[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 27 (Monday, July 10, 2006)]
[Pages 1270-1277]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Stephen Harper of 
Canada

July 6, 2006

    President Bush. Thank you all. Welcome. It's been my honor to visit 
with Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, in the Oval Office. 
After this exercise in democracy, I'll be buying him lunch, where we'll 
continue our discussions. I'm impressed by his leadership style. I 
appreciate the fact that he doesn't mince words. He tells me what's on 
his mind, and he does so in a real clear fashion.
    We talked about a lot of subjects. We talked about Iran and our 
joint desire to convince the Iranian regime to give up its nuclear 
weapons ambitions. We talked about North Korea, and I shared with him 
our strategy to work with five other--four other nations to convince the 
North Koreans to adhere to agreements they had already reached with the 
world.
    We talked about the war on terror, and I told the Prime Minister how 
pleased Americans were that the Canadian Government did the hard work 
necessary to disrupt terrorist plots. It just goes to show how safe 
Canada is. When you've got a government that's active and a police force 
that's capable, people ought to be rest assured that Canada is on top of 
any plots.
    I thanked the Prime Minister and the Canadian people for their 
involvement in Afghanistan. This is a serious foreign policy decision by 
the Government, and it's a necessary decision, in my judgment, to help 
make this world a more peaceful place. It

[[Page 1271]]

just goes to show the important role Canada can play in foreign policy. 
Canada has got a set of values that are extremely important for the 
world to see.
    And I do want to thank the families of those soldiers who are in 
Afghanistan for supporting their loved ones. Their soldiers are doing 
fantastic work. I asked prior to your visit here from our military folks 
how they were doing; they said, great. And they're making the country 
proud.
    I appreciate very much our discussion about Darfur. I believe that 
Canada and the United States can make a difference in Darfur and should. 
As you know, our Nation declared the situation in Darfur a genocide. We 
will work with the international community to bolster the AU forces that 
are there now. I believe they ought to be blue-helmeted, and I believe 
there ought to be NATO involvement with a blue-helmeted, AU-augmented 
force on the ground. The message has got to be clear to the Government 
of Sudan: We're not going to tolerate this kind of activity.
    I speak frequently with my Secretary of State on this issue, Mr. 
Prime Minister, to make sure that we expedite the arrival of augmented 
troops to save lives. I talked to Kofi Annan the other night, by the 
way, about this very subject. And so I appreciate your understanding, 
and I really appreciate your working on this.
    You know, we cooperate closely in our neighborhood. We just renewed 
the NORAD accord, and I want to thank you for that. I remember going 
out--one of the hurricanes was about to hit us here, and I can remember 
talking to and having dinner with a Canadian general there, and it was 
a--it just reminded me of how close that our relations need to be.
    We talked about trade. We have a lot of trade with Canada. It's in 
this Nation's interest to trade with Canada. It's in, I think, the 
Canadian interest to trade with the United States. I'll let the Prime 
Minister speak to that. But it's important when you have trade to have 
goods and services and people flow as smoothly as possible between our 
two countries.
    We've had some disputes in the past, trade disputes. That's what you 
expect when you have a lot of trade. And probably the most nettlesome 
trade dispute was softwood lumber. And I appreciate the Prime Minister's 
leadership in helping us resolve this issue. It's a tough issue. It was 
a tough issue for the Canadian Government; it's a tough issue for us. 
Nevertheless, the fact that we were able to reach an accord just goes to 
show how trading partners can be active in trade and be willing--and 
solve problems. I think this is a really important solution, and I want 
to thank you for that.
    Needless to say, the Prime Minister expressed deep concerns about 
the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The last time I was with him, 
he expressed concerns. He basically was a little impatient, if I might 
clarify your--it seemed like you were impatient, at least--[laughter]--
and straightforward. ``Look,'' he said, ``I understand there's a law on 
the books; show us what's going to happen.'' And I understand the 
concerns. If you have a relationship like we have, where there's a lot 
of activity and a lot of people moving across the border, it makes sense 
for the Prime Minister of Canada to say, ``Look, we just want to know 
what the rules are to determine whether or not it is compatible with our 
relationship.''
    And so I assured him that my view is--simple and easy to understand 
is the operative words. And we will continue our discussions about this 
initiative, particularly since the Secretary of Homeland Security, 
Chertoff--who is sitting right over there, by the way--will be joining 
us for lunch. Unless you don't want me to invite him. [Laughter]
    We talked about--well, we talked about a lot of subjects, and that's 
what you'd expect friends to do.
    Mr. Prime Minister, the floor is yours. I'm proud you're here, and 
thanks for coming.
    Prime Minister Harper. Well, thank you very much, Mr. President, for 
the invitation and for the kind words. And thank you for doing something 
I never thought I'd see, which is have the Canadian media stand when I 
entered the room. But we certainly enjoy that.

