[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 46 (Monday, November 15, 2004)]
[Pages 2816-2823]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Tony Blair of the 
United Kingdom

November 12, 2004

    President Bush. Thank you. Welcome. I'm pleased to welcome a 
statesman and a friend back to the White House. Prime Minister Blair is 
a visionary leader. I've come to know him as a man of unshakeable 
convictions. America's alliance with Great Britain has never been 
stronger, and we're working closely every day to spread that freedom 
that leads to peace.
    Our two nations have shared in some of the most hopeful and positive 
achievements of our time. The people of Afghanistan have now chosen 
their President in a free election. The Taliban and the terrorists did 
everything they could to intimidate the long-suffering people of that 
country. Yet men and women lined up at the polls, some of them waiting 
for hours to have their first taste of democracy. The success of 
Afghanistan's election is a standing rebuke to cynicism and extremism 
and a testimony to the power of liberty and hope. The people of the 
United States and Great Britain can be proud of the role we have played 
in aiding the rise of a free nation and, in so doing, making our 
countries more secure.
    Together we're serving the same cause in Iraq. Prime Minister Allawi 
authorized military operations to rid Fallujah of Saddam holdouts and 
foreign terrorists, and American and Iraqi forces have made substantial 
progress in the last several days. Our coalition is training Iraqi 
security forces who are performing bravely and taking increasing 
responsibility for their country's security. British, American, and 
other coalition forces are helping provide stability that is necessary 
for free elections. And U.N. officials are helping the Iraqi people 
prepare for those elections, to be held in January.
    As those elections draw near, the desperation of the killers will 
grow, and the violence could escalate. The success of democracy in Iraq 
will be a crushing blow to the forces of terror, and the terrorists know 
it. The defeat of terror in Iraq will set that nation on a course to 
lasting freedom and will give hope to millions, and the Iraqi people 
know it.
    The United States and Great Britain have shown our determination to 
help Iraqis achieve their liberty and to defend the security of the 
world. We'll continue to stand with our friends, and we will finish the 
job.
    Prime Minister Blair and I also share a vision of a free, peaceful, 
a democratic broader Middle East. That vision must include a just and 
peaceful resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict based on two democratic 
states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.
    Our sympathies are with the Palestinian people as they begin a 
period of mourning. Yet the months ahead offer a new opportunity to make 
progress toward a lasting peace. Soon Palestinians will choose a new 
President. This is the first step in creating lasting democratic 
political institutions through which a free Palestinian people will 
elect local and national leaders.
    We're committed to the success of these elections, and we stand 
ready to help. We look forward to working with a Palestinian leadership 
that is committed to fighting terror and committed to the cause of 
democratic reform. We'll mobilize the international community to help 
revive the Palestinian economy, to build up Palestinian security 
institutions to fight terror, to help the Palestinian government fight 
corruption, and to reform the Palestinian political system and build 
democratic institutions. We'll also work

[[Page 2817]]

