[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 25 (Monday, June 21, 2004)]
[Pages 1049-1057]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference in Savannah, Georgia

June 10, 2004

    The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. We just completed a 
very successful summit. The nations of the G-8 are united in our desire 
to help bring stability and democracy to Iraq. We came together to 
support reform in the broader Middle East. We pledged to work together 
to build a more secure, peaceful, and prosperous world.
    Laura and I thank the citizens of this part of our country. This was 
a successful summit because the people here made it successful by being 
so warm and gracious. The Southern hospitality was strong. The citizens 
of Sea Island and Brunswick and Savannah, as well as people from around 
Georgia, were just really great, and we thank them. All the leaders with 
whom I talked asked me to express my appreciation to the people of this 
part of the world.
    I also thank the world leaders and their staffs who traveled so far 
to come here. I especially want to thank the leaders for their kind 
words of condolence for President Ronald Reagan. Laura and I look 
forward to paying our respect to President Reagan tonight at the 
Capitol, and we look toward--forward to our visit with Nancy and the 
Reagan family at the Blair House tonight.
    Ronald Reagan was a great man, an historic leader, and a national 
treasure. I'm honored to speak tomorrow at the memorial service on 
behalf of a grateful nation.
    This year's G-8 Summit came at a crucial time. Our nations face a 
grave threat to our common security. We also face a moment of 
opportunity to undermine the appeal of terror by supporting the advance 
of liberty and prosperity throughout the world, especially in the 
broader Middle East. The momentum of freedom there is building. A free 
Iraq is rising in the heart of that vital region.
    Across the Middle East, a consensus is emerging on the need for 
change. In Alexandria, Istanbul, the Dead Sea, Sona, and Aqaba, 
political, civil society, and business leaders have met to discuss 
modernization and reform and have issued stirring calls for political, 
economic, and social change. The nations of the G-8 recognize our 
special responsibility to help the people of the Middle East achieve the 
progress they seek. And here at Sea Island, we pledged that our nations 
will help further the causes of freedom and reform to help an increasing 
number of people join in the progress of our times.
    I appreciate the support of the G-8 nations for the new United 
Nations Security Council resolution that expresses international support 
for Iraq's interim government and lays out a clear path to Iraqi 
democracy. The Iraqi people can know that the world stands with them in 
their quest for a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous future. And the 
enemies of freedom in that nation know that they are opposed by the 
might and resolve of free nations.
    I'm grateful to the new President of the Iraqi interim government, 
President al-Yawr, for making the trip to Sea Island. I had a really 
good visit with him. He shared his thinking on the need to improve 
security, to make progress toward national elections no later than 
January of next year.
    The nations of the G-8 are committed to the success of Iraq's 
government, to the defeat of its enemies, and to the future of Iraq as a 
free and democratic state. The defeat of terror worldwide and the 
success of freedom in Iraq are the challenges of the moment. The spread 
of freedom throughout the broader Middle East is the imperative of our 
age.
    This year, G-8 nations and Turkey have united around a common agenda 
to use the energies and resources of our nations to support the momentum 
of freedom in the nations of the Middle East and North Africa.

[[Page 1050]]

Working with leaders from the region, we have established the 
Partnership for Progress and a Common Future with nations of the broader 
Middle East. This partnership will seek to advance the universal values 
of human dignity, freedom, democracy, the rule of law, economic 
opportunity, and social justice.
    We've also agreed to establish a Forum for the Future, which will 
bring together senior government officials from the Middle East with 
their G-8 counterparts and also regional business and civil society 
leaders with corresponding leaders from G-8 nations. In the forum, 
leaders will discuss ideas that can help the nations of the Middle East 
create jobs, increase access to capital, improve literacy and education, 
protect human rights, and make progress toward democracy.
    Reform must reflect the needs and realities of each country and be 
driven by the desires of the people. We have an obligation to support 
them in their search for a freer, more prosperous future. We will meet 
that obligation.
    I thank the many leaders from the Middle East who came to this 
summit to describe their goals for their nations and who pledged their 
support for this project. The people of the broader Middle East yearn 
for democratic change, and their leaders understand and support the need 
for reform.
    I also thank the spouses of the G-8 leaders and prominent women from 
the region who met to explore ways in which all of our nations can 
improve education and expand opportunities for women in the broader 
Middle East. I want to thank Laura for hosting that important meeting 
and for all that she has done over the past 3 years on behalf of the 
women and girls of the broader Middle East.
    At this summit, we also agreed to take new action to stop the spread 
of weapons of mass destruction. Within the recent addition--with the 
recent addition of Russia, all G-8 member nations now participate in the 
Proliferation Security Initiative, which is designed to stop the trade 
in deadly weapons and the means to make and deliver them.
    Seven new donor nations have agreed to contribute funds to the 
global partnership to reduce and secure dangerous weapons and materials. 
We will expand the partnership's cooperation to address proliferation 
threats beyond the nations of the former Soviet Union.
    G-8 nations have agreed to my proposal to establish a special 
committee within the International Atomic Energy Agency that will focus 
intensively on safeguards and verification. We're calling on all nations 
to sign and implement the additional protocol which will expand the 
IAEA's ability to inspect nuclear activities and facilities. We agreed 
that over the next year, our nations will not initiate any new transfers 
of uranium enrichment and reprocessing technology to additional nations, 
as we work toward a permanent means to keep these materials out of the 
hands of outlaw nations seeking nuclear weapons.
    And the G-8 agreed for the first time to take concrete steps to 
expand national and international capabilities to prevent, detect, and 
respond to attacks with biological weapons.
    Finally, we moved forward on our common efforts to make the world 
not only safer but better. We launched a new effort to train and equip 
75,000 peacekeepers over the next 5 years to help bring stability and 
security to troubled regions, with an initial focus on the continent of 
Africa.
    We established the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise to accelerate the 
efforts of scientists to defeat HIV/AIDS. We pledged to break the cycle 
of famine in the Horn of Africa. We met with the heads of government 
from six African nations to discuss their ongoing work to improve health 
care, institute reform, and build prosperity for their peoples, as 
reflected in their commitment to the New Partnership for Africa's 
Development.
    Over the long term, trade is the most certain path to lasting 
prosperity. Free and fair trade is the key engine of growth in the 
world. And as we spur growth in our own countries, we must continue to 
reduce the trade barriers that are an obstacle to growth in the 
developing world.
    G-8 nations reaffirmed our commitment to the success of the Doha 
Round of WTO trade negotiations. We directed our trade ministers to take 
action to get the negotiations back on track toward a successful 
conclusion.

[[Page 1051]]

    The past several days have been full and productive. We've taken up 
many important tasks, and now we'll translate our consensus into action. 
The United States looks forward to fulfilling the commitments we made at 
Sea Island. And the nations of the G-8 will stand together to advance 
the values of freedom and peace and human dignity.
    Now I'll be glad to take a couple of questions. Tom [Tom Raum, 
Associated Press].

Iraqi Security

    Q. Mr. President, you emphasized earlier today that Iraq needs help. 
But where, specifically, do you see this help coming from? Despite a 
U.N. resolution and despite the harmony here at the summit, no one else 
has stepped forward offering more debt relief or more troops. Doesn't it 
appear that the American face will be on the security of Iraq for a long 
time to come? So where----
    The President. No, it doesn't appear that way. There will be an 
Iraqi face on the security of Iraq. The Iraqis will secure their own 
country. And we are there to help them do so. And we had great 
discussions today about how to help Iraq.
    Tom, the resolution just got passed. I know we live in a world where 
everything is supposed to happen yesterday, but it doesn't work that 
way. And we're waiting for the Iraqi government to assess the situation 
and make requests to the free world. We'll respond to their requests 
when sovereignty is fully transferred. That's the definition of full 
sovereignty. You see, when a government is fully sovereign, they then 
make requests on behalf of their people.
    And the response here at the G-8 has been very encouraging. In other 
words, the G-8 leaders have said, ``We'll wait for their requests and 
see if we can't help.'' But just let me make the point again: Most of 
the security in Iraq will be provided by Iraqis, and we are there to 
help them.
    Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].

