[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 11 (Monday, March 21, 2005)]
[Page 455]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With Nasrallah Cardinal Sfeir, Lebanese 
Maronite Patriarch

March 16, 2005

    President Bush. Your Eminence, welcome. It is my honor to welcome 
you and your distinguished delegation to the Oval Office. We're--thank 
you for your conversation.
    His Eminence and I discussed, of course, Lebanon and our deep desire 
for Lebanon to be a truly free country--free where people can worship 
the way they choose to, free where people can speak their mind, free 
where political parties can flourish, a country based upon free 
elections. And I assured His Eminence that United States policy is to 
work with friends and allies to insist that Syria completely leave 
Lebanon, Syria take all her troops out of Lebanon, Syria take her 
intelligence services out of Lebanon, so that the election process will 
be free and fair.
    His Eminence is a man of God. He brings great prestige of the church 
to the Oval Office. And I'm proud you're here, Your Eminence, and thank 
you for your time.
    Now His Eminence would like to say a few words.
    Cardinal Sfeir. Thank you very much, Mr. President. We come to the 
White House in response to the invitation of His Excellency, President 
George W. Bush, and we thank him for his cordial and warm reception. I 
would also like to express my deep gratitude for his sincere interest in 
Lebanon, the freedom of its people, and in peace in Lebanon and the 
world.
    This was a good opportunity to exchange views on the situation in 
Lebanon and the questions of freedom and democracy in our region. We 
profited from this occasion to convey to President Bush the views and 
aspirations of all the Lebanese.
    The Lebanese, above conviction, are alarmed by the continued 
migration of Christian and Muslim youths due to the lack of job 
opportunities and the suffocating political conditions at home. We look 
forward to see these conditions reversed because the future of Lebanon 
requires the talents and energy of all her children.
    It is important to recall that Lebanon was the first democracy--
democratic country in the region. Maybe it was not a perfect democracy, 
but Lebanon remains the role and the point of departure for the spread 
of democracy in the region. This why His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, 
stated that Lebanon is an ideal for freedom and democracy for the East 
and West, and this is what we have repeated here.
    We are hopeful that the Lebanese, with the support of their friends 
around the world, will be able to build a better future in a free, 
independent, pluralistic, and sovereign Lebanon.
    Thank you.
    President Bush. Your Eminence, thank you, sir. Proud you're here, 
sir. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 2 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House.