with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to complete the disengagement plan 
from Gaza and part of the West Bank. These steps, if successful, will 
lay the foundation for progress in implementing the roadmap and then 
lead to final status negotiations.
    We seek a democratic, independent, and viable state for the 
Palestinian people. We are committed to the security of Israel as a 
Jewish state. These objectives--two states living side by side in peace 
and security--can be reached by only one path, the path of democracy, 
reform, and the rule of law.
    All that we hope to achieve together requires that America and 
Europe remain close partners. We are the pillars of the free world. We 
face the same threats and share the same belief in freedom and the 
rights of every individual. In my second term, I will work to deepen our 
transatlantic ties with the nations of Europe. I intend to visit Europe 
as soon as possible after my inauguration. My Government will continue 
to work through the NATO Alliance and with the European Union to 
strengthen cooperation between Europe and America.
    America applauds the success of NATO and EU enlargement and welcomes 
the stability and prosperity that that enlargement brings. We must apply 
the combined strength and moral purpose of Europe and America to 
effectively fight terror and to overcome poverty and disease and 
despair, to advance human dignity, and to advance freedom.
    In all that lies ahead in the defense of freedom, in the advance of 
democracy, and the spread of prosperity, America, the United Kingdom, 
and all of Europe must act together.
    Mr. Prime Minister, welcome.
    Prime Minister Blair. Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you for 
your gracious welcome to me here in the White House. And once again, 
many congratulations on your reelection.
    There are three major issues that arise. The United States and the 
United Kingdom have stood together since September the 11th, 2001, in 
order to combat this new form of global terrorism that we face. And the 
three things that we can do most to make sure that we defeat this 
terrorism, apart from being ever vigilant on security, are, first of 
all, to bring democracy to Afghanistan, which we are doing, as the 
successful election of President Karzai shows. And that is quite 
magnificent tribute not just to the courage of the Afghan people but, 
actually, also to the power of democracy.
    Secondly, we have to complete our mission in Iraq, make sure that 
Iraq is a stable and a democratic country. And I have no doubt at all 
that whatever the difficulties the terrorists and insurgents, supporters 
of Saddam Hussein may pose for us, that we will overcome those 
difficulties--ourselves, the multinational force, together with the 
Iraqi Government--and ensure that Iraq can be that democratic, stable 
state that the vast majority of Iraqis, I know, will want to see.
    And the third thing is, as the President rightly said a moment or 
two ago, we meet at a crucial time where it is important that we 
revitalize and reinvigorate the search for a genuine, lasting, and just 
peace in the Middle East. I would like to repeat my condolences to the 
Palestinian people at this time.
    As you will have seen, we have set out the steps that we believe are 
necessary to get into a process that will lead to the two-state solution 
that we want to see. And I think those steps are very clear. They are, 
first of all, making sure that we set out a clear vision--that clear 
vision was articulated by President Bush some time ago, repeated by him 
today--of a two-state solution, two democratic states living side by 
side together in peace.
    The second thing is, we need to support those Palestinian elections. 
That is a chance for the first beginnings of democracy to take hold on 
the Palestinian side. So it's important that we support it.
    Thirdly, however, if we want a viable Palestinian state, we need to 
make sure that the political, the economic, and the security 
infrastructure of that state is shaped and helped to come into being. We 
will mobilize international opinion and the international community in 
order to do that.
    The fourth thing is that Prime Minister Sharon's plan for 
disengagement is important. I think we recognized that when we were here 
at the White House back in April of this year. That disengagement plan 
is now

[[Page 2818]]

going forward. It's important that we support it, and then, on the basis 
of this, we are able, in accordance with the principles of the roadmap, 
to get back into final status negotiation, so that we have that two-
state solution. And I think there is every possibility that we can do 
this, with the energy and the will and the recognition that in the end, 
it is only if the two states that we want to see living side by side are 
indeed democratic states where the rule of law and human rights are 
respected in each of them, that a just * peace could be secured.
    * White House correction.
    I would also like to support very strongly what the President has 
just said about the transatlantic alliance. Again, I think there is a 
tremendous desire and willingness on the part of, certainly, our 
partners in the European Union to make sure that that alliance is 
strong. It's necessary for the security of the world. It's necessary for 
us to be able to tackle many of the problems that confront us.
    I look forward to working with the President over these coming 
months in order to try and secure that progress that we have laid out 
for you today. And also, of course, we've had the opportunity to discuss 
the upcoming G-8 Presidency of the United Kingdom, and we intend to take 
those issues forward as well.
     So, Mr. President, once again, many, many thanks.
    President Bush. Sure.
    Prime Minister Blair. Thank you for your alliance and for your 
leadership at this time.
    President Bush. Welcome, thanks.
    Terry [Terence Hunt, Associated Press].

Situation in the Middle East

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you. With Yasser Arafat's death, 
what specific steps can Israel take to revive peace negotiations? And do 
you believe that Israel should implement a freeze on West Bank 
settlement expansion?
    President Bush. I believe that the responsibility for peace is going 
to rest with the Palestinian people's desire to build a democracy and 
Israel's willingness to help them build a democracy. I know we have a 
responsibility as free nations to set forth a strategy that will help 
the Palestinian people head toward democracy. I don't think there will 
ever be lasting peace until there is a free, truly democratic society in 
the Palestinian territories that becomes a state. And therefore, the 
responsibility rests with both the Palestinian people and the leadership 
which emerges, with the Israelis to help that democracy grow, and with 
the free world to put the strategy in place that will help the democracy 
grow.
    Prime Minister Blair. James.

