play in 
helping spread democracy throughout the world.
    This war on terror we face, Mr. Prime Minister, is the challenge of 
our time. Democracy and prosperity are the antidotes to the bitterness 
and hatred that feed terrorism. As freedom advances in the Middle East, 
more and more people in that region will be inspired--inspired to peace, 
inspired to dedicate their lives to the welfare of their families and to 
the success of their nations. The bitterness and burning hatreds that 
feed terrorism will fade away, and America and Italy and the rest of the 
world will be more safe.
    I want to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, and I want to thank the 
Italian people for their friendship and courage and vision and hope for 
the future. We remember the sons of Italy who have given their lives to 
ensure a better future. I look forward to continuing to work with you to 
make the world a more secure and better place.
    Thank you, sir.
    Prime Minister Berlusconi. Thank you, Mr. President. And I wish to 
reaffirm here before you and before the press from the U.S. the feelings 
that are shared by a large majority of the Italian people towards your 
country that has welcomed millions of Italians that sought a better 
future in your country. And it was, for them, a very generous home. This 
is a first reason why we feel great gratitude towards you and your 
country.
    There's another reason, actually, why this celebration is taking 
place and why you accepted to personally be here to celebrate this 
important date. Sixty years ago there were 25,000 young Americans who 
sacrificed their lives to make happier, to make more prosperous and more 
secure our lives here, to give our country freedom. And we will be 
eternally grateful to you for this.
    We're also grateful because in the postwar period, we faced very 
difficult times, and America's generosity contributed to the growth of 
our economy with the Marshall plan.
    We have yet another reason to be grateful to you, sir. Through NATO 
and, therefore, through the contribution of U.S. citizens, Europe and 
Italy have been able to defend itself against a Soviet Union which at 
that time had its missiles and nuclear arsenals pointed towards our 
cities.
    And today too we're here together in the name of this spirit of deep 
friendship, to work together in the effort to make democracy grow and 
advance throughout the world, to combat this attack to the West that 
comes from terrorism and from fundamentalism. We think that it's a 
wrongful idea to think that there are peoples for whom democracy simply 
does not work. There is nothing that is more wrong than that perception. 
Democracy means respect for human rights. It means an open and free 
market. And these, of course, are the fundamental pillars of a world 
that hopes to look to the future in peace, in security, and well-being.
    For all this, Mr. President, we are very close to you, and we're 
close to you not as allies that always feel that the other is an ally 
but as loyal friends, and therefore, we feel that whenever criticism is 
due, we can have the freedom to make that criticism.
    I wish to thank you, sir, for the way in which you've always 
listened to us. I thank you for always having given us the opportunity. 
We're not part of the U.N. Security Council, of course, but we thank you 
for having given us the opportunity to have a say in matters and to work 
together to contribute to the drafting of this last resolution. And we 
certainly hope that the U.N. is going to

[[Page 1022]]

approve this next week. And we're going to be available by participating 
with our men and women in the peace mission.
    Let me just say one last word regarding the reasons why our troops 
are in Iraq and will stay in Iraq until the new government--the 
government that will be elected in January next--until that government, 
I was saying, feels the troops and the other countries can be helpful in 
maintaining peace, in the construction of a democracy. We're in Iraq 
exactly for the same reasons why we are in Bosnia, why our men are in 
Macedonia, why we're in Kosovo, and why we're in Afghanistan, where this 
morning I guaranteed to the President of the United States--where I was 
saying Italy will participate with troops--it will participate in 
Afghanistan's effort to become a democratic country through the 
elections that are going to be held in the month of September. We're in 
Iraq for the very same reasons why we have deployed our men in these 
countries, together with the U.S. forces.
    If anyone were to think that it would be advisable to withdraw 
troops from Iraq, then we would have to do the same from all the other 
countries in which we have our troops. And we think that this is 
actually the opposite of what should be done in order to secure peace in 
these countries, to make sure that they experience no civil wars and 
that they prosper until they become established democracies.
    So thank you for your visit, Mr. President, and thank you very much 
for everything that the United States will continue to do to spread 
democracy throughout the world.
    With our press offices, we actually established that there will be 
two questions addressed to the U.S. President and two to the Italian 
President. So I open the floor for questions. The Americans first.

