[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 38 (Monday, September 25, 2006)]
[Pages 1632-1633]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With President Jacques Chirac of France 
and an Exchange With Reporters in New York City

September 19, 2006

    President Bush. It's been a pleasure to have a meaningful, strategic 
dialog with Jacques Chirac. We talked about a lot of subjects. It's 
important that France and the United States work closely to keep the 
peace. We talked about Iran; we talked about Syria; we talked about the 
Palestinian-Israeli issue; we talked about Darfur; we talked about 
common problems and how to solve those problems. It was a very 
constructive and important dialog.
    Mr. President, welcome back to America, and thank you for your time.
    President Chirac. We're always welcome in the United States. 
Relations between the United States and France are longstanding and 
deeply rooted.
    Well, indeed, today we have discussed and evidenced the fact that we 
have common approaches and a common sense of the main issues that we 
discussed, relating as they do to peace and to development throughout 
the world--in fact, this coincides with the 61st U.N. General Assembly, 
which is going to meet today.
    So we discussed peace and development. And particularly on the 
subject of peace-related issues, we addressed the issue of Iran, of the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict; we addressed Lebanon and, of course, 
Africa, in particular--in Africa. And with respect to Africa, we 
addressed the issue of what's going on in Darfur.
    And we, as a result of this, have once again confirmed that we are 
entirely on the same wavelength--we have the same approach to the 
different issues, which are of deep and grave concern to us, as they 
challenge and jeopardize peace in different parts of the world.
    I repeat what I've already said, namely that we concur, our views 
concur on these matters, particularly on the issue of a possible 
agreement with the Iranians. And therefore, France, I'm convinced, the 
United States, the American administration and the French Government see 
eye to eye on these matters and on how to address them.
    President Bush. One question a side. Nedra [Nedra Pickler, 
Associated Press].

Iran/Nuclear Weapons Development

    Q. Yes, thank you, Mr. President. President Chirac has proposed 
suspending the threat of sanctions against Iran as an incentive to get 
them to the negotiating table. What do you think of that idea?
    President Bush. First of all, France and the United States share the 
same goal, and that is for the Iranians not to have a nuclear weapon.
    Secondly, we share the same goal. We'd like to solve this problem 
diplomatically, and we understand working together is important. And the 
Iranians have got to understand, we share the same objective, and we're 
going to continue to strategize together.
    The EU-3 will continue to dialog with the Iranians to get them to 
the table so that they

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will suspend, verifiably suspend their enrichment activities, in which 
case, the United States will come to the table. And we believe time is 
of the essence. Should they continue to stall, we will then discuss the 
consequences of their stalling. And one of those consequences, of 
course, would be some kind of sanction program.
    But now is the time for the Iranians to come to the table. And 
that's what we discussed.
    President Chirac. For the past 2 days, I've had the opportunity to 
speak very clearly on the subject--at least I hope I've been very 
clear--and let me take this opportunity once again to say that the 
present views of the United States and I again see eye to eye on this 
one. I totally agree with President Bush. We are both determined to push 
forward on this one, to move ahead in a constructive manner. And the 
first thing we need to do is to find a solution so that, indeed--and end 
be put to the uranium enrichment activity being engaged in, and then we 
can move on to finding solutions to the other problems that arise and 
stem from this issue.
    President Bush. Final question. Do you want to call on somebody?

[At this point, a question was asked in French, and no translation was 
provided.]

    President Chirac. There never has been any ambiguity as to the 
positions adopted respectively by the Europeans, by the six, by the 
United States, and in particular by France. We have always said very 
clearly that any negotiations--and let's face it; this is the normal 
course of events; this negotiation is the normal way in which one 
expects to address and, indeed, settle, solve such a thorny issue as 
this one--that negotiations are the way we are heading.
    Nonetheless, we have equally said that we cannot have negotiations 
if we do not have prior suspension, on the one hand, of uranium 
enrichment activity on the part of Iran, and on the other, on the part 
of the six, the agreement not to approach the Security Council on this 
matter, in particular, this will include the possibility of examining a 
sanction program.
    I think this has been said abundantly clearly time and again, and I 
do not really understand what kind of controversy has arisen or 
misunderstanding could have crept in, insofar as this, as I said, has 
been repeatedly said. Maybe it's due to a lack of understanding of the 
situation, but there's no ambiguity on our side.
    President Bush. Thank you, Jacques.

Note: The President spoke at 10:10 a.m. at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. 
President Chirac spoke in French, and his remarks were translated by an 
interpreter.