[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 22 (Monday, June 4, 2007)]
[Pages 729-731]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With Vassilev Petrov of Bulgarian National Television

May 31, 2007

President's Upcoming Visit to Bulgaria

    Mr. Petrov. Mr. President, whom do you want the Bulgarians to meet, 
a demanding leader of a superpower, an ally, a friend, somebody feared 
or loved?
    The President. I want them to meet a guy--that's a great question. I 
want them to meet a person who, one, respects the people of Bulgaria and 
appreciates Bulgarian contributions to the world; a person who 
understands how difficult the transition from one form of government to 
democracy is; and a person who represents a nation of decent, 
compassionate people.
    You know, I tell people sometimes--in America they always respect 
the Presidency, and sometimes they like the President. And I made some 
tough decisions, you know, and I understand that. But I represent a 
country that really cares deeply about the human condition, and I bring 
a spirit of friendship to Bulgaria and its people.

Bulgaria-U.S. Relations

    Mr. Petrov. Bulgaria is an ally; it's hosting three joint military 
bases. What will Bulgaria get in return?
    The President. Well, first of all, you've got a good friend. And I 
don't think friends really kind of measure decisionmaking on a quid pro 
quo basis. In other words, relationships, they're evolving and they're 
growing. I presume Bulgaria made the decisions, first and foremost, for 
the basing because it was in her best interests. In other words, 
sovereign nations say, well, this is in my interests.
    Secondly, look, there are some security issues, obviously. One of 
the great things about a relationship with the United States is we keep 
our word, or we should keep our word. And we'll keep our word as long as 
I'm President; I promise you. And I would hope that the citizens would 
get a sense of comfort through the relationship with the United States 
and other nations that are involved with these great defensive alliance.

[[Page 730]]

U.S. Visa Policy

    Mr. Petrov. Mr. President, we are good enough to fight with you; why 
aren't we good enough to have a visa-free entry into the United States? 
Are we that dangerous?
    The President. That's a great question. Listen, you're not the first 
person who has ever asked a question in that form. I want your people to 
know that I understand there is a contradiction; that on the one hand, 
you're a strong ally, and yet other allies of the United States are 
treated differently. And this is a tough issue, because it has to go 
through our Congress.
    And I'm working very carefully with governments, as well as with our 
Congress, to come up with a solution that is satisfactory. I'm sorry 
it's taken so long, and I know it's created frustrations. And there is 
an inherent contradiction, and I can't deny that. The only thing I can 
do is pledge to make the system work better. We're involved in a very 
serious immigration debate here in America, as well, that's somewhat 
related to this issue, and hopefully we can get a lot of these issues 
taken care of this summer.

War on Terror in Iraq

    Mr. Petrov. On Iraq, Bulgarian civilians and soldiers died there, so 
it may be right and just to ask you, do you admit any mistakes in Iraq?
    The President. Well, the first thing I want to say is, to the 
Bulgarian mother or father or wife or husband, my deepest sympathies go 
to your loved one. I deal with the pain of death here in America. One of 
my jobs as the person who made the decision to put our troops there, of 
course, is to try to comfort those who have lost a loved one. And it's, 
frankly, the most painful aspect of the job, knowing my decision caused 
a child to be lost to a family.
    And so what I tell those parents, and I'd like to share the same 
thing with the Bulgarian families, is, one, the cause was necessary and 
noble for peace; two, that I'm committed to helping this Iraqi 
Government succeed, and I think the people will look back 50 years from 
now and say, ``Oh, I understand now why they were doing what they were 
doing,'' because democracies and liberties help yield peace; thirdly, 
that I won't let politics get in the way of making important decisions 
to help achieve the mission. In other words, we won't let their loved 
one die in vain. You can look back on any war and determine whether or 
not certain tactics could be changed, but the strategic decision, 
removing Saddam Hussein, was the right decision.

