[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 12 (Monday, March 27, 2006)]
[Pages 529-530]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of 
Liberia

March 21, 2006

    President Bush. It has been such an honor to welcome you, Madam 
President, to the Oval Office. I find that one of the interesting parts 
of my job is to be able to talk to pioneers, and Madam President, you're 
a pioneer. You're the first woman elected President to any country on 
the continent of Africa. And that requires courage and vision and the 
desire to improve the lives of your people. And I congratulate you on 
that.
    You know, I can remember, it wasn't all that long ago that Laura--
that would be Laura Bush--and Condi Rice came back from the Inauguration 
of this good person. I said, ``Okay, tell me, what kind of person am I 
going to be dealing with,'' and they said: ``Capable, smart, a person 
who is a doer, a person committed to a bright future for Liberia.'' And 
we welcome you.
    The President and I have had a good discussion. We discussed ways 
that the United States Government can help this country get on its feet 
toward a democracy. We talked about education. We talked about security. 
We talked about--we also talked about the neighborhood. I asked the 
President her advice on a variety of issues. I told her that part of a 
friendship is one in which we can

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speak directly with each other about how best to deal with keeping the 
peace and making sure that health care initiatives are robust and 
effective. I also shared with her some of my thoughts about the world 
beyond the continent of Africa. And so I--we really had a good 
discussion.
    And so, Madam President, thank you. I want to thank your delegation. 
Laura and I look forward to having you for lunch here in a little bit. 
But all in all, I think it was a very good first visit.
    President Johnson Sirleaf. Mr. President, as I mentioned to you, on 
behalf of the Liberian people, I would like to thank you--thank you, 
thank your administration, thank the American people, thank the U.S. 
Congress, for all the support that our country has received in making 
this important transition from war to peace.
    Our people have new hope. They have new promise in the future as a 
result of the strong position you took that enabled us to get this 
opportunity for national renewal. We have taken the necessary first 
steps to restoring dignity to our people, starting to fix our economy, 
to get our international credibility and reputation back. And we're 
confident that Liberian people are ready to do what it takes. They're 
back at work; our country is open for business. We're beginning to put 
in all the processes that will enable us to manage our resources that 
God has been so good to us in giving us, for the good of our people.
    We want you to know that Liberia is going to do all it can to 
justify the confidence that you have given to us. Liberia, we think, has 
the potential to become the U.S. success story in Africa. We'll be 
working within our own borders; we'll be working with our neighboring 
states to bring peace, stability, and development to our subregion. 
We'll be working with our African leaders to ensure that the example we 
set on this transition will be one that can fuse many of our--many of 
other countries and other people in Africa.
    As the first democratic-elected woman, I represent the expectations 
and aspirations of women in Liberia, in Africa, and I dare say, the 
world. And I must be able to deliver for them. My performance must 
justify.
    Again, we just want to thank you for the encouragement and the 
support that you have given us to enable us to meet these enormous 
challenges of development.
    President Bush. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you. Good job.

Note: The President spoke at 11:58 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House.