NATO's Role in Iraq

    Q. Thanks, Mr. President. President Chirac said yesterday that NATO 
should not intervene in Iraq. Is that what you were proposing? Is a 
common ground possible before the Turkey summit?
    The President. I suggested to the leaders of the G-8 that we listen 
to the needs of the Iraqi leadership. And if they ask for more training, 
for example, a good organization to provide that training would be NATO. 
As I said, I think in your presence, as a matter of fact, I don't expect 
more troops from NATO to be offered up. That's an unrealistic 
expectation. Nobody is suggesting that. What we are suggesting is for 
NATO, perhaps, to help train. Now, that would come at the request of the 
Iraqi government. And I found a common spirit of wanting to help Iraq 
progress and become a peaceful country. People understand the stakes 
involved here. A democracy in the heart of the Middle East is going to 
be an important change for that region, that troubled region.
    And I understand some in the world say this country can't be free 
and self-governing. Well, I disagree. I strongly believe it will be free 
and prosperous. And they need our help, and they'll have our help. And 
when they're free and prosperous, it will serve as a symbol, an example 
of that which is possible for other countries and other people.
    See, I believe free societies best meet the aspirations of the 
people living in those societies. And we look forward to helping Iraq 
achieve that--the dream of being at peace and free and a country in 
which the people are able to express their opinions.
    Sanger [David Sanger, New York Times].

Justice Department Advisory Opinion on Treatment of Prisoners

    Q. Mr. President, the Justice Department issued an advisory opinion 
last year declaring that as Commander in Chief, you have the authority 
to order any kind of interrogation techniques that are necessary to 
pursue the war on terror. Were you aware of this advisory opinion? Do 
you agree with it? And did you issue any such authorization at any time?
    The President. No, the authorization I issued, David, was that 
anything we did would conform to U.S. law and would be consistent with 
international treaty obligations. That's the message I gave our people.
    Q. Have you seen the memos?
    The President. I can't remember if I've seen the memo or not, but I 
gave those instructions.

[[Page 1052]]

    John [John King, CNN], yes.

Libya

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Sir, I wanted to ask you about this 
Libyan plot to assassinate Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. My 
understanding of it is that it came to the White House's attention in 
early April. The White House officials do believe that Qadhafi had some 
kind of involvement in it. I'm wondering if you could confirm that. 
Also, have you sent any kind of a message to Qadhafi about it? And what 
does it say about his intentions to truly renounce terrorism and rejoin 
the community of nations?
    The President. Yes, I appreciate that question. What I can tell you 
is, is that we're going to make sure we fully understand the veracity of 
the plot line. And so we're looking into it, is the best way I can tell 
you. And when we find out the facts, we will deal with them accordingly.
    Q. Was there any kind of message sent to him, sir?
    The President. I don't talk to Colonel Qadhafi. I have sent a 
message to him that if he honors his commitments to resist terror and to 
fully disclose and disarm his weapons programs, we will begin a process 
of normalization, which we have done. We have begun that process. And 
now there's--we will make sure he honors his commitment.
    John [John Dickerson, TIME].