[At this point, Prime Minister Harper spoke in French, and no 
translation was provided.]

[[Page 1272]]

    Prime Minister Harper. ----your hospitality. The United States and 
Canada have a strong relationship, strong and firm relationship based on 
the largest commerce and social interaction in the history of any two 
countries of the world, and we were able to discuss a wide range of 
bilateral and international matters where we, more often than not, share 
common values and common objectives.
    We discussed many topics of interest to our respective countries and 
citizens, in particular, as the President mentioned, the Western 
Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The President and I agreed that the 
implementation of the provisions of the WHTI must not unduly hinder 
cross-border travel or tourism or trade. And to that end, we've tasked 
our officials to agree on common standards for securing alternate 
documents and, preferably, as soon as possible.
    We discussed the critical role Canada, in particular our oil sands, 
can play in providing energy security. The President and I have agreed 
to task our officials to provide a more forward-looking approach focused 
on the environment, climate change, air quality, and energy issues in 
which our Governments can cooperate. We raised the issue of how 
regulatory cooperation could increase productivity, while helping to 
protect our health, safety, and environment.
    We also expressed, as the President just did, our mutual 
satisfaction on the significant progress made on the longstanding 
softwood lumber dispute. Both countries have now initialed the legal 
text; that legal text faithfully reproduces and documents the agreements 
reached between our Governments and various premiers on April the 27th, 
and I now urge all relevant parties to move forward with its 
implementation.
    The President and I also discussed a number of important 
international issues, in particular our role in Afghanistan. We have 
2,300 men and women on the ground as part of the Canadian forces. 
They're playing an important role in security and development in order 
to protect our national interest, rebuild Afghanistan, and ensure it 
never becomes again a safe haven for terrorists.
    We also discussed recent developments in Iran, and we expressed our 
mutual concern about North Korea's latest provocative acts. We also 
discussed the upcoming G-8 meeting in Russia, where issues like energy 
security, infectious diseases, education, and innovation will be on the 
agenda. And finally, we did touch briefly on the recent Mexican 
election. Canada has full confidence in Mexico's institutions and 
processes, and I look forward very much to working with the next 
President of Mexico.
    President Bush. Thank you, sir.
    Keil [Richard Keil, Bloomberg News].

North Korea

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Do you want the United Nations to 
impose sanctions on North Korea? And how will you go about persuading 
the Russians and the Chinese to back those moves if you make them? And 
in addition to that, sir, what kind of threat do you think North Korea 
poses to world peace right now?
    President Bush. Nontransparent societies run by Governments that 
aren't selected by the people are--very difficult to tell what's going 
on. That's part of the problem. We're dealing with a person who was 
asked not to fire a rocket by the Chinese, the South Koreans, the United 
States, the Japanese, and the Russians. And he fired seven of them--
which then caused the Secretary of State and myself to get on the phone 
with our partners and reminded them that--of the importance of speaking 
with one voice.
    It's to--saying to Kim Jong Il, there is a better way forward for 
you than isolating yourself from the rest of the world; that there is a 
opportunity for you to stick to some of your agreements, and that is to 
verifiably disarm; and that there will be a better life than being 
isolated, and most importantly, a better life for your people than 
isolation will bring.
    And so I was on the phone this morning with Hu Jintao and President 
Putin, and last night I talked to Prime Minister Koizumi and President 
Roh. And my message was that we want to solve this problem 
diplomatically, and the best way to solve the problem diplomatically is 
for all of us to be working in concert and to send one message, and that 
is--to Kim Jong Il--that we expect you to adhere to international norms, 
and we expect you to keep your word.

