[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 23 (Monday, June 13, 2005)]
[Pages 950-955]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
<R04>
The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Tony Blair of the
United Kingdom
June 7, 2005
President Bush. Thank you all. Good afternoon. Laura and I are
really honored to welcome the Prime Minister and Cherie back to the
White House. Welcome, Tony, glad you're here. Congratulations on your
great victory. It was a landmark victory, and I'm really thrilled to be
able to work with you to spread freedom and peace over the next years.
Our alliance with Great Britain is strong, and it's essential to
peace and security. Together our two nations worked to liberate Europe
from fascism. Together we defended freedom during the cold war. Today,
we're standing together again to fight the war on terror, to secure
democracy and freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan and the broader Middle
East, and to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction. As we
face the challenges and opportunities of a new century, our alliance is
stronger than ever.
Prime Minister Blair and I share a common vision of a world that is
free, prosperous, and at peace. When men and women are free to choose
their own governments, to speak their minds, and to pursue a good life
for their families, they build a strong, prosperous, and just society.
This is the vision chosen by Iraqis in elections in January, and the
United States and Britain will stand with the Iraqi people as they
continue their journey toward freedom and democracy. We'll support
Iraqis as they take the lead in providing their own security. Our
strategy is clear: We're training Iraqi forces so they can take the
fight to the enemy, so they can defend their country. And then our
troops will come home with the honor they have earned.
By spreading freedom throughout the broader Middle East, we'll end
the bitterness and hatred that feed the ideology of terror. We're
working together to help build the democratic institutions of a future
Palestinian state. We support Israel's disengagement from Gaza and parts
of the West Bank. We're advancing the vision of two states, Israel and
Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.
We also share a commitment to help the people of Africa build strong
democratic institutions and healthy economies. The Prime Minister has
made the promotion of reform and development in Africa a centerpiece of
the G-8 summit that the United Kingdom will be hosting next month. And
I'm grateful for your vision, and I'm grateful for your leadership on
this important subject.
Helping those who suffer and preventing the senseless death of
millions of people in Africa is a central commitment of my
administration's foreign policy. We're making historic progress in
helping the poorest countries in Africa gain a fresh start and to build
a future of greater opportunity and prosperity. America will continue to
lead the world to meet our duty in helping the world's most vulnerable
people.
Over the past 4 years, we have tripled our assistance to sub-Sahara
Africa, and now America accounts for nearly a quarter of all the aid in
the region. And we're committed to doing more in the future. We also
agree that highly indebted developing countries that are on the path to
reform should not be burdened by mountains of debt. Our countries are
developing a proposal for the G-8 that will eliminate 100 percent of
that debt, and that, by providing additional resources, will preserve
the financial integrity of the World Bank and the African Development
Bank.
As we work with African nations to develop democratic institutions
and vibrant economies that will provide greater opportunity for all
Africans, we must also address emergency needs. I'm pleased to announce
the United States will provide approximately $674 million of additional
resources to respond to humanitarian emergencies in Africa. One of those
emergencies is the growing hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa. In
response to this need, $414 million of those additional resources will
be provided immediately to avert
[[Page 951]]
famine there. We urge the international community to join us in
committing greater resources to the humanitarian needs in Africa.
I also look forward to working with the Prime Minister through the
G-8 to forge a new strategy for the 21st century that helps countries
achieve economic prosperity, energy security, and a clean environment to
improve public health by cutting air--public air pollution and to
address global change, subjects which I look forward to discussing at
the G-8, Mr. Prime Minister. To develop and make available clean and
efficient technologies that will help attain these goals has got to be
part of our dialog at the G-8.
I look forward to also continuing our discussion to support freedom
and democracy in the broader Middle East.
The United States congratulates the United Kingdom as it takes over
the Presidency of the EU on July the first. The United States has a
wide-ranging and active agenda with Europe, and we're determined to work
together to meet the global challenges common to us all. The Prime
Minister and I believe a strong Europe that acts in partnership with the
United States is important for world peace.
I appreciate your leadership, Tony Blair. I appreciate your
friendship. I appreciate your courage, and I appreciate your vision.
Welcome back to America.
Prime Minister Blair. Thank you very much, indeed, Mr. President,
and I say how delighted we are to be back here in the White House and to
say thank you for your warm welcome.
And we've also got a busy agenda ahead of us in the international
community over the coming months. We've obviously discussed, as the
President has just indicated, the issues to do with the G-8 summit. And
on Africa, I think there is a real and common desire to help that
troubled continent come out of the poverty and deprivation that so many
millions of its people suffer. In a situation where literally thousands
of children die from preventable diseases every day, it's our duty to
act, and we will.
But we know that there are two things very clear about Africa today.
The first is, that though it is important that we commit the resources
to Africa that are necessary, it's not just about resources. It's also
about debt. It's about trade. It's about making sure that we deal with
these diseases, HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB, polio, that are killing so many
people. It's about conflict resolution and having the proper
peacekeeping and peace enforcement mechanisms.
And it's about making sure that in doing this, that it's not a
something-for-nothing deal. We also need to make sure that there is a
commitment on the part of the African leadership to proper governance,
to action against corruption, to making sure that the aid and the
resources that we're prepared to commit actually go to the people that
need it and do the job that it's supposed to do.
So we are trying to create a framework in which we deal not just
with one of the issues to do with Africa but all of them together and
deal with it on a basis of a partnership with the African leadership
that's prepared to embrace the same values of democracy and freedom that
we embrace.
In respect of debt and debt cancellation, I'm pleased at the
progress that we're making. And I think we are well on the way--I hope
we can, if we're able to, conclude a deal at the finance ministers'
meeting this weekend, but one that will involve 100 percent debt
cancellation and also the commitment of the additional funding necessary
to make sure that the institutions aren't penalized as a result of that.
And if that substantial funding is added also to the debt cancellation,
I think it will make a real difference to those African countries.
But we know there's a lot more to do. And over the coming weeks, in
the run-up to the summit that will take place in Scotland, we want to
carry on working on the specific programs in relation to things like
education and infrastructure and dealing with the killer diseases, that
allow us to make the commitment that we need.
On climate change, I think everyone knows there are different
perspectives on this issue. But I also think that it's increasingly
obvious, whatever perspective people have and whatever--from whatever
angle they come at this issue, there is a common commitment and desire
to tackle the challenges of climate change, of energy security and
energy supply. And we need to make sure that
[[Page 952]]
we do that. And again, I hope over the coming weeks, we will work
closely on this.
On the Middle East and the Middle East peace process--of course, we
had a discussion about this. I would just like to emphasize again the
vital necessity of making sure that democracy succeeds in Iraq. Our
troops work together very, very closely there, and I would like to pay
tribute not just to the bravery of the British troops that work there
and other coalition troops but to the United States forces that do such
a magnificent job there and often in very, very difficult circumstances.
And yet it is absolutely vital for the security not just of that country
and of that region but of the world, that we succeed in Iraq. And the
reason it's tough is because people know what's at stake. And what's at
stake is the ability of Iraq finally to function properly as a
democracy, run for the good of its people. And our help in ensuring that
Iraq can attain that goal is of vital importance, not just to our
countries but to the future of the world.
In addition, of course, the progress that's being made in respect to
the Middle East peace process is very welcome. Mr. President, I'd like
to thank you for your leadership on that issue, which has been extremely
important.
We also had an opportunity to discuss issues to do with Iran and
Libya and Afghanistan and a range of different matters. But once again,
let me thank you very much for inviting me here and to come back after
my reelection. Thank you for the kind words about that. And I look
forward to working not just on the issues to do with the G-8 but on the
full range of the international agenda with you. It's a good alliance
and a good partnership for our two countries, and I believe for the
wider world.
President Bush. Thank you, sir.
Prime Minister Blair. Thank you, Mr. President.
President Bush. We'll answer two questions a side. Jennifer
[Jennifer Loven, Associated Press].
U.S. Aid to Africa
Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Prime Minister Blair has been pushing
for wealthy nations to double aid to Africa. With American aid levels
among the lowest in the G-8 as per portion of national income and the
problems on the continent so dire, why isn't doubling U.S. aid a good
idea?
President Bush. Well, first, as I said in my statement, we've
tripled aid to Africa. Africa is an important part of my foreign policy.
I remember when I first talked to Condi when I was trying to convince
her to become the National Security Adviser, she said, ``Are you going
to pay attention to the continent of Africa?'' I said, ``You bet.'' And
I've fulfilled that commitment. We've convinced Congress to triple aid.
We've got a significant HIV/AIDS initiative that we're undertaking. We
started what's called the Millennium Challenge Account, and we'll do
more down the road.
Now, in terms of whether or not the formula that you commented upon
are the right way to analyze the United States commitment to her, I
don't think it is. I mean, I don't think--there's a lot of things that
aren't counted in our desire to spread compassion. But our country is--
has taken the lead in Africa, and we'll stay there. It's the right thing
to do. It's important to help Africa get on her feet.
And by the way, I think one of things that many African nations have
come to discover is that through trade they can develop a more hopeful
society rather than through aid. I mean, aid helps, but we passed what's
called AGOA, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, and have extended
it. It passed during President Clinton's period. My administration
extended it, with Congress, and it's made an enormous difference to
young economies. When you open up your market to entrepreneurs and small
businesses, it helps spread wealth. And that's, after all, what we're
trying to achieve.
