    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 24 (Monday, June 19, 2006)]
    [Pages 1120-1122]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks Following Meetings on Iraq and an Exchange With Reporters in
    Camp David

    June 12, 2006

        The President. We just had a meaningful day. We have spent a lot of
    time talking to our team in Baghdad about the way forward in Iraq. We've
    spent time talking about the security situation in Iraq and what we
    intend to do to help the Iraqi Government bring security to
    neighborhoods in Baghdad and Basra. We talked about the economic
    situation in Iraq. We talked about the energy situation in Iraq. We
    talked about a variety of matters with Ambassador Khalilzad and General
    Casey and General Abizaid.
        As you can see, I not only have my national security team here, I've
    got members of my Cabinet as well. We all agree that we have got to
    continue to help this new Government move forward. Success in Iraq will
    depend upon the capacity of the new Government to provide for its
    people. We recognize that. We're encouraged by the formation of a unity
    government, and we recognize our responsibilities to help that new
    Government.
        And tomorrow we'll be meeting with the new Government via SVTS, and
    that will be a very interesting experience for all of us, to be able to
    talk to our respective counterparts.
        The message to the Iraqi Government is, is that we stand with you;
    that what you're doing is important; that democracy in Iraq is not only
    important to the 12 million people that went to the polls and their
    families, but democracy in Iraq is important in the war on terror. It's
    important that we succeed in Iraq in order to make America more secure
    and the world a better place.
        So I want to thank my Cabinet Secretaries for being with me today,
    and other members of my team, to really have this very vital and
    important discussion.
        I'll answer a couple of questions.

    U.S. Troop Levels in Iraq

        Q. You said that you were going to listen to your U.S. commanders on
    the ground about the troops. And, you know, General Casey has said now
    that he thinks that gradual U.S. troop reductions could be made in

    [[Page 1121]]

    the coming months. So do you agree with this?
        The President. Well, as I also said the last time you asked me this
    question--which was a couple of days ago--that we were going to make
    sure that we fully understand the Iraqi capability to be able to take
    the fight to the enemy and secure its country. And the Iraqi Defense
    Minister is just in office. And General Casey, of course, will be making
    those assessments, as he told us today via the teleconference--that he
    will make the proper assessments and come back to us and make
    recommendations to us.
        Whatever we do will be based upon the conditions on the ground. And
    whatever we do will be toward a strategy of victory. And so this is a
    process of getting to know the--understand the Iraqi capabilities,
    particularly the command and control structure, and what we need to do
    to help them achieve victory.

    Abu Musab Al Zarqawi/War on Terror

        Q. Mr. President, what do you think of the successor to Zarqawi that
    was named by Al Qaida? And how do you stop an insurgency that is still
    able to recruit people and continue to threaten attacks?
        The President. I think the successor to Zarqawi is going to be on
    our list to bring to justice.
        What was the second part of your question?
        Q. How do you stop an insurgency that continues to be able to
    recruit people and continues to threaten attacks and carry them out?
        The President. The best way to win this war against an insurgency is
    to stand up a unity government which is capable of defending itself but
    also providing tangible benefits to the people. The Iraqis have got some
    wonderful assets: They've got energy, which they can use to benefit
    their people; they're entrepreneurial; they've got a stable currency;
    they've got a small-business sector that's growing. And, ultimately, the
    Iraqi people are going to have to make up their mind: Do they want to
    live in terror, or do they want to live in peace? And the United States
    and our coalition will help them realize their ambitions if they choose
    to live in peace and hope, which we believe they will.

        Remember, it wasn't all that long ago that 12 million people went to
    the polls and said, ``We want to live in a free society.'' No question,
    the fighting is tough. No question, the enemy is violent and mean. But
    the enemy doesn't stand for anything. They have no message of hope. They
    have no positive philosophy. All they can do is kill, and hope that the
    Government splits up or that the American people lose their will. And I
    keep reminding the American people that the stakes are worth it. It is
    worth it to help Iraq succeed. It is worth it to have a democracy in the
    Middle East. It is worth it to show other reformers and people who want
    to live in a free society what is possible.

        Yes.

    International Support for Iraq

        Q. Are you satisfied with what Iraq's neighbors and the
    international community are doing to help this new Government, or would
    you like to see them do more, and what should it be?

        The President. Iraq's neighbors ought to do more to help them. And
    we're constantly working with our friends in the neighborhood to
    encourage them to support this new democracy. And I recognize that
    there's some concerns about a Shi'a Prime Minister and a--from different
    countries where there's Sunni representation, Sunni leadership. But our
    message is, is that Iraq will show that it's possible for people of all
    faiths to live together. After all, they've got the most modern
    Constitution in the history of the Middle East.

        We expect our friends who have made commitments, $13 billion, to
    honor those commitments. Many of those countries are outside of the
    Middle East. And so we'll continue--we discussed that today, as to how
    to continue to rally not only the neighborhood, Iraq's neighbors, to the
    cause of the new democracy, but how to help others who have made a
    pledge to honor their pledge.
        Yes.

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    Energy/Foreign Sources of Oil

        Q. Mr. President, did you talk about oil production and maybe
    getting it back to prewar levels, or anything?
        The President. We did. We spent a lot of time in talking about
    energy and oil. The oil belongs to the Iraqi people. It's their asset.
    It is one of the--the capacity to generate wealth from the ground
    distinguishes Iraq from Afghanistan, for example. It's something that I
    view as a very positive part of Iraqi future. And we talked about how to
    advise the Government to best use that money for the benefit of the
    people.
        Secondly, obviously, we spent time figuring out how to help
    strategize with the new ministries as to how to get oil production up.
    And recently, they've had oil production as high as a little over 2
    million barrels a day, which is extremely positive. The oil sector is
    very much like the rest of the infrastructure of Iraq: Saddam Hussein
    let it deteriorate. There wasn't much reinvestment or not much
    modernization. After all, he was using the money for his own personal
    gain, and he wasn't spending the people's money on enhancing the
    infrastructure. And the oil infrastructure collapsed and deteriorated.
    And as a result, there's a lot of work that needs to be done on, for
    example, work-overs--that is, to help oil wells become revitalized, just
    a standard maintenance procedure. So there's a maintenance program on to
    help the Iraqi people get their production up.
        There's some unbelievably interesting exploration opportunities. And
    the new Government is going to have to figure out how best to lease the
    people's lands in a fair way. My own view is, is that the Government
    ought to use the oil as a way to unite the country and ought to think
    about having a tangible fund for the people, so the people have faith in
    central government.
        Listen, thank you all for coming today. And tomorrow is going to be
    a fascinating day, and I'm looking forward to having discussions with
    our counterparts via SVTS. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 3:40 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad; Gen. George W. Casey, Jr.,
    USA, commanding general, Multi-National Force--Iraq; Gen. John P.
    Abizaid, USA, combatant commander, U.S. Central Command; Minister of
    Defense Abd al-Qadir al-Mufriji, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, and
    former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; and senior Al Qaida associate
    Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, who was killed in Baquba, Iraq, on June 7. A tape
    was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.