Middle Eastern Allies/Reform in the Middle East

    Q. Mr. President, thank you. In the past and here at this summit, 
you have made crystal-clear how important this Middle East initiative is 
to you. And yet, key U.S. allies in the region, like Egypt, like Saudi 
Arabia, like Kuwait, refuse to send representatives to engage in the 
discussions. Do you take that as a personal slap, sir?
    The President. No. [Laughter] Okay, I'll give your question more 
answer. [Laughter] This initiative is not important for me; it's 
important for the people of the region. That's what's important, for the 
people of the region to have a chance to live in a free society. And 
obviously, I believe it's possible that there will be free, self-
governing countries in this vital part of the world. And so do others, 
including the leaders that came and spoke to us.
    And look, I fully understand--look, there was some concern when the 
initiative was first proposed that this was America trying to make the 
world look like America. It's not going to happen. I fully understand 
that a free society in the Middle East is going to reflect the culture 
and traditions of the people in that country, not America.
    I also understand it takes a while to adopt the habits of a 
democratic society and a free society. After all, it took our own 
country a while. You might remember the period of the Articles of 
Confederation. You do remember the period of the Articles--[laughter]--
it just took us a while. It's not easy work. It's hard work, but we 
believe it is necessary work, because free societies are peaceful 
societies. The best way to defeat terror is to speak to the aspirations 
and hopes of women and men.
    And so I understand, John, that there's a certain nervousness about 
whether or not people can adapt the institutions of freedom. But they 
shouldn't be nervous. They ought to welcome reform.
    And you mentioned my friend the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. He and 
I have discussed reform before. He understands the need to reform--it's 
not going to--you know, it's not going to meet the expectations of every 
American. But nevertheless, he understands the need to speak to the 
hopes and aspirations of his people.
    And so it was a very positive meeting yesterday. And the statement 
ought to be very positive.
    I had a very interesting moment when the Minister of--I think that 
her title is Minister of Displaced Persons in Iraq. She came with the 
President's delegation. And she took me aside and said, ``You must 
understand, Mr. President, when you speak about reform in the Middle 
East, there are a lot of brave people who hear your words.'' And I 
shared that with my counterparts at the G-8, that people hear our words. 
Because, you know--and they're anxious that we honor what we say because 
they want to be free. They want to be free people.
    Let's see here. Let's make sure we get fair--Jimmy Angle [FOX News]. 
Where are

[[Page 1053]]

you? No show. Jon [Jonathan Karl, ABC News].
    Q. Mr. President----
    The President. ----it's very kind of me to call upon your network, 
even though the guy's name here, who was supposed to be here, didn't 
show. [Laughter] I haven't seen you in a while. Why are you covering 
Congress and not the White House?
    Q. Well, I'm glad to be here, Mr. President.
    The President. Okay, good. [Laughter]

Treatment of Prisoners

    Q. Returning to the question of torture, if you knew a person was in 
U.S. custody and had specific information about an imminent terrorist 
attack that could kill hundreds or even thousands of Americans, would 
you authorize the use of any means necessary to get that information and 
to save those lives?
    The President. Jonathan, what I've authorized is that we stay within 
U.S. law.
    Gregory [David Gregory, NBC News].