So I'm proud of our accomplishments, and we'll continue to take the
lead on the issue.
Prime Minister Blair. Okay--Andy [Andrew Marr, BBC].
President Bush. Andy is still with you.
Prime Minister Blair. He is.
[[Page 953]]
Debt Relief/Reciprocation of African Nations
Q. For a brief period, Mr. President. I'm from BBC. Could I ask both
leaders--I understand from what you say that you're pretty close to
cracking the differences between you about how to pay for debt
cancellation for the poorest countries. Is that the case, and can you
tell us any more about that?
And also, if I may, to the President, Mr. Blair's Africa Commission
has really raised the ante quite a lot in Africa, talking about this big
historic moment for the world and the continent. Do you see it that way
too?
President Bush. I do. That's why we tripled aid. I see we have got a
fantastic opportunity, presuming that the countries in Africa make the
right decisions. Nobody wants to give money to a country that's corrupt,
where leaders take money and put it in their pocket. No developed nation
is going to want to support a government that doesn't take an interest
in her people, that doesn't focus on education and health care. We're
really not interested in supporting a government that doesn't have open
economies and open markets. We expect there to be a reciprocation.
That's what the Prime Minister talked about.
But absolutely, it's a great opportunity. And I'm honored to be
working with the Prime Minister on this important subject.
Prime Minister Blair. I think in relation to the debt cancellation,
yes, I think we're well on the way to agreement on that. But it's
important to realize we need, obviously, America and the UK to be in
agreement, but then we need to get the agreement of the others. So we've
got to watch how we manage that process and bring everyone into it.
But yes, I think there is a real desire to make sure that we cancel
the debt and cancel the debt in such a way that it doesn't inhibit or
disadvantage the international institutions.
I think, in relation to Africa more generally, it's important--in
respect to the Africa Commission report--we set out a figure of the
doubling of aid, and $25 billion extra is effectively what that would
mean. But the important thing is not to take the figure out of the air
but to realize the Commission for Africa reached that figure on the
basis of an analysis of what Africa needs. And I think that this is what
we can do over the coming weeks.
In relation to specific areas where we accept there is a real need
and we can act and we can act in a way, what is more, that is not going
to waste the money given but is going to put it to the use to which it's
supposed to be put--on education, on malaria, on HIV/AIDS, on things
like water sanitation, on the peacekeeping, peace enforcement aspect of
conflict resolution in Africa--we have got the chance over the next
period of time to make a definitive commitment, but it is a two-way
commitment. We require the African leadership--this is what the
President is saying--we require the African leadership also to be
prepared to make the commitment on governance, against corruption, in
favor of democracy, in favor of the rule of law.
Now, there are African nations that are prepared to make that
commitment today. They're going to get help. What we're not going to do
is waste our countries' money. So that is the nature of what we are
trying to put together. Obviously, there's going to be a lot of
discussions over the next few weeks to--because it's at Gleneagles that
we will get the final package there. But I'm hopeful after the
discussions that we've had today that we can get there.
President Bush. Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].
Downing Street Memo
Q. Thank you, sir. On Iraq, the so-called Downing Street memo from
July 2002 says intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy
of removing Saddam through military action. Is this an accurate
reflection of what happened? Could both of you respond?
Prime Minister Blair. Well, I can respond to that very easily. No,
the facts were not being fixed in any shape or form at all, and let me
remind you that that memorandum was written before we then went to the
United Nations. Now, no one knows more intimately the discussions that
we were conducting as two countries at the time than me. And the fact is
we decided to go to the United Nations and went through that process,
which resulted in the November 2002
[[Page 954]]
United Nations resolution, to give a final chance to Saddam Hussein to
comply with international law. He didn't do so. And that was the reason
why we had to take military action.
But all the way through that period of time, we were trying to look
for a way of managing to resolve this without conflict. As it happened,
we weren't able to do that because, as I think was very clear, there was
no way that Saddam Hussein was ever going to change the way that he
worked or the way that he acted.
President Bush. Well, I--you know, I read kind of the
characterizations of the memo, particularly when they dropped it out in
the middle of his race. I'm not sure who ``they dropped it out'' is,
but--I'm not suggesting that you all dropped it out there. [Laughter]
And somebody said, ``Well, you know, we had made up our mind to go to
use military force to deal with Saddam.'' There's nothing farther from
the truth.
