[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 22 (Monday, June 5, 2006)]
[Pages 1062-1064]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Cabinet Meeting and an Exchange With Reporters

June 1, 2006

    The President. I want to thank the members of my Cabinet who came 
today. We had a really good discussion about a variety of important 
issues. We talked about the war against terror, and I reminded our 
Cabinet Secretaries that we all have a responsibility to help us win 
this war, including sending members of our administration to Iraq, to 
help this new democracy succeed.
    We talked about the hurricane season that's upon us, and the work 
we're doing to help local governments and State governments prepare for 
the hurricane season.
    I talked about the immigration issue. I talked about how strongly I 
feel for this country to have comprehensive immigration reform.
    And then we heard from Secretary Snow about the strength of this 
economy and what we intend to do to keep it strong. One thing we intend 
to do is to continue to work with the United States Congress to make 
sure the tax cuts we passed are permanent. It turns out our progrowth 
economic policies have worked, and the best way to make sure that the 
recovery we have is sustainable is to keep those taxes low. The 
Secretary briefed us on the fact that revenues coming into our Treasury 
look very robust. The best way to balance the budget is to keep 
progrowth economic policies in place, and at the same time, work with 
our Cabinet Secretaries to keep spending down.
    And so I'm very pleased with the progress on our economy, and I want 
to, again, thank my Cabinet Secretaries for being here.
    And now I'll answer a couple of questions. Jennifer [Jennifer Loven, 
Associated Press].

Iran

    Q. Thank you, sir. Do you have either China or Russia on board with 
Iran?
    The President. Yesterday, Secretary Rice, at my instructions, said 
to the world that we want to solve the problem of the Iranian nuclear 
issue diplomatically. And we made it very clear publicly that we're 
willing to come to the table, so long as the Iranians verifiably suspend 
their program. In other words, we said to the Iranians, the United 
States of America wants to work with our partners to solve the problem.
    I spoke to the President of Russia and explained my position clearly 
to him, and that is, the choice is up to the Iranians whether or not 
they're going to listen to the world

[[Page 1063]]

demand, and if they do, we've got something to talk to them about. And 
if they don't, we expect Russia to participate in the United Nations 
Security Council. We'll see whether or not they agree to do that. I got 
a positive response from the President. He said he understands our 
strategy, and he agrees we want to solve this issue diplomatically.
    I also spoke to President Hu Jintao this morning. I laid out to him 
why I instructed Secretary Rice to do what she did. And now it's going 
to be up to the Iranians to make their decision, and if they choose not 
to verifiably suspend, we have laid the groundwork for an effective 
international response.
    Q. Was the response from President Hu positive?
    The President. They understood our strategy, and they understood--
the most positive thing about all the conversations I had is there is 
uniform agreement that the Iranians should not have a nuclear weapon. 
And we'll discuss tactics and strategies to make sure that the 
international community speaks with one clear voice if the Iranians 
choose not to verifiably suspend. And so we'll see what their decision 
is. My decision is to be robust in trying to solve this problem 
diplomatically.
    Matthew [Matthew Spetalnick], Reuters. Yes, there you are.
    Q. But the Iranian Foreign Minister, today, has already--while 
welcoming the offer of talks, has rejected the idea that they would 
first suspend uranium enrichment. How do you react to that, and is it 
now----
    The President. My reaction is, the choice is theirs. And we'll see 
whether or not that is the firm position of their Government. If that's 
what they decide to do, then the next step, of course, will be to--for 
our coalition partners to go to the United Nations Security Council. And 
the choice is up to the Iranians. And they've already said, by the way, 
that they're willing to suspend. And this gives them a second chance to 
make their words mean something.
    I want to solve this problem diplomatically, and I want to solve it 
peacefully. And the best thing for the Iranians to understand is that if 
they choose not to suspend in a verifiable--if they continue their 
obstinance, if they continue to say to the world, ``We really don't care 
what your opinion is,'' then the world is going to act in concert. The 
next step of acting in concert is to go to the United Nations Security 
Council.
    Ann [Ann Compton, ABC News].

Iraq/U.S. Armed Forces

    Q. Why do American forces in Iraq need retraining on core values, as 
the military puts it?
    The President. Our troops have been trained on core values 
throughout their training, but obviously there was an incident that took 
place in Iraq. It's now being investigated. And this is just a reminder 
for troops in Iraq, or throughout our military, that there are high 
standards expected of them and that there are strong rules of 
engagement. The Haditha incident is under investigation. Obviously, the 
allegations are very troubling for me and equally troubling for our 
military, especially the Marine Corps. I've spoken to General Pace about 
this issue quite a few times. And he's troubled by the allegations 
because he understands that the Marine Corps has got a proud tradition 
of upholding rules of engagement.
    One of the things that happens in a transparent society like ours is 
that there is--there will be a full and complete investigation. The 
world will see the full and complete investigation. It also is a 
reminder to our commanders that they must constantly enforce the proud 
tradition of our military, and that's what they're doing.
    Q. Have you gotten updates on the situation?
    The President. Well, I'm not involved with the investigation, and 
you shouldn't expect me to be. I expect this investigation to be 
conducted independent of the White House, with a full and thorough 
investigation. And I'm confident.
    Listen, the Marine Corps wants to get to the bottom of this. If 
anybody wants to make sure that they know the facts and to correct 
problems, if they do exist, it's the United States Marine Corps. They 
are run by--the Marines are run by an incredibly proud group of men and 
women who understand the history and tradition of the Marines. And 
they'll get to the bottom of this.

[[Page 1064]]

    And if there is wrongdoing, people will be held to account. And at 
the same time, what you're seeing is the Marine Corps reminding our 
troops about what it means to be a marine, what it means to uphold the 
honor of that Corps, and what it means to adhere to the rules of 
engagement that we expect our soldiers to adhere to. The United States 
of America has got a willingness to deal with issues like this in an 
upfront way, in an open way, and correct problems. And that's what 
you're going to see unfold.
    Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 11:01 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to President Vladimir Putin of 
Russia; President Hu Jintao of China; and Gen. Peter Pace, USMC, 
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. A reporter referred to Minister of 
Foreign Affairs Manuchehr Motaki of Iran. A tape was not available for 
verification of the content of these remarks.