[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 14 (Monday, April 9, 2007)]
[Pages 396-403]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva 
of Brazil at Camp David, Maryland

March 31, 2007

    President Bush. Mr. President, welcome to Camp David. Laura and I 
are delighted you're here. This is a special spot for Laura and me, and 
it was my honor to welcome you to this part of America. You come as a 
friend; we welcome you as a friend; and our discussions were very 
friendly.
    We talked about a lot of areas of mutual concern. We talked about 
what I would call mutual opportunities. We talked about, of course, 
trade. Brazil and America trade a lot. Perhaps the most compelling part 
of the opportunity to work together is for the Doha round. It's in the 
U.S. interests that we complete the Doha round successfully. It is in--I 
think it's in Brazil's interests--at least that's the way the President 
has told me. I don't want to put words in his mouth. But it is in our 
interest to work together to make sure that we have a deal that treats 
Brazil fairly, the United States fairly, as well as other nations 
fairly.
    I strongly believe that the best way to help alleviate world poverty 
is through trade. And so we had yet another constructive dialog. We had 
a good dialog there in Sao Paulo, and here in Camp David we have as 
well.
    Interestingly enough, we announced the creation of a U.S.-Brazil CEO 
Forum. It's a opportunity for people in our respective countries to get 
to know each other better and to strengthen economic ties as well as 
social ties.
    We talked about biofuels. I can remember very well, Mr. President, 
going to the Petrobras plant. It was an amazing facility, and it was 
exciting for me to see the realities of your biofuels industry 
firsthand. I'm a big believer in alternative fuels. There's a whole new 
industry here in the United States beginning to spring up. And I told 
the President that not only are we committed domestically to promoting a 
alternative fuel industry; we're committed to working with Brazil. And 
that's why we support the President's initiative on the International 
Biofuels Forum, as well as the initiative that we talked about in Sao 
Paulo, and signed a memorandum of understanding, and that is to help 
nations in our own hemisphere realize the benefits of ethanol and 
biodiesel.
    I appreciate the President's very strong commitment to democracy. I 
also appreciate his very strong commitment to help nations, particularly 
on the continent of Africa. And one of the really exciting initiatives 
that we will work together on is an initiative to eradicate malaria in 
Sao Tome and Principe, two opportunities for Brazil and the United 
States to work together to improve somebody's life.
    There is no excuse for malaria to continuing to kill as many people 
as it does. Our great nations can work together to stop that death. 
There is a reasonable plan in place. It's a plan that I'm confident can 
achieve great success, and it makes a lot of sense for Brazil and the 
United States to work toward that plan.
    As I said in Sao Paulo, Mr. President, I appreciate very much your 
leadership on Haiti. I appreciate the fact that you've led

