[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 50 (Monday, December 13, 2004)]
[Pages 2913-2915]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With President Ghazi al-Ujayl al-Yawr of 
the Iraqi Interim Government and an Exchange With Reporters

December 6, 2004

    President Bush. Mr. President, welcome to the Oval Office. Last time 
we met was in Georgia, and now you're here in Washington, DC. I'm really 
honored you're here.
    First, I want to thank you for your courage and your vision for a 
united and free Iraq. The President and I just had a great conversation 
about the future of Iraq. He can speak for himself, but I came away that 
I'm talking to a man who has got great confidence in the Iraqi people's 
capacity to self-govern and a great belief in the fact that it's going 
to happen.
    We talked about a variety of issues. We talked about how the United 
States can continue to stand with those who believe in democracy. We 
talked about the security situation. We talked about the election 
process. And I assured the President that my comments about the need to 
have elections was real and genuine. I believe it's necessary for the 
Iraqi people to vote on January the 30th because it provides an 
opportunity for people to participate in democracy. It'll send the clear 
message to the few people in Iraq that are trying to stop the march 
toward democracy that they cannot stop elections. It will give the Iraqi 
people a chance to become invested in the future of that vital country.
    And the President can speak for himself on the subject, but he was 
very reassuring to me, as he was yesterday in his comments to the 
American people.
    All in all, Mr. President, I am really proud you're here. I look 
forward to working with you.
    President al-Yawr. Thank you.
    President Bush. And I look forward to achieving the common 
objective, which is an Iraq that is free and peaceful.
    President al-Yawr. Thank you very much, sir. I've been honored this 
morning to meet the President of the United States--after all, we in 
Iraq are in debt for the United States for--and the courageous 
leadership of President Bush of liberating Iraq from a dynasty, a 
villain. Right now we are faced with the armies of darkness who are--who 
have no objective but to undermine the political process and incite 
civil war in Iraq. But I want to assure the whole world that this will 
never, ever happen, that we in Iraq are committed to move along. After 
all these sacrifices, there is no way on Earth that we will let it go in 
vain.
    This is very important. Victory is not only possible; it's a fact. 
We can see it. It's there. We are committed. We see that we have all the 
reasons to prevail. We see that our enemy is an enemy that has only a 
short time because they have no roots in the Iraqi society, they have no 
ideology that they can sell to Iraq or the whole world.
    There is unfairness by calling them Sunni insurgents--these are not 
Sunni. These are a mix of people who have one thing in common, hatred to 
the Iraqi society and hatred to democracy, people who are trying to stop 
us from having our first elections. We in Iraq, the whole Iraqi society 
are willing to participate in elections. Nobody in Iraq wants to boycott 
the elections, except for some politicians. But I'm talking about the 
mass public of Iraq. They all are very anxious to go and cast their 
votes and practice, for the first time

[[Page 2914]]

in 45 years, their right and duty of voting for whoever they feel 
confidence in.
    This is very important. I just came here to tell the President of 
the United States and the American public that we in Iraq are very 
appreciative for all the sacrifices, that this is a job that we see has 
honor and even a duty that we have to make everybody free. In Iraq, 
these people are trying to kidnap people in streets and sell them from 
one gang to another. This is slavery, and shame on anybody who can 
condone to slavery. We are going to face them. We are determined. And 
God bless you, sir.
    President Bush. Thank you very much. Good job.
    President al-Yawr. Thank you.
    President Bush. We'll answer a couple of questions in the spirit of 
democracy.

