[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 29 (Monday, July 24, 2006)]
[Pages 1351-1352]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With President Jacques Chirac of France in 
Strelna

July 16, 2006

    President Bush. I want to thank Jacques Chirac for coming over. It's 
always a pleasure to visit with Jacques. He is a man who is able to 
crystalize his thoughts, who is able to discuss issues in a very clear 
way.

    Obviously, we're going to spend time talking about the Middle East. 
The United States is proud to work with France on Resolution 1559 of the 
United Nations, which is a clear statement of principle and concern 
about Lebanese democracy. I'm confident that other leaders will look at 
the spirit of 1559 and recognize that one way to help heal in the Middle 
East is to address the root causes of the problems there, and the root 
cause of the problem is Hizballah and Syria and the Iranian connection.

    The President has taken a strong lead on this issue in the past. We 
are in discussions with his administration, and I'm confident that we'll 
be able to come up with a clear position between France and the United 
States on this vital issue.

    I look forward to discussing other issues with my friend Jacques 
Chirac. It's good to be with you, sir. Thank you for coming by.

    President Chirac. First of all, I just like to say how delighted I 
am to have this oppor-

tunity to meet with the American President. And I note, albeit it, that 
this has been difficult circumstances, as we have been witnessing the 
sad events that have been unfolding in the Middle East. But I'm 
especially struck and delighted by the fact that we share the same views 
of the issues at stake here. We witness the tremendous sadness, the 
hardship of the civilian population in this region. You know what 
longstanding ties France has always had with Lebanon. And when I say, 
this region, I refer not only to Lebanon but, of course, to what's 
happening to the Palestinians. So we would call--[inaudible]--for a show 
of moderation on the part of all parties involved, so that we can 
establish the conditions of a long-lasting, lasting ceasefire in the 
region.

    Now, I entirely agree with the American President in what he said 
about supporting the U.N. mission, which is designed, among other 
things, to ensure the release of the Israeli soldiers being detained 
right now both by Hizballah and by Hamas, and put an end to the firing 
of Kassam rockets.

    Now, with respect to Gaza, which is a separate issue from that of 
Lebanon, we feel that it is essential--it is of the essence--that we 
renew dialog with Mahmoud Abbas.

    Now, as regards Lebanon, I couldn't agree more with President Bush 
in saying that what is at the heart of this is the to-the-letter 
implementation of Security Council Resolution 1559. That is what must be 
done forthwith. And we must stop all those who are at present engaging 
in jeopardizing the security, the stability, and authority of Lebanon.

    President Bush. Thank you all. Thank you, sir.

Note: The President spoke at 9:14 a.m. in Cottage Nine at the 
Konstantinovsky Palace Complex. President Chirac referred to President 
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the Palestinian Authority. President Chirac 
spoke in French, and his remarks were translated by an interpreter. A 
tape was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.

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