[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 48 (Monday, December 4, 2006)]
[Pages 2094-2098]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With President Toomas Ilves of Estonia 
in Tallinn

November 28, 2006

    President Ilves. Again, I'm very happy to greet the President of the 
United States, George W. Bush, in our fall weather here in Tallinn. 
Unfortunately, the weather isn't better than it is, but that's how it 
happens. This visit and these very open meetings that we have had, 
President Bush has had with me as well as with the Prime Minister, 
Andrus Ansip, truly prove that Estonia and the United States are close 
allies.
    One of the main messages today was the message of freedom to those 
states who, like us, have chosen the way to democracy and freedom and 
will not bow to pressure from any of their neighbors, and by these 
countries we mean Georgia, Ukraine, the Balkan States. We should not 
hesitate to support these states. And we should not falter when any of 
our allies are losing hope or faith, and we will help them in every way 
we can.
    We will also not falter in making Afghanistan more secure, where 
Estonian soldiers are helping to protect the welfare of Afghan citizens, 
again, together, hand in hand with the United States. NATO's greatest 
foreign operation in the post-cold-war period--it is the greatest 
challenge of the postwar period. It is a challenge not only for the 
neighbors of these countries but also for the whole world, as was proved 
by September the 11th.
    We are hoping to strengthen the ties between European countries and 
the United States. Conflicts between us are minor or nonexistent, and 
any issues will be easy to resolve. President Bush's visit to Tallinn is 
taking place at a time immediately before the summit of NATO in Riga. 
This summit shows how far the Baltic States have developed and how 
strong the support of our allies is for us. We want to give a strong 
message at the summit, and that is that the doors to NATO are not closed 
and this is becoming a very mature, good organization.
    And I want to tell Mr. Bush, welcome to Estonia.
    President Bush. I'm proud to be the first sitting American President 
to visit Estonia. I'm really glad I came. Yours is a beautiful country 
and a strong friend and ally of the United States. I appreciate the warm 
welcome I've received. My only regret is that Laura is not with me. 
She's receiving the Christmas tree at the White House. She sends her 
very best, Mr. President.
    We had a lot--we had a really good discussion. The President and I 
spent a lot of time talking about the issue of freedom and liberty and 
peace. I appreciate very much the leadership Estonia is providing inside 
NATO.
    We talked about how our nations can cooperate to achieve common 
objectives and promote common values, values such as human dignity and 
human rights and the freedom to speak and worship the way one sees fit.
    Estonia is a strong ally in this war on terror. I appreciate so very 
much the President's understanding of the need to resist tyranny. Of all 
the people in the world who understand what tyranny can do, it's the 
Estonian people. I appreciate very much the fact that Estonia is helping 
others resist tyranny and realize their dreams of living in a free 
society.
    In Afghanistan, Estonians are serving as a part of NATO's 
International Security Assistance Force in a dangerous province that the 
extremists, the Taliban, seeks to control. I appreciate the fact that 
your forces are serving bravely, Mr. President. The people of Estonia 
need to be proud of their military. It's a fine military. And the 
commitment of your people is important to helping secure the peace.
    I appreciate the troops that you have sent to Iraq. I also 
understand Estonian soldiers have been wounded and two soldiers have 
given their lives. We hold their families in our hearts. We lift them up 
in prayer. And

[[Page 2095]]

Americans are grateful to be serving alongside such brave allies.
    Estonia is sharing its democratic experience with other nations. You 
have made a very successful transition to democracy, and you're helping 
other nations do the same, and that is a vital contribution to world 
peace. I appreciate the fact that you're training leaders from Georgia 
to Moldova to the Ukraine. I appreciate the assistance programs you're 
providing to the Afghan people. I also appreciate the fact that you work 
with your neighbors and through the European Union to promote freedom in 
this region and around the globe.
    This morning the Prime Minister and I had a chance to meet as well, 
and he introduced me to some of your citizens who are helping to build 
democracies, and I thanked them for their work. We also discussed how 
Estonia has built a strong economy and raised the standard of living for 
the people. I appreciate the fact that you've got a flat tax; you got a 
tax system that's transparent and simple. I also am amazed by the e-
governance you have here in your country. You really are on the leading 
edge of change, and you're setting a really strong example.
    We talked about the fact that Estonians want to be able to travel to 
America visa-free. Both the President and the Prime Minister made this a 
important part of our discussions. They made it clear to me that if 
we're a ally in NATO, people ought to be able to come to our country in 
a much easier fashion. It is clear to me that this is an important issue 
for the Estonian people as well. I appreciate their leaders being 
straightforward and very frank. There's no question where they stand.
    I am pleased to announce that I'm going to work with our Congress 
and our international partners to modify our visa waiver program. It's a 
way to make sure that nations like Estonia qualify more quickly for the 
program and, at the same time, strengthen the program's security 
components.
    The new security component of the visa waiver program would use 
modern technology to improve the security regime for international 
travelers to and from the United States. In other words, we need to know 
who is coming and when they're leaving. And the more we can share 
information, the easier it will be for me to get Congress to make it 
easier for Estonians to travel to the United States.
    We want people to come to our country. We understand a lot of 
Estonians have relatives in America. It's in our Nation's interest that 
people be able to come and visit, and it's important, at the same time, 
to make sure that those who want to continue to kill Americans aren't 
able to exploit the system.
    I'm going to go to Riga right after our lunch. We have an ambitious 
agenda there. More than 50,000 NATO soldiers are providing security in 
six missions on three continents. These deployments have shown that our 
alliance remains as relevant today as it was during the height of the 
cold war.
    Our alliance defends freedom and, so doing, helps make us all more 
secure. We will discuss NATO's largest deployment, and that is 
Afghanistan. We're partnering with Afghan security forces to defeat the 
Taliban and strengthen that young democracy. To succeed in Afghanistan, 
NATO allies must provide the forces NATO military commanders require. 
And I appreciate Estonia's commitment. Like Estonia, member nations must 
accept difficult assignments if we expect to be successful.
    In Riga, we'll discuss how our alliance must build on what we have 
learned in Afghanistan. We will continue to transform NATO forces and 
improve NATO capabilities so that our alliance can complete 21st century 
missions successfully. The threat has changed. Our capabilities must 
change with the threats if NATO is to remain relevant. The President 
understands that, and I appreciate our discussion along those lines 
today.
    We're also going to discuss NATO's further enlargement. By inviting 
qualifying democracies to join our alliance at the next NATO summit in 
2008, we'll continue to build a Europe that is whole, free, and at 
peace.
    I want to thank you for your hospitality again. I know the people of 
this country are proud of their accomplishments. The American people 
would be amazed at what your country has done, and I'm proud for you. 
And I'm proud to call you friend. Thank you, Mr. President.