President's Visit to Italy and the Vatican/Iraqi Transition

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, you got strong statement 
of support just now from the Prime Minister. This country has troops in 
Iraq with the United States troops, and yet, there were many street 
demonstrations yesterday. There were concerns expressed by the Pope 
about the U.S. mission. Do you think that your trip to Europe is mending 
fences or stirring the pot?
    And to the Prime Minister, do you anticipate that the troops that 
you have in Iraq will remain at the same levels for the next coming 
months? Or will there be more or less?
    President Bush. I think--first of all, democracy is a beautiful 
thing, and I am pleased to be in a country where people are allowed to 
express their opinion.
    I believe the world understands the importance of a free Iraq 
emerging in the Middle East. There may have been differences of opinion 
about Saddam Hussein and the enforcement of a U.N. Security Council 
Resolution 1441. Now the world understands the importance of working 
with the Iraqis to encourage the development of a free society.
    And that's why it is important for me to remind people that there 
will be a transfer of full sovereignty to an Iraqi government and that 
the Iraqi people will be making the decisions as to how to proceed 
forward. And we are there to help them. People in Europe have heard the 
comments of Prime Minister Alawi and the Foreign Minister, both of 
whom--who have asked for help in making Iraq secure enough to get to 
free elections, and we're there to help them do that. And we're there to 
help them reconstruct their country.
    And I sense a spirit of unity in terms of working with the new Iraqi 
government. That's why we're working closely with nations to get a 
United Nations Security Council resolution that confirms that which I 
just said. And I am confident we will get one soon, and I want to thank 
the Prime Minister for working toward that end.
    But one--on the Holy Father. First of all, I had a great visit 
yesterday. I was honored to be in his presence again. This was my third 
meeting with His Holiness. And it was such an honor to be in the 
presence of a strong, godly man. And he and I share concerns about 
treating people with human dignity.
    And I, like His Holiness, I was repulsed by the pictures I saw about 
the treatment by some of our troops toward Iraqi prisoners. That 
treatment did not reflect the spirit of America. Those people stained 
our honor, and there will be a full investigation in a

[[Page 1023]]

transparent way about the actions that took place, which will stand in 
stark contrast to what takes place in a society that is run by a tyrant. 
And it's important for the people of the Middle East to see the rule of 
law and to see somebody being held to account in a transparent way. But 
the visit yesterday was a very constructive, positive visit.
    One more from the American side? I'll pick one. Steve [Steve 
Holland, Reuters].
    Q. Thank you, Mr. President.
    President Bush. His name is Steve.

Resignation of the Director of Central Intelligence

    Q. After the resignation of George Tenet, how do you keep morale 
from dropping in the intelligence community at a critical time? Should 
he be blamed for intelligence failures, and what is the status of those 
reforms you've been talking about?
    President Bush. First, let me say what I said on the way out of town 
the other day. George Tenet did a superb job for America. It was a high 
honor to work with him, and I'm sorry he left. He chose to do so for 
personal reasons. When he came to see me at the White House the night 
before he departed--the night before he delivered his letter, the night 
before I departed, I talked about morale within the Agency. And he 
assured me that morale would remain high because the people inside the 
Agency understand the vitality of their mission.
    The CIA plays a really important role in fighting the war on terror. 
In order for us to find the thugs who hide in caves and who plot against 
free people, we must gather intelligence and share intelligence with our 
friends, so we can bring people to justice before they hurt us again. 
And the people inside the Agency know that role and know how important 
that role is.
    Secondly, John McLaughlin, who has been at the Agency for a long 
period of time, has my confidence but, more importantly, has the 
confidence of the people who work in the Agency.
    And finally, in terms of reform, I look forward to working with all 
the commissions that are looking into the intelligence-gathering 
apparatus of the United States--including the Silberman-Robb Commission 
which is now gathering information and will present a report to the 
country within a year--to come up with recommendations to make sure that 
we get the best intelligence possible. You cannot win the war on terror 
unless your intelligence agency has got high morale and is well-
structured to fight and win the war of the 21st century.
    Make no mistake about it, we're still at war. It's important for the 
people of Italy to understand, there's still a terrorist network that 
wants to murder and kill, and what they're trying to do is shake our 
will. They want us to retreat from the world. They want us to forget our 
values. They want us to become fearful. They want us to throw up our 
hands and surrender, which I refuse to do. For the sake of the security 
of free people, I refuse to relent to the killers, refuse to surrender 
one inch to people who have hijacked a great religion and who will 
murder innocent women and children. And fortunately, I've got a strong 
ally in that view in the Prime Minister of Italy.
    Prime Minister Berlusconi. I can't but agree with what the American 
President has just said. Also, in terms of humiliations on the Iraqi 
prisoners, I must highlight and stress the deep difference between a 
dictatorship, where torture is the usual, standard practice and is 
continuous, and the democracy which has the ability to denounce it, to 
report the mistakes, and to punish in a very clear way, an open way, the 
culprits, the perpetrators. That's the big difference between 
totalitarianism and a true, real democracy.
    Once again, I would like also to add that the behavior of a few, 
where in democracy you have the basic principles that responsibility and 
accountability is personal, the crime of one or a few people cannot be 
blamed on a whole population.
    If you have questions for the Italian Prime Minister, I'm here, 
ready to answer them.

