[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 42 (Monday, October 24, 2005)]
[Pages 1549-1551]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With President Georgi Purvanov of Bulgaria 
and an Exchange With Reporters

October 17, 2005

    President Bush. We'll have opening statements, two questions a side. 
Welcome, Mr. President.
    Mr. President, your country is a strategic ally. It's been my honor 
to welcome you to the Oval Office, and thank you for a wide-

[[Page 1550]]

ranging discussion on a lot of important topics.

    Bulgaria has been a valued partner in NATO. Your country has been a 
strong example for democracy. You understand, like I understand, that 
the march of democracy will lead to world peace. I want to thank you for 
being a part of a vast coalition that helped liberate 50 million people. 
We discussed important bilateral issues.

    And I want to thank you again for coming. Thank you for your 
leadership, and thank you for your friendship.

    President Purvanov. Thank you, Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen, 
I would like to say how pleased I am with the discussions we just had 
with Mr. President. I am delighted that we had a chance to reaffirm our 
specific partnership and to discuss--to go through the agenda of some 
specific issues related.

    I do appreciate the support we have been receiving from the United 
States in becoming a reliable NATO member state and also in joining the 
European Union in time--that is, as of January '07. I value the high 
appreciation of Bulgaria's role as a stabilizing factor in the Balkans 
that we receive.

    I had the chance to reaffirm Bulgaria's commitment to remain an ally 
in the--of the antiterrorist coalition. Of course, the specifics of that 
are going to be discussed on an expert level. I appreciate the 
opportunity to raise some concrete, specific issues and put on the table 
Bulgaria's ambitions to get its military modernized and to be involved 
in some energy products in the Balkans.

    And I'm sure that after these meetings and talks, our institutions 
and the people concerned, the experts will have a lot of work to do in 
order to guarantee an influx of investment. I'm particularly pleased 
with this very frank--open and frank discussions we had.

    President Bush. Thank you. Answer a couple of questions--hold a 
second, please. We'll go with the American side first. Deb [Deb 
Riechmann, Associated Press].

CIA Employee's Identity Disclosure Investigation

    Q. Mr. President, would you expect a member of your administration 
to resign or take leave if they were indicted?
    President Bush. Mr. President, there's an investigation going on. 
I've made it very clear to the press that I'm not going to discuss the 
investigation. And so, therefore--and so my position hasn't changed 
since the last time I've been asked this question. There's a serious 
investigation. We're not going to--I'm not going to prejudge the outcome 
of the investigation.
    Your question. Yes.

Bulgarian Nurses in Libya

    Q. Mr. President, first, we remember 9/11, and we thank you for your 
leadership, sir. The question is, in Bulgarian public opinion knows 
quite well that the most important thing for us is to get our nurses 
back from the jail in Libya, because they're facing a firing squad, sir, 
after few weeks if the verdict is confirmed. So, we are partners. You're 
the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth. Why don't you help us, 
sir?
    President Bush. Do you want to interpret that?

[At this point, the interpreter translated the question into Bulgarian, 
and President Bush continued.]

    We discussed this issue at length. Like the President, my heart 
breaks when young children get sick. The position of the United States 
Government is the nurses ought to be freed. We have made our position 
known to the Libyan Government. There's no confusion--there should be no 
confusion in the Libyan Government's mind. But those nurses ought to be 
not only spared their life but out of prison. And we will continue to 
make that message perfectly clear.
    Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].

Vote on Iraqi Constitution

    Q. Sir, the vote on Saturday, does the Sunni vote against the Iraqi 
constitution damage the political process? Will it increase the 
likelihood of violence and American sacrifice?
    President Bush. My first reaction to the vote was that an increase 
in turnout was an

[[Page 1551]]

indication that the Iraqi people are strongly in favor of settling 
disputes in a peaceful way, that they understand that working to find 
common ground on a constitution is much better for their future than 
relying upon killers and people who will kill innocent children and 
women for the sake of creating havoc.
    Secondly, I was pleased to see that the Sunnis participated in the 
process. The idea of deciding to go into a ballot box is a positive 
development. The idea that people are willing to try to work out their 
political differences through a process, a peaceful process, is--stands 
in stark contrast to the Al Qaida types and the terrorists and the 
killers that are trying to drive the process through violence.
    The way forward is clear. The political process will continue with a 
constitution, if finally ratified, and then an election, coupled with a 
security plan that continues to train Iraqis so they do the fight. The 
violence in this election was down from the previous election. And one 
of the reasons why is because the Iraqi forces took the fight to the 
enemy and provided security, which is really heartening to coalition 
forces and friends and allies.
    So yesterday was a very hopeful day for peace. It's an exciting day 
for a country that only a few short years ago was ruled by a brutal 
tyrant. So I'm pleased with the progress being made.

Bulgaria's Role in the Balkans

    Q. Mr. President, Bulgarian Telegraph Agency. What do you think of 
Bulgaria's role--of your ally, Bulgaria, as a regional leader in the 
Balkans?
    President Bush. I think the--I watched your election--recent 
parliamentary elections very closely. The people voted, and then 
coalitions were formed for the good of the country. That's an example 
that many can learn from. There's nothing more wholesome than a young 
democracy, not only setting an example for others but taking a lead in 
explaining to citizens that the best way to resolve differences is 
through a political process that is peaceful.
    And so the President and I talked about Bulgaria's important role in 
taking the lead in helping young democracies grow in strength. We're 
laying the foundation for peace. Democracies are peaceful. They're at 
peace with their neighbors, and the Balkans needs peace. The Middle East 
needs peace. And working with friends like Bulgaria, we are laying that 
foundation for peace.
    And I'm proud to have your friendship. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 10:53 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. President Purvanov and one reporter spoke in Bulgarian, and their 
remarks were translated by an interpreter.