Iraqi Security

    Q. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. President. I was struck by something you 
said that it's the Iraqis who are going to be primarily responsible for 
their own security.
    The President. Correct.
    Q. How is that the case when you have said repeatedly that the 
terrorists and the killers in Iraq understand the stakes of this 
particular time and that they're only going to intensify their 
insurgency? I mean, isn't the reality that----
    The President. Yes, go ahead.
    Q. Haven't you said that?
    The President. I have said that. No, I wasn't--I was just kind of--
I'm trying to get to where your question is leading.
    Q. Well, I guess I'm challenging the notion----
    The President. I should not anticipate. I'm sorry.
    Q. Okay, no, what I'm trying to do is challenge the notion that it's 
Iraqis who are going to be primarily responsible for their security when 
we've come through a period where, as you've noted, many of them are 
running away from their posts; they're not adequately trained. Isn't the 
reality that the United States is still very much alone in Iraq, going 
forward, even after the handover, in terms of securing the country?
    The President. Well, first of all, David, there is a coalition on 
the ground in Iraq. If you're here to ask Prime Minister Blair a 
question, I would hope you wouldn't ask the question, ``Do you think 
America is alone in Iraq.'' He's got a lot of troops in Iraq, and other 
nations have troops in Iraq, all aiming to help the Iraqi people. But 
the long-term solution is going to be for the Iraqi people to secure 
their own country, David. That's the only way this country is going to 
evolve into a prosperous, free society.
    And I believe the full transfer of sovereignty is going to--will 
help the Iraqis understand the stakes. They will be responsible. It's 
their responsibility. We are there to help. And yes, the main security 
will be provided by the Iraqi citizens. It's--that's the duty of a 
government, is to train and equip and provide police and army to protect 
their people from people who are willing to kill innocent life.
    Now, look, I fully concede and have publicly that I think things are 
still going to be tough there. The transfer of sovereignty isn't going 
to stop Zarqawi, an Al Qaida associate who, by the way, was in Baghdad 
prior to our arrival and still operates in the country. He's willing to 
kill innocent life. His desire is to kill anybody in his way, to try to 
shake the confidence of the Iraqi citizens as well as the citizens of 
the free world. He operates, and we're there to help the Iraqi citizens 
find him and bring him to justice. No question it's still going to be 
dangerous.
    But the solution for Iraqi security is going to be provided by the 
Iraqis. That's what Prime Minister Alawi has said so clearly. I haven't 
met the Prime Minister yet, but he sounds like a very strong, courageous 
individual who says, ``Look, we want--we want your help, but it's our 
responsibility to secure our country.'' And we're there to help.
    Let's see here. I'm trying to curry favor with everybody, of course. 
[Laughter]
    Q. ----in the back.
    The President. I will in a minute. Hold on for a second. Dick 
[Richard Keil, Bloomberg News]. Yes, Dick. Sorry. I just got some--I've 
got some mandatories I've

[[Page 1054]]

got to call on here. [Laughter] See, I have to live with these people. I 
don't have to live with you. [Laughter]
    Q. Thank you for that, Mr. President.
    Q. In that case, can I ask you another one?
    The President. Yes, exactly, Roberts [John Roberts, CBS News]. 
[Laughter]

CIA Employee Identity Disclosure Investigation

    Q. Given recent developments in the CIA leak case, particularly Vice 
President Cheney's discussions with the investigators, do you still 
stand by what you said several months ago, a suggestion that it might be 
difficult to identify anybody who leaked the agent's name?
    The President. That's up to----
    Q. And do you stand by your pledge to fire anyone found to have done 
so?
    The President. Yes. And that's up to the U.S. Attorney to find the 
facts.
    Q. My final point would be--or question would be, has Vice President 
Cheney assured you----
    The President. It's up to the----
    Q. ----subsequent to his conversations with them, that nobody----
    The President. I haven't talked to the Vice President about this 
matter, and I suggest--recently--and I suggest you talk to the U.S. 
Attorney about that.
    Hold on for a minute. I'm kind of observing for a second. I've got 
to call on the Texas newspaper. Hillman [G. Robert Hillman, Dallas 
Morning News].

U.S. Troops in Iraq

    Q. Yes, Mr. President. In the wake of the U.N. resolution this week 
and the discussions here at Sea Island, what can you tell the American 
people about when U.S. troops might be coming home from Iraq in large 
numbers?
    The President. When the job is done.
    Judy [Judy Keen, USA Today].