Anniversary of the Liberation of Rome/60th Anniversary of D-Day

    Q. I'd like to ask both of you something about the celebrations 
tomorrow in Normandy. I would like to ask President Bush, don't you feel 
insulted that one of your allies has not been invited to a celebration--
since

[[Page 1024]]

Italy participated through resistance in the liberation fight.
    And I would like to ask Prime Minister Berlusconi whether he doesn't 
think and believe that those who exclude Italy and continue to imagine 
Europe being led just by three countries actually want to have an 
influence in the domestic choices made in our country.
    Prime Minister Berlusconi. The information sources of our friend 
journalist are very disputable. I must say that the reality is the 
following. This is the situation: There was a kind of embarrassment by 
the French President because Italy--because of the historical situation 
which had taken place in Italy at the D-day. I personally got rid of 
this embarrassment for the French President, because since I had invited 
the American President, President Bush, to come to Italy before the 
celebrations of D-day, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the 
liberation of Rome, I believed that it was much more desirable to have 
just for Italy, only for Rome and for us, a representative of the 
American people, rather than being part of one celebration where there 
are going to be 17 Prime Ministers. So I'd rather have him here, alone, 
than going there, one of 17.
    And this is reality. And I thank, once again, President Bush for 
accepting to come here.
    President Bush. I am honored to have this invitation to come. 
Yesterday at our Embassy, I had the great honor of addressing some of 
the Americans who came to liberate Italy. In other words, it was a part 
of a series of events that I have been attending to commemorate what we 
have called in our country, the Greatest Generation. A week ago or so, I 
was on The Mall in Washington, DC, where we commemorated a new World War 
II Memorial. And as part of that series of events to honor young men who 
came here to sacrifice for the liberty of others, my visit to Rome is 
very appropriate and necessary. I think they're called--some of them 
were called the Devil's Brigade. These were young guys from all across 
America who came into Rome, and I had the honor and chance to thank them 
personally. And it's necessary the American President honor these folks 
on Italian soil for the job they did.
    And then, of course, I'll be able to pay honor to those who came to 
Normandy as well. I think it's appropriate, and I appreciate the 
invitation to be here to do so.
    Prime Minister Berlusconi. I'd like to add, Mr. President, that we 
visited together the cemetery of the American soldiers, and together we 
were moved and touched, 60 years later, in reading those names on the 
tombstones, in seeing their birth date and their death date. They were 
22, 23, 25 years, so very young lives which sacrificed themselves for a 
higher ideal, that of freedom, and liberate Italy and Europe from 
totalitarianism, which had been the disease affecting our continent. And 
America twice came here to--[inaudible]--after being a rib from Europe, 
America came back here to give its contribution to Europe to keep Europe 
in freedom. And today this new Europe, which was joined by other 10 
countries which have been subject for 70 years to the communist 
totalitarianism, I think that this new Europe will be more capable and 
able to feel the unity and unification with United States and to be 
together with United States to make up the West.
    Italy is working for this. Italy is working in order to keep 
European Union close to the United States to strengthen our friendship, 
because only through joint action we will succeed in fighting this 
recent war, the war caused by the terror attacks. We can win together. 
We must win together. We will win together.
    Another question?

Iraqi Transition/Proposed U.N. Security Council Resolution

    Q. Good morning.
    Prime Minister Berlusconi. Do you have the same sources as your 
colleague?
    Q. No, I don't think I do. No, really I have a question for both 
Presidents. I'd like to know exactly what's the role of Italy in the 
development of what might be a new U.N. resolution for Iraq?
    Prime Minister Berlusconi. Well, you want to know the highlights?
    Q. Yes, I'd like to know about Italy's role in that development.

