[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 48 (Monday, December 4, 2006)]
[Pages 2104-2112]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of 
Iraq in Amman, Jordan

November 30, 2006

    President Bush. Good morning. It's good to be in Amman. I first want 
to thank His Majesty King Abdullah for his gracious hospitality.
    Prime Minister Maliki and I just had a very productive meeting. This 
is the third time we've met since he took office 6 months ago, and with 
each meeting, I'm coming to know him better. He's a strong leader who 
wants a free and democratic Iraq to succeed. The United States is 
determined to help him achieve that goal.
    I told the Prime Minister we're ready to make changes to better 
support the unity Government of Iraq and that certain key principles 
behind our strategy remain firm, and they're fixed. First, we believe 
the success of Prime Minister Maliki's Government is critical to the 
success in Iraq. His Government was chosen by the Iraqi people through 
free elections in which nearly 12 million people defied terrorists to 
cast their ballots. I've told the Prime Minister that our goal in Iraq 
is to strengthen his Government and to support his efforts to build a 
free Iraq that can govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself, and 
is an ally in the war against the terrorists.
    Secondly, the success of the Iraqi Government depends on the success 
of the Iraqi security forces. During our meetings, the

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Prime Minister and I heard an update from an important group that our 
Government established last month: the Joint Committee on Accelerating 
the Transferring of Security Responsibility. We agreed on the importance 
of speeding up the training of Iraqi security forces. Our goal is to 
ensure that the Prime Minister has more capable forces under his control 
so his Government can fight the terrorists and the death squads, and 
provide security and stability in his country.
    Third, success in Iraq requires a united Iraq where democracy is 
preserved, the rule of law prevails, and minority rights are respected. 
The Prime Minister made clear that splitting his country into parts, as 
some have suggested, is not what the Iraqi people want, and that any 
partition of Iraq would only lead to an increase in sectarian violence. 
I agree. In the long term, security in Iraq requires reconciliation 
among Iraq's different ethnic and religious communities, something the 
overwhelming majority of Iraqis want.
    The Prime Minister and I also discussed the review of our strategy 
in Iraq that is now nearing completion. I assured the Prime Minister 
that our review is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the sovereign 
Government of Iraq to meet their objectives, which we share. As part of 
the review, I've asked our military leaders in the Pentagon and those on 
the ground in Iraq to provide their recommendations on the best way 
forward.
    Others outside the Government are conducting their own review, and I 
look forward to hearing their recommendations. I want to hear all advice 
before I make my decisions about adjustments to our strategy and tactics 
in Iraq to help this Government succeed.
    My consultations with the Prime Minister and the unity Government 
are a key part of the assessment process. And that's why I appreciate 
him coming over from Iraq so that we could have a face-to-face visit. 
The Prime Minister and I agree that the outcome in Iraq will affect the 
entire region. To stop the extremists from dominating the Middle East, 
we must stop the extremists from achieving their goal of dominating 
Iraq. If the extremists succeed in Iraq, they will be emboldened in 
their efforts to undermine other young democracies in the region, or to 
overthrow moderate governments, establish new safe havens, and impose 
their hateful ideology on millions. If the Iraqis succeed in 
establishing a free nation in the heart of the Middle East, the forces 
of freedom and moderation across the region will be emboldened, and the 
cause of peace will have new energy and new allies.
    Mr. Prime Minister, I want to thank you again for your time. I 
appreciate your friendship, and I appreciate the courage you show during 
these difficult times as you lead your country.
    Prime Minister Maliki. Thank you. In the name of God. Beginning, I 
would like to thank King Abdullah for hosting this meeting. And I would 
also like to thank the President of the United States for his response 
and for the role that he has shown in dealing most positively with all 
the files that we've discussed.
    And I would like, during this occasion as we leave this transitional 
stage, we have won initially when we have accomplished democracy in Iraq 
and when we give Iraq the permanent Constitution and the Parliament and 
the unity Government. And all these are victories--that are victories 
with the principles that we believe in. And therefore, these victories 
were our decision not to let those who would like to tamper with the 
fates of the region, or those who oppose democracy, to win so that the 
despotic regime comes back. And Iraq will never be a safe haven for 
terrorists who are trying to spread darkness instead of light, the light 
that started in Mesopotamia.
    We have many visions and many ideas about the transformation 
process, and we are determined to succeed in the face of all the 
challenges that we believe are probably--should exist in a situation 
such as the situation that Iraq is going through. These are not 
outrageous challenges. There are criminals, there are people who are 
breaking the law. But the steel strength of the national unity 
Government would help us face all those who are breaking the law, or 
those who are trying to take down democracy in Iraq, or those who are 
conspiring and trying to have coups or basically bring down the national 
unity Government.
    We are active with anybody who are working within the framework of 
the Constitution. Because we established the Constitution,