[[Page 2096]]

    President Ilves. Thank you, Mr. President.
    President Bush. Is there some questions?

U.S. Visa Policy

    Q. I have a question for both Presidents. Mr. Bush, you said that 
you really appreciate everything that Estonia has done and that the U.S. 
is very interested in seeing Estonians visit your country. But you, as 
President, when will you be proposing to Congress this change in the 
visa laws to give us visa-free travel? And the second part of the 
question is, what should Estonia do in order to help you resolve this 
issue more quickly?
    President Bush. ----to work on our 3-percent requirement, and at the 
same time, assure Members of Congress that in loosening the visa waiver 
issue, or changing the visa waiver issue, that we'll still be able to 
protect our country from people who would exploit the visa waiver 
program to come to our country to do harm. And that process is beginning 
shortly.
    President Ilves. And I may add that Estonia is constantly--has been 
raising this question. I had a very long discussion, even back when I 
was a delegate in European Parliament. I would say that we have come 
quite a long way from the time we started these discussions 2 years ago 
with Nick Burns, and we are prepared when the security requirements have 
been clarified, have been explained, then we will be able to implement 
them in our passports. And that is simply a technical problem, but it is 
resolvable.
    President Bush. Are you going to call on anybody?

Russia-Georgia Relations

    Q. First, my respect to both of you, Mr. Bush, Mr. Ilves. A question 
for Mr. Bush: You said that you discussed with Mr. Ilves the situation 
in Georgia. Estonia and the United States have helped in the development 
of this country of Georgia, and we are hoping to see some progress--in 
this country. But the conflict between Russia and Georgia is putting a 
stop to this. What do you think we should do to help resolve this 
conflict between Russia and Georgia?
    President Bush. Precisely what we ought to do is help resolve the 
conflict and use our diplomats to convince people there is a better way 
forward than through violence. We haven't seen violence yet. The idea is 
to head it off in the first place. I spoke to Vladimir Putin about this 
very subject when I saw him in the Far East last week. I know that the 
President has spoken with President Saakashvili as well. The tenor of 
the conversation appears to be improving to me, that people understand 
that the best way to resolve their differences is to sit down at the 
table and solve them diplomatically. And so we'll continue to work along 
those lines.
    I don't know if you want to add anything to that.
    President Ilves. Briefly, just that we sincerely hope that Russia 
will understand that a democratic state on its borders is not a danger 
to Russian security. And we hope Russia will understand that 
authoritarian states at its borders will not guarantee its own 
stability.
    President Bush. That's Deb [Deb Riechmann, Associated Press], AP. 
Yes, Deb.

War on Terror/Democracy in the Middle East

    Q. Mr. President, thank you, sir. What is the difference between 
what we're seeing now in Iraq and civil war? And do you worry that 
calling it a civil war would make it difficult to argue that we're 
fighting the central front of the war on terror there?
    President Bush. You know, the plans of Mr. Zarqawi was to foment 
sectarian violence. That's what he said he wanted to do. The Samarra 
bombing that took place last winter was intended to create sectarian 
violence, and it has. The recent bombings were to perpetuate the 
sectarian violence. In other words, we've been in this phase for awhile. 
And the fundamental objective is to work with the Iraqis to create 
conditions so that the vast majority of the people will be able to see 
that there's a peaceful way forward.
    The bombings that took place recently was a part of a pattern that 
has been going on for about 9 months. I'm going to bring this subject 
up, of course, with Prime Minister Maliki when I visit with him in 
Jordan on Thursday. My questions to him will be: What do we need to do 
to succeed? What is your strategy in dealing with the sectarian 
violence? I will assure him that we will continue

