[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 19 (Monday, May 16, 2005)]
[Pages 777-779]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks With Prime Minister
Jan Peter Balkenende at a
Youth Roundtable in Valkenburg,
the Netherlands

May 8, 2005

    Prime Minister Balkenende. Well, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. 
It's very good that you're here. But in the first place, I would like to 
say to the President of the United States, be welcome in the 
Netherlands. We really enjoy that you're here. It's an important day 
that you're in the Netherlands today, because on the 6th of May--that's 
what we call our Liberation Day--and we always think about our freedom. 
And at your last event, you said a lot about importance of freedom and 
democracy, and you realize what Americans meant for the European 
countries after the Second World War. During the Second World War, your 
people were here, but after, you helped us.
    And it's very important that you're here today and that you'll have 
the meeting in Margraten. It's so important to be there and also for us 
to show our respect and to say thanks for what all the Americans have 
done for the Netherlands.
    We already had a breakfast meeting. We talked about some very 
important issues. We talked about the Middle East peace process. We 
talked about the struggle against terrorism because we are--we have the 
same position. It's a threat to world society. We have to work together. 
We talked about the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. We talked about 
China and some other issues. We talked about political situation in the 
Netherlands and the United States. It was a very fruitful and 
interesting meeting.
    Mr. President, it's great that you're in the Netherlands. We 
appreciate very much that you're here today and that we have the meeting 
in Margraten. But also today we have a meeting with students, and we 
thank you for being here and be willing to have a discussion with these 
young people. It's very important. It's always challenging and 
encouraging if you have the meeting with the students.
    And now, Mr. President, I give you the floor.
    President Bush. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. It's an honor to be 
in the Netherlands. Laura and I have been really looking forward to 
coming to your beautiful country. I want to thank you for the meeting we 
just had. It was a fruitful discussion. I appreciate your leadership, 
appreciate your friendship.
    You know, I will be honoring a generation that made enormous 
sacrifices so that my generation could grow up in a free world. I'm 
really looking forward to going to the cemetery and paying homage to 
those who fought for freedom. It will be a solemn occasion but an 
important moment to reflect upon. And I look forward to talking to the

[[Page 778]]

next generation about the responsibilities that you'll have to make sure 
the communities in which you grow up are hopeful communities and this 
country in--which you love is a free country.
    I want to thank you all for coming. I'm honored that you took time 
out of your life to come and have a visit with me. There's nothing like 
a young generation of Americans to keep an old guy--I mean, young 
generation of citizens to keep an old guy like me feeling young.
    But Mr. Prime Minister, again, thanks for your hospitality. I want 
to thank Her Majesty as well for joining Laura and me today. It's 
awfully, awfully kind of her to do so. Thank you.
    Prime Minister Balkenende. Thank you, Mr. President. Now the time is 
for the students. Looking to the relationship between the United States 
and the Netherlands, it's good to say that many things are uniting us, 
but also sometimes you have some division. That's also possible, and 
that's also good for the debate. And maybe it's good now to give the 
floor to you, and maybe it's good to start with Miss Madeline 
Hoffmeister.
    Q. Thank you very much. Mr. President, I have a question relating 
of--concerning the terrorism. And you made many laws after 9/11, many 
laws and many measures. And I'm wondering, will there be a time when you 
drop those laws and when you decrease the measures?
    President Bush. No, I appreciate that question. Look, a free society 
such as ours, obviously, must balance the Government's most important 
duty, which is to protect the American people from harm, with the civil 
liberties of our citizens. And every law we passed that was aimed to 
protect us in this new era of threats from abroad and the willingness 
for people to kill without mercy has been scrutinized and, of course, 
balanced by our Constitution. But the question really is, can a 
transparent society openly deal with a debate about civil liberty versus 
the tension of protecting ourselves? And I believe we have done so in 
good balance in America, but we're constantly reevaluating law.
    The PATRIOT Act was passed. It was a very important measure to 
enable our law enforcement officials to share information, which they 
weren't able to do at times, to be able to protect ourselves. And yet, 
Congress is now evaluating certain aspects of that law. That's what 
happens in democracies and stands in stark contrast, by the way, to 
societies that are closed and nontransparent, where people don't get to 
determine the course of action.
    And so to answer your question, it depends upon what Congress says 
and whether or not I agree with it, because I have the right to veto any 
law as well. Of course, they have the right to override my veto. But I 
feel comfortable in telling you that we've been able to successfully 
balance the civil liberties of our citizens with the necessary--the 
necessity to protect ourselves.
    Listen, one of the interesting things about September the 11th that 
I want you to understand as we have this discussion is that I fully 
understand that for some, September the 11th was an important moment and 
a terrible moment--and we appreciate the condolences of the people of 
the Netherlands--but for us, it was a change of attitude. I mean, it 
changed a lot about how I looked at the world, and a lot of Americans, 
it changed how they looked at the world. I mean, it was more than just 
an attack. It was a whole mindset. And that's why your question is 
really relevant--did that mindset, did that change of attitude cause us 
to then begin to take away certain civil liberties? And I would argue, 
it did not.
    Prime Minister Balkenende. You're convinced by the President? 
[Laughter]
    President Bush. Don't put her on the spot. [Laughter] That's a 
little rough question, Mr. Prime Minister.
    Q. Thank you. I've a question about the reason you are here. We are 
honoring the soldiers who died in the Second World War. In the years 
later, America was involved in a lot of conflicts, in a lot of wars. 
What's the benefit when you can ask to your people--you are, in the 
first place, President of America, you're responsible for your own 
people----
    President Bush. Right----
    Q. ----what can you ask from your people, not only the dead and the 
wounded but also the economic consequences? Last week