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the U.N. stabilization force. We want to, of course, make sure that your 
efforts to bring security are followed up by opportunity for the people 
of Haiti. We don't want your force just to be there to simply stabilize; 
we want your force to leave--be a part of a constructive future, which 
is precisely your vision. And we want to work with you very closely to 
achieve that end.
    We spent a lot of time talking about other parts of the world, and 
that's what you would expect when the United States and Brazil sit at 
the same table. Brazil is an influential nation, and it's an important 
nation. And I really do appreciate so very much your--sharing your 
strategic thoughts about not only our own neighborhood but other parts 
of the world.
    And so, Mr. President, it's with great pleasure that I welcome you 
here. I'm looking forward to giving you a tour of Camp David. We've been 
spending too much time doing business; now we need to do a little 
pleasure. And after this press conference, you and I will take a little 
tour, and then I'll feed you a meal, if you're hungry. [Laughter]
    Welcome.
    President Lula da Silva. I hope that it's not too much work. 
[Laughter] Your Excellency, Mr. George W. Bush, the President of the 
United States; Madam First Lady Laura Bush; Madam Secretary of State 
Condoleezza Rice; Ambassador Celso Amorim, and other ministers from 
Brazil; ladies and gentlemen; members of the Brazilian delegation and 
the U.S. delegation; newspaper representatives, press representatives: 
First of all, I would like to thank President Bush for the invitation. 
My visit to Camp David made it possible for us to cope with issues of 
global, regional, and bilateral interest.
    I believe that on--the 21st century will be marked by changes that 
we will have to do--to undertake, and also for the improvement of the 
things that we did right in the 20th century. We don't have anymore the 
cold war amongst us. We don't experience anymore the bipolarity that 
affected our lives during half a century. And so now we should try to do 
in the 21st century--make it the century of inclusion of those that are 
disfranchised in the 20th century--disenfranchised. And I am talking 
about the less developed countries in Latin America, of South America, 
of Africa, and of Asia.
    And we also have a subject matter that we have to cope in the 21st 
century that we did not cope well in the 20th century, and that could 
pervade our relations for the next years. That is the issue on climate 
change that affects the planet Earth. Twenty years ago, when we were 
warned about the problems that we were causing to the world, we used to 
call--put the blame on those that were making this warning. We 
criticized them. We said that they were responsible. And we criticized, 
sometimes, minority groups that went to the streets with their banners 
and flags, advocating for environmental preservation.
    Now has come the time for all the countries in the world to take 
very seriously climate change and environmental issues. Why so? Because 
humanity faces one of the major risks in its history. Global warming is 
a reality that threatens us by land, by the air, and by the water, a 
dilemma that ironically embraces all of us, no matter where in the 
planet Earth. The issue is frightening and very concrete and a problem 
of today. But its solution is still feasible, and part of the solution 
is in our reach.
    We have talked already about this twice. We have talked about 
biofuels and about our determination in deepening the cooperation in 
this sector. The memorandum of understanding that was signed in Sao 
Paulo is the basis of an ambitious partnership that will make it 
possible for us to confront the major challenges of this century that is 
now beginning: First of all, the resolution of the energy crisis that 
affects almost all countries in the world; secondly, the environment 
protection threatened by the global warming of the planet; and finally, 
poverty relief and social exclusion with the creation of new jobs and 
expanding the workers' income and for the poorest workers in the world.
    We intend to send our scientists and experts from Brazil to research 
centers in the U.S. and vice versa. We will create a fund with the 
support of international agencies, so that we can finance the 
cooperation with the most needy and interest--countries. We're also 
committed to the strengthening of the