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we'll abide by it, we'll protect it, and we'll be protected by it. We 
assure everybody that we are in alliance with international community in 
facing all the challenges that the world is facing. And foremost in 
those challenges is terrorism. Terrorism is not a danger only to Iraq; 
it's a culture; it's an ideology. The whole civilized world must face it 
as one line, one unit. Some people might not understand the successes 
that we have as we daily face terrorism in Iraq and as the security 
forces in Iraq chase them down, arrest them. This is solid strength 
based on our vision, and our vision is that terrorism, terroristic 
ideology, extremism, sectarianism are all issues that will rob humans 
from happiness.
    We are ready to cooperate with everybody who believe that they need 
to communicate with the national unity Government, especially our 
neighbors. Our doors are open, and our desire is strong that between us 
and our neighbors, we will have strong relationships based on mutual 
respect and staying away from everybody's internal business. Iraq is for 
Iraqis, and its borders will be sound, and we'll not allow anybody to 
violate these borders or interfere in our internal affairs.
    So everybody who is trying to make Iraq their own influences appear 
on the account of the Iraqi people needs to recalculate, because it will 
not happen. And all the political forces in Iraq have agreed on that. 
They want to form a very strong political base to support the national 
unity Government. We have visions in Iraq, and we are at the steps of 
transformation into a new stage where we'll have security plans that we 
will believe will be effective and will deliver what is required.
    In Iraq, we don't only deal with terrorism. We're dealing with 
building a whole state in all its aspect--political, economic, security, 
militarily--and all these are signs of maturity that are now very 
obvious in Iraq. And we hope that they will be complemented and 
supported by the international community and by our neighbors, who I 
hope that will be supportive not only for the benefit of Iraq, for the 
benefit of those countries as well.
    President Bush. We will take a couple of questions. Abramowitz [Mike 
Abramowitz, Washington Post].

Democracy Efforts in Iraq/Security Situation in Iraq

    Q. Mr. President, the memo from your National Security Adviser has 
raised the possibility the United States should press Prime Minister 
Maliki to break with Muqtada Al Sadr. Is this, in fact, your strategy? 
And did you raise this issue with the Prime Minister this morning?
    And to the Prime Minister, I'd like to ask, the President's Adviser 
has said that a central problem in Iraq is your close alliance with Mr. 
Al Sadr, and did you make any representations to the President that you 
would break with Al Sadr, and could your Government survive such a 
break?
    President Bush. I will let the Prime Minister talk about his 
relations with Al Sadr. I will tell you that he and I spent a lot of 
time talking about the security situation inside of Iraq. I expressed my 
concern about the security situation; he expressed his concern about the 
security situation. After all, one of his most important jobs is to 
provide security for the Iraqi people. Part of the Prime Minister's 
frustration is, is that he doesn't have the tools necessary to take care 
of those who break the law.
    I was reassured by his commitment to a pluralistic society that is 
politically united, and a society in which people are held to account if 
they break the law--whether those people be criminals, Al Qaida, 
militia, whoever.
    He discussed with me his political situation, and I think it is best 
that he talk to you about the Sadr group or any other group he wants to 
talk about inside of Iraq.
    Prime Minister Maliki. Matter of fact, my coalition is not with only 
one entity. The national unity Government is a government formed of all 
the entities that participated in it. Therefore, that coalition 
basically represent a national responsibility.
    And Mr. Sadr and the Sadrists are just one component that 
participate in the Parliament or in the Government. And I think 
participating in the Government is a responsibility, and it's a mutual 
commitment, and those who participate in this Government need to bear

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responsibilities. And foremost upon those responsibilities is the 
protection of this Government, the protection of the Constitution, the 
protection of the law, not breaking the law.
    Therefore, I do not talk about one side at the expense of the other. 
I'm talking about a state; I'm talking about law; I'm talking about 
commitments. And this should apply to all the partners in the Government 
who have chosen to participate in the political process.
    As to the issues that would pertain to violating the law or breaking 
the law, we would deal with them the same way, because the most 
important principle is the sovereignty and the power and the 
establishment of the state that must be borne by the state, but only our 
partners should participate in that.

