[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 9 (Monday, March 6, 2006)]
[Pages 369-372]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting With President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan 
and an Exchange With Reporters in Kabul, Afghanistan

March 1, 2006

    President Karzai. Well, such a wonderful moment for us in 
Afghanistan today to have our great friend, our great supporter, a man 
that helped us liberate, a man that helped us rebuild, a man that helped 
us move toward the future, President Bush, today with us in Afghanistan.
    I conveyed upon President Bush's arrival to him that when the Afghan 
people come to know that you are here today--but when they see on the 
television that we did not provide you the kind of hospitality perhaps 
we want to provide you, I'll be in serious trouble. [Laughter] But I'll 
have a lot of explaining to do to the Afghan people.
    Mr. President, welcome to Afghanistan. We owe a great, great deal in 
this country's rebuilding--peace, democracy, the strong steps toward the 
future--to your support, to your leadership, to the American people, and 
to the way you have given your hand to the Afghan people.
    I'm not going to go into the details of all that you've done for 
us--it's from the defeat of terrorism, to peace in Afghanistan, to 
democracy, to reconstruction, to the success of the whole process. Thank 
you very much, Mr. President, and welcome to Afghanistan.
    President Bush. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for having me. 
Laura and I are honored to be here. It's such a thrill to come to a 
country which is dedicating itself to the dignity of every person that 
lives here.
    First of all, I want to thank you for the fantastic lunch we just 
had. I did get a taste of Afghanistan hospitality, and it's good. I 
appreciate you introducing me to many of the leaders of your Government. 
I'm impressed

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by their dedication to making sure the experience that you're going 
through, experience of growing a democracy that honors and respects all, 
is successful.
    One of the messages I want to say to the people of Afghanistan is, 
it's our country's pleasure and honor to be involved with the future of 
this country. We like stories of young girls going to school for the 
first time, so they can realize their potential. We appreciate a free 
press. We are enthralled when we see an entrepreneurial class grow up 
where people are able to work and realize their dreams. We understand 
the importance of having a well-trained military dedicated to the 
sovereignty of the country and to the peace of the people. And we're 
impressed by the progress that your country is making, Mr. President. A 
lot of it has to do with your leadership.
    Today I not only had a good long visit with my friend, the 
President, but we had a good visit with a lot of the folks who make this 
Government work. From here, I'll go to cut a ribbon at our new Embassy. 
The Embassy should be a clear statement to the people of Afghanistan 
that we're dedicated to helping. And then I'm going to go out to the 
base and thank some of our troops who are here to protect our country 
and, at the same time, help the people of Afghanistan protect 
themselves.
    One of the things I told Mr. President, told the members of your 
team and your Cabinet and the Government is that people all over the 
world are watching the experience here in Afghanistan. I hope the people 
of Afghanistan understand that, as democracy takes hold, you're 
inspiring others. And that inspiration will cause others to demand their 
freedom. And as the world becomes more free, the world will become more 
peaceful. And so I come as a friend, an ally, and a person like you, 
dedicated to peace. Thank you for having me.
    President Karzai. Well, I guess we take some questions, Mr. 
President?
    President Bush. Why don't we take a couple.
    President Karzai. Two on each side?
    President Bush. Sure.
    President Karzai. All right.
    President Bush. We'll start with the Afghans. Terry [Terence Hunt, 
Associated Press], please----
    President Karzai. He's a guest. He's a guest.
    President Bush. Guests first? You don't know who he is.
    President Karzai. Please, go ahead.
    President Bush. He's Terry by the way. AP. You might have seen him 
before.
    President Karzai. Yes, we've seen him before.
    President Bush. He asked you a very difficult question last time.
    President Karzai. He did? Well----
    President Bush. Hopefully he'll tone it down some----

Usama bin Laden

    Q. I'd like to ask you, Mr. President, there was a time when you 
talked about getting Usama bin Laden dead or alive. Why is he still on 
the loose 5 years later? And are you still confident that you'll get 
him?
    President Bush. I am confident he will be brought to justice. What's 
happening is, is that we got U.S. forces on the hunt for not only bin 
Laden but anybody who plots and plans with bin Laden. There are Afghan 
forces on the hunt for not only bin Laden but those who plot and plan 
with him. We've got Pakistan forces on the hunt. And part of my message 
to President Musharraf is, is that it's important that we bring these 
people to justice. He understands that. After all, they've tried to kill 
him four times. So we've got a common alliance, all aimed at routing out 
people who are evildoers, people who have hijacked a great religion and 
kill innocent people in the name of that religion.
    We're making progress of dismantling Al Qaida. Slowly but surely 
we're bringing the people to justice, and the world is better for it, as 
a result of our steady progress.
    You want to ask somebody?
    President Karzai. Yes. I'll ask Reuters.
    Q. Yes, please. Thank you, sir----
    President Bush. Oh, no, no----
    President Karzai. There's international Reuters; there's Afghan 
Reuters.
    President Bush. He didn't mean to. Sorry.

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    Q. Mr. President, allow me to welcome you to Afghanistan first.
    President Bush. Thank you.
    Q. And I would like to ask you a couple of questions, if I may.
    President Bush. Sure.