Honoring President Ronald Reagan

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Sir, since President Reagan's death, 
there seems to be new momentum behind efforts to rename the Pentagon for 
him or to put his image on American currency. Do you support either of 
those?
    The President. Judy, look, I am going to Washington to pay honor to 
Mrs. Reagan and her family. I'll give a speech tomorrow, and then I will 
reflect on further ways to honor a great President.
    Lakely [Jim Lakely, Washington Times].
    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Many in this country and around the 
world believe that the United Nations' involvement in Iraq is necessary 
because the way you've conducted the war in Iraq is illegitimate and has 
lowered the moral standing of the United States around the world. 
However, one could also argue that the United Nations has moral 
authority problems of its own with the oil-for-food scandal in Iraq, for 
instance. How do you respond to those who think that the United Nations 
has greater moral standing in the world than the United States? Or do 
you think the United States maybe is held to a higher standard than the 
United Nations?
    The President. I think the United States is a strong, compassionate 
nation. And as President of a strong, compassionate nation, I'll do what 
it takes to defend us. We're at war. We're at war with an enemy who 
killed thousands of our citizens on September the 11th, 2001. And since 
that time, they've killed hundreds elsewhere. They're killers, and I 
have an obligation to defend our country.
    And the war on terror is a different kind of war. It requires 
international cooperation to fight it, and there's excellent 
international cooperation in the war against terror. There's 
excellence--there's excellent intelligence-sharing, not only with 
nations in the G-8 but nations throughout the world. There's excellent 
law enforcement operations--joint operations. We have got special forces 
from Europe side by side with special forces in the United States in 
remote regions of Afghanistan trying to find remnants of the Taliban and 
Al Qaida. There's substantial cooperation.
    And that's the reason I went to the United Nations, to encourage 
cooperation. Plus, I wanted the United Nations to be a body that had the 
respect of the world, and when it said something, it meant it.
    And so I went and took the case of Iraq to the United Nations. We 
got a unanimous

[[Page 1055]]

United Nations Security Council resolution. It said, ``Mr. Saddam 
Hussein, disclose your weapons programs. If you don't, face serious 
consequences.'' In my judgment, when a body or a person says ``face 
serious consequences,'' you better mean it. Otherwise, future words ring 
hollow, and it would have made it less likely that international 
cooperation would have been effective in the war on terror.
    So that's why I went to the United Nations. I have respect for the 
United Nations. I was pleased with the U.N. Security Council resolution 
at the United Nations. It had a positive effect on the Iraqi people to 
hear the world speak. It also had a practical effect on allowing world 
leaders to go to their parliaments and say, ``The U.N. has spoken. 
Therefore, let us continue missions.'' And I think it's a positive 
development when the U.N. is able to work together, and we are working 
together. We're working together a lot, on a lot of fronts, and that's 
what's going to have to continue to happen as we fight the war on 
terror.
    Let me say it again: There's an enemy which lurks out there that is 
willing to kill on a moment's notice. They're trying to shake the 
world's confidence. They want us to retreat. They want us to surrender. 
They want us to say, ``You win. We'll leave regions of the country.'' 
And so long as I'm the President of the United States, we'll be 
determined and firm and committed to fighting this enemy, for the good 
of all free people, so people can grow up without fear.
    All right, I'm going to do a little something here. Clive, BBC 
[Clive Myrie]. Where are you, Clive?
    Q. He's not here, but I'll--[laughter].
    The President. You qualify. [Laughter] It's about--you've been to 
almost all my press conferences, and you've never asked a question.
    Q. Well, thank you very much, Mr. President.
    The President. Where is Clive?
    Q. Back here, sir. [Laughter]
    The President. Back where? Clive, I'm sorry.
    Q. Sorry, Clive. [Laughter]
    The President. There's a surrogate Clive here. [Laughter]

Treatment of Prisoners

    Q. Mr. President, I wanted to return to the question of torture. 
What we've learned from these memos this week is that the Department of 
Justice lawyers and the Pentagon lawyers have essentially worked out a 
way that U.S. officials can torture detainees without running afoul of 
the law. So when you say that you want the U.S. to adhere to 
international and U.S. laws, that's not very comforting. This is a moral 
question: Is torture ever justified?
    The President. Look, I'm going to say it one more time. If I--maybe 
I can be more clear. The instructions went out to our people to adhere 
to law. That ought to comfort you. We're a nation of law. We adhere to 
laws. We have laws on the books. You might look at those laws, and that 
might provide comfort for you. And those were the instructions out of--
from me to the Government.
    All right, Al Hurra. Good, thank you for coming.