Prospects for Middle East Peace

    Q. James Blitz, Financial Times. Mr. President, can you say today 
that it is your firm intention that by the end of your second term in 
office, it is your goal that there should be two states, Israel and 
Palestine, living side by side?
    President Bush. I think it is fair to say that I believe we've got a 
great chance to establish a Palestinian state, and I intend to use the 
next 4 years to spend the capital of the United States on such a state. 
I believe it is in the interests of the world that a truly free state 
develop. I know it is in the interests of the Palestinian people that 
they can live in a society where they can express their opinion freely, 
a society where they can educate their children without hate, a society 
in which they can realize their dreams if they happen to be an 
entrepreneur. I know it's in Israel's interest that a free state evolve 
on her border. There's no other way to have a lasting peace, in my 
judgment, unless we all work to help develop the institutions necessary 
for a state to emerge: civil society, based upon justice; free speech; 
free elections; the right for people to express themselves freely. The 
first step of that is going to be the election of a new President, and 
my fervent hope is that the new President embraces the notion of a 
democratic state.
    I hate to put artificial timeframes on things. Unfortunately, I've 
got one on my existence as President. It's not artificial; it's actually 
real. And I'd like to see it done in 4 years. I think it is possible. I 
think it is possible.
    I think it is impossible to think that the President of the United 
States or the Prime

[[Page 2819]]

Minister of Great Britain can impose our vision. I think it's 
unrealistic to say, ``Well, Bush wants it done, or Blair wants it done. 
Therefore, it will happen.'' But I think it is very possible that it can 
happen, because I believe people want to live in a free society, and our 
job is to help it happen.
    Thank you. Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].

President's Upcoming Visit to Europe

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Prime Minister Blair wants a 
international conference on the Middle East. What has to happen before 
you would sign on to that? And will you name a U.S. envoy? And what 
would you like to accomplish on this Europe trip that you're planning?
    President Bush. Let's see here. [Laughter] I'll start with the--
accomplishing on the Europe trip. It is to remind people that the world 
is better off, America is better off, Europe is better off when we work 
together. And there's a lot we can accomplish working together. There's 
a lot we have accomplished working together.
    We're working very closely to find Al Qaida and bring members of Al 
Qaida to justice. We've worked closely to free Afghanistan. We're 
working closely to interdict the flow of weapons of mass destruction. 
The Proliferation Security Initiative is based--the membership of which 
is a lot of members of the EU. I mean, there's a lot of things we're 
working together on. NATO expansion we worked together on. It was such a 
refreshing moment when the new leaders of--the leaders of the new 
countries in NATO walked in the room in the Czech Republic. It was a 
fantastic moment to see these proud members walk in and say, ``We're now 
a member of the greatest alliance ever.'' And there's a lot we can 
continue to do.
    First two questions?