Insurgency and Terrorist Attacks in Iraq

    Q. Hizballah has denied that his forces trained Muqtada Al Sadr 
forces, but do you have any information if Hizballah has actually 
trained the forces of Muqtada Al Sadr?
    Prime Minister Maliki. I think--[inaudible]--expressed itself and 
expressed its responsibilities. And one--another time I would like to 
say that Iraq and all the Iraqis in the political process; nobody has 
the right, outside of Iraq, to interfere in the political or the 
security situation inside of Iraq. We invite everybody to cooperate with 
us, but as far as this issue related to training, Hizballah denied, and 
they're responsible for their denial.
    President Bush. Our objective is to help the Maliki Government 
succeed. And today we discussed how to further the success of this 
Government. This is a government that is dedicated to pluralism and rule 
of law. It's a government elected by the Iraqi people under a 
Constitution approved by the Iraqi people, which, in itself, is an 
unusual event in the Middle East, by the way.
    We talked today about accelerating authority to the Prime Minister 
so he can do what the Iraqi people expect him to do, and that is bring 
security to parts of his country that require firm action. It's going 
to--the presence of the United States will be in Iraq so long as the 
Government asks us to be in Iraq. This is a sovereign government. I 
believe that there is more training to be done. I think the Prime 
Minister agrees with me. I know that we're providing a useful addition 
to Iraq by chasing down Al Qaida and by securing--by helping this 
country protect itself from Al Qaida.
    Al Qaida wants a safe haven in Iraq. Al Qaida made it clear earlier 
that suicide bombers would increase sectarian violence. That was part of 
their strategy. One of our goals is to deny safe haven for Al Qaida in 
Iraq, and the Maliki Government expects us and wants us to provide that 
vital part of security.
    So we'll be in Iraq until the job is complete, at the request of a 
sovereign government elected by the people. I know there's a lot of 
speculation that these reports in Washington mean there's going to be 
some kind of graceful exit out of Iraq. We're going to stay in Iraq to 
get the job done, so long as the Government wants us there.
    We want the people of Iraq to live in a free society. It's in our 
interests. In my judgment, if we were to leave before the job is done, 
it would only embolden terrorists. It would only embolden the 
extremists. It would dash the hopes of millions of people who want to 
live in a free society, just like the 12 million people who voted in the 
Iraqi election. They want to live in a free society. And we support this 
Government, because the Government understands it was elected by the 
people. And Prime Minister Maliki is working hard to overcome the many 
obstacles in the way to a peaceful Iraq, and we want to help him.
    Let's see--Martha [Martha Raddatz, ABC News].

Iraqi Military and Security Forces/Transfer of Security Responsibilities

    Q. Mr. President, is there a time limit on meeting any of these 
goals for Prime Minister Maliki? And you keep mentioning that the U.S. 
goal is to fight Al Qaida. Does that mean you believe it's up to the 
Iraqis to stop the sectarian violence and quell the sectarian violence, 
and this is something you don't want U.S. troops involved in?
    And Prime Minister Maliki, can you tell us why you canceled the 
meeting last night?
    President Bush. What was the first part of your three-part question? 
[Laughter]