Attack on U.S. Consulate in Jeddah/Upcoming Iraqi Elections

    Q. Mr. President, who do you think was behind today's attacks in 
Saudi Arabia, and what do you think was their motive? And on Iraq, if I 
could ask a little bit more, how can Iraqis feel secure about going to 
the polls on January 30th when there is so much violence and bloodshed?
    President Bush. First, on the incident in Saudi Arabia, I want to 
thank the Saudi Government for responding as quickly as they did. We 
send our heartfelt condolences to the Saudi National Guard that died in 
the defense of our consulate. I want to thank the marines who are doing 
their job so splendidly. We will find out more about who caused the 
attacks. As I understand it, several of the attackers died, but several 
were captured by the Saudi Government, and I'm confident they will share 
the information with us.
    The attacks in Saudi Arabia remind us that the terrorists are still 
on the move. They're interested in affecting the will of free countries. 
They want us to leave Saudi Arabia. They want us to leave Iraq. They 
want us to grow timid and weary in the face of their willingness to kill 
randomly and kill innocent people. And that's why these elections in 
Iraq are very important.
    You remember all the dire threats prior to the elections in 
Afghanistan. People said, ``If you vote in Afghanistan, you'll be 
killed.'' But the desire of people to vote overwhelmed the capacity of 
the terrorists. And this is the same message we're getting here in Iraq, 
that people who are willing to blow up people by the use of car bombs 
will do anything they can to stop democracy. And there is a reason why, 
because a free society in Iraq will be a major defeat for the 
terrorists.
    And I think that the capacity of these killers to stop an election 
would send a wrong signal to the world and send a wrong signal to the 
Iraqi people, themselves. And the President has said that people want to 
vote, and I believe they ought to have a chance to vote. And we'll do 
everything we can, working with the Iraqis, to make the election sites 
as secure as possible. That's why the commanders on the ground have 
asked for additional troops, to help with the election process. And I 
granted them that request, Mr. President. And our commanders, working 
with Ambassador Negroponte and the Iraqi security forces, believe they 
can do a lot to make these polling places secure. You can never 
guarantee 100 percent security.
    But Iraqi people have a chance to say to the world, ``We choose 
democracy over terrorism.'' And that's going to be defining moment in 
that country.
    Are you Al Jazeera?
    Q. Al Arabiyya.
    President Bush. I mean, Al Arabiyya. Welcome.
    Q. Mr. President, I know that the democracy is your major concern in 
Iraq and in the Middle East. Despite all difficulties, security 
difficulties we see in Iraq, are you confident that this election will 
produce a true democracy in Iraq and then will help your project in the 
Middle East?
    President Bush. Yes. I appreciate that question. I am confident that 
when peoples are allowed to vote and express their will, peaceful 
societies emerge. And I'm confident that the process that has been set 
up by the international community to allow the people of Iraq to express 
their will is a major step in democracy in the greater Middle East. I 
believe the Iraqi people have got the capacity

[[Page 2915]]

and the desire to self-govern. And these elections will be a very 
important moment in the advance of democracy.
    The American people must understand that democracy just doesn't 
happen overnight. It is a process. It is an evolution. After all, look 
at our own history. We had great principles enunciated in our 
Declarations of Independence and our Constitution, yet we had slavery 
for a hundred years. It takes a while for democracy to take hold. And 
this is a major first step in a society which enables people to express 
their beliefs and their opinions.
    I also believe that success in Iraq will breed success elsewhere. I 
believe it is very possible for there to be a Palestinian state with the 
institutions of democracy in place that will allow for leadership to 
emerge that listens to the demands of the Palestinian people. And when 
such a state takes place, it will make peace much more possible with the 
Israelis. And so in a second term, not only will I work with our Iraqi 
friends to help them achieve democracy that the President has just said 
is the overwhelming desire of most people, but I'll also spend time and 
efforts to help the Palestinian people grow their own state and own 
democracy so we can achieve peace.
    Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].

Intelligence Reform Legislation

    Q. Senator Warner has raised some concerns about the chain of 
command issue in the intelligence reform bill. Is this bill going to 
have to wait until next year?
    President Bush. I certainly hope the bill gets to my desk soon. I 
believe we have addressed the concerns of, by far, the majority of 
Members of both the House and the Senate. As we speak, we're working 
with the key Members to address concerns. I call upon the Congress to 
pass the intelligence bill. It is a good piece of legislation. It is a 
necessary piece of legislation. It's a piece of legislation that is 
important for the security of our country.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 9:35 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to U.S. Ambassador to Iraq John D. 
Negroponte.