[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 35 (Monday, September 3, 2007)]
[Pages 1151-1153]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With David Speers of Sky News

August 30, 2007

Australia's Role in the War on Terror

    Mr. Speers. Mr. President, the United States has around 160,000 
troops in Iraq at the moment. Australia has, in its battle group, only 
around 500 in the relatively safe Dhi Qar Province. Is this just a 
symbolic contribution? Would it really matter if they were brought home?
    The President. First, I want to thank the Howard Government and the 
people of Australia for joining this global struggle against extremists 
and radicals who are trying to impose their vision on the world. And 
that struggle is found--being played out in Iraq and Afghanistan right 
now and other places.
    And so I view Australia's contribution to peace and freedom as more 
than just Iraq. I view it as, one, a strategic partnership with the 
United States. I view their contribution as intelligence contributions. 
But I also understand that there's a commitment to helping people live 
in freedom as a long-term solution to this ideological struggle.
    And I'm often asked about coalition troops. And my attitude is, our 
coalition partners ought to be making decisions based upon conditions on 
the ground, because failure in Iraq would lead to, in my judgment, to 
turmoil, chaos in the Middle East, and other attacks on the United 
States and other nations. Success will be a major blow to these radicals 
and extremists that will make it easier for us to say we've done our 
duty and laid the foundation for peace.

Leader of the Opposition Kevin Rudd of Australia/War on Terror

    Mr. Speers. Well, as you know, there's an election only 2 or 3 
months away in Australia, and Kevin Rudd, the Opposition Leader, is 
ahead in all of the polls. And he has promised to pull those combat 
troops out of Iraq if he wins. He says he'll consult with the U.S. So, 
if he does win, what would you be saying to him? Would you be trying to 
convince him not to do that?
    The President. Well, actually, I believe he's on my calendar. I, of 
course, will be meeting with the Prime Minister, and then I'll be 
meeting with Mr. Rudd, and I'm looking forward to it. He doesn't know 
me, and I don't know him. And so I look forward to sharing my views and 
would ask, if he were to win, that he consider conditions on the ground 
before making any decisions; that what matters is success. And I believe 
we can be successful. And I know it's important to be successful. And I 
will be glad to explain to him why I'm optimistic that this hard work 
will achieve what we all want, which is, over time, fewer troops and 
peace. The main thing we want is to make sure that we deal these 
radicals and extremists a major blow, which is success in Iraq.
    See, here's the interesting thing that I hope the people of 
Australia understand: There are two forms of extremism that have now 
converged on Iraq. One is Sunni extremism in the likes of Al Qaida. 
These people in Iraq swore allegiance to the very same person that 
ordered the attack on the United States of America. Sunni extremists 
have killed Australians. Sunni extremists that are inspired by this 
ideology are killing around the world.
    And then there's the strain of Shiism extremism that is fostered by 
Iran. And these are the two major threats to world peace, and they've 
converged on Iraq, which should say that we need to do the hard work 
necessary so we can have peace in the long term for children growing up 
both in the United States and Australia.

War on Terror in Afghanistan and Iraq

    Mr. Speers. So you need those Australian troops there.
    The President. We need all our coalition partners. And I would hope 
that--and I understand, look, everybody has got their own internal 
politics. My only point is, is that whether it be Afghanistan or Iraq, 
we've got more work to do. We, the free world, has got more work to do. 
And I believe those of us who live in liberty have a responsibility to 
promote forms of government that deal with what causes 19 kids to get on 
airplanes to kill 3,000 students [citizens]. *
    * White House correction.