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    Q. Time limit on meeting goals. Is there a time limit on meeting 
goals?
    President Bush. A time limit--as soon as possible. But I'm 
realistic, because I understand how tough it is inside of Iraq. The 
Prime Minister is dealing with sectarian violence. The Prime Minister is 
having to deal with Al Qaida. The Prime Minister is having to deal with 
criminal elements. And we want to help him.
    And, yes, I talked about making sure that Al Qaida doesn't take--
doesn't provide--gets safe haven in Iraq. Sure, that's an important part 
of our strategy. But I also have said that the goal is a country that 
can defend, sustain, and govern itself. And therefore, to the extent 
that our troops are needed to help do that, we're willing to do that. 
That's part of the operation in Baghdad. Part of the plan in Baghdad was 
to prevent killers from taking innocent life.
    Q. Including sectarian violence?
    President Bush. Well that's--killers taking innocent life is, in 
some cases, sectarian. I happen to view it as criminal as well as 
sectarian. I think any time you murder somebody, you're a criminal. And 
I believe a just society and a society of--that holds people to account 
and believes in rule of law protects innocent people from murderers, no 
matter what their political party is.
    And I discussed this with the Prime Minister, and I don't want to 
put words in his mouth, but I received a satisfactory answer about the 
need to protect innocent life. And that's exactly what our troops have 
been doing, along with the Iraqis. My plan, and his plan, is to 
accelerate the Iraqis' responsibility. See, here's a man who has been 
elected by the people. The people expect him to respond, and he doesn't 
have the capacity to respond. And so we want to accelerate that 
capacity. We want him to be in the lead in taking the fight against the 
enemies of his own country.
    And that's exactly what we discussed today. We had a Joint Committee 
on Accelerating the Transfer of Security Responsibility Report. And it 
was a report that General Casey, who is with us today, and our 
Ambassador, Zal Khalilzad, who is with us today, as well as the Prime 
Minister's team, delivered to both of us about how to accelerate 
responsibility to the Iraqi Government so this person elected by the 
people can take the fight to those who want to destroy a young 
democracy.
    You had a question----
    Q. Sir, there are no time limits here?
    President Bush. As quick as possible, Martha. As quick--I've been 
asked about timetables ever since we got into this. All timetables mean 
is that it is a timetable for withdrawal. You kept asking me those 
questions. All that does is----
    Q. Mr. President----
    President Bush. Hold on a second. All that does is set people up for 
unrealistic expectations. As soon as possible. And today we made a step 
toward as soon as possible by transferring a--accelerating the transfer 
of authorities, military authorities to the Prime Minister.
    Q. Did you put any pressure----
    President Bush. Hold on a second. Hold on, please, sir. Please. 
Thank you.
    Prime Minister Maliki. I emphasize what the President has just said, 
that we have agreed together, and we are very clear together, about the 
importance of accelerating the transfer of the security responsibility. 
And be assured that the Iraqi forces and the security forces have 
reached a good level of competency and efficiency to protect Iraq as a 
country and to protect its people.
    As far as the other issue related to the meeting, I have met with 
King Abdullah, then have met again with his Prime Minister and a group 
of his ministers, and we've discussed bilateral relations that are of 
concern to both nations--Iraq and Jordan--and that relationship is based 
on mutual friendship and being a good host and a good neighbor. And 
there was not part of our agenda a trilateral meeting, so there is no 
problem.
    Please.

Iraq-Iran Relations

    Q. Did you discuss with the President the Iranian influence that is 
expanding in Iraq and how, and the almost complete Iranian control over 
Baghdad, as the press sources seems to indicate? In Iraq, did you build 
this big wall between Iraq and Iranian? So and are you going to deal 
with----

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    President Bush. Did I--I didn't understand your first question.
    Q. To deal with Iranian directly?
    President Bush. Am I going to meet with the Iranians directly, is 
that the question?
    Q. The question of Iraq, yes.
    Prime Minister Maliki. As far as the first question that was 
mentioned by the reporter, I think these are wrong and exaggerated 
information, and they are being used as one of the propaganda mechanisms 
to give the impression of sectarian strife so that will reach a point of 
no return. Because we want to emphasize that we will not allow anybody 
to exert their control over any part of Iraq. If there is any talk about 
intervention in Iraq and all the discussion, all the talks about people 
or other nations exerting control over Iraq, this is not true. This is a 
political process in Iraq. We want good relationships with our 
neighbors; we want complementary relationships with our neighbors to 
protect the region from tensions. But the main principle underlying all 
this is the respect of the Iraqi borders and the internal affairs of 
Iraq.
    President Bush. I believe the Iranians fear democracy, and that's 
why they destabilized Lebanon; that's why they are worried about the 
establishment of a Palestinian state.
    I appreciate the Prime Minister's views that the Iraqis are plenty 
capable of running their own business and they don't need foreign 
interference from neighbors that will be destabilizing the country. I am 
very worried, as should the world, about Iran's desires to have a 
nuclear weapon, and therefore, will continue to work with the world to 
send a clear message to the Iranians, the Iranian Government, that we 
will--they will become more isolated. And my message to the Iranian 
people is, we have no beef with the Iranian people. We respect their 
heritage; we respect their history; we respect their traditions. I just 
have a problem with a government that is isolating its people, denying 
its people benefits that could be had from engagement with the world.
    I told the Prime Minister, we'll continue to work with the world 
community to insist that Iran abandon its nuclear weapons programs. And 
I have said that if they were to verifiably suspend their enrichment 
program, we would part of the EU-3 plus Russia plus China discussions. 
They know how to get us to the table. The choice is theirs to make. It's 
the choice of the Iranian Government as to whether or not they make the 
right decisions, for not only the sake of the diplomacy, but for the 
sake--more importantly, for the sake of their people.
    We might as well keep going, Prime Minister.
    Richard [Richard Wolffe, Newsweek]. Please, sir. Please. Thank you.

