[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 10 (Monday, March 13, 2006)]
[Pages 432-434]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With Diana Moukalled of Future Television of Lebanon

March 9, 2006

Lebanese Freedom

    Ms. Moukalled. Mr. President, thank you for receiving Future 
Television. As you know, head of U.N. inquiry, Serge Brammertz, will 
present his report to the Security Council in a few days. How should the 
international community respond if the report concluded that Syria did 
not fully cooperate with the inquiry, as previous efforts did?
    The President. Our position is, is that we want to know the truth, 
and we expect all parties to be forthcoming with the truth. The truth is 
really important to help Lebanon meet a goal that we want for Lebanon, 
which is free of foreign interference, democratic and peaceful, so that 
people can realize dreams and so the great country of Lebanon can grow 
and prosper like I'm confident it can.

    So the United States will constantly remind all parties that we seek 
the truth, and we expect parties, when asked about the truth, to be 
forthcoming with the truth. I'm worried about people who stall and hope 
that the world turns a blind eye to a terrible death. And we're not 
going to turn a blind eye. We will keep focused on this important issue, 
because we believe in the future of Lebanon.

Syrian Withdrawal From Lebanon

    Ms. Moukalled. From what you say, many in Lebanon fear that there 
might be a deal between Washington and Damascus. In other words, if 
Damascus complied with Washington demands regarding Iraq, regarding 
Hezbollah and Hamas, would you let the inquiry not reach its ultimate?

    The President. Part of our desires for Damascus is, of course, to 
shut down terrorist bases in their country; and is, of course, to stop 
cross-border infiltration into Iraq; is, of course, to stop allowing 
people to find safe haven to plot and plan attacks in the neighborhood. 
But part of our demands was to--was 1559, which is, completely out of 
Lebanon. And so there are no deals. We are people who believe that when 
we say something, we've got to keep our word. And again I repeat to you, 
I think that the light of truth is very important toward establishing a 
peace that we all want in the region.

    I really do want young boys and girls in Lebanon to be able to grow 
up in a world free of violence. Lebanon is a fabulous country; Beirut is 
one of the great international cities of all time. And it's in the 
world's interest that this democracy survive, and not only survive but 
flourish and thrive. And so we don't--we really aren't going to deal 
away Lebanon's future.

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U.S. Support for Lebanese Freedom

    Ms. Moukalled. Regarding U.N. Resolution 1559, the Lebanese 
Government says that it wants to reach a true result with the issue 
through a national dialog----
    The President. Yes.
    Ms. Moukalled. ----and you have demanded repeatedly that Lebanon 
should implement this resolution. Will you give the Lebanese Government 
a chance to resolve this issue through national dialog, or you will 
exercise more pressure?
    The President. I think it's very important that the national dialog 
process succeed. The truth of the matter is that peace in Lebanon is 
going to be achieved by Lebanese leaders, people in Lebanon who are 
dedicated to the future. The United States can--we can work; we can 
help; we can pressure Syria; or we can do things. But what we can't do 
is to force people to be courageous in the name of peace. That's up to 
Lebanon's people themselves--the people of Lebanon themselves. The 
Lebanese must stand up and say, ``We demand a open and free and 
transparent society so we can live in peace.''
    We'll help, but courage comes from within people's souls. And we 
have been encouraged by courage being shown by those who believe in 
Lebanon's future.
    Ms. Moukalled. Are you following the national dialog that's 
happening now in Lebanon?
    The President. I am.
    Ms. Moukalled. Many believe that without international efforts, this 
dialog will not succeed, where other parties think that the American 
pressure is keeping Lebanese from reaching an agreement.
    The President. No, I hope--I believe that an agreement can be 
reached. I understand the talks have been suspended for a week, but they 
will be ongoing, and I think it's a very important part of the Lebanese 
folks putting aside past--the past and focusing on a bright future. And 
we will help, and we will encourage, but ultimately the decisions have 
to be made by the Lebanese citizens, that they want something better 
than violence and war and division.

Hezbollah

    Ms. Moukalled. The two controversial items are the ousting of 
President Emile Lahud and the disarming of Hezbollah.
    The President. Yes.
    Ms. Moukalled. What's your comment? What----
    The President. Our position is clear: 1559, which we strongly 
support, says that armed militias should be disarmed, and secondly, we 
believe that the President ought to be independent, ought to be someone 
who will strongly represent the interests of the Lebanese people.
    Ms. Moukalled. The Lebanese Government considers Hezbollah a 
resistance. What's your comment?
    The President. My comment is, is that armed militias should disarm. 
And I think it's very important to understand that democracy--you can't 
have a democracy if political parties have their own armed force. Our 
position is that the Lebanese forces ought to be in control of the 
security of Lebanon, for the good of the people.

