[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 22 (Monday, June 4, 2007)]
[Pages 727-729]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With Andi Bejtja of Vizion Plus TV, Albania

May 31, 2007

President's Upcoming Visit to Albania

    Mr. Bejtja. Mr. President, first of all, I want to thank you for the 
opportunity you give to me and to Albanian public for this interview. 
And I have just a simple question in the beginning. What is the reason 
of including Albania in this European tour this time?
    The President. That's a fascinating question. First of all, I want 
to make sure the Albanian people understand that America

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knows that you exist and that you're making difficult choices to cement 
your free society. I'm coming as a lover of liberty to a land where 
people are realizing the benefits of liberty.
    Secondly, I've been impressed by your leadership. I have met your 
leaders at different times----
    Mr. Bejtja. Impressed in what sense?
    The President. In the sense that they're committed to common values 
with the United States, that they believe in certain freedoms, and that 
people ought to be given a chance to live in a free society. And so my 
message is that we welcome our friendship, that I'm proud of the hard 
work that you're doing, and I'm particularly grateful to be the first 
sitting President ever to come to Albania.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

    Mr. Bejtja. Yes, this is a historical visit. And Albanians hoping to 
get a--to receive an invitation at summit to join NATO in 2008. How 
realistic this Albanian expectation is, according to you?
    The President. Well, my message to the Albanian Government and the 
Albanian people is, first of all, thank you for your interest in joining 
NATO. But like I said to other countries that are at this stage in the 
process, that there's a certain map that has to be followed, a certain 
way forward. There are certain obligations that have to be met. And my 
only advice is, work as hard as you possibly can to achieve the 
different benchmarks that would cause the NATO members to accept 
Albania.

Kosovo/United Nations Security Council

    Mr. Bejtja. And let's get to the hardest point: Kosovo. I mean, in 
the beginning of the week, you just had a phone call from Russian 
President Vladimir Putin, and you agreed with him to rediscuss Kosovo 
future once again. And people are worried about that. Do you expect any 
compromise with Russians that may affect our desired plan as it stands 
now?
    The President. Well, let me make it clear what I did say.
    Mr. Bejtja. Because everybody is worried about that.
    The President. Yes, they ought to be worried about it. It's a 
difficult issue. But they ought not to be worried about my position. My 
position is that we support the Ahtisaari plan, and that's the 
instructions that I have given to Secretary of State Rice, who totally 
agrees with me. And those will be the instructions we give to the United 
Nations.
    And so I don't know who characterized my phone call with Vladimir 
Putin, but as I told him on the phone, look, we don't want to--we would 
hope to avoid a major conflict in the area, but we feel strongly that 
the Ahtisaari plan is the right way to go; it's the right way to move 
forward. And that's the U.S. position.
    Mr. Bejtja. So in case of a Russian veto next month at Security 
Council, does U.S. have plan B for Kosovo?
    The President. Well, plan A is to try to make plan A work.
    Mr. Bejtja. Yes, but is the plan A----
    The President. I know, but you're asking me to think hypothetically. 
It happens, by the way, with the United States press too. They say, ``If 
something doesn't happen''--my job is make it happen in the first place. 
So we're working to try to convince all members of the U.N. Security 
Council to support the Ahtisaari plan, and we're out making our case as 
to why it makes sense and why this will make--yield peace. We would also 
hope that the EU would continue and NATO would continue to work with 
Serbia, to give them a way forward as well, that there be an opportunity 
for them to become participants in some of the European structures and, 
in this case, in NATO's case, an opportunity, perhaps, to join NATO and 
have U.S. as a partner.

President's Decisionmaking/U.S. Foreign Policy

    Mr. Bejtja. Let me put another question. I mean, to be honest, it's 
very easy in the region to find pro-American governments, but it's not 
as easy to find so-called pro-American nations, or better saying, pro-
American public or people. Does U.S. have any strategy to reverse this 
trend, to make U.S. policy more effective in long term?
    The President. Well, first of all, it's like--people ask me the 
question about popularity,

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whether it be overseas or at home. You can't make decisions and try to 
be--and want to be popular. You make decisions because you want to be 
right. I make decisions for what's best for the United States of 
America. Sometimes that makes me popular; sometimes it doesn't.
    But popularity comes and goes, but certain principles should never 
leave. And I believe firmly the United States must confront tyranny and 
disease and hunger. And I believe the United States must secure our 
homeland from further attack, and I will take the actions necessary to 
do so. I hope others understand why. I would like for people to 
understand the decisionmaking I've done. I want people to respect my 
country and to like the American people, and most people do like the 
American people. Sometimes they like the American President, and 
sometimes they don't. But popularity is--I would ask the question, are 
you still going to make decisions based upon solid principles? And the 
answer is, absolutely.

President's Upcoming Visit to Albania

    Mr. Bejtja. Yes. And let me ask one childish question, because it is 
your first time in Albania and everyone is wondering, what does come to 
your mind when you heard the word, Albania?
    The President. Beautiful coastline; interesting history; Muslim 
people who can live at peace, that's what comes to mind. I'm excited to 
go. I must confess that I also thought about the dark days of communism, 
when the society was a closed society. I'm looking forward--I met many 
Albanians who are excited to be living in an open society. And I can't 
wait to come to your country. I've heard great things about it, and it's 
going to be an exciting trip for me and Laura.
    Mr. Bejtja. Thank you very much, Mr. President, and welcome.
    The President. Yes, sir, thanks.

Note: The interview was taped at 3:37 p.m. in the Map Room at the White 
House for later broadcast. The transcript was released by the Office of 
the Press Secretary on June 1.