[[Page 1025]]

    Prime Minister Berlusconi. I see. Well, I think perhaps it should be 
the President to answer that question.
    President Bush. Well, I'll be glad to answer it. Last week the Prime 
Minister came to the Oval Office. He wanted assurances that there would 
be a full transfer of sovereignty to an Iraqi government. You might 
remember--7 days ago, I guess it was that you were there--that there was 
some doubt as to--in people's minds as to whether or not we intended to 
participate in a full transfer of sovereignty. I assured him that not 
only that was our intention, that would be--his desires would be 
reflected in the United Nations Security Council resolution.
    There's a variety of issues that he sought assurances on. He fully 
understands, for example, that our troops must be there at the request 
of a sovereign government. In other words, when you transfer a full 
sovereignty, the government must say, ``We welcome your help.'' And 
that's precisely what is happening.
    Again, I repeat what I said before. The Prime Minister as well as 
the Foreign Minister not only thanked us for our contributions but asked 
us to stay there to help the Iraqis step up the security forces 
necessary to make sure the country is peaceful enough for elections to 
be held. That's what they want; they want to hold elections.
    And by the way, the terrorists don't want elections, and that's just 
their nature, see. They're frightened of freedom. And that's why they 
kill indiscriminately, to stop--to try to stop this march toward a free 
society. And it will be a major defeat in their cause.
    These terrorists, by the way, hold--have an ideology that is very 
much like that ideology which subjected the people of Afghanistan to 
brutality, that basically demeans women, that doesn't believe in rule of 
law, that doesn't believe in free thought or free religion. That's what 
they want, and they would like to spread that ideology, particularly in 
the Middle East.
    And I equate the struggle we have today with the struggle we had 
with communism in Europe after World War II. And the free world could 
have either yielded to communism or stood up to communism right after 
World War II. And fortunately, we stood up to communism, and now, Europe 
is free, whole, and peaceful. And we have the same issue today. And the 
fundamental question is: Will we hold the line and uphold our values and 
work to spread democracy, or will we yield to terrorism and resentment 
and hatred?
    And this is a turning point in history. It's an important moment. 
And one of the reasons why I'm proud to stand here with the Prime 
Minister is he understands the stakes; he understands the importance. 
And like me, he shares a great sense of optimism about the future.
    And so I'm proud to be with you, Mr. Prime Minister. It's great to 
be back in this beautiful city. You've got a fantastic country. And our 
country is better off because of the contributions of millions of 
Italian Americans, I might add. And thanks for having me. God bless.
    Prime Minister Berlusconi. I have to give my answer----
    President Bush. I thought you wanted me to answer the question. 
[Laughter]
    Prime Minister Berlusconi. [Inaudible]--Mr. President. I simply wish 
to say that we've been very, very happy to have been able to give our 
contribution. In spite--and this is something we ought to remember--in 
spite of the fact that we're not members of the U.N. Security Council, 
which I don't think is something that this Government is responsible 
for.
    There is one point, I believe, that was not introduced, a point that 
I was able to discuss with the President of the Russian Federation, Mr. 
Putin, which has to do with the calling of an international conference 
on Iraq. And I'd like to explain the reasons why this point was not 
discussed, or is not found in the current draft of the resolution. As 
this resolution--or rather, as sovereignty will be transferred to the 
new Iraqi government, it was believed that it will be precisely the new 
Iraqi government to decide on whether or not it may be useful and 
possible to hold an international conference. And this too I think is 
evidence of the sovereignty that is not just words but that is something 
that we believe in seriously, concretely, and transparently.
    Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you to the press, from the U.S. 
especially. Thank

[[Page 1026]]

you to everyone, and best of luck in your work.

Note: The President's news conference began at approximately 11:15 a.m. 
at the Villa Madama. In his remarks, he referred to former President 
Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Prime Minister Ayad al-Alawi and Foreign 
Minister Hoshyar Zebari of the Iraqi interim government; and Pope John 
Paul II. Prime Minister Berlusconi referred to President Jacques Chirac 
of France; and President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Prime Minister 
Berlusconi spoke in Italian, and his remarks were translated by an 
interpreter. A portion of these remarks could not be verified because 
the tape was incomplete.