[[Page 1273]]

    One way to send a message is through the United Nations. And the 
Japanese laid down a resolution which we support. But we're working with 
our partners to make sure we speak with one voice. Diplomacy takes 
awhile, particularly when you're dealing with a variety of partners. And 
so we're spending time diplomatically making sure that voice is unified.
    I was pleased from the responses I got from the leaders. They, like 
me, were--are concerned, concerned about a person who doesn't seem to 
really care about what others say. And so we're working it, working it 
hard. And it's--and by the way, an effective policy is one which is not 
just the United States trying to solve problems. So I spent time talking 
to the Canadian Prime Minister about it. I mean, Canada is a--should be 
and must be an active participant in helping deal with problems.
    He brought up Haiti, for example, in the Oval Office. Canada has 
made a significant contribution to stability in Haiti in the past. And 
it's an important--my only point is, is that we will continue to work 
with others to deal with problems that crop up.
    Q. How much of a threat to the world----
    President Bush. Well, you know, Dick, I think that--let's put it 
this way--he's going to pose less of a threat the more isolated he 
becomes and the more we work together. And as I mentioned to you, it's 
hard to tell. This is a society in which there's very little freedom, 
including freedom of the press. There's not a lot of light shining in 
there.
    And so we take his statements very seriously. He's kind of declared 
himself to be a nuclear power. We obviously watch very carefully his 
testings. We're trying to make sure, by the way, that the missile that 
he fired wasn't headed for Canada. We don't know for a fact where it was 
headed. But, for example, one thing that Stephen and I talked about is 
he could be seemingly firing a missile at the United States, say, at--I 
don't know, this is all speculation--but could be headed toward the 
Northwest of our country. And it wouldn't take much for it to get off 
course and end somewhere where he may not have intended.
    My only point is, is that we will work very closely on these matters 
together. It's in our interests that we send a clear message to the 
leader of North Korea.

Canada-U.S. Border

    Q. Christian St. Pierre, Radio Canada. Happy birthday, sir.
    President Bush. It's amazing, the first birthday greeting I got from 
the press came from the Canadian press. [Laughter] Thank you. I am 
grateful. You're not 60 years old, are you? [Laughter] Well, let me just 
say this--it's a lot younger than you think.
    Q. President Bush----
    President Bush. Sure.
    Q. My question is about the security at the border. On the passport 
issue, you seem very open, but there is a deadline of 2008.
    President Bush. Yes.
    Q. Is there any chance of getting a--of dealing? And, Mr. Harper, 
can you comment in French and English, please?
    President Bush. Thank you. We are responding to congressional law. 
And I--let me reinterpret your--is your question, is there flexibility 
in the law, basically? Yes, I think that if Congress decides there needs 
to be flexibility, there will flexibility. Interestingly enough, the 
Senate passed--made its intention clear to extend deadlines. That hasn't 
happened in the House yet. And so we are operating in the executive 
branch under the idea that nothing will change, and therefore, we need 
to get to the Canadian Government as quickly as possible our definition 
of what a reasonable policy is. If Congress decides to be flexible, we 
obviously will be flexible.
    But the reason we're dealing with this issue is because the 
legislative branch put this into law, put the need to have these kind of 
documents into law. And as I told Chertoff, who is responsible for 
implementing the law, that I would like this--to the extent the law 
allows, for there to be a lot of flexibility and simplicity.
    As the Governor of Texas, I'm used to a border situation where 
hundreds of thousands of people crossed every day. See, we--on our 
southern border, there are a lot of Mexican citizens who come into the 
United States and work on a daily basis and then go back home. It 
happens a lot. And therefore, I fully understand the need for there to 
be simplicity in the documentation. It