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International Biofuel Forum. I invited the United States to participate 
in an international conference on the issue that Brazil will host in the 
year 2008.
    The concern with the environment is growing in Brazil and in the 
world and, above all, especially after the latest reports from the U.N. 
panel on climate change. The stimuli for sustainable production of 
biofuels is a decisive part of this endeavor to resolve this issue. The 
biofuels offer, equally, an unique opportunity for the energy 
democratization of the world to diversify sources of production. We also 
have obtained good results in different, various areas.
    It's important to say to President Bush, here in Camp David, in his 
residence, that, for me, the biofuel issue is almost like an obsession. 
I don't know why, but we already have talked about--or heard about 
biofuels since 1925. Already was mentioned biodiesel in 1943 in Brazil. 
Nevertheless, since we didn't have the dimension, the scope of the evils 
that oil could cause, or any other kind of energy matrix to the world--
because also, oil was very cheap in those days--this was not taken 
forward by any country, neither by the automobile industry of any 
country. And now we are facing a period, a moment, where this new energy 
matrix can make the world more independent.
    It can make the world creating more wealth, because the experience 
that we have in Brazil is that for each worker that works in a biodiesel 
plant, it is necessary 1,000 workers in the countryside, which means 
that we can create millions of jobs for the less developed countries in 
the world. That was not foreseen in any paper that was signed by us in 
the 20th century.
    In Brazil, in the last 4 years, we managed to reduce the 
deforestation of the Amazon rainforest in 52 percent. More than 2 
million hectares have been saved. Please pay attention--more than--and 
carbon gas emissions have been reduced in more than 400 tons, emissions 
to the atmosphere. And we know that the rainforests are amongst the 
great victims of climate change. In the negotiations on the Convention 
on Climate Change, we proposed financial incentives to reduce carbon gas 
emissions per ton, resulting in further reductions of deforestation. We 
expect that our proposal would have the support of the international 
community and, obviously, especially, and mainly from the U.S.
    We first can establish a partnership either for promoting biofuels, 
as also in fighting the investigation of the global warming and of 
deforestation itself, with full respect to the sovereignty of each 
country.
    Brazil has the largest and most important biodiversity on the 
planet. We have the consciousness of the value that this natural asset 
represents for our country and for the world. Brazil, with 383 million 
hectares of arable land, has the capacity to reconcile food production, 
biofuel production, and the defense of our forests.
    Our well-known commitment to fight hunger does not allow us that any 
activity would cause damage to the food production. I should say--and 
President Bush knows very well, and I also know--and I believe that all 
rulers are aware that the world hunger does not result from a lack of 
food. Rather, it has more to do with the distribution of income and the 
lack of political will.
    Talking with President Bush about the concern of my Government to 
fight hunger and poverty, I mentioned our concern with the Doha round of 
the WTO. It is central in our struggle against poverty. And I leave Camp 
David with the certainty that I've never seen. In all the previous 
conversations that I had with President Bush or with my Minister of 
Foreign Affairs--with Condoleezza--Madam Condoleezza Rice, I never have 
left a meeting between us with so much optimism as I am this way, that I 
believe that we're getting closer than we have ever been before to reach 
an agreement during the Doha round of the WTO.
    We are trying to conclude with success these trade negotiations. We 
have urgency in reach and ambitious and balanced agreements. The 
continuation of agriculture subsidies makes food more expensive and does 
not stimulate its production in the less developed countries. Without 
eliminating subsidies, the opportunity of development represented by 
biofuels will be lost and, with that, the possibility of the improvement 
of living conditions of hundreds of millions of lives of men and women.

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    So that's why it's necessary to eliminate the trade barriers to 
ethanol, so that we can really reach a true energy commodity. I dream 
that, at the most, 15 to 20 years from now that the world will surrender 
to the biofuels. So those that believe in that, they start to invest 
today and now, because if they leave it for the future, they're going to 
lag behind and they're going to lose the train and, possibly, they will 
be lagging behind in the history of modernization.
    Dear friends, naturally, I have spoken with President Bush about the 
Brazilian concern on the limited progress of the U.N. reform. This is 
where we have more divergence. But in politics, if there's no 
divergence, if it's not interesting to work with politics, to being 
politics, but I really wanted, truly, to say to President Bush what was 
Brazil's view. And President Bush told me what his vision was.
    And we reached a conclusion, and certainly, it's not an agreement 
yet, that the U.N. reform still will have to undertake other reforms 
that we have to undertake within the U.N. itself so that we can 
guarantee the U.N. Security Council reform. Since I only have 61 years 
of age and I have another 4 years of my term, I am convinced that it 
won't take a long time for us to see this Council changed and the U.N. 
reformed. I know that it is a highly complex issue, but we cannot 
postpone it anymore. I am certain that the dialog between our countries 
will contribute to forward the issue in a much more faster and 
appropriated way.
    We also talked about other issues on the international agenda, as 
the situation in the Middle East, especially in Lebanon. And maybe many 
of you don't know--and I told President Bush that--that in Brazil, we 
have a community of more than 10 million inhabitants of Lebanese and 
Syrian ancestry. And so that's why we have been trying to attend all the 
fora that deal with this issue. And within our possibilities, we try to 
cooperate to rebuild Lebanon. We also have tried to help the 
construction of a viable Palestinian state while, at the same time, 
respect Israel's right to exist.
    Ladies and gentlemen, we approached important issues in our regional 
agenda, and I told to President Bush that we have to do more for Haiti. 
And, in this case, it's interesting to remember that we have reached 
already agreements not only to work together with Haiti and in Haiti and 
work together with the Dominican Republic, and work together in 
countries like Sao Tome and Principe in Africa and in Guinea-Bissau in 
Africa. And if these experiments are successful, these joint 
partnerships, this joint work, I believe that we'll have much more room 
for us to build other projects between the U.S. and Brazil, so that we 
can help third party countries.
    We also agreed that the cooperation with biofuels in Haiti could be 
decisive to that country. It's not suffice to be the armed forces from 
Brazil, Chile, Argentina in Haiti, leading the stabilization mission of 
the U.N. We need to guarantee democracy in Haiti, governance. It's 
necessary to guarantee their security. But if we don't have development 
and jobs, all of that will disappear very quickly.
    I also told President Bush that Brazil invests firmly in South 
American integration. I should say, President Bush, this is another 
thing that I pursued since the first year of my term. If we want to 
guarantee democracy in South America, if we want to guarantee South 
American development, if we want to guarantee the strengthening of the 
institutions in South America, we have to have the consciousness that 
fiscal integration is a basic addition for the development of the 
region. And maybe, who knows, the United States can be a partner of 
Brazil and of other countries in South America in the fiscal integration 
that we so much are in need. And we understand that this is what will 
guarantee development for the region and will guarantee democracy, and 
so will open the opportunities that we did not have years ago for us to 
develop ourselves.
    We are obtaining extraordinary advances vis-a-vis integration, 
expanding trade, and making all the infrastructure work that we can 
develop. The bottom line is that we're getting closer ties to our people 
that were very much far away from each other in the past. And so now 
we're getting closer, and so that's why I invited President Bush from 
the U.S. to become a partner in this integration process and building 
the fiscal integration of our continent.