Saddam Hussein/President's Meeting With Tortured Iraqis

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. You do have now the personal gun of 
Saddam Hussein. Are you willing to give it to President al-Yawr as a 
symbolic gift, or are you keeping it? [Laughter]
    The President. What she's referring to is a--members of a Delta team 
came to see me in the Oval Office and brought with me--these were the 
people that found Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq, hiding in a 
hole. And by the way, let me remind everybody about Saddam Hussein, just 
in case we all forget. There were mass graves under his leadership. 
There were torture chambers. Saddam Hussein, if you--we had seven people 
come to my office. Perhaps the foreign press didn't see this story. 
Seven people came to my--they had their hands cut off because the Iraqi 
currency had devalued. And Saddam Hussein needed somebody to blame, so 
he blamed small merchants, and their hands were chopped off, their right 
hand.
    Fortunately, a documentary filmmaker went to Baghdad and filmed 
the--filmed these seven men. And their story was picked up around the 
Nation, particularly in Houston, Texas, where a person named Marvin

[[Page 1056]]

Zindler, who runs a foundation, took great sympathy and flew them over 
and had new hands put on. The latest prosthesis was put on their hand--
was put on their arms. And their hands worked. I remember the guy 
signing ``God Bless America'' with his new hand in the Oval Office.
    So this is the person. So needless to say, our people were thrilled 
to have captured him. And in his lap was several weapons. One of them 
was a pistol. And they brought it to me. It's now the property of the 
U.S. Government. And I am--it--I'm grateful for their bravery. I'm also 
grateful that that part of the mission was accomplished, for the good of 
the Iraqi people.
    Deans [Bob Deans, Cox Newspapers]. This is your area, right?
    Q. Yes, sir.
    The President. Yes.
    Q. Thank you so much.
    The President. Is any local press here, at all, by the way? Any 
local? Okay.

Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction

    Q. Mr. President, a year ago in Evian, there was an expectation that 
in the ensuing months weapons such as chemical or biological weapons 
would be found in Iraq. I wonder if you can share with the American 
people your conclusions, based on what you've learned over the past 15 
months, sir, as to whether those weapons were--existed and they were 
hidden; were they destroyed; were they somehow spirited out of the 
country; or perhaps they weren't there before the war--and whether you 
had a chance to share this with your G-8 partners.
    The President. Right, no--Bob, it's a good question. I don't know--I 
haven't reached a final conclusion yet because the inspectors--
inspection teams aren't back yet. I do know that Saddam Hussein had the 
capacity to make weapons. I do know he's a dangerous person. I know he 
used weapons against his own people and against the neighborhood. But 
we'll wait until Charlie gets back with the final report, and then I'll 
be glad to report.
    Local man, thanks.

G-8 Summit at Sea Island

    Q. Mr. President, Sonny Dixon, WTOC in Savannah. I'm a native of 
this region, by the way. Stating the obvious, begging the indulgence of 
these fine people, this has been a terrific undertaking for our region 
of the country. We appreciate your words regarding hospitality. But in 
terms of logistics, facilities, and security, your observations on this 
G-8 Summit.
    The President. Thank you. First, I want to thank the local citizens 
for putting up with all the security. I was riding my bike down the road 
in Sea Island, and a lady was just driving along the road, very happy, 
and the next thing she knows, some friendly agents were heading right in 
her way. [Laughter] And she, of course, pulled over, and I zoomed by. I 
felt like stopping to tell her, ``Thanks. I apologize for the 
inconvenience.''
    I also had the honor of going by and thanking the local, State, and 
Federal folks who provided the security at the airport over there on St. 
Simons Island. The cooperation was fantastic. The local sheriffs and 
police chiefs need to be commended and so do their people for working so 
well with the State and Federal people.
    It--look, this is--we made the right choice to come down here for 
this summit. The people were just spectacular. And I'll tell you, I 
generally don't put words in a foreign leader's mouth, but today Jacques 
Chirac said the food was great. [Laughter] And so, of course, I told the 
chefs. And they recognize that it's a heck of a lot better to hear the 
food is great from Jacques Chirac than George W. Bush. [Laughter] But 
it's really good.
    Thank you for asking that, because it's been a spectacular success, 
primarily because the people are so wonderful down here.
    Let's see here--Andre Sitov from Itar-Tass. Andre, good to see you. 
How are you?
    Q. Doing great.
    The President. That's good.