My conversation with the Prime Minister was, ``How could we do this
peacefully? What could we do?'' And this meeting, evidently, that took
place in London happened before we even went to the United Nations--or I
went to the United Nations. And so it's--look, both us of didn't want to
use our military. Nobody wants to commit military into combat. It's the
last option. The consequences of committing the military are very
difficult. The hardest things I do as the President is to try to comfort
families who've lost a loved one in combat. It's the last option that
the President must have, and it's the last option I know my friend had
as well.
And so we worked hard to see if we could figure out how to do this
peacefully, take a--put a united front up to Saddam Hussein, and say,
``The world speaks,'' and he ignored the world. Remember, 1441 passed
the Security Council unanimously. He made the decision. And the world is
better off without Saddam Hussein in power.
Prime Minister Blair. Nick.
Eradication of Poverty in Africa/Climate Change
Q. Nick Robinson, ITV News. You've talked of what you've hoped to do
for Africa. Do you regard the phrase ``make poverty history'' as
rhetoric from rock stars? Or do you really believe in your gut that this
the year it could happen?
And Mr. President, if I may as well on climate change--you didn't
talk about climate change--do you believe that climate change is manmade
and that you, personally, as the leader of the richest country in the
world, have a responsibility to reverse that change?
President Bush. Let me address your first question. Talk about--you
said I'm willing to talk about what we're going to do. I want you to
focus on what we have done, for starters. I mean, part of the--part of
this world, we've got a lot of big talkers. What I like to say is my
administration actually does what we say we're going to do, and we have.
When I say we're going to make a commitment to triple aid in Africa, I
meant it, and we did. When I said we're going to lead an initiative, an
HIV/AIDS initiative, the likes of which the world has never seen before,
on the continent of Africa, we have done that, and we're following
through. And so when I say we're going to do more, I think you can take
that to the bank, as we say, because of what we have done. We have taken
a leadership role.
Second question--do I believe in my gut we can eradicate poverty? I
do believe we can eradicate poverty. And by the way, Bono has come to
see me. I admire him. He is a man of depth and a great heart who cares
deeply about the impoverished folks on the continent of Africa, and I
admire his leadership on the issue. And so I do believe--I don't view--I
can't remember how you characterized the rock stars, but I don't
characterize them that way, having met the man.
In terms of climate change, I've always said it's a serious, long-
term issue that needs to be dealt with. And my administration isn't
waiting around to deal with the issue. We're acting. I don't know if
you're aware of this, but we lead the world when it comes to dollars
spent, millions of dollars spent on research about climate change. We
want to know more about it. It's easier to solve a problem when you know
a lot about it. And if you look at the statistics, you'll find the
United States has taken the lead on this research.
[[Page 955]]
Secondly, we're spending a lot of money on developing ways to
diversify away from a hydrocarbon society. America must do that for
national security reasons and economic security reasons. And that's why
I laid out the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Initiative, with the understanding
that our country is going to have to diversify away from the type of
automobiles we drive.
And it's beginning to happen here. We'll have more fuel cells--cars
driven by fuel cells on the road next year than we had the past year,
and more after that. We're beginning to change. Technology is changing
how we can approach energy, and the technology--mating technology and
energy independence from hydrocarbon also will produce a cleaner
environment.
We're spending a lot of money on clean coal technology. That's going
to be very important for a country like ours and a country like China.
And one of the issues we've got to deal--figure out how to deal with is
how we share that technology with developing nations. You cannot leave
developing nations out of the mix if you expect to have a cleaner world.
I strongly believe that the world needs to share technologies on
nuclear power. I don't see how you can be--diversify away from
hydrocarbons unless you use clean nuke. And so we need to work together
on developing technologies that will not only ensure people that nuclear
power will be safe but that we can dispose of it in a safe way.
I'll tell you an interesting opportunity for not only here but for
the rest of the world is biodiesel. That is a fuel developed from
soybeans. I kind of, in jest, like to travel our country, saying,
``Wouldn't it be wonderful if someday the President sat down and looked
at the crop report, and said, `Man, we've got a lot of soybeans. It
means we're less dependent on foreign sources of energy.' '' We're
spending money to figure out how best to refine soy into diesel.
See, there's a lot of things we're doing in America, and I believe
that not only can we solve greenhouse gas, I believe we will. And I
appreciate the Prime Minister bringing this issue up. I look forward to
sharing that which we know here in America with not only the G-8 members
but, equally importantly, with developing countries. And not only that,
I'm convinced that we can use technology to help keep the air cleaner
and the water purer and develop economies around the world at the same
time. That's going to be one of the great advances in technology in the
coming years.
Thank you for your question. Good to see you all.
Note: The President's news conference began at 4:46 p.m. in the East
Room at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Cherie Booth
Blair, wife of Prime Minister Blair; former President Saddam Hussein of
Iraq; and musician and activist Bono.