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    I also mentioned to President Bush an important role that the United 
States can play with South American countries that are living in special 
situations, especially those that need trade preferences. It is 
extremely important for the U.S. to support these countries that need 
these trade preferences. We need to support them because this will 
guarantee the regional stability that is the interest of--to Brazil and 
all the countries in South America, and certainly, this is the interest 
of the U.S. too.
    Together we can provide aid to those countries that are still needy, 
especially in Africa. I have already mentioned the agreement that we 
signed with Guinea-Bissau and for Sao Tome and Principe.
    The challenge, President Bush, in the world of today in trade, in 
security, in the environment, and fighting poverty are immense. To 
resolve these issues, there is only one way--is through dialog, with a 
frank and mutually respectful dialog. That's the only way. With this 
objective, I have been saying to President Bush that I am willing to 
gather with him as many times it's necessary, and with all the heads of 
government around the world as many times would be necessary, so that we 
can, in the 21st century, arouse a little bit of hope in part of the 
poorest population in the planet. We have in our hands and our reach the 
power to do so. We will not do it if we don't wish to do so.
    So that's why, before we answer questions from the press with 
President Bush, I would like to convey to President Bush that, of all 
the meetings that I participated, meetings with the American Government, 
this was the meeting that was the most productive one. If someone asked 
me, ``What are you taking back to Brazil,'' I would say, ``Nothing. I'm 
not taking back anything to Brazil.'' But certainly, the agreements that 
we have signed today, the agreements that we can still sign from here 
onwards, can guarantee in a definite way that the relations between U.S. 
and Brazil, not only it's necessary, but it is strategic so that we can 
consolidate a new development model, a new trade policy, and, above all, 
a new way to cope with the very serious, severe issues that affect the 
planet.
    So, for all that, thank you very much.

Department of Justice

    Q. Mr. President, the Attorney General's chief of staff testified 
that Gonzales knew more about the U.S. attorney firings than he let on. 
Now, how can the American people have confidence in an Attorney General 
who is not completely forthright? How long does he have to repair the 
damage, and can the damage be repaired?
    President Bush. Attorney General Al Gonzales is an honorable and 
honest man, and he has my full confidence. He is providing documents for 
Congress to find the truth. He will testify in front of Congress, and he 
will tell the truth.
    The U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of the United States 
President. I named them to 4-year terms; they served their 4-year terms. 
And I appreciate their service. I'm sorry that this--these hearings and 
all this stuff have besmirched their reputation. That's certainly not 
the intent of anybody in this administration. But I will remind you, 
there is no credible evidence that there has been any wrongdoing.