Prime Minister Maliki's Leadership

    Q. When you were in Baghdad 6 months ago, you expressed the same 
kind of confidence in the Prime Minister and his Government that you've 
expressed today. Yet there have been repeated rounds of disappointments 
when it comes to the Prime Minister's Baghdad Security Plan, with his 
plans for reconciliation. I'm wondering, if anything, if you've had any 
doubts over the last 6 months about the strength of his Government, 
about the Prime Minister's own abilities. And what gives you such 
confidence today to think that he can achieve what he hasn't done over 
the last 6 months?
    President Bush. Well, as you mentioned, he's been in power for 6 
months, and I've been able to watch a leader emerge. The first thing 
that gives me confidence is that he wants responsibility. A sign of 
leadership is for somebody to say, ``I want to be able to have the tools 
necessary to protect my people.'' One of his frustrations with me is 
that he believes we've been slow about giving him the tools necessary to 
protect the Iraqi people. And today we had a meeting that will 
accelerate the capacity for the Prime Minister to do the hard work 
necessary to help stop this violence. No question, it's a violent 
society right now. He knows that better than anybody. He was explaining 
to me that occasionally the house in which he lives gets shelled by 
terrorists who are trying to frighten him.
    And so the second point I make to you is that I appreciate his 
courage. You can't lead unless you have courage. And he's got courage, 
and he's shown courage over the last 6 months. Thirdly, he has expressed 
a deep desire to unify his country. You hear

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all kinds of rumors about the politics inside of Iraq. I'm talking to 
the man face to face, and he says that he understands that a unified 
government, a pluralistic society, is important for success. And he's 
making hard decisions to achieve that.
    No question, it's been tough. It would have been a lot easier had 
people not tried to destabilize the young democracy. His job would have 
been more simple had there not been terrorists trying to create 
sectarian violence.
    Now, I want everybody to remember that it was Mr. Zarqawi of Al 
Qaida who said, ``Let us bomb Shi'a in order to create the conditions 
necessary for sectarian violence.'' The Samarra bombing started off this 
new phase of violence. The Prime Minister comes in about halfway through 
that phase in order to--he'd been selected, and now he's dealing with a 
serious situation on the ground. And what I appreciate is his attitude. 
As opposed to saying, ``America, you go solve the problem,'' we have a 
Prime Minister who's saying, ``Stop holding me back; I want to solve the 
problem.''
    And the meeting today was to accelerate his capacity to do so. It's 
not easy for a military to evolve from ground zero, and I appreciate our 
forces and I appreciate General Casey, who have worked very hard to 
train the Iraqis so they become a capable fighting force, as well as a 
unifying element for Iraq. But it's one thing to put people in uniform 
and another thing to have clear command structure, or the capacity to 
move troops from point A to point B, or the capacity to make sure that 
the troop carrier from point A to point B has got the necessary air in 
its tires or oil in its engine. In other words, this is a sophisticated 
operation to get a unifying army stood up.
    And one of the reasons I appreciate the Prime Minister is that he, 
on the one hand, sees that it's a sophisticated operation to get a 
military up from zero, but on the other hand, is frustrated by the pace. 
And the reason why he's frustrated is because he wants to show the 
people who elected him that he is willing to take the hard tasks on 
necessary to provide security for the Iraqi people, such as hunting down 
those who are killing the innocent. And the reason I came today to be 
able to sit down with him is to hear the joint plans developed between 
the Iraqi Government, the sovereign Government of Iraq, and our 
Government, to make sure that we accelerate the transfer of capacity to 
the Prime Minister. And I know he's looking forward to more capacity 
being transferred so he can do his job.
    Anyway, he's the right guy for Iraq, and we're going to help him, 
and it's in our interest to help him, for the sake of peace.

Situation in the Middle East

    Q. Mr. President--[inaudible]--what is your--[inaudible]--Prime 
Minister Olmert and President Abu Mazen to keep this cease-fire 
agreement? And what should be done--[inaudible].
    President Bush. Well, first of all, there's no question that if we 
were able to settle the Palestinian-Israeli issue, it would help bring 
more peace to the Middle East. And therefore, our Government is focused 
on helping develop the two-state solution. As a matter of fact, I was 
the--our Government strongly believes in the two-state solution, and I 
believe it's in the Palestinian people's interest that they have their 
own state, and I believe it's in Israel's interest that there be a 
democracy on her border. And therefore, we're working to that end.
    Look, there are extremists who want to stop the development of a 
Palestinian state, just like there are extremists who want to 
destabilize Lebanon--and we're strongly in support of the Siniora 
Government--just like there are extremists who want to destabilize this 
young democracy. Isn't it interesting that the radicals and extremists 
fear democracy so much that they're willing to kill innocent people? And 
the task at hand is to support moderate, reasonable people in their 
quest for free societies. And that means that Abu Mazen, who I believe 
wants there to be a Palestinian state living side by side with peace in 
Israel, deserves the support of the world. And he deserves support in 
peeling his Government away from those who do not recognize Israel's 
right to exist.
    And therefore, Condoleezza Rice will be going to talk to Abu Mazen 
tomorrow, as well as Prime Minister Olmert, working with both parties 
together to see how we can advance