[[Page 1274]]

needs to be easy for somebody who is known and a person that is--makes a 
living on the other side of the border. There's--a lot of kids go to 
college in, like, El Paso, Texas, and they're living in Mexico, so 
they've got to go back and forth on a regular basis. So I'm familiar 
with this issue a lot, and I really do emphasize the need for us to be 
mindful of what a onerous program could mean to good relations as well 
as facilitation of trade.
    I can remember Stephen's concerns about the effect of this 
initiative might have on conventions, for example, in Canada. He brought 
up today an interesting example of Little League teams playing baseball 
in Manitoba. And so, in other words, there's a lot of just daily 
commerce that we've got to be mindful about--not just trade but the 
movement of people. And we are, we are.
    And so to answer your question, if the Congress provides 
flexibility, of course we will work with the Canadian Government to 
extend deadlines. If the Congress says, ``No, this is what our intent 
is,'' we will work with the Canadian Government to make the law work.

[Prime Minister Harper spoke in French, and no translation was 
provided.]

    Prime Minister Harper. We're on two tracks here. We've indicated we 
want to cooperate. We understand this is a congressional law the 
administration has to put into place. We're prepared to cooperate to 
make it work as smoothly and effectively as possible. We need more 
information, and we've been pressing for that for some time, and we'll 
continue to do so.
    At the same time, our other track is obviously to encourage some 
reexamination of the law. The Senate has recently passed an amendment 
that would delay this process by a year and a half. We have some 
indications from some quarters of the House of Representatives, some 
will there to consider the same thing.
    As I say, we--and I just want to emphasize--we in Canada share the 
United States' security concerns and objectives. I think as you all 
know, recently with events in Toronto, it's been brought home to all of 
us that we face exactly the same kind of security threats and are 
defending exactly the same kinds of values. And I would hate to see a 
law go into place that has the effect of not just limiting and 
endangering trade or tourism but endangering all those thousands of 
social interactions that occur across our border every day and are the 
reason why Canada and the United States have the strongest relationship 
of any two countries, not just on the planet but in the history of 
mankind.
    And I would just urge the Congress to think carefully, that if the 
fight for security ends up meaning that the United States becomes more 
closed to its friends, then the terrorists have won. And I don't think 
either of us want that. So we're prepared to cooperate and also urge the 
Congress to apply some flexibility in reaching their objectives of 
security.
    President Bush. Thank you.
    Jim Axelrod [CBS News].

North Korea/Foreign Policy

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Kim Jong Il has been described as 
quirky, as odd. A member of your administration yesterday compared him 
to an unloved child looking for attention. And I'm wondering if you 
agree with that assessment. Does he pose----
    President Bush. Who was that person? [Laughter]
    Q. Does he pose--come to the booth, sir, I'll tell you who it was. 
[Laughter] Does he pose any particular unique problems to deal with? And 
do you feel that he's looking, for instance, at what's been offered to 
the Iranians by the world community in terms of incentives and saying, 
``I'd like a little of that for myself?''
    President Bush. It's hard for me to tell you what's on his mind. He 
lives in a very closed society. It's unlike our societies where we have 
press conferences and people are entitled to ask questions, and there's 
all kinds of discussions out of administrations and people saying this, 
saying that, and the other. This is a very closed society.
    We do know there's a lot of concentration camps. We do know that 
people are starving. As a matter of fact, our Nation has tried to help 
feed the hungry. But what we don't know is his intentions, and so I 
think we've got to plan for the worst and hope for the best. And 
planning for the worst means to