Trade

    Q. The good will between you gentlemen is very evident. President 
Lula, it is also evident the effort to advance with the Doha round. If 
the Doha round has not reached its success, Brazil, does it have a B 
plan?
    President Bush, what is the impediment--or what would be the 
impediment for the United States to have a bilateral agreement on trade 
with Brazil?
    President Lula da Silva. Well, I have said to all the heads of state 
in government that I have been in contact and on--to President Bush, to 
Tony Blair, and to Chancellor Angela Merkel, to Prodi, Prime Minister 
Prodi, and to President Chirac--with all I have been talking to, I have 
said that the Doha round is not important only for Brazil; it's not 
important only for the United States; it's important so that we can 
guarantee hope around the world, and especially the certainty that we 
will have more peace in the world.
    Brazil is a competitive country in agriculture. Brazil, today, 
exports--50 percent of its exports are semi-industrialized goods. And

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so we do have the conditions--competitiveness conditions. President Bush 
knows and I know and I believe that all the leaders know that when we 
talk about agreements at the WTO, we are making an endeavor at the Doha 
round--we are working especially so that the less developed countries 
could have an opportunity, a chance. Of course, we can improve our 
relations when Brazil makes decisions about industrialized products or 
in the service industry. Of course, we could improve when the United 
States takes a position about what kind of subsidy will be reduced, or 
the European Union could say if they're going to accept or not 
agricultural goods--reduce the subsidy so that the markets of the less 
developed countries could have market access to Europe.
    If we don't reach an agreement, Brazil will continue to follow the 
path that it's followed: working, producing more, and selling and also 
buying. But certainly, those that will suffer more will be those don't--
that don't even have the opportunity to participate in the meetings that 
other countries have the power to do so.
    I have made these appeals, and I believe that that's why I said, to 
leaving here, Camp David, I'm leaving here very satisfied because this 
was an extraordinary and productive meeting, because I heard from--the 
intention of the American Government on this issue. Our is--we have full 
willingness, and I believe that if we work together, the U.S. and 
Brazil, to try to convince our European partners, I believe that we can 
reach an agreement.
    And I believe that, in this case, there's no B plan. Either we have 
the A plan, or there's no agreement. And if there's no agreement, 
certainly, we will not have winners or losers--everybody will lose. 
Everybody will lose--the rich, because they will be liable for what will 
happen in a poorest world.
    President Bush. All our trade discussions have centered on 
completing Doha. It's the only discussions I've had with the President. 
I've been asked about plan B's before, on different subjects. And that 
kind of means you're willing to retreat. I'm a plan-A man, just like the 
President is. Let's get the job done.
    And for the United States, we're willing to reduce our agricultural 
subsidies in a substantial way. We understand. On the other hand, we 
expect our goods and services--whether they be agricultural goods or 
manufactured goods and services--to be given access to markets. The 
interesting thing is, is that Brazil is a strong exporter, and it's in 
Brazil's interest that their goods and services be--have access to 
markets as well.
    This is a difficult negotiations because there's a variety of 
interests. And step one is--to be successful in this complex 
negotiations, is there a genuine desire to succeed? In other words, are 
people just showing up for the sake of showing up, or are people 
actually coming to the table with a genuine desire to succeed? I assured 
the President again that the United States has a genuine desire to 
succeed in these talks. I do, because I believe that, one, I think the 
world has a tendency, at times, to become isolationist and 
protectionist. In other words, there's that movement, that isolationist 
movement can become prevalent. And if that were to happen, it would make 
the world a lot more unstable and it would make the world more poor.
    I'm going to repeat what I told you earlier: Ours is a very 
compassionate nation. We deeply care about the human condition around 
the world. And I firmly believe that the best way to alleviate world 
poverty is through trade. That's what I believe. It's not the only way, 
but it is the best start--let me put it to you that way--coupled with 
health initiatives that we're working on, food initiatives that the 
President described. But if you're genuinely interested in eliminating 
poverty--and I am--commerce, trade, opportunity, and hope will all 
flourish with a completion of the Doha round.
    So we are seriously involved. Now, what we won't do is accept a 
unilateral deal. And the President has never asked us to do that; that's 
not his intention. His intention is, we want to work together to make 
sure all are treated fairly. I certainly hope that's the case with the 
rest of our potential trading partners and our negotiating partners, 
that they don't expect the United States to carry the entire load in 
making sure the agreement moves forward.