Jacques Chirac/Vladimir Putin

    Q. G-8s are supposed to be about informal contacts between leaders, 
so I wanted to ask you, sir, how do policy differences that sometimes 
happen between you and your foreign partners, how do they affect your 
personal

[[Page 1057]]

relationship with those leaders? Thank you, sir.
    The President. Yes. Well, we go to different corners of the room, 
and we face the wall--no. [Laughter] Look, there is--we're united by 
values. We're united by common values. And therefore, it's a easy place 
to start conversations. And it's to be expected that nations don't 
always agree on every issue. But we do agree in the power of free 
societies. We do agree in a free press. We don't necessarily agree 
everything the free press writes, but we agree in a free press. We agree 
with free religions. There's great agreement.
    And so, therefore, it's--this is a--it facilitates good and healthy 
conversation. And look, there was obviously a disagreement over whether 
or not we enforced the demands of the U.N. I fully understand that, but 
now that's past. And I know there's great speculation about the 
relationship between the United States and France. Let's face it. Most 
people say the United States and the world differ. No, it's the United 
States and France. That's where the focus generally is, and as Jacques 
Chirac said yesterday, relations with the United States are excellent. 
He's right.
    That doesn't mean we agree every time we speak. But nevertheless, 
we've got very good relations. And I appreciate my working relationship 
with him.
    And so the meetings are very cordial. And you probably want me to 
say something about Vladimir Putin. Yes, well, it's because you--I've 
always had good relations with Vladimir, ever since the first time I met 
him. You remember where I met him first?
    Q. Slovenia.
    The President. Very good. Very good, yes. [Laughter] That's 
impressive. But he's a--you know, he is a person who's got opinions, and 
I admire his strong opinions. I like courageous leaders, people who 
express their opinions. It's--to me, it's hard to have a good meeting 
with somebody if you're always wondering what their opinion is, and you 
kind of leave feeling somewhat empty. That's not how you get things 
done, as far as I'm concerned. When you sit around the table, you say 
what's on your mind. You know, ``Here's what I think. What do you 
think?'' And if there's a difference, try to explain the differences and 
try to find common ground to work together.
    We've got too much to do in a world beset by terror, poverty, and 
disease to allow a policy difference to prevent us from working 
together. And that's why these G-8 summits are meaningful and 
worthwhile. And that's why I'm really glad to have been the host here in 
Georgia.
    Putting the hook on me? Okay. Listen, we're off to Washington. I've 
got a--I've got the--I will be paying tribute to President Reagan here 
in about an hour and a half or so and then will be visiting with Mrs. 
Reagan at the Blair House. I appreciate your understanding for the need 
for us, whoever is traveling with me, to get moving so that we can be on 
time for a solemn night and a day of remembrance tomorrow for a 
magnificent world leader.
    God bless you all. Thanks for coming.

Note: The President's news conference began at 3:27 p.m. at the 
International Media Center. In his remarks, he referred to President 
Ghazi al-Ujayl al-Yawr, Prime Minister Ayad al-Alawi, and Minister of 
Displacement and Migration Pascale Isho Warda of the Iraqi interim 
government; Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi, leader of Libya; Crown 
Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia; Charlie Duelfer, head of the Iraq 
Survey Group; President Jacques Chirac of France; and President Vladimir 
Putin of Russia. This item was not received in time for publication in 
the appropriate issue.