[[Page 1275]]

make sure that we continue to work with friends and allies, as well as 
those who've agreed to be a part of the six-party talks, to continue to 
send a unified message.
    We've also got a very strong Proliferation Security Initiative, 
because one of the threats that can emanate from a closed society, 
particularly one that claims to have nuclear weapons, is proliferation. 
One of the real dangers we face is weapons of mass destruction in the 
hands of people who would like to continue to hurt us--hurt the United 
States or hurt Canada, hurt anybody who has the courage to stand up and 
embrace freedom, see? That's the big threat.
    And so we don't know, Jim, about his intentions, but we take--we're 
planning. And so one of the things we've done--and I thank Canada's 
contribution--is for there to be a very strong initiative to prevent 
proliferation, through what we call the Proliferation Security 
Initiative. And it's an important initiative. It's a way to say, we're 
not going to allow you to threaten us; we're not going to allow you to--
the rocket--as I say, I'm not exactly sure what the azimuth was of the 
rocket. We've got our people still analyzing that. But, for example, we 
didn't--we don't know what was on the rocket. We don't know where the 
rocket was headed. It would have been helpful, of course, had he said, 
``Here's what we're going to do; here's our intentions; here's what--we 
want to work with you; we want to explain it.'' Who knows--maybe send a 
satellite--who knows what his intention was.
    But that's not the way he decided to deal with it. He just decided 
to say--to start firing, and he fired seven of them. And we take this 
seriously. We take--and we all should take threats seriously. That's one 
of the lessons of September the 11th, is that what takes place in other 
parts of the world can come home to hurt the American people. See, a 
failed government in Afghanistan enabled plotters and planners to train 
and then come and kill 3,000 of our citizens. And so it used to be 
that's it's okay if something were happening from afar, oceans could 
protect us. I presume that's how some in Canada used to feel. The lesson 
of September the 11th is, is that we're vulnerable, and therefore, we've 
got to deal with each threat.
    I've assured the American people and assured our friends and allies, 
we want to deal with threats diplomatically. The best way to deal with 
threats diplomatically is to encourage others to be a part of the 
process. And that's what we're doing. That's why we've got the six-party 
talks.
    And one of the keys in the six-party talks is for all the nations to 
send clear messages to Kim Jong Il. That's why I was on the phone this 
morning, saying as clearly as I could to our fellow partners, four other 
leaders, to say, let's send a common message that you won't be rewarded 
for ignoring the world and that you'll be isolated if you continue to do 
this, and yet, there's a way forward.
    See, I care deeply about the people in North Korea. I truly do. It 
breaks my heart to know that young children are literally starving to 
death. And I wish--I just wish at some point in time there was an 
openness in that society where we could help save lives. I'm also 
realistic enough to realize what weapons of mass destruction could mean 
in the world in which we live.
    And so we're working this issue hard. We're working the Iranian 
issue hard. Steve and I talked about a strategy going into the G-8 
session. I talked to President Putin this morning abut making sure that 
not only do we send messages to the North Koreans but that our strategy 
will work with Iran.
    And it's just really important for the American President to see the 
world the way it is, not the way we would hope it would be, and to deal 
with threats, and to do so in a way that will achieve results. And it 
takes a while. I mean, these threats didn't arise overnight, and these 
problems won't be solved overnight. But we've got strategies in place to 
deal with them.
    And one of the reasons why it's important to have Steve here is so 
we can talk about how we can work together to deal with it. And they're 
not just threats to our security that normal people think of. HIV/AIDS 
on the continent of Africa is a threat to our security in the long run. 
That's why I'm proud to report the United States took the lead on 
setting up the Global Fund, as well as bilateral programs to help save 
people's lives. I think it's in our interests. I also happen to

[[Page 1276]]

believe in the admonition, ``To whom much is given, much is required.''
    And so, we've got a robust foreign policy on a lot of fronts, and I 
intend to keep it that way. And I'm confident that what we're doing is 
going to make this world a better place. And I'm proud to have allies 
like Steve who understand the stakes of the 21st century.