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    And so we strategized together. Our--the ministers will talk a lot. 
Ambassador Schwab stayed behind in Sao Paulo to converse with her 
counterparts. There is a lot of work going on. And I believe there's a 
good chance we can complete the round. And so therefore, your plan B 
will be irrelevant--[laughter]--I hope.

Environment/British Military Personnel Held in Iran

    Q. Jennifer Griffin of FOX News. Mr. President, the Iranian hostage 
crisis has just entered its ninth day--past its ninth day. Would the 
British be within their rights to consider a military option if the 
crisis drags on? And would the U.S. have considered it an act of war if 
it had been U.S. sailors and marines who had been taken? And would you 
consider trading the five Iranians who were captured in Irbil back in 
January if it would help resolve the crisis?
    And, Mr. President, did you see eye to eye with the President on 
global warming? Would you say that you two agree that global warming is 
a problem? Thank you.
    President Bush. Let me start with global warming. One reason you 
promote alternative fuels is to be better stewards of the environment. 
Many of the greenhouse gases come from tailpipes of automobiles. And 
therefore, when you get away from gasoline and start using ethanol or 
biofuels, you make a significant step toward improving the environment--
just to make sure I'm on the record here.
    The Iranian issue is a serious issue. It's serious because--or the 
British hostages issue is a serious issue because the Iranians took 
these people out of Iraqi water. And it's inexcusable behavior. And I 
strongly support the Blair Government's attempts to resolve this 
peacefully, and I support the Prime Minister when he made it clear there 
were no quid pro quos. The Iranians must give back the hostages. They're 
innocent; they were doing nothing wrong; and they were summarily plucked 
out of water. And it is--as I say, it's inexcusable behavior.
    President Lula da Silva. Well, I believe that we are in agreement in 
relationship to the policies that we have to undertake so that we should 
be more careful and take better care of the environment. And on the 
climate change issues discussions, we have common interests. What 
happens is that--to know the timing and what to do. Now, in the case of 
Brazil, we already have 25 percent of ethanol--or better saying, 23 
percent of ethanol blended, or as a blender, in gasoline for a long 
time. And now we have a flex-fuel engine, a car moved by flex-fuel 
engine that can use 100 percent of gas or 100 percent of ethanol or 50 
percent of alcohol, 50 percent of ethanol as blender.
    So this is the road that--where we can start to depollute. And then 
it's not only the ethanol issue or the biofuel issue; there is also the 
electrical hydro powerplants. We also have to have the responsibility on 
us to build thermal plants based on coke, moved by coke--moved by coal, 
I'm sorry. And so it's essential that the company should invest more in 
reducing gas emissions.
    So the fact of the matter is the following: That the climate change 
issue today is a severe disease. There's no social sector that it 
doesn't reach. It will reach all the planet as a whole. There's no way 
for us to escape. So we have not managed yet to reach Mars, and Moon is 
not a proper place for us to live. So either we take care of planet 
Earth very carefully, as we take care of our sons, or all of us will 
regret that in the future. And although, those already my age--I'm with 
61 years of age, but I have grandsons, and I want to have grand-
grandsons, and so I want them to have the pride that their grandfather 
helped to build a better world, better than I received from my father.
    So I believe that all of us will reach an agreement, that it's 
necessary and very much so the responsibility and liability, in the 
discussions on climate issues than we have had up until today. The evil 
is facing us, and we see the evil, and we feel the evil, but there's no 
way that we can turn our back to that.

