[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 43 (Monday, October 30, 2006)]
[Pages 1903-1905]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With Secretary General Jakob Gijsbert
``Jaap'' de Hoop Scheffer of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and
an Exchange With Reporters
October 27, 2006
President Bush. I'm proud to welcome the Secretary General of NATO
here to the Oval Office. We've just had a fascinating discussion.
First, Mr. Secretary General, you've been a very strong leader. As a
matter of fact, you've made NATO a values-based organization that is
capable of dealing with the true threats of the 21st century. I
appreciate your leadership. I particularly appreciate the fact that you
have led the 26 nations of NATO into Afghanistan to help this young
democracy. You know what I know, that the real challenge for the future
is to help people of moderation and young democracies succeed in the
face of threats and attacks by radicals and extremists who do not share
our ideology, have kind of a dark vision of the world.
I appreciate the fact that you're reaching out to global partners,
nations which share our value but have not been considered a--
necessarily considered a part of NATO. I want to thank your view of
making sure NATO continues to provide the opportunity for other nations
to join NATO.
I'm looking forward to Riga. The Riga summit is a time for us to
celebrate the great successes of this partnership. Mr. Secretary General
and I will be there reminding our partners that we have a lot of work to
be done in the noble cause of peace.
So, welcome.
Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer. Mr. President, thank you very
much, and thank you for giving me your time. I can echo your words. NATO
is delivering security in
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the 21st century. And that means defending values, and that means
defending values not only in Europe but far away from NATO's traditional
area. And the case in point, of course, is Afghanistan, where there was
a regime which was grossly violating human rights, no women's rights,
public executions. There we are trying to assist the Afghan Government
to establish democracy, to establish human rights, to establish those
values.
And let me say that when, in those actions of NATO, of those brave
NATO soldiers, civilians are killed, as happened 2 days ago, that's
always a tragedy. That's a tragedy.
But let me convince you to look at the broader picture. They are
against democracy. Girls did not go to school when the Taliban was
running Afghanistan. Now they go to school. Now there is a precedence.
Now there is a government. Civilian victims are a tragedy, but we are
there in favor of democracy. They are there to destroy democracy, and
they are there to destroy our values.
Mr. President, I'm looking forward to the Riga summit, where we'll
see a 21st century NATO delivering security in many, many places of the
world with 50,000 soldiers, including many Americans, on three
continents. That is the challenge, but I can tell you that NATO is up to
the challenge. NATO is delivering security, and NATO will continue to do
this, indeed, with its presence, but also with global partners, because
terrorism, proliferation, failed states, and failing states are global
threats we have to face and to counter on a global scale.
Mr. President, once again, thank you very much for being here.
President Bush. Yes, sir.
I'll answer a couple of questions this morning. Jennifer [Jennifer
Loven, Associated Press].
Iran
Q. Thank you, sir. What does it say to you that Iran is doubling its
enrichment capacity?
President Bush. It says to me that we must double our effort to work
with the international community to persuade the Iranians that there is
only isolation from the world if they continue working forward on such a
program. And I've read the speculation about that that's what they may
be doing, but whether they've doubled it or not, the idea of Iran having
a nuclear weapon is unacceptable, and it's unacceptable to the United
States, and it's unacceptable to nations we're working with in the
United Nations--to send a common message.
Caren [Caren Bohan, Reuters].
Interrogation of Terrorists
Q. Sir, do you agree with the Vice President that a dunk in the
water is a ``no brainer'' when it comes to interrogating a terror
suspect?
President Bush. This country doesn't torture. We're not going to
torture. We will interrogate people we pick up off the battlefield to
determine whether or not they've got information that will be helpful to
protect the country.
Keil [Richard Keil, Bloomberg News].
2006 Elections
Q. Mr. President, with the elections just about 10 days away, polls
show that voters are more disenchanted with the Republican-led Congress
than at any time since 1994, when the Democrats lost power. What
explanation or answer do you have for people who feel that way?
President Bush. Keil, I understand people here in Washington have
already determined the outcome of the elections. As I said in my press
conference the other day, I've seen it before, where people start
measuring the drapes in their new offices before the vote has been
counted--in other words, they're taking the people's vote for granted.
This election is going to be determined by how our candidates run
locally. And I believe if they continue to emphasize the big issues--
keeping taxes low and protecting the American people--we'll win. And so
we'll see how the outcome comes. I know there's a lot of speculation
here in Washington, DC, and there's a lot of fascination about listening
to these pundits and people who are giving their opinions.
All I can tell you is what I see: I see enthusiasm amongst
Republicans; I see candidates who are saying, ``Vote for me. I will work
to make sure America doesn't get attacked again.'' And I'm seeing
candidates saying, ``I understand that if we run up your taxes like
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the Democrats do, it's going to hurt this economy, and so we'll keep
your taxes low.''
Thank you all very much.
Note: The President spoke at 10:53 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
House.