    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 6 (Monday, February 13, 2006)]
    [Page 202]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks Following Discussions With King Abdullah II of Jordan

    February 8, 2006

        President Bush. Your Majesty, welcome back. I have had two good
    discussions with His Majesty. Last night His Majesty and the Crown
    Prince came to have dinner with Laura and me and some Members of
    Congress, and we had a really good discussion. We had a little time by
    ourselves to talk strategically about the world and our deep desire for
    this world to be peaceful.
        Of course, we talked about Iraq, Iran, the Palestinian territories.
    And I appreciate your vision and your desire to achieve a better world
    for the people in your neighborhood.
        We also talked about a topic that requires a lot of discussion and a
    lot of sensitive thought, and that is the reaction to the cartoons. I
    first want to make it very clear to people around the world that ours is
    a nation that believes in tolerance and understanding. In America, we
    welcome people of all faiths. One of the great attributes of our country
    is that you're free to worship however you choose in the United States
    of America.
        Secondly, we believe in a free press. We also recognize that with
    freedom comes responsibilities. With freedom comes the responsibility to
    be thoughtful about others. Finally, I have made it clear to His
    Majesty, and he made it clear to me, that we reject violence as a way to
    express discontent with what may be printed in a free press. I call upon
    the governments around the world to stop the violence, to be respectful,
    to protect property, and protect the lives of innocent diplomats who are
    serving their countries overseas.
        And so, Your Majesty, thank you for coming. I'm proud to share the
    moment with you.
        King Abdullah. Thank you very much for your kind words. And I would
    just like to echo what the President said. We've had some very fruitful
    discussions, and we're appreciative of the vision and the desire that
    the President has for peace and stability in our part of the world. He
    has always strived to make life better for all of us in the Middle East,
    and I tremendously appreciate that role.
        The issue of the cartoons, again, and with all respect to press
    freedoms, obviously, anything that vilifies the Prophet Mohammed--peace
    be upon him--or attacks Muslim sensibilities, I believe needs to be
    condemned. But at the same time, those that want to protest should do it
    thoughtfully, articulately, express their views peacefully. When we see
    protests--when we see destruction, when we see violence, especially if
    it ends up taking the lives of innocent people, is completely
    unacceptable. Islam, like Christianity and Judaism, is a religion of
    peace, tolerance, moderation.
        And we have to continue to ask ourselves, what type of world do we
    want for our children? I too often hear the word used as, tolerance. And
    tolerance is such an awful word. If we are going to strive to move
    forward in the future, the word that we should be talking about is
    acceptance. We need to accept our common humanity and our common values.
    And I hope that lessons can be learned from this dreadful issue, that we
    can move forward as humanity, and truly try to strive together, as
    friends and as neighbors, to bring a better world to all.
        President Bush. Thank you, Your Majesty. I appreciate you.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:26 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan.