    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 25 (Monday, June 26, 2006)]
    [Pages 1189-1197]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    The President's News Conference With European Leaders in Vienna, Austria

    June 21, 2006

        Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel. So, ladies and gentlemen, let me
    first start by saying that this was--is the 15th journey of President of
    the United States, George Bush, to Europe. And I'm really happy that
    this journey leads--it's a kind of an Austria-Hungarian journey--leads
    George Bush and his team to Vienna.
        We had a summit, a very fruitful and a positive summit touching a
    broad range of subjects, from economy--quite obvious--America and
    Europe, we are the E-2, the economic big two powers of the world, and we
    spoke about common trade, foreign investment in both directions. Of
    course, we touched some problems, but don't forget that 99 percent of
    our trade volume is done without any problems. It's, per date, a sum of
    around $2 billion traded above the Atlantic Ocean.
        And we touched foreign policy issues; we touched Iran; we touched
    Iraq; Balkan issues; global issues like global warming, climate change,
    et cetera.
        Although we might have different approaches in some aspects, this
    should never overshadow the depth and quality of our cooperation. We
    covered, as I said it, a wide range of issues during our talks, from
    foreign policy and economic cooperation. The energy security was high on
    our agenda, the protection of intellectual property rights, the
    cooperation in the fight against terror, and the protection of human
    rights around the world.
        In our common responsibility to promote stability and security for
    our citizens and the world, the European Union and United States
    successfully work together. There are recent examples for our good
    cooperation, as I mentioned, just Iran, Middle East, and Iraq.

    [[Page 1190]]

        And in one of the topics we intensively discussed today, our efforts
    to keep Iran from producing nuclear weapons. We have come to a crossroad
    on the Iranian nuclear issue. Iran has to make the right choice. And we
    welcome a U.S. involvement, in particularly, recent historic signal that
    U.S. is ready to join negotiations talks if conditions for resuming
    negotiations are met. And this signal greatly contributed to the
    credibility of a united position between the key players. And I told
    President George Bush how much we appreciate his constructive role in
    this particularly sensitive situation.
        The situation in Middle East is still complex. There's no doubt that
    the Palestinian Government has to accept the basic principles of the
    peace process--nonviolence, recognition of Israel, acceptance of
    existing agreements, the so-called roadmap. On the other hand, both
    America and Europe consequently argue against any unilateral steps by
    Israel. The escalation of armed confrontation during the recent days and
    weeks show the lack of a political perspective. The solution to this
    conflict can only be a political one based on negotiations and the
    principles of the roadmap.
        In Iraq, we welcome the formation of the new Iraqi national unity
    Government on 20th of May. We strongly condemn terrorist acts, the
    continuing campaign of violence against the Iraqi people and their
    constitutionally elected Government. At the European Council last week,
    we stressed our encouragement for enhanced institutional and
    international engagement and underlined our willingness for continued
    supporting U.N. role in Iraq.
        On Balkans, we informed President Bush on the European strategy. We
    have opened negotiations last week with Croatia. Macedonia is a
    candidate. We signed an agreement for stabilization association with
    Albania. We have now Montenegro independent. Bosnia is integrated, and
    we are, all the time, involved in positive talks with Serbia. Of course,
    there are open questions, and we discussed them in detail. In Kosovo,
    negotiations under the chairmanship of Martti Ahtisaari and--
    [inaudible]--are taking place here in Vienna. The office of Ahtisaari is
    here, and we do our utmost to help and to ease.
        Strong bilateral ties between Europe and USA are absolutely
    important. We are the most important economic partners for each other.
    The summit highlights only some topics. Progress made in many other
    areas should not be overlooked.
        Today we signed an agreement on higher education and vocational
    training that will last for a longer period of time than the previous
    one, engage us in a larger quantity of programs and funds, and will
    reach more students and teachers--three times more students than before.
        Given the worldwide increase in energy demands and, at the same
    time, limited resources, security of supply is of strategic importance.
    And therefore, we welcome the establishment of a strategic cooperation
    between America and Europe. And we are committed to develop a coherent
    energy strategy that not only emphasizes security of supply but also
    efficiency, sustainability, and climate protection.
        This is my first statement. I now invite the President of the United
    States, George Bush, to take the floor, and then the President of the
    Commission.
        President Bush. Mr. Chancellor--I call him, Wolfgang; he calls me,
    George W.--Jose, it's good to see you. Thank you very much for your
    hospitality. I also want to thank President Fischer for his hospitality
    as well. I've really been looking forward to this trip. I have never
    been to your beautiful country. I need to come back. It is--and your
    hospitality has been grand. I really appreciate it a lot.
        We did have a very engaged and fruitful conversation, as we should.
    We're close partners in peace and prosperity. I've always believed that
    when America and the EU work together, we can accomplish big deeds. And
    this world needs us to work together, because there's a lot of
    challenges.
        We talked about democracy and new democracies, and I want to thank
    the European Union for its strong support of Afghanistan and Iraq. Look,
    I fully understand we've had our differences on Iraq, and I can
    understand the differences. People have strong opinions on the subject.
    But what's past is past, and what's ahead is a hopeful democracy in the

    [[Page 1191]]

    Middle East. And I want to thank your leadership, both of your
    leaderships, on this important issue. I believe the Maliki Government is
    going to succeed. I know the Government needs our help, and the European
    Union has stood up to help, and I can't thank you enough for that.
        We talked about Lebanon and the need for Lebanon to be free from
    Syrian influence. We worked very closely together at the United Nations
    to send that clear message to the Syrians: Leave Lebanon alone; let them
    be; let them be a free democracy--which is a necessary part of laying
    the foundation for peace in the Middle East.
        We talked about Israel and Palestine. I assured the leaders here
    that my position is firm, and that is, I envision two states living side
    by side in peace. And we want to help. On the other hand, we're not
    going to deal with a Government that has made the destruction of Israel
    one of its key policy platforms. How can you be side by side in peace if
    part of your platform is the destruction of one of the countries you're
    supposed to be at peace with? And I appreciate Europe being strong on
    that issue as well.
        We talked about the Balkans, and I assured the Chancellor that
    Austria's role in the Balkans and the European Union's role in the
    Balkans is essential, and we look forward to supporting your role. In
    essence, the EU, particularly under the Chancellor's guidance, is in the
    lead on the Balkans. And we want to help. We want to be a participant in
    helping bring peace to that region.
        I think the European Union is a vital part of helping solve the
    issue of the Balkans. After all, aspirations to the EU causes people to
    adopt the habits necessary for there to be a democracy and peace. And so
    we're very strongly supportive of the EU's role in the Balkans and
    applaud your strong role as well, Mr. Chancellor.
        We talked about development and prosperity. Listen, we're trading
    partners, and we've got to make sure that commerce and trade and capital
    continues to flow freely between the EU and America. And we talked about
    some of the impediments to capital flows, and we discussed our desire to
    make sure that we continue to trade as freely as possible.
        Obviously, the Doha round of the WTO was a big subject. And it's a
    tough subject because we're trying to make difficult adjustments to our
    own internal policy in order to satisfy a--in order to reach an
    agreement that's fair for all of us. But the good news is, is that we
    were very frank in our discussion with each other. I mean, the Europeans
    have problems with the U.S. position; we have problems with the European
    position; we both have problems with the G-20 position. But the point
    is, we're committed to a successful round. And it's going to take hard
    work. There's a ministers meeting here at the end of this month, and my
    pledge to our European counterparts is, we'll do the very best we can to
    reach an agreement that is--that satisfies all parties' desires.
        But make no mistake about it, it's hard work. My view is, is that we
    can't let this round fail. A failed WTO round would be missed
    opportunity, particularly to help people in the impoverished--who are
    impoverished. The best way to help lift people out of poverty is trade.
    You can give all the money you want--and my Government has been very
    generous on the continent of Africa. We're joining with the Europeans to
    fight HIV/AIDS and to deal with hunger. But if you're really interested
    in development, the best way to do it is to have a successful round at
    the WTO. And I understand that, and we're committed to working for
    success in that round.
        We talked about energy. I kind of startled my country when, in my
    State of the Union, I said, ``We're hooked on oil, and we need to get
    off oil.'' That seemed counterintuitive for some people to hear a Texan
    say. But the truth of the matter is, we got to diversify away from oil.
    And the best way to do it is through new technologies. And we agreed we
    would share technologies between our nations and between the EU and the
    United States. The EU needs to get diversified as well. And so this is
    going to be a very interesting period for us as new technologies
    develop, and we're willing to share those technologies.
        We talked about our efforts to continue to defeat the terrorists. I
    reminded my fellow leaders here that the terrorists still want to
    strike, and they want to do harm, and we

