[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 29 (Monday, July 24, 2006)]
[Page 1372]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With First Vice President of the 
Government of National Unity of Sudan and President of Southern Sudan 
Salva Kiir

July 20, 2006

    President Bush. It's been my honor to welcome a man who wears two 
hats to the Oval Office: Vice President of all Sudan, as well as the 
President of Southern Sudan. We've had a fascinating discussion. 
Welcome, Mr. Vice President, I'm glad you're here. Thank you for coming.
    I assured our friend that the United States is committed to helping 
the Sudanese people; we're committed to making sure that the peace 
agreement that we helped you negotiate is implemented. We're also 
committed to helping the people in Darfur.
    I want to thank you for spending time with me to strategize about 
what we can do to save lives in Darfur. Our strategy is that we want AU 
forces to be complemented and blue-helmeted; in other words, the United 
Nations should be invited in. We talked about how best to get that done 
in order to save lives. Obviously, there is still a lot of work to be 
done.
    But I want to thank you for coming to our country and sharing with 
me some of your thoughts and your vision for the people you represent. 
So welcome to the Oval Office.
    First Vice President Kiir. Thank you very much, Your Excellency, 
President. Well, we are delighted to be in this office at the invitation 
of His Excellency, the President of the United States of America. It is 
a very rare opportunity for the people of southern Sudan, in particular, 
to come to this office and to voice our--their concerns about whatever 
is happening in our country.
    It is true we have been working together during the negotiations 
with the people of the United States and the Government of the United 
States of America to bring peace to Sudan. And that peace has taken a 
toll of our people. This dream has been achieved, and we are now 
together in the implementation.
    There are so many other crises in Sudan--that is the problem of 
Darfur--that people have been talking about. And we are sure that we are 
going to solve the problem so that we don't hear about rapes and 
killings in Darfur--and all other parts of our country, like the eastern 
Sudan--we are now also negotiating in that province so that peace is 
also achieved all over the Sudan.
    So we thank the President for all the efforts that he has been 
exerting and the concerns that he has about the people of Sudan.
    President Bush. Thank you, sir; appreciate you.

Note: The President spoke at 12:15 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House.