Prospects for Middle East Peace

    Q. Prime Minister Blair's idea about an international conference----
    President Bush. Yes.
    Q. ----and the sending of a U.S. envoy to the Middle East.
    President Bush. Right. In the spirit of the last question, we'll do 
what it takes to get a peace. And the conference--what the Prime 
Minister and I discussed last night is, do not we have an obligation to 
develop a strategy? And the answer is, absolutely, we have an 
obligation. And one way to do that is to include the Quartet to bring 
nations together and say, ``Here's what it takes to help the 
Palestinians develop a state that is truly free.'' And I'm all for 
conferences, just so long as the conferences produce something. And we 
had a long discussion about whether or not a conference could produce a 
viable strategy that we could then use as a go-by for our own 
obligations as well as the obligations of the Palestinians, for them to 
have their own state. And the answer is, if that conference will do 
that, you bet I'm a big supporter.
    But one thing is for certain: We are going to develop a strategy, so 
that once the elections are over, we'll be able to say, ``Here's how we 
will help you. If you want to be helped, here's what we're willing to 
do. If you choose not to be helped, if you decide you don't want a free, 
democratic society, there's nothing we can do. If you think you can have 
peace without democracy''--again, I think you'll find that--I can only 
speak for myself, that I will be extremely doubtful that it will ever 
happen. I've seen it work too many times--tried too many times.
    Now, there's going to be people around who say, ``The Palestinians 
can't develop a democracy. It's impossible for them to live in a free 
society.'' I strongly disagree with that. And so the whole premise of 
this strategy that we'll outline is all based toward that vision of a 
free and truly democratic society emerging.
    See, what's going to happen is, when that happens, there will be 
great trust developed between Israel and the Palestinian people. Free 
societies are able--societies able to develop trust between each other, 
and there's clearly a lack of trust right now. And so, yes, I mean, we 
will do that what it takes to put a strategy in place and advance it and 
call upon other nations to develop--to work with us.
    Prime Minister Blair. Yes, that's absolutely right. I mean, what we 
will do is anything that is necessary to make the strategy work. The 
important thing is that, first of all,

[[Page 2820]]

there's got to be an agreement as to what a viable Palestinian state 
means. And what we're really saying this morning is that that viable 
state has to be a democratic state.
    The second thing is, how do we get there? How do we enable the 
Palestinians to get there? We will do whatever it takes to help build 
support for that concept, to work through the details of it and make 
sure that it can actually be brought into being. But the bottom line has 
got to be that if you want to secure Israel and you want a viable 
Palestinian state, those are two states living side by side, and they 
are democratic states living side by side. And we've got the chance over 
the next few months, with the election of a new Palestinian President, 
to put the first marker down on that.
    Trevor.

Iran

    Q. Trevor Cavanagh from The Sun. Mr. President, I know that Iran, as 
well as Iraq, has been a very significant part of the agenda for this 
week, and I'd like to ask you whether, in light of the nuclear ambitions 
of Iran, whether America would tolerate a nuclear Iran? And if the 
answer to that is no, would Britain, Mr. Prime Minister, stand as four-
square behind America on this issue as it has done on Iraq?
    President Bush. Let me make sure I understand your question. You're 
saying a--Iran with a nuclear weapon----
    Q. Nuclear power.
    President Bush. Nuclear power or nuclear weapon?
    Q. Nuclear weapon.
    President Bush. Okay. No, we don't want Iran to have a nuclear 
weapon, and we're working toward that end. And the truth of the matter 
is, the Prime Minister gets a lot of credit for working with France and 
Germany to convince the Iranians to get rid of the processes that would 
enable them to develop a nuclear weapon.
    Prime Minister Blair. Absolutely. And there's an agreement in the 
international community to make sure that Iran comes into compliance 
with its international obligations. And we've been working with France 
and Germany but, obviously, with the United States and others too, to 
make sure that that happens.
    President Bush. Let's see here. Cochran. John [John Cochran, ABC 
News].
    Q. I'm totally shocked. [Laughter]
    President Bush. That's why I called on you. [Laughter]

Democracy in the Middle East

    Q. You know, you talk about democracy being so necessary. There are 
those who would say there is sometimes a harsh peace of a dictator. What 
if the Palestinian state comes up with somebody who is not a democrat 
but is willing to have peace with the Israelis? And let me transfer that 
to the Iraqis as well. What if the Iraqis come up with somebody who's 
not friendly to the United States, is not a democrat, but it's peaceful. 
Is this something you can live with?
    President Bush. Well, first of all, if there's an election, the 
Iraqis will have come up with somebody who is duly elected. In other 
words, democracy will have spoken. And that person is going to have to 
listen to the people, not to the whims of a dictator, not to their own 
desires, personal desires. The great thing about democracy is you 
actually go out and ask the people for a vote, as you might have noticed 
recently. And the people get to decide, and they get to decide the 
course of their future. And so it's a contradiction in terms to say a 
dictator gets elected. The person who gets elected is chosen by the 
people. And so I don't--I'm not----
    Q. You can be elected and be a tyrant.
    President Bush. Well, you can be elected and then be a strong man, 
and then you get voted out, so long as you end up honoring democracy. 
But if you're true to democracy, you'll listen to the people, not to 
your own desires. If you're true to democracy, you'll do what the people 
want you to do. That's the difference between democracy and a tyrant.
    And the Palestinians may decide to elect a real strong personality. 
But we'll hold their feet to the fire to make sure that democracy 
prevails, that there are free elections. And if they don't--the people 
of the Palestinian territory don't like the way this person is 
responding to their needs, they will vote him or her out.