Afghanistan/Iran

    Q. Regarding the worsening situation in Afghanistan, the Afghan 
Government says that most of the violence emanates from Pakistan. Will 
you be discussing in any way the issue of violence in Afghanistan with 
Pakistani authorities?
    President Bush. Absolutely.
    Q. And my second question is regarding Iran's nuclear program----
    President Bush. Yes.
    Q. Iran states that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, 
but you seem to doubt them. There seems to be some sort of standoff. Do 
you not think that the standoff will affect the security of the region, 
and do you think there is a way out of this standoff?
    President Bush. Great. First, yes, I absolutely will bring up the 
cross-border infiltrations with President Musharraf. These infiltrations 
are causing harm to friends, allies, and cause harm to U.S. troops. And 
that will be a topic of conversation. It's an ongoing topic of 
conversation.
    Secondly, Iran must not have a nuclear weapon. The most 
destabilizing thing that can happen in this region and in the world is 
for Iran to have a--develop a nuclear weapon. And so the world is 
speaking with one voice to the Iranians that it's okay for you to have a 
civilian power--nuclear power operation, but you shall not have the 
means, the knowledge, to develop a nuclear weapon.
    And so we've joined with Russia as part of a diplomatic effort to 
solve this problem that says, Russia will provide enriched uranium to 
its civilian nuclear powerplant and will collect the uranium after it's 
been used in the plant.
    I'll repeat to you, the most destablizing thing that can happen is 
for Iran to have a nuclear weapon. And we will work with friends and 
allies to convince them not to.
    Steven [Steve Holland, Reuters].

India

    Q. Sir, you're going on to India from here. How close are you to 
sealing a nuclear agreement with India? And what does it mean for the 
trip if you don't get one?
    President Bush. Our relationship with India is broader than our 
discussions about energy. Ours is a strategic relationship. It is a 
relationship that's got strong ties because of economics and our 
military, our desire to help democracies such as Afghanistan. Our people 
are talking to the Indians today on the plane, and we'll be doing so 
when we land in New Delhi about trying to come to an agreement on a 
civilian nuclear power agreement.
    But as I said in my speech in Washington, this is a difficult issue. 
It's a difficult issue for the Indian Government; it's a difficult issue 
for the American Government. And so we'll continue to dialog and work, 
and hopefully we can reach an agreement. If not, we'll continue to work 
on it until we do. It's in our interests and the interests of the United 
States. It's in the interests of countries around the world that India 
develop a nuclear power industry because that will help alleviate demand 
for fossil fuels. And by alleviating demand for fossil fuels, it takes 
the price off of gasoline at the pump. And so the faster the Indian 
economy grows, the more fuel they demand, the more fuel they demand--it 
affects our gas prices; it affects your gas prices.
    So what we're trying to do is have an international consortium that 
will enable countries to develop nuclear power industries in safe ways, 
ways that will prevent proliferation, and ways that will enable nations 
to meet their energy needs without excessive consumption of fossil 
fuels.
    President Karzai. I will give a chance to the Afghan Television, for 
once.

Afghanistan-U.S. Cooperation

[The reporter spoke in a foreign language, and the remarks were 
translated by an interpreter.]

    Q. Your Excellency President Bush, most welcome to Afghanistan and 
wish you a pleasant stay. The question is by a reporter

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from Afghanistan National Radio and Television. It has been 4 years 
since the presence of the international forces in Afghanistan. However, 
the security situation is increasingly deteriorating. What will be your 
long-term security policy to Afghanistan? And the second part of the 
question is, how will the U.S. policy be affected in regards to 
Afghanistan if Usama and Mullah Omar are captured?
    President Bush. It's not a matter of if they're captured or brought 
to justice, it's when they're brought to justice. The United States is 
here at the request of an Afghan Government elected by the people. We 
signed an agreement in the Oval Office in Washington, DC, with the duly 
elected President of your country, President Karzai. It's an agreement 
that sets out a strategic relationship. It's an important relationship 
for our country. It's an important relationship for Afghanistan.
    But it's important for the people of Afghanistan to recognize that 
we're here by mutual consent. We want to be here. We want to be here to 
help Afghanistan grow its democracy and to defeat those who will--can't 
stand the thought of freedom.
    The President has talked to me a lot about this issue, assures me 
that the Government is sincere in its request that the United States and 
coalition help Afghanistan grow its democracy. Our commitment is firm. 
Our desire is to see this country flourish and set a great example not 
only in the neighborhood but around the world.
    See, I hope--I hope people of Afghanistan understand the people of 
America have great--got great regard for human life and human dignity, 
that we care about the plight of people. We--when we saw the devastation 
in Pakistan, we were quick to respond with help because we care about 
people. When we heard 73,000 people lost their lives and 2.5 million 
people were displaced from their homes, it broke our hearts. When we see 
HIV/AIDS ravishing an entire continent of Africa, we care.
    I'm going to repeat what I said before: We like stories, and expect 
stories, of young girls going to school in Afghanistan. It means a lot 
to the American people to hear the President say that. It means a lot 
for people to realize that there is an entrepreneurial class that's 
beginning to grow. We believe in hope, which is the exact opposite of 
the ideology of the bin Ladens of the world and the Taliban.
    In our country, you can worship freely. You're equally American if 
you're a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, or Jew. You're equally American if 
you don't believe in an Almighty. Under the Taliban and Usama bin Laden, 
there is no religious freedom. You have no chance to express yourself in 
the public square without being punished. There is no capacity to 
realize your full potential. And so we're committed; we're committed to 
universal values. We believe--we believe everybody desires to be free. 
And we know that history has taught us that free societies yield peace. 
And that's what we want. We want peace for our children, and we want 
peace for the Afghan children as well.
    President Karzai. Good. Wonderful. Great. Thank you very much.
    President Bush. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 2:52 p.m. at the Presidential Palace. In 
his remarks, he referred to Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida 
terrorist organization; and President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan. A 
reporter referred to Mullah Omar, head of the deposed Taliban regime in 
Afghanistan.