    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 25 (Monday, June 26, 2006)]
    [Pages 1205-1207]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks in a Discussion With Foreign Students in Vienna

    June 21, 2006

        The President. It's always important to wait on your wife.
    [Laughter] Please sit down. Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to
    give a statement, then answer a couple of questions. Then we'll get the
    press out of here and have a dialog. Is that okay? Yes. Let them get set
    up.
        This will take a little bit of time and then we'll--first of all, I
    want to thank our Ambassador for setting this up, and thank you all very
    much for joining Laura and me. We're the parents of 25-year-old twin
    daughters who have dreams and aspirations just like I'm sure you do. And
    one of the things that I hope we're able to accomplish today is, I want
    to learn about you and your dreams and aspirations, and I want you to
    ask me questions about our country and, you know, the decisionmaking
    process that I go through. I'll answer any question you have.
        I just want to assure you of one thing, that I believe that freedom
    is universal. I don't think freedom is just a right for American
    citizens. I don't think it's just a right for people who practice
    religion one way. I think it is the right of everybody who lives
    everywhere. I believe that free societies end up yielding peace and
    hope. And that's the cornerstone of my foreign policy.
        I've had to make some very difficult decisions, as you know, and I
    made the decisions based upon what I think is in the best interest of my
    country, the security of my country. But I also believe the decisions I
    have made will end up helping people realize the great blessings of
    liberty. I believe people ought to be able to worship freely or not
    worship at all, but you're equally a citizen of the world. I believe
    that poverty and hopelessness in the spirit can be changed. I believe
    the United States has got an obligation to help others.
        And we're doing so. We've got a very robust foreign policy. One part
    of the foreign policy you hear about is, obviously, my determination to
    defend ourselves. But we're also actively working with people who are
    suffering from HIV/AIDS in Africa. I'm deeply concerned about the Sudan
    and the situation in Darfur. I believe that it's very important for the
    United States to work with friends and allies to accomplish our
    objectives.
        And so the purpose of my visit here to Vienna has been to work with
    my European Union counterparts to join in a common alliance for the good
    of mankind. And so, thank you for giving me a chance to come by and
    visit. I'll answer a couple of questions. If anybody has any thoughts or
    questions and wants to be the lead-off person, please step up and do so.
    Don't be shy. [Laughter] Any questions or thoughts?
        Yes, sir. Please. State where you're from so everybody knows.

    Kosovo

        Q. Mr. President, Mrs. Bush, and Ambassador McCaw, I just wanted--
    first of all, I wanted to say that I'm really honored to have been given
    this opportunity to participate in this breathtaking occasion. I would
    like--first of all, I would like to give thanks to Ambassador McCaw for
    the very friendly invitation to the Embassy and for choosing me as a
    student of this country that has been chosen here, among so many
    countries in the world. And want to thank also President Bush, American
    Government, and the American people, especially, for giving a continuous
    contribution and help to a country that was having, and is having, a
    tough time. Therefore, I have reason to believe that tough times never
    last, that tough people do.
        The President. Do you mind if I use that sometime? [Laughter]
        Q. It's not original from me. So long live America and its people.
    And thank you. And the following question is concerning my country. So I
    would like to ask you, since the peaceful people of Kosovo has put its
    trust to America and since the people of Kosovo believe in American
    power and American democracy, what will the American contribution be for
    the independence of Kosovo? And furthermore, to what extent is America
    as a superpower--to what extent is it ready to take on burden and
    responsibility for solving the problem of Kosovo and to contribute in
    its progress and democracy, economy and education and freedom?
        The President. Yes, thank you very much. Is it Niser? Niser is from
    Kosovo. And yours

    [[Page 1206]]

    is a country which is a part of the world which has got our attention.
    As you know, we've got U.S. troops stationed there with the intention of
    helping provide stability so that there can be a peaceful resolution to
    the issue between Serbia and Kosovo.
        We believe that dialog between Serbia and those who aspire for an
    independent country in Kosovo need to be ongoing, in such a way that
    there is a resolution that meets the needs of the majority and, at the
    same time, enhances minority rights inside Kosovo. To this end, we're
    working with our European partners to try to just bring a sense of
    stability and a sense of calm so that a rational solution can be worked
    out and so that the people, the Kosovars can realize dreams.
        The ultimate political solution is going to require a buy-in by both
    sides. And I think the proper role of the United States is to encourage
    this kind of dialog. The Prime Minister of Serbia will be coming to the
    United States shortly, and we will work with him to urge him to listen
    to the needs of the Kosovars, and at the same time, assure him that our
    policy is to guarantee minority rights.
        Thank you for your question.
        One of the things that--you asked what else we can do. One of the
    things that is very important for our country is to have exchanges with
    students such as yourself. I hope that some of you, as you consider your
    future, will come to the United States to study. And the reason why I
    say that is because I want you to get to see America the way it is, not
    the way, necessarily, sometimes it's portrayed through a robust and free
    media around the world. You'll find the people there to be very
    understanding, very respectful of traditions. After all, we are a
    country of immigrants. One of the interesting things about our country
    is that we've been able to accept people from around the world and, as a
    result of common values and--that people become Americans. And it is
    that capacity to help people assimilate into our society that I'd like
    for you to see firsthand. I think you'll find there to be a very open
    society, one that honors freedom for all.
        Yes, ma'am. Where are you from?