[[Page 779]]

I received a brochure about raise funding for U.S. aid for poor people. 
So what----
    President Bush. You received--I beg your pardon--received a brochure 
for?
    Q. ----raise funding for poor people----
    President Bush. Oh, to raise funding, yes.
    Q. ----the economic consequences of all this involvement in 
conflicts, what's the balance between the responsibility to the world 
and the responsibility to your own people?
    President Bush. I think we have a responsibility to both. And at 
home, of course, economic vitality is really important and to make sure 
the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. Seventy percent of new 
jobs in America are created by small-business owners, which is--it 
speaks to our--the environment of encouraging entrepreneurship, which 
means less lawsuits and good tax policy and less regulations. A vibrant, 
growing economy is one which we collect more revenues, and therefore, 
we're more capable of helping and doing our duty to those who can't help 
themselves.
    And that's the interesting balance of a free society, by the way, is 
the extent to which the welfare state is prevalent. And I believe we--
Government has a role to help those who cannot help themselves and then 
encourage people who can help themselves to realize dreams through good 
education and good policy.
    Abroad, we have a responsibility as well. First, let me just tell 
you, the hardest decision a President makes is war. Nobody wants to be 
at war--nobody. Now the question is, how do we spread peace? And one way 
you spread peace is spread democracy. That's the lesson of World War II. 
If that thought troubles you, we can discuss this a little more. But the 
lesson of World War II, at least, was that by spreading democracy 
throughout Europe, that Europe at last became whole, peace--free, whole, 
and at peace. See, that's the lesson that people at least ought to take 
away from the experience of the last 60 years. I believe it applies to 
the next 60 as well.
    But we have other duties as well. HIV/AIDS, for example, in the 
continent of Africa is a pandemic that has got to be appalling to the 
free world. And my Government is spending $15 billion as part of a 
global effort to help defeat HIV/AIDS. We feed more of the hungry than 
any nation, and it's an obligation we readily accept. But as well, as we 
work to help those who hurt, we also have got to put practical policies 
in place.
    And that's why I'm such a believer in free trade, because trade 
ultimately--the benefits of trade, the benefits of economy, the benefits 
of growing businesses far exceed the capacity of governments to hand out 
aid to people. And so, in Africa, for example, we've got a policy of 
feeding the hungry and providing money for help, but we've also got a 
free trade policy with Africa, which is helping these economies grow, 
which provides opportunity and hope for people that are living in those 
countries. So we have a balanced obligation at home and abroad.
    Thank you, sir.
    Prime Minister Balkenende. We'll give the press one minute to do 
other things, and then we can go on with our discussion.

Note: The President spoke at approximately 9:15 a.m. at the Selys de 
Fanson Zaal-Schatkaner Building at the Chateau St. Gerlach. In his 
remarks, he referred to Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.