    [[Page 1192]]

    have an obligation to work very closely together.
        And, obviously, they brought up the concern about Guantanamo. And I
    understand their concerns. But let me explain my position. First, I'd
    like to end Guantanamo; I'd like it to be over with. One of the things
    we will do is we'll send people back to their home countries. We've got
    about 400 people there left--200 have been sent back--400 are there,
    mainly from Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Yemen. And I explained to the
    two leaders here our desires to send them back. Of course, there's
    international pressure not to send them back. But, hopefully, we'll be
    able to resolve that when they go back to their own country.
        There are some who need to be tried in U.S. courts. They're
    coldblooded killers. They will murder somebody if they're let out on the
    street. And yet we believe there's a--there ought to be a way forward in
    a court of law, and I'm waiting for the Supreme Court of the United
    States to determine the proper venue in which these people can be tried.
        So I understand the concerns of the leaders. They expressed the
    concerns of the European leaders and the European people about what
    Guantanamo says. I also shared with them my deep desire to end this
    program, but also I assured them that we will--I'm not going to let
    people out on the street that will do you harm. And so we're working
    through the issue. And I appreciate your interest and appreciate your
    questions.
        Finally, we talked about Iran. It's very important for the
    leadership in Iran to look at the world and say, Europe and the United
    States and Russia and China are united in our common desire to make sure
    that Iranians do not develop a nuclear weapon. And step one of achieving
    a diplomatic success is to share a goal. And there's no question we
    share the goal of Iran not having the capacity and/or a nuclear weapon.
    It would be a terrible situation if they developed a weapon.
        And so the second phase of a diplomatic strategy is to have a common
    front, a common diplomatic front that says clearly to the Iranians, here
    is a way forward for it, but you get to choose. And so I said to the--I
    said to our--my counterparts here that we'll come to the table to
    negotiate, so long as the Iranians verifiably end any enrichment
    activities. The Iranians have said that they will end uranium enrichment
    activities before; that's what they told the EU-3. We're just asking
    them to do what they already said they would do.
        But it's their choice to make. And I'm convinced that when they look
    and see that we're working very closely together, that they will see the
    seriousness of our intent to resolve this in a diplomatic and peaceful
    way.
        And so the discussions were wide-ranging, which is a positive sign
    of a healthy relationship. We shared tactics and strategies, which is a
    sign of a healthy relationship. We disagreed in an agreeable way on
    certain issues, but we're bound to work together for the good of our
    respective peoples. And this meeting has been a great success, Mr.
    Chancellor, and I appreciate you running it. And again, I want to thank
    you for your hospitality.
        Chancellor Schuessel. Thank you. Jose.
        President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso. Thank you. Thank you very much.
    I think there is a very good spirit in European Union and United States
    relations, and we're building on that today. And as President Bush just
    said, it was not just a working meeting for very concrete results, but
    also, we were thinking aloud; we were discussing together some possible
    strategies for the future. And this is precisely that spirit that
    relations between partners like the United States and European Union
    should be established.
        But let me just concentrate on concrete results of this summit that
    were already presented by Chancellor Schuessel, but I want to highlight
    some of them. First, we are entering into strategic cooperation on
    energy to promote energy security for producers, consumers, and transit
    countries alike. I think this is important, strategic cooperation on
    energy between the United States and Europe. Second, we have agreed to
    establish a European Union and United States high-level dialog on
    climate change, clean energy, sustainable development. This will address
    ways to deliver cost-effective emission cuts,

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    development and employment of new technologies, efficiency and
    conservation, renewable fuels, and other environmental issues such as
    biodiversity.
        We have also discussed how to deliver an ambitious and balanced
    conclusion to the Doha development agenda. These negotiations are at a
    crucial phase. European Union and the United States have a joint
    responsibility to help deliver an agreement which promotes growth and
    opportunity, especially for the poorest. We look for a similar
    determination from other WTO members. And after the good exchange of
    views we had today during this summit, I'm convinced, I'm really
    convinced that it's possible to have a successful outcome of the Doha
    talks. And it's crucially important from a trade point of view, from a
    global economic point of view, but also from a development point of
    view.
        Third, we have endorsed today a strategy for the enforcement of
    intellectual property rights in third countries. For the first time, we
    have named the countries and regions which cause most concern. They will
    be the focus of concrete actions to reduce global piracy and
    counterfeiting. Proper protection of intellectual property is vital for
    our industry and for our consumers.
        Fourth, we also agreed on the need for open investment regimes,
    fighting all protectionist tendencies that can happen in some of our
    circles. We need to boost growth, jobs and get best control of our very
    dynamic transatlantic economy. Two-way investment benefits our
    economies. In this context, I hope we will see the finalization of the
    European Union-United States Air Transport Agreement, if possible by the
    end of the year.
        We also addressed the issue that is very important in European Union
    of this--for establishment of reciprocal visa-free travel for all
    European Union citizens to the United States. I also believe this is
    good for our citizens; this is good for our economies.
        Finally, the point I want to highlight, I want to emphasize our
    shared commitment to promoting democracy, freedom all over the world.
    The very enlargement of the European Union has been one of the greatest
    achievements in terms of promotion of democracy from Southern Europe,
    West Europe, to Eastern Europe, North Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula
    in the '80s to the Baltic countries, now most recently. European Union
    is a great success story in terms of promoting democracy. And we want to
    do it also globally, and we are doing it globally. And that's one of the
    fields where I see that the United States and European Union can do, and
    should do, even more together.
        One thing is sure, the world now is very complex. Even together we
    are not sure that we will solve all issues. But if we don't--aren't
    working together, it will be much more difficult to face global
    challenges. I believe this summit was very helpful for having this
    closer relationship between the United States and Europe so that,
    together, we can do our best to make the world a better place.
        Chancellor Schuessel. Thank you.
        President Bush. Jennifer [Jennifer Loven, Associated Press].

    North Korea

        Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Could you explain why the world should
    care that North Korea is test-firing a long-range missile? And what sort
    of penalties do you think are in order if they do so?
        And to the Chancellor, if I might, where does the EU stand on
    possible penalties for such a test?
        President Bush. The North Koreans have made agreements with us in
    the past, and we expect them to keep their agreements; for example,
    agreements on test launches. We think it would be in the world's
    interest to know what they're testing, what they intend to do on their
    test. It should make people nervous when nontransparent regimes that
    have announced that they've got nuclear warheads fire missiles.
        And so we've been working with our partners, particularly in that
    part of the world, to say to the North Koreans that this is not the way
    you conduct business in the world; this is not the way that peaceful
    nations conduct their affairs.
        I was pleased to see that the Chinese spoke out to the North Korean
    Government and suggested they not fire--whatever it is on--their
    missile. And we'll see whether or not the North Koreans listen. One of
    our strategies in North Korea has to make sure we

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    include other countries as a part of our consortium to deal with this
    nontransparent regime. And China is an integral part of what we've
    called the six-party talks, and I am pleased that they're taking
    responsibility in dealing with the leader of North Korea. I think it's a
    very positive sign.
        I've talked to President Putin about this subject. I know that we're
    reaching out to the Japanese, all aimed at saying to the North Koreans,
    this is not a--in order to be an accepted nation, a nonisolated nation,
    there are certain international norms that you must live by. And we
    expect them to live by those norms.
        Chancellor Schuessel. I couldn't agree more with the question of
    North Korea, and the compliance with the international rules and the
    international standards are always a matter of great concern, always
    high on the priority list of foreign policy matters within the European
    Union. And if this happens, there will be a strong statement and a
    strong answer from the international community. And Europe will be part
    of it. So there's no doubt. We discussed it, by the way, in our debate,
    what to do when and if, and there will be a strong response on that.

    Nuclear Proliferation/Energy

        Q. A question to President Barroso and President Bush. Thank you. Do
    you actually share the view that Russia is using its energy resources to
    oppress other countries? And in what respect does your cooperation help
    you now to position yourselves against that?
        And if I may, to President Bush, you've got Iran's nuclear program;
    you've got North Korea; yet most Europeans consider the United States
    the biggest threat to global stability. Do you have any regrets about
    that?
        President Bush. That's absurd. There's my statement. The United
    States is--we'll defend ourselves, but at the same time, we're actively
    working with our partners to spread peace and democracy. So whoever says
    that is--it's an absurd statement.
        President Barroso. Yes. On energy, as you know, that energy is a
    geostrategic question. That's why in January, President Bush called for
    an end to American oil addiction. That's why in February, in Washington,
    I asked for partnership between United States and European Union in
    matters of energy. That's why today we are agreeing on key principles to
    guarantee energy security. I also welcome the high-level--the agreement
    on a high-level dialog between European Union and United States on
    climate change, sustainable development.
        These are central challenges to all of us globally. So our agreement
    is not against anyone--by the way, we expect the G-8 summit to be a very
    important point, to be a success. And we wish President Putin success at
    that G-8 summit. We believe it should be an occasion to reinforce our
    message for an open, stable, nondiscriminatory, transparent market on
    energy. So energy is a global issue, and it should be tackled globally.
        President Bush. Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].

    Iran

        Q. Mr. President. Thank you, sir. If Iran says it will respond to
    the offer in late August, is that a suitable timeframe? And I would ask
    all of you, Iran's Foreign Minister says some kind of negotiations can
    start before a final answer is given; are you willing to do that?
        President Bush. Well, our position, Steve, is that we'll come to the
    table when they verifiably suspend, period. And we expect them to
    verifiably suspend. This is what they said they would do, to the EU-3.
        Secondly, the August 22d date--is that part of your question? Yes.
    It seems like an awful long time for a reasonable answer--for a
    reasonable proposal, a long time for an answer. And we look forward to
    working with our partners. We just got word of this statement as we
    walked in here, but it shouldn't take the Iranians that long to analyze
    what is a reasonable deal.
        Q. [Inaudible]
        President Bush. Well, I said weeks, not months. And I believe that's
    the view of our partners--weeks, not months.
        Chancellor Schuessel. We agree. We spoke about Iran in length, and
    it is really one of the fruits of a well-balanced partnership and
    cooperation that we were able to offer a bold package of incentives to
    Iran, to the Iranian Government and to the Iranian

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    people. And as President Bush said, it's better to agree as soon as
    possible; the time is limited, and I think we should not play with time.
        This is--we discussed it for months and months, and I think time--
    there is in Greek language, there is--and I learned ancient Greek--there
    is a fantastic word, ``kyros.'' Kyros means ``the right moment.'' The
    right moment--it's not only time; it's the right moment--and I think now
    is the right moment for Iran to take this offer, to grab it and to
    negotiate. This is a well-balanced--we got advice from everybody from
    the international scene--United Nations, ElBaradei here, the
    International Atomic Energy organization, a lot of experts, of
    scientists that convinced us--of course, the EU-3 and America, Russia,
    and China are on board. So this is their kyros. Take it. This is my
    advice.

    Spread of Democracy/American Influence Worldwide/War on Terror

        Q. Chancellor Schuessel, the European public is deeply worried by
    these secret prisoners that the CIA has been transporting, is
    transporting through Europe. Did you get the assurance today from the
    President that this is not going to happen anymore, that there won't be
    anymore in the kidnapping of terror suspects in Europe, that this is a
    thing of the past?
        And to the President, Mr. President, you said this is ``absurd,''
    but you might be aware that in Europe, the image of America is still
    falling, and dramatically in some areas. Let me give you some numbers.
    In Austria, in this country, only 14 percent of the people believe that
    the United States, what they are doing is good for peace; 64 percent
    think that it is bad. In the United Kingdom, your ally, there are more
    citizens who believe that the United States policy under your leadership
    is helping to destabilize the world than Iran. So my question to you is,
    why do you think that you've failed so badly to convince Europeans, to
    win their heads and hearts and minds? Thank you.
        President Bush. Well, yes, I thought it was absurd for people to
    think that we're more dangerous than Iran. It's a--we're a transparent
    democracy. People know exactly what's on our mind. We debate things in
    the open. We've got a legislative process that's active. Look, people
    didn't agree with my decision on Iraq, and I understand that. For
    Europe, September the 11th was a moment; for us, it was a change of
    thinking. I vowed to the American people, I would do everything I could
    to defend our people, and will. I fully understood that the longer we
    got away from September the 11th, more people would forget the lessons
    of September the 11th. But I'm not going to forget them. And therefore,
    I will be steadfast and diligent and strong in defending our country.
        I don't govern by polls, you know. I just do what I think is right.
    And I understand some of the decisions I made are controversial. But I
    made them in the best interest of our country, and I think, in the best
    interest of the world. I believe when you look back at this moment,
    people will say, it was right to encourage democracy in the Middle East.
    I understand some people think that it can't work. I believe in the
    universality of freedom; some don't. I'm going to act on my beliefs so
    long as I'm the President of the United States. Some people say, it's
    okay to condemn people for--to tyranny. I don't believe it's okay to
    condemn people for--to tyranny, particularly those of us who live in the
    free societies.
        And so I understand, and I'll try to do my best to explain to the
    Europeans that, on the one hand, we're tough when it comes to the war on
    terror; on the other hand, we're providing more money than every before
    in the world's history for HIV/AIDS on the continent of Africa. I'll
    say, on the one hand, we're going to be tough when it comes to terrorist
    regimes who harbor weapons; on the other hand, we'll help feed the
    hungry. I declared Darfur to be a genocide because I care deeply about
    those who have been afflicted by these renegade bands of people who are
    raping and murdering.
        And so I will do my best to explain our foreign policy. On the one
    hand, it's tough when it needs to be; on the other hand, it's
    compassionate. And we'll let the polls figure out--people say what they
    want to say. But leadership requires making hard choices based upon
    principle and standing by the decisions you make, and that's how I'm
    going to continue to lead my country.