    Foreign Investment/Life at the White House

        Q. Hello--I'm from Kosovo as well. And first of all, I can say it's
    an honor to meet you, the President, the First Lady, and the Ambassador
    McCaw. Mr. President, I want wholeheartedly thank you, your Government,
    and the people of the United States for working for a stable, free, and
    democratic Kosovo and the region.
        I wanted to say one thing. The intervention of 1999 of the American
    troops along with NATO partners has enabled me to be a participant today
    at this roundtable. Otherwise, most of all, I would have had the tragic
    fate of my father, a prominent university professor and minister of
    agriculture, as well, who was murdered in the war.
        I have two questions. For Mr. President, do you believe that an
    independent Kosovo will attract foreign investments, consequently
    improve the economy and enable Kosovo to slowly gain financial
    independence by supporting their infrastructure and slowly decreasing
    the need for international financial aid?
        And the other question goes to Mrs. Bush. Can you please describe a
    family day at the White House? [Laughter]
        The President. Let me start, please. No matter what government I
    talk about, in order to attract capital, there must be some basic
    considerations--first of all, rule of law. In order for there to be
    capital and investment in any society, people have to be assured that
    their investment will be treated fairly, and therefore, there has to be
    consistent and constant law. What you can't do is have contracts, for
    example, that are broken--summarily broken, without an adequate court
    system to protect that kind of investment.
        Secondly, in order for people to feel comfortable investing there
    has to be a society which shuns corruption. Capital looks at a country
    and says, well, maybe my money will end up being stolen, or maybe I have
    to bribe my way in, or maybe I have to make concessions in order to get
    my capital to be properly invested, and therefore, it's important that
    any society that wants to attract capital must have strong anti-
    corruption measures.

    [[Page 1207]]

        Thirdly, capital needs a rate of return. In other words, if somebody
    invests in a society, they expect there to be a return on their
    investment. And that means rational tax policy and monetary policy by
    the host government. What I'm saying to you is, is that there are
    certain just basic standards that must be met in order to attract
    capital. On the other hand, you're absolutely right, the investment into
    a society far outweighs the grants and aid, for example. A society
    that's capable of handling investment in a proper way is a society which
    will grow and prosper and enable people to be able to realize dreams.
        The word I like to use in America is ``entrepreneurial spirit.'' And
    how do you enhance that entrepreneurial spirit? Well, you do it through
    good law, good practice, and anticorruption.
        The First Lady. Okay, a day at--a typical day at the White House.
    Well, I'll give you a workday first. We get up about 5:30 a.m.--the
    President gets up and goes in and gets the coffee and brings it back to
    me in bed. [Laughter] Very nice of him.
        The President. Record that, please. [Laughter]
        The First Lady. Then, we have three animals that get up at the same
    time, and they have to go out--two dogs and a cat. The cat actually
    doesn't have to go out, but the two dogs do. So then we read the
    newspapers and drink coffee until we finally get up. We eat breakfast
    about 6:30 a.m. The President goes to work at the West Wing, which is
    right there--we live where we work. It's sort of like living above the
    shop--and goes to the West Wing to work at 7:00.
        Usually, I don't go to work until later, around 9 o'clock, unless
    I'm traveling in the U.S. The President's offices are in the West Wing
    of the White House; my offices are in the East Wing. And my chief of
    staff happens to be here with me, right now, Anita McBride. I think
    there are about 18 people on my staff, and we--I have a lot of
    initiatives that we're working on.
        We travel the country to work on issues that have to do with what we
    can do to help young people, especially boys, because right now boys in
    the United States are not going to college--not as many boys go to
    college. More boys drop out of school; more boys, obviously, get in
    trouble and are arrested. So we have an initiative that we've been
    working on where I visit programs around the country that help young
    people.
        Sometimes we meet with--at the same time that I'm meeting with
    people--I meet with Afghan teachers, for instance, that are being
    trained in the United States--and the President, of course, is meeting
    with world leaders over there in the West Wing; also going out and
    traveling. And then, usually about 5:30 or 6:00, we're back in the
    Residence of the White House.
        We have dinner. A lot of times our girls come over to have dinner
    with us. One of them was just living with us, but she just has moved
    out. The other one lives in an apartment and is teaching school; she's a
    third-grade schoolteacher. So sometimes they'll come over and have
    dinner with us. Sometimes we'll watch a movie in the White House
    theater. But we do go to bed early. And so that's sort of the typical
    day.
        The President. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:33 p.m. at the Austrian National Library.
    In his remarks, he referred to U.S. Ambassador to Austria Susan Rasinski
    McCaw; and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica of Serbia.