Birthday Present for the President

    Q. Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, before I ask you a question, 
I'm just curious what you think of that belt buckle the Prime Minister 
gave you as a birthday gift, and are you wearing it?
    President Bush. I hadn't seen it yet. [Laughter] Oh, Lee, you gave 
it away. [Laughter]

North Korea/Missile Defense System

    Q. Mr. President, on a serious note, in light of the North Korean 
missile test and the fact that North Korea could launch another series 
of missiles at any minute, did you ask Canada to reconsider joining in 
the Ballistic Missile Defense Shield?
    And, Prime Minister, do you still think it's wrong and not in 
Canada's interest to join the BMD? And if--when you're responding, could 
you do it in French and English, please?
    President Bush. Anyway, thanks for the belt buckle in advance. 
[Laughter]
    Prime Minister Harper. No problem at all.
    President Bush. Looking forward to getting it.
    Prime Minister Harper. Figure if you're going to be 60, you should 
get something.
    President Bush. That's right. Just hope the belt fits. [Laughter]
    No, I didn't bring it up, because I figured if he was interested, he 
would tell me. I did explain to him, however, that we will continue to 
build a robust system, because I think it's in--I know it's in our 
interest to make sure that we're never in a position where somebody can 
blackmail us.
    So we'll continue to invest and spend. And since this issue first 
came up, we've made a lot of progress on how to--towards having an 
effective system. And it's in our interest that we continue to work 
along these lines.
    But, no, my attitude was--this is a--this was a particularly 
difficult political issue inside Canada, and my relationship is such 
that if Stephen thought it was of importance, he would have told me 
what's on his mind. Now, maybe he's going to bring it up over lunch, but 
he didn't bring it up earlier.
    Prime Minister Harper. Let me just begin by saying----
    President Bush. Interesting question, though.
    Prime Minister Harper. Let me just begin by saying that--first of 
all, the question was asked earlier, I think, is North Korea a threat. I 
don't think the issue is whether North Korea is a threat. North Korea 
clearly wants to be a threat. And I think--I just want to repeat what 
the President has said. Given that that's a society of the kind of 
nature it is, I think this should concern us immensely, and the fact 
that it is prepared to arm itself and prepared to threaten to use such 
armaments--I think it is something that we should be gravely concerned 
about, as was said earlier.
    Missiles that are fired in the direction of the United States 
constitute a threat to Canada. That's one of the reasons why our 
Government renewed, on a permanent basis, the NORAD treaty. Through 
NORAD we have a special relationship on air defense and we share 
information on these kind of matters. I think as you know, to answer 
your specific question, the Government of Canada is not prepared to open 
a missile defense issue at this time, but I will say that I think it 
should be obvious, when we look at this kind of threat, why the United 
States and others would want to have a modern and flexible defense 
system against this kind of threat. So I think that's something, at 
least, our Government fully understands.

[Prime Minister Harper spoke in French, and no translation was 
provided.]

    President Bush. Welcome. Thank you for your birthday greetings.

President's Birthday

    Q. Mr. President, happy birthday.

[[Page 1277]]

    President Bush. Thank you very much. Yes.
    Q. It's also my birthday.
    President Bush. Today's your birthday, too?
    Q. Yes, sir.
    President Bush. It is? Come on up. Let's have a birthday picture. 
Come up, come up, come up. [Laughter] Come on. Get up here. Anybody else 
have their birthday today? [Laughter] It's your birthday? Yes, sure. It 
is your birthday? Come on. [Laughter] It's amazing, how everybody's 
birthday is today.

[All present sang Happy Birthday to the President and others celebrating 
birthdays.]

    President Bush. Dear Richard--he just told me he's 30 years old. 
[Laughter] Happy birthday. Happy birthday.

Note: The President's news conference began at 11:55 a.m. in the East 
Room at the White House. In his remarks, the President referred to 
Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations; Chairman Kim Jong Il 
of North Korea; President Hu Jintao of China; President Vladimir Putin 
of Russia; Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan; and President Roh 
Moo-hyun of South Korea.