Russia-U.S. Relations/Missile Defense System

    Mr. Petrov. Your competition with Russia elsewhere but also in our 
region is getting hotter. Where is Bulgaria in all that? Are we on our 
own in the superpowers' game?
    The President. First of all--you know, it's interesting. I guess the 
press tries to build up a major competition with Russia. I don't view it 
that way.
    Mr. Petrov. Why?
    The President. Well, I think, first of all, the cold war is over. I 
don't view Russia as an enemy. And I've got a good relationship with 
Vladimir Putin, and I intend to keep it that way. Now, that doesn't mean 
I agree with him on every issue, and he certainly doesn't agree with me. 
The latest flare up, of course, is whether or not we should be working 
with our allies to develop a missile shield. And to that end, I sent Bob 
Gates, our Secretary of Defense, to see Vladimir Putin, and I sent him a 
message. And then I told it to him recently myself. I said, we have 
nothing to hide; as a matter of fact, if you would like to join, we 
would like to welcome--we welcome you. You're not the enemy.
    We're not trying to isolate Russia. What we're attempting to do is 
protect ourselves and friends and allies against a rogue regime with a 
missile. That's a realistic possibility. I said, why don't you send your 
generals or send your people to the United States, and we will show you 
our systems. We'll be fully transparent.
    So I will work--I think it is important for the citizens of Bulgaria 
to know that they've got a great friend in the United States. But I am 
also working hard to make sure that we're--to prevent any escalation of 
rhetoric. I don't think there's a military threat toward Bulgaria, but 
if there were, you would have a friend to help you.

[[Page 731]]

    Secondly, I think it's important for the people of Bulgaria to know 
that if I think Russia is wrong, I've got the kind of relationship where 
I can explain it very clearly, and not afraid to do so, by the way. But 
there are areas where we can work together with Russia too.

Bulgarian Nurses Held in Libya

    Mr. Petrov. You've already supported the Bulgarian nurses jailed in 
Libya. Do you still support them? Do you think it will be a positive 
outcome?
    The President. I do, I hope so, certainly. This has got to be 
painful not only to the families of the Bulgarian nurses but to the 
people of Bulgaria. I called the President a while back and told him 
that we're very much committed to helping to not only support the nurses 
but to free the nurses. And that's the position of the United States. 
We've sent that message very clearly to the Libyan Government. As I 
understand it, Tony Blair was working the issue the other day as well. 
We're very--we're committed, and would hope that this--the tragic case, 
it's a painful case, would be solved quickly, in a way that's 
satisfactory to the Bulgarian people.

President's Upcoming Visit to Bulgaria

    Mr. Petrov. Mr. President, if we conclude, once again, could you say 
to the citizens of Bulgaria, summing up, what kind of face will you 
present to them? We know you value convictions and values, but can you 
admit also making mistakes?
    The President. I mean, if you're trying to say, did I make a mistake 
routing Al Qaida out of Afghanistan, the answer is, absolutely not. 
Getting rid of Saddam Hussein was the right thing to do. You've got to 
understand, my decisionmaking is based, of course, first and foremost on 
the best interests of the United States. And we got attacked. Nearly 
3,000 of our citizens died, and it affected my thinking. I will continue 
to make decisions to help secure our country.
    But you'll see a guy come to Bulgaria who is grateful for the 
hospitality, grateful for the friendship, someone who brings the great 
spirit of America. Listen, I represent a great country because our 
people are great. Our people are hard-working, decent, honorable, 
compassionate people, who care deeply about freedom and liberty. I'm 
really proud to be their President.
    Mr. Petrov. Mr. President, thank you very much for this interview.
    The President. Honored to be with you. Looking forward to coming.
    Mr. Petrov. Thank you very much.
    The President. My pleasure.

Note: The interview was taped at 3:45 p.m. in the Map Room at the White 
House for later broadcast. In his remarks, the President referred to 
President Vladimir Putin of Russia; President Georgi Parvanov of 
Bulgaria; and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom. The 
transcript was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on June 1.