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        Thank you for your question.
        Chancellor Schuessel. And let me add something. I think Austria is a
    really a good example to show that America has something to do with
    freedom, democracy, prosperity, development. Don't forget, I was born in
    '45. At that time, Vienna and half of Austria laid in ruins. I mean,
    without the participation of America, what fate would have Europe? Where
    would be Europe today? Not the peaceful, prosperous Europe like we love
    it and where we live.
        Nothing--I will never forget that America fed us with food, with
    economic support. The Marshall Plan was an immense aid and incentive to
    develop industry, agriculture, tourism. And by the way, I said it to the
    President, the Marshall Fund is still working in Austria. It's now
    transformed into a kind--in a fund for research and development--still
    working.
        The American people--at that time, the American Government invested
    billions of dollars in Europe to develop the former enemy. And now we
    are a partner. So I think it's grotesque to say that America is a threat
    to the peace in the world compared with North Korea, Iran, other
    countries.
        Of course, we--and I thank you very much for the question on human
    rights and the overflights and the secret prisons and Guantanamo. And it
    was quite interesting to see how the debate was going on in--this
    morning. The President started, himself. He didn't wait that we raise
    the question. He came up and said, ``Look, this is my problem; this is
    where we are.'' And I think we should be fair from the other side of the
    Atlantic. We should understand that what September 11th meant to the
    American people. It was a shock. For the first time, a real shock. A
    society values were attacked--American values, international values,
    European values were attacked in the home country of the President and
    all Americans. And we should not be naive. We Europeans are also
    attacked. We had bomb attacks in Madrid; hundreds of people were killed.
    We had bomb attacks in London subway; buses were blown up. We had
    detected some terrorists who tried to shoot down an Israeli plane. So we
    should not be naive.
        And since September 11th--and I think this is important to
    underline--that since September 11th, we are now able to define our
    targets, to fight against terror and terrorists, to cut off their
    financial supplies, to share information, to secure our citizens, our
    people. This is the ultimate goal: not creating enemies, virtual
    enemies, but to secure our people and to secure peace in the world and
    to stabilize our societies.
        The problem is--and I will be very frank on that, and I said it the
    same way like we did it here, and we say it now--we are only--we can
    only have a victory in the fight against terror if we don't undermine
    our common values. It cannot--it can never be a victory, a credible
    victory over terrorists if we give up our values: democracy, rule of
    law, individual rights.
        This is important to know. And our discussion with all the European
    Parliament, the European Governments, I personally--we are calling for
    the closure of Guantanamo. But our discussion today went far beyond the
    closing Guantanamo, because we have--we have a legal problem; we have
    gray areas. And there should be no legal void, not in the fight against
    terrorists, but also not in--for individuals to be guaranteed in their
    individual rights, in their freedom.
        And it's quite interesting to see how the President reacted. I
    welcome, of course, your statement saying that you're looking forward to
    close Guantanamo, and it depends on the Supreme Court's decision. And we
    got clear, clear signals and clear, clear commitments from the American
    side--no torture, no extraordinary or extraterritorial positions to deal
    with the terrorists all--the McCain amendment, for instance. All the
    legal rights must be preserved.
        But we have to help if we're to find a way-out strategy, to help
    countries to take back the prisoners, either to charge them or to
    release them. And there are international organizations which could help
    and could assist. And we discussed this in detail. And I think it's
    important to know that although there are differences in the legal
    perception, it was possible to have such a statement.
        And I really want to add, after my visit to you in December '05,
    last December, we established a very good cooperation between John
    Bellinger, the leading adviser of the

    [[Page 1197]]

    State Department, and the Austrian--[inaudible]--Bureau, the Department
    for International Law. And this is working. We are really working in a
    precise, professional way on that. So thank you very much.
        Let me say, Mr. President, I'm really happy that you are here, that
    you were here in Vienna. Come back, if possible. You will find a little
    bit more from our town and from the possibilities of our city. And don't
    let us wait for another nearly 30 years for the next visit. All the
    best. Thank you.
        President Bush. Good job. Thank you, sir.

    Note: The President's news conference began at 2:50 p.m. in
    Zeremoniensaal Hall at the Hofburg Palace. Participating in the event
    were Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel of Austria and President Jose Manuel
    Durao Barroso of the European Commission. President Bush referred to
    President Heinz Fischer of Austria; Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of
    Iraq; Chairman Kim Chong-il of North Korea; and President Vladimir Putin
    of Russia. Chancellor Schuessel referred to Martti Ahtisaari, U.N.
    Special Envoy for the Future Status Process for Kosovo; and Director
    General Mohamed ElBaradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency. A
    reporter referred to Minister of Foreign Affairs Manuchehr Motaki of
    Iran.