Lebanese Freedom

    Ms. Moukalled. What's your position regarding ousting President 
Emile Lahud?
    The President. Again, I repeat to you, I think the characteristics 
for the President ought to be somebody who is independent-minded, 
somebody who focuses on his--the future of the country, somebody who 
understands that foreign influences inside of a country can be very 
negative.

Spread of Democracy

    Ms. Moukalled. Mr. President, as you know, the situation in Iraq is 
really deteriorating; the country is on the edge of a civil war. The 
support for U.S. policies among Arab public opinion is--it's minimal. 
Many believe that you are focusing on Lebanon to divert attention from 
what's going on in Iraq or it's a part of a whole scenario to control 
the region. Why did Lebanon get so much of your attention in the past 
year, whereas Syria controlled Lebanon for 30 years?
    The President. Because I believe in democracy. I believe democracy 
yields peace. That's a historical--it's been proven throughout history 
that democracies yield the peace

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we all want. And I repeat to you: I want young boys and girls in Lebanon 
to grow up in peace. It's what I want.
    I am--I want the same thing for Iraq. I want Iraq to be a 
democracy--not a U.S. democracy but a democracy that takes into the--the 
traditions, the Iraqi traditions and the history of Iraq, just like the 
Lebanese democracy will reflect the history of Lebanon and the 
traditions of Lebanon.
    I believe there are such things as universal values, and I believe 
everybody desires to be free. And it's difficult in Iraq, no question 
about it. But I want--I want you to remember that the Iraqi people 
expressed their opinion last December about civil war. Eleven million 
people went to vote in difficult conditions saying, ``We want freedom, 
and we want democracy. Give us a chance.'' And I'm convinced, 
ultimately, the people's will will win out and defeat those who want to 
try to create a civil war. Our position in the Middle East and 
throughout the Muslim world is that we want to be a partner in peace; we 
want to help people realize their potential.
    And I hear the--I hear the language about the United States, that 
United States is anti-Islam. It's just not true. We view Islam as a 
religion of peace--or that the United States has got this design. But 
we'll protect ourselves. But the best way to protect ourselves 
ultimately is to encourage good relations amongst Muslim people and to 
encourage democracy. That's what we want. We want people to be able to 
be free. We want there to be minority rights and human rights; we want 
there to be women's rights. We believe in societies where women have got 
a chance to realize their dreams. We want there to be good education and 
good health care, and to the extent that people want our help, we're 
willing to help.
    Ms. Moukalled. But so far, you're not winning the hearts and minds 
of Arab people. Why not?
    The President. Well, it's--there's a lot of negative news on TV. 
There's a--the enemy to democracy has got one tool, and that is the 
capacity and willingness to kill innocent people. And that shocks 
people. People of good conscience grieve when they see innocent life 
being taken by car bombs or when they read about beheadings.
    And it's really important for those of us who believe in peace and 
the civilized world--it's not civilized to kill innocent people, nor do 
I think it's religious. It's very important for us to be steadfast and 
strong and have faith in the capacity of freedom to help answer people's 
desires and change society for the better.
    My dream is for there to be a Palestinian state at peace with 
Israel. My dream is for Lebanon's democracy to flourish. My hope is that 
Iraq's democracy will serve as an example for others, and so people can 
realize their potential. And I believe this is going to happen. But 
there are people who want to stop that progress. And I know that. But 
I'm a firm believer in the future, and we'll continue to work in a way 
that tries to share our deepest desires to help people, that will try to 
combat some of the ugly news people see on the TV with positive policies 
that uplift lives, give people a chance.
    Ms. Moukalled. Thank you, Mr. President. Unfortunately, we ran out 
of time.
    The President. Well, thank you for coming.
    Ms. Moukalled. Thank you.
    The President. I'm honored you would come all the way from Beirut to 
interview me.

Note: The interview was taped at 10:40 a.m. in the Map Room at the White 
House for later broadcast. Ms. Moukalled referred to Serge Brammertz, 
commissioner, United Nations International Independent Investigation 
Commission into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri 
of Lebanon; and President Emile Lahud of Lebanon. The transcript was 
released by the Office of the Press Secretary on March 10. A tape was 
not available for verification of the content of this interview.