[[Page 2821]]

    And the reason why I'm so strong on democracy is, democracies don't 
go to war with each other. And the reason why is, the people of most 
societies don't like war, and they understand what war means. And one of 
these days, the people of the Palestinian--the Palestinians will realize 
that there is a bright future because freedom is taking hold--a future 
that enables their children to get educated, a future in which they can 
start their businesses, a future in which they're certain that the money 
that's going into the treasury of their government is being spent 
fairly, in a transparent way, a future in which corruption is not the 
norm, a future in which rule of law prevails. And that leads to a 
peaceful society.
    I've got great faith in democracies to promote peace. And that's why 
I'm such a strong believer that the way forward in the Middle East, the 
broader Middle East, is to promote democracy.
    I readily concede there are skeptics, people who say democracy is 
not possible in certain societies. But remember, that was said right 
after World War II with Japan. And today, one of the people that I work 
closest with is my friend Prime Minister Koizumi. And it's a--it's 
remarkable to me that we sit down at the same table, talking about 
keeping the peace in places like North Korea, and it really wasn't all 
that long ago in the march of history that we were enemies. The Prime 
Minister knows Koizumi. He's a good man. And he's an ally because 
democracy took hold in Japan. And yet there was a lot of skeptics. When 
you look at the writings right after World War II, a lot of people said, 
``You're wasting your time to try to promote democracy in Japan.'' There 
were some, I suspect maybe in Great Britain and I know in America, that 
were writing, ``You're wasting your time to promote democracy in 
Germany,'' after World War II. And yet fortunately, people who preceded 
us had great faith in liberty to transform societies. And that's what 
we're talking about is taking place.
    And it's hard, and it's difficult, particularly in a society like 
Iraq, because the terrorists understand the stakes of freedom. And 
they're willing to kill people in brutal fashion to stop it. And I 
believe we have a duty and an obligation to work to make sure democracy 
takes hold. It's a duty to our own country. It's a duty to generations 
of Americans and children of Great Britain to help secure the peace by 
promoting democratic societies.
    Prime Minister Blair. First of all, I should say, Koizumi is a good 
man not just because I know him, but--[laughter]--although that helps a 
lot, I think. [Laughter]
    But I think the President said something here that I really think is 
very, very important. In the politics--when I was first a member of 
Parliament and making my way up the greasy pole and all the rest of it, 
there was a view in foreign policy that you dealt with countries on the 
basis of whatever attitude they had towards you, but really, whatever 
they did within their own countries, that was up to them and didn't 
really make a difference to your long-term relationship. I think what we 
are learning today is that there is not stability of any true, long-term 
kind without democratic rights for free people to decide their 
government. Now, that doesn't mean to say we try and interfere with 
every state around the world, but it does mean that there's been a 
shift, and I think a shift quite dramatically, since 9/11 in the 
thinking that is informing our view of how we make progress.
    That's why it wasn't enough to go into Afghanistan and root out Al 
Qaida or knock down the Taliban. We actually had to go there and say, 
``No, we must replace that with a democratic form of government,'' 
because, in the end, if we replace it simply with another dictator, then 
we'll get the same instability back. That's why in Iraq, we decided, 
when Saddam was removed, we didn't want another hard man coming in, 
another dictator.
    Now, it's a struggle, because democracy is hard to bring into 
countries that have never had it before. But I've no doubt at all that 
the Iraqi people, given the chance--and indeed, you can see this in some 
of the local elections now down in the south of Iraq--given the chance, 
they'll want to elect their leaders. Why wouldn't they? I mean, why 
would they want a strong-arm leader who's going to have the secret 
police, no freedom of speech, no free press, no human rights, no proper 
law courts? The people want the