Iran

    Q. The American Government, last week, have manifested a lot of 
concern with the investments of some foreign companies in the oil 
industry in Iran. And in this week, the American Ambassador in Brazil 
made it very clear that this concern also extends to

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Petrobras investments that Petrobras considers strategic. So I'd like to 
ask President Lula if, in his assessment, Petrobras should continue to 
make businesses with Iran or should get away from Iran, like the United 
States would like us all to do?
    So--and I would like to ask President Bush, why does the United 
States want Petrobras to be out of Iran if the country has fulfilled all 
its sanctions that was approved--passed by the U.N.?
    President Lula da Silva. Well, I am convinced that Petrobras will 
continue to invest in oil prospection in Iran. Iran has been an 
important trade partner for Brazil. They buy from us more than $1 
billion, and they don't almost sell anything to us. So I'm an advocate 
that trade, fair trade is the trade that you buy and sell--you sell and 
buy. You can't just sell.
    And then there's also political issues in each country. Each country 
faces their own domestic issues. But up until now, Iran has not been a 
victim of any sanction that was proposed by the U.N. I know that there's 
political divergence on this between Iran and other countries, but with 
Brazil, we have no political divergence with them, so we will continue 
to work together with Iran on what is of the interest of Brazil. I don't 
see any major issue to do it in a different way.
    President Bush. Every nation makes the decisions that they think is 
best in their interest. Brazil is a sovereign nation; he just 
articulated a sovereign decision. And as you mentioned, the trade that 
you were discussing was not in violation of any U.N.--in any U.N. 
mandate.
    Our position is that we would hope that nations would be very 
careful in dealing with Iran, particularly since Iran is trying to 
develop a nuclear weapon, and a major threat to world peace is if the 
Iranians had a nuclear weapon. And that is why there are sanctions 
imposed at the United Nations, as a result of collaboration between the 
United States, EU, China, and Russia, to make it clear to the Iranian 
regime that there is a better way forward other than isolation.
    We have no problems with the Iranian people. As a matter of fact, 
the United States highly respects the people of Iran. We respect the 
history of Iran; we respect the rich traditions of Iran. We, however, 
are deeply concerned about an Iranian Government that is in violation of 
international accords in their attempt to develop a nuclear weapon. And 
therefore, whatever comments you hear reflect that concern. And we will 
continue to work with the international community to say that it is in 
the world's interest that Iran not develop a weapon. It is in the 
interest of peace that they not develop a weapon.
    And I'm hopeful that the people of Iran will be tired of the 
isolation. I would hope that there would be some rationality amongst 
their leaders in choosing a better way forward for the people. They're 
depriving their people of a lot of opportunity.
    Now, having said that, the United States does believe that it's in 
our interest that we have people-to-people exchanges. As I say, we have 
no problem with the Iranian people. As a matter of fact, we just sent a 
wrestling team to Iran, all attempting to make it clear to the Iranian 
people that we're interested in having a constructive relationship. And 
it is the decisions of their Government that are preventing that from 
happening.
    Thank you. Good job.

Note: The President's news conference began at 4:20 p.m. In his remarks, 
he referred to Ambassador Susan C. Schwab, U.S. Trade Representative; 
and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom. President Lula da 
Silva referred to Minister of External Relations Celso Amorim of Brazil; 
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany; Prime Minister Romano Prodi of 
Italy; and President Jacques Chirac of France. Reporters referred to 
former Chief of Staff to the Attorney General D. Kyle Sampson; and U.S. 
Ambassador to Brazil Clifford M. Sobel. President Lula da Silva and some 
reporters spoke in Portuguese, and their remarks were translated by an 
interpreter.