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the vision that the Prime Minister himself talked about earlier this 
week.
    Q. And your advice to both of them?
    President Bush. My advice is, support reasonable people and reject 
extremists. Understand that most people want to live in peace and 
harmony and security. It's very important for the American people to 
understand that most Muslim mothers want their children to grow up in 
peace, and they're interested in peace. And it's in our interest to help 
liberty prevail in the Middle East, starting with Iraq.
    And that's why this business about graceful exit just simply has no 
realism to it at all. We're going to help this Government. And I'm able 
to say that it is--that we have a government that wants our help and is 
becoming more capable about taking the lead in the fight to protect 
their own country. The only way that Iraq is going to be able to succeed 
is when the Iraqis, led by a capable person, says, ``We're tired of it; 
we don't want violence; we want the peace that our 12 million people 
voted for.'' And it's in the world's interest that Iraq succeed.
    Mr. Prime Minister, you want to answer some more questions? 
[Laughter] Go ahead. Hold on for a minute. Wait, wait, wait.
    Prime Minister Maliki. We said six question; now this is the 
seventh--this is the eighth--eight questions. Mr. President?
    President Bush. Yes, this guy?

Progress in Iraq

    Q. In light of the war that the United States is fighting against 
terror in Iraq, what has been accomplished? What do you expect to be 
accomplished after 3-year confrontation?
    Another question--other people are accusing the United States of 
bringing terrorism to Iraq, and the proof is that what's going on in 
Iraq and what's going on in Afghanistan. The proof is that. And the 
biggest loser is the Iraqi citizen.
    President Bush. It's an interesting analysis: The biggest loser for 
a free society is the Iraqi citizen when this society was just liberated 
from the grips of a brutal tyrant that killed thousands and thousands of 
the Iraqi citizens.
    What has been accomplished is the liberation of a country from a 
tyrant who is now sitting in jail getting a trial that he was unwilling 
to give thousands of people he murdered himself, or had murdered.
    Secondly, this country has a Constitution, which is one of the most 
modern constitutions ever written in the Middle East. This is a 
government that had been elected by the people. No question, it's tough. 
But the reason why terrorists are trying to stop the advance of freedom 
in Iraq is the very reason why we need to help them, because they can't 
stand democracies and they want to impose a hateful vision on as much of 
the world as possible. They want safe haven from which to launch attacks 
again. A safe haven in Iraq, a country that has got a lot of resources, 
would be very dangerous for America.
    It didn't take but 19 people who were trained in Afghanistan to get 
on airplanes and come and kill over 3,000 citizens in my country. 
Threats that gather overseas must be taken seriously if we want to 
protect ourselves. And the best way to protect ourselves is to hunt down 
the terrorists and to help young democracies survive. Freedom and 
liberty is the great alternative to the hateful vision of those who are 
willing to murder innocent lives to achieve their objective.
    And so you bet it's worth it in Iraq, and necessary. And I was very 
proud and pleased to see 12 million Iraqis go to the polls, to be able 
to express their desires, their wishes, as they helped put a government 
in place that this man now leads.
    Prime Minister Maliki. Thank you very much.
    President Bush. Good to see you; thank you.
    Prime Minister Maliki. Thank you.
    President Bush. Thank you all.

Note: The President's news conference began at 9:43 a.m. at the Four 
Seasons Hotel Amman. In his remarks, he referred to King Abdullah II of 
Jordan; Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada Al Sadr; Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., 
USA, commanding general, Multi-National Force--Iraq; Prime Minister Fuad 
Siniora of Lebanon; President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the 
Palestinian Authority; Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel; and former 
President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. Prime Minister Maliki referred to 
Prime Minister Marouf

[[Page 2112]]

al-Bakhit of Jordan. Prime Minister Maliki and some reporters spoke in 
Arabic, and their remarks were translated by an interpreter.