[[Page 2822]]

freedom. What we recognized, I think, today, is that we're not going to 
have our security unless they get that freedom.
    So when we come to the issue of Israel and Palestine, I think what 
we are saying is, we are going to work flat-out to deliver this. But 
people have to understand, we can't deliver something unless the people 
whom it affects actually want it to happen. And we don't believe there 
will be a viable future for a state of Palestine unless it's based on 
certain key democratic principles.
    Now, I think that's a tremendous thing. And I also think that in the 
end--of course, you're right, people can vote for the people they'd like 
to vote for in elections, right? That's what democracy is about. I think 
we've got to have some faith, though, in the ability of ordinary people, 
decent people, to decide their own future. Because it's a curious thing, 
you look at all these Eastern European countries--Central, Eastern 
European countries in the European Union now, just democracies over the 
last 10 years--fierce election debates, changes of Government, often 
difficult circumstances when the Governments change. But you go to those 
countries and talk to the people there, and their sense of liberation 
and their sense of self-worth as a result of the freedom they have--that 
is the best testament to why it's sensible to have faith in democracy.
    And sometimes when people say, ``Well it's--you've got a Republican 
President and a progressive politician from across the water,'' but in 
my view, people from different sides of the political spectrum should be 
able to come together to argue that policy case, because democracy is 
something that should unite us, whatever political position we have.
    David.

United Kingdom-United States Relations

    Q. David Charter from The Times in London. Mr. President, first, the 
Prime Minister is sometimes, perhaps unfairly, characterized in Britain 
as your poodle. I was wondering if that's the way you may see your 
relationship? And perhaps, more seriously, do you feel for the----
    Prime Minister Blair. Don't answer ``yes'' to that question. If you 
do, I would be --[laughter]--that would be difficult.
    Q. Do you feel, for the strong support that Britain has given you 
over Iraq, that you have to pay back Britain for that support in some 
way?
    President Bush. The Prime Minister made the decision he did because 
he wanted to do his duty to secure the people of Great Britain. That's 
why he made the decision--plenty capable of making his own mind. He's a 
strong, capable man. I admire him a lot. You know why? When he tells you 
something, he means it. You spend much time in politics, you'll know 
there's some people around this part of the--this kind of line of work 
where they tell you something, they don't mean it. When he says 
something, he means it. He's a big thinker. He's got a clear vision, and 
when times get tough, he doesn't wilt. When they--when the criticism 
starts to come his way--I suspect that might be happening on occasion--
he stands what he believes in. That's the kind of person I like to deal 
with. He is a--I'm a lucky person--a lucky President, to be holding 
office at the same time this man holds the Prime Ministership.
    These are troubled times. It's a tough world. What this world needs 
is steady, rock-solid leaders who stand on principle, and that's what 
the Prime Minister means to me.
    Prime Minister Blair. I just want to add one thing, which is that, 
well, this concept of payback--we are--we're not fighting the war 
against terrorism because we are an ally of the United States. We are an 
ally of the United States because we believe in fighting this war 
against terrorism. We share the same objectives. We share the same 
values. And if we look back over our own history in the last half-
century or more, we, both of us, in different ways, the United States 
and Britain, have a cause to be thankful for this alliance and this 
partnership. And I should we--I believe we should be thankful that it is 
as strong as it is today. And as long as I remain Prime Minister of our 
country, it will carry on being strong, not because that's in the 
interests of America, simply, or in the interests of the international 
community, but because I believe passionately it is in the interests of 
Britain.
    President Bush. Good job. Thank you, sir.
    Thank you all.

[[Page 2823]]

Note: The President's news conference began at 11:25 a.m. in the East 
Room at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to President Hamid 
Karzai of Afghanistan; Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim 
Government; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan. Prime 
Minister Blair referred to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel; and 
former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.