[[Page 2097]]

to pursue Al Qaida to make sure that they are unable to establish a safe 
haven in Iraq.
    I will ask him: What is required and what is your strategy to be a 
country which can govern itself and sustain itself? And it's going to be 
an important meeting, and I'm looking forward to it.
    Q. ----people who are saying that we're moving forward to a full war 
are wrong?
    President Bush. Deb, there's all kinds of speculation about what may 
be or not happening. What you're seeing on TV has started last February. 
It was an attempt by people to foment sectarian violence, and no--no 
question, it's dangerous there and violent. And the Maliki Government is 
going to have to deal with that violence, and we want to help them do 
so. It's in our interest that we succeed. A democracy in the heart of 
the Middle East is an important part of defeating the radicals and 
totalitarians that can't stand the emergence of a democracy.
    One of the interesting things that's taking place--and people have 
got to understand what's happening--is, when you see a young democracy 
beginning to emerge in the Middle East, the extremists try to defeat its 
emergence.
    That's why you see violence in Lebanon. There's a young democracy in 
Lebanon run by Prime Minister Siniora. And that Government is being 
undermined, in my opinion, by extremist forces encouraged out of Syria 
and Iran. Why? Because a democracy will be a major defeat for those who 
articulate extremist points of view.
    We're trying to help get a democracy started in the Palestinian 
Territory. Prime Minister Olmert has reached out, at one point, to Prime 
Minister Abbas--or President Abbas. And you know what happens as soon as 
he does that? Extremists attack, because they can't stand the thought of 
a democracy. And the same thing is happening in Iraq. And it's in our 
mutual interest that we help this Government succeed.
    And no question, it's tough, Deb; no question about it. There's a 
lot of sectarian violence taking place, fomented, in my opinion, because 
of these attacks by Al Qaida, causing people to seek reprisal. And we 
will work with the Maliki Government to defeat these elements.
    By far, the vast majority of the people want to live in peace. 
Twelve million people voted. They said, ``We want to live under a 
Constitution which we approved.'' And our objective must be to help them 
realize their dreams. This is the--this is an important part of an 
ideological struggle that is taking place here in the beginning of the 
21st century. And the interesting contribution that a country like 
Estonia is making is that, people shouldn't have to live under tyranny--
``We just did that; we don't like it.'' They understand that democracies 
yield peace. This President is a strong advocate for democracies, 
because he understands. He understands what it means to live under 
subjugation, and he understands the hope that democracy brings to 
regions of the world. And I appreciate your steadfast leadership.
    Toby [Tabassum Zakaria, Reuters]. Last question?
    Q. Yes.
    President Bush. I'll follow your instructions.

Iran-Iraq Relations

    Q. Mr. President, would direct talks between the United States and 
Iran and Syria help stem the violence in Iraq? And would you agree to 
such a step?
    President Bush. I think that, first of all, Iraq is a sovereign 
nation which is conducting its own foreign policy. They're having talks 
with their neighbors. And if that's what they think they ought to do, 
that's fine. I hope their talks yield results. One result that Iraq 
would like to see is for the Iranians to leave them alone. If Iran is 
going to be involved in their country, they ought to be involved in a 
constructive way, encouraging peace. That is the message that the 
Iranians--the Iraqis have delivered to the Iranians. That's the message 
that Prime Minister Maliki has made clear, that he expects the neighbors 
to encourage peaceful development of the country.
    As far as the United States goes, Iran knows how to get to the table 
with us, and that is to do that which they said they would do--which is 
verifiably suspend their enrichment programs. One of the concerns that I 
have about the Iranian regime is their desire to develop a nuclear 
weapon, and you ought

[[Page 2098]]

to be concerned about it too. The idea of this regime having a nuclear 
weapon by which they could blackmail the world is unacceptable to free 
nations. And that's why we're working through the United Nations to send 
a clear message that the EU-3 and the United States, Russia, and China 
do not accept their desires to have a nuclear weapon.
    There is a better way forward for the Iranian people. And if they 
would like to be at the table discussing this issue with the United 
States, I have made it abundantly clear how they can do so, and that is 
verifiably suspend the enrichment program. And then we'll be happy to 
have a dialog with them.
    But as far as Iraq goes, the Iraqi Government is a sovereign 
government that is capable of handling its own foreign policies and is 
in the process of doing so. And they have made it abundantly clear, and 
I agree with them, that the Iranians and the Syrians should help, not 
destabilize this young democracy.
    Thank you.

    President Ilves. Thank you very much.

Note: The President's news conference began at 11 a.m. at the National 
Bank of Estonia. In his remarks, he referred to President Vladimir Putin 
of Russia; President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia; Prime Minister Nuri 
al-Maliki of Iraq; Prime Minister Fuad Siniora of Lebanon; Prime 
Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel; and President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) 
of the Palestinian Authority. President Ilves spoke in Estonian, and his 
remarks were translated by an interpreter.