[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 7 (Monday, February 21, 2005)]
[Pages 262-264]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With Slovak State Television

February 18, 2005

President's Upcoming Visit to the Slovak Republic

    Q. Mr. President, I assume that your trip to Europe, after your 
reelection, was very well tailored, and we can imagine why you go to 
Brussels and to Germany. But there are lots of--lots of speculation 
about why you decided to go to Bratislava. So what was behind this 
decision? And what will be your message for Slovaks and people in our 
region?
    The President. Thanks. I've been trying to think about when this 
thought got in my mind. I think--I have to credit your Prime Minister, 
who, in the Oval Office, said, ``You need to come to our country.'' And 
I thought about it, and I think I told Condi Rice then, when she was my 
National Security Adviser, before I named her Secretary of State, that 
would be a great idea.
    I'd like to come, and I'm thankful for the invitation, because I 
want to say to the world, ``Freedom is a beautiful thing, and here is a 
country that is working hard to promote democracy.'' The spirit of your 
Prime Minister, talking about overcoming the difficulties to become a 
free society, is--was just wonderful.
    I've always felt like countries like the Slovak Republic are very 
important for the world to know more about, and--because, as you know, 
I'm a big believer in liberty, and this is a country which is 
succeeding. And it's not--there's bumps in the road. It's difficult, but 
it's successful.
    So I'm looking forward to coming. It's going to be one of the 
highlights of the trip; it really is.

Iraq/Europe-U.S. Relations

    Q. You have, obviously, a very good relationship with Slovak 
Government and the other governments of so-called new Europe. But the 
public does not always necessarily agree with our Government and with 
American policy. And you, many time, stress that you want to have a very 
good relationship with the whole Europe. So what is your strategy to 
improve the relationship with the nations, with the citizens?
    The President. That's a good point. Well, first of all, nobody likes 
war. And basically what you're referring to is my decision to go into 
Iraq. And I can understand why citizens, particularly if they didn't 
feel threatened by Saddam Hussein, would say, ``We don't like war, and 
we don't agree with what George Bush decided.'' And I know that.
    But now they've got to see what's happening in Iraq. Eight million 
people voted in the face of terror. I mean, there's a free country. And 
so what's going to be very important for me is to connect that free 
country emerging with peace for their children and grandchildren. In 
other words, there has to be a connection in order for people to say, 
``Well, now I understand what, you know, what the policy means.'' It's 
a--and so one of the reasons--that's what I'll speak about not only--I 
mean, in Europe, it's very important to make that connection.
    It's--ours is a--mine is a mission and a trip that says, ``We share 
values, human rights and human dignity and rule of law and minority 
rights and respect for women.'' And therefore, it's those values that 
should unite our voices when it comes to spreading those values in parts 
of the world that are troubled parts of the world, Iran or Syria or, as 
you saw recently, in Lebanon. I'm convinced that as democracy--and 
particularly, Israel and the Palestinian Territories--as democracy takes 
hold there, the people of the Slovak Republic will see, ``Gosh, I'm 
beginning to understand what President Bush was trying to do.''

U.S. Visa Policy

    Q. United States and you, personally, helped to fulfill the vision 
of free, democratic, and united Europe. But there is something missing 
from this picture, and people

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feel that they're treated like second-class Europeans because of visa.
    The President. Oh. [Laughter]
    Q. And I'm sure you will hear about the visa very often, not only in 
Slovakia but also in European Union.
    The President. Sure.
    Q. I know your Government has many other priorities, maybe much, 
much bigger priorities. But can I count on your leadership, Mr. 
President, on this issue?
    The President. No, I've heard about the visa issue.
    Q. No?
    The President. No, I have--yes. I mean, yes, I've heard about the 
visa issue. In other words, what I was saying, ``No, this is not a minor 
issue.'' This is an issue that our friends have brought up quite 
frequently. And we're trying to work it through. There's an old policy 
in place that needs to be renewed and reviewed, given the new realities 
of the Slovak Republic or Poland or the Czech Republic or wherever. And 
so I've told Condi Rice, ``Let's just make sure our visa policy is fair 
and balanced.''
    Q. So we can count on your help?
    The President. I'm not sure you can count on the results, but you 
can count on my interest.

Russia

    Q. Mr. President, you are going to meet President Putin in 
Bratislava.
    The President. Yes.
    Q. And in Washington, many people are concerned about corrosion of 
democracy in Russia. And you, in a summit in Chile, you also raised the 
issue of Russia's curb on democracy. So how much you are concerned about 
this issue of Russia?
    The President. Well, I have a good relationship with President 
Putin. And the reason--and that's important, because that then will give 
me a chance to say in private--ask him why he's been making some of the 
decisions he's been making. I mean, he's done some things that has 
concerned people. And I--it's going to be--I want him to be able to have 
a chance to say he's done it for this reason or done that, so I can 
explain to him as best I can--in a friendly way, of course--that Western 
values are--you know, are based upon transparency and rule of law, the 
right for the people to express themselves, checks and balances in 
Government. In other words, not one part of the Government is so 
powerful they can overwhelm all the rest of the Government. And I'm 
looking forward to doing that right there in your beautiful country.
    Listen, I think this is going to be my 12th meeting with President 
Putin. It's an important relationship that we'll continue to nurture and 
work.

Iraq/Europe-U.S. Relations

    Q. You mentioned the war in Iraq and relationship. What is your 
personal lesson how this war in Iraq changed relationship between United 
States and Europe and built relation with Eastern Europe?
    The President. Yes, I appreciate that very much. First of all, war 
is a terrible thing. And a lot of Europe supported the decision to 
enforce the United Nations' resolutions. Remember, this wasn't a U.S.--
you know, this came about as a result of the United Nations passing 
1441, which said--and by the way, the 16th resolution to Mr. Saddam 
Hussein that said, ``Disarm, disclose, or face serious consequences.'' 
He chose not to do either, so he faced serious consequences. And a lot 
of Europe supported the decision to go and have him face serious 
consequences because the international body, the United Nations, needed 
to be credible when it spoke.
    But people need to see why the actions and why a free Iraq will make 
them safer. In other words, there has to be a connection. And the 
Eastern Europeans were great friends on this subject, and it's 
interesting. They understand what it means to live under tyranny. They 
know what it means to have secret police. And they began to smell that 
great freedom that comes, and then all of a sudden, democracies began to 
emerge. And what a fantastic example for the world, and Europe benefits 
with countries like the Slovak Republic a part of NATO or the European 
Union. I mean, these are very important lessons for people to see, that 
you cannot take freedom for granted, and freedom is hard, and democracy 
is hard work.
    But it is inspiring to see what's taking place in the Slovak 
Republic. My message to the

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Slovak people is, ``Thank you for doing what you're doing. Thank you for 
your courage. And freedom is a beautiful thing, and you're showing it 
right here.''
    Q. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
    The President. God bless. Thank you.

Note: The interview was taped at 10:57 a.m. in the Map Room at the White 
House for later broadcast. In his remarks, the President referred to 
Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda of Slovakia; former President Saddam 
Hussein of Iraq; and President Vladimir Putin of Russia. A tape was not 
available for verification of the content of this interview.