[[Page 1152]]

United Kingdom's Role in Iraq

    Mr. Speers. What, then, do you say about the British withdrawing 
significant numbers from southern Iraq in what many of your officers say 
is still a dangerous zone of the country?
    The President. Well, I've talked to--I've said the exact same thing 
to Gordon Brown: Make sure you're dictated by conditions on the ground. 
And he--listen, that's exactly what he said he's going to do.
    Mr. Speers. So that's not premature, that British withdrawal.
    The President. Well, he said that he's going to make decisions based 
upon conditions. And by the way, the Brits are going to keep a presence. 
When you say ``withdraw,'' it makes it sound like all their troops are 
coming home, but that's not what's going to happen.
    Mr. Speers. But a significant number of them are.
    The President. Well, you know, he will let me know when he makes 
that decision. He has said that he is going to make decisions in 
southern Iraq based upon conditions. They're now moved out of the Basra 
Palace into an air base, which is fine. But they will have a presence 
there to help this Iraqi Government succeed.

Australian Elections/Australia-U.S. Relations

    Mr. Speers. You've had a very close relationship with John Howard. 
You famously called him the ``man of steel.'' If he doesn't win the 
election, and Kevin Rudd does become Prime Minister, given that you have 
differences over such a big issue as Iraq, will the alliance still be 
the same? Will the relationship be the same?
    The President. I refuse to accept your hypothesis.
    Mr. Speers. If he wins.
    The President. Well, that's if. You're asking me to answer a 
hypothetical.
    Mr. Speers. But will the alliance change?
    The President. All I can tell you is, is that I remember John Howard 
has been behind in polls before and he's won. And so certainly, I'm not 
going to prejudge the decision of the Australian people. And I will end 
up dealing with whomever and work hard to make sure that the Australian 
and U.S. relationship is good. But I don't buy into your hypothesis.
    Mr. Speers. But essentially, the relationship won't suffer if Kevin 
Rudd becomes Prime Minister?
    The President. Look, I'll be glad to deal with the situation. See, 
that's a loaded question. In this sense, you're trying to get me to 
predict the outcome of the election, and I'm not going to do it. I don't 
know enough about it, and I am going down there to deal with the current 
Prime Minister, who, no doubt about it, is a close personal friend of 
mine. And I think a man--he is a man of steel, because he's a person who 
stands on conviction and principle. I don't know Mr. Rudd; I'm looking 
forward to getting to know him. But that's all I really want to comment 
about your elections.
    Mr. Speers. A lot of Australians will be weighing out, what's going 
to happen to the alliance if Labor wins the election?
    The President. Yes, as I said, I really am not going to get involved 
in your election down there. I am going to be--I'm going down as the 
U.S. President, proud of the relationship between the United States and 
Australia. It is a relationship based upon our common values; it's a 
relationship based upon good economic ties; and it's a really important 
relationship. And I presume whoever the U.S. President is after me and 
the Prime Ministers to come in Australia will understand how important 
that is.

China

    Mr. Speers. Labor also wants the alliance to focus more on China and 
its military buildup in particular, its nuclear arms stocks. Should more 
attention be given to that and China's tensions with Japan?
    The President. Well, we spend a lot of time on China in this 
administration. I've got good relations with both the Japanese and 
Chinese leadership. My view is, is that it's important for there to be 
an active U.S. presence in Asia, precisely to make sure that old 
tensions don't flare up.
    And I'm pleased with the progress that's being made in Asia. And 
obviously, the interesting relationship now in Asia is the trading 
relationship. Australia, fortunately, has got a surplus with China. And 
America, however, has got a major deficit with China.

[[Page 1153]]

    Mr. Speers. Does the military issue concern you?
    The President. It only concerns me if there's hostility. In other 
words, it only concerns me if the Government declares its hostility 
toward the world. I happen to believe that China's most important issue 
internally is for them to grow their economy to deal with--they've got 
to create, like, 25 million new jobs a year in order to stay even, in 
order to keep their economy growing. And so therefore, my view of China 
is that they're internally focused to the extent that they want economic 
growth and vitality; they're externally focused in order to get the raw 
materials they need. But if they ever turn hostile, I would be concerned 
about, you know, a military----

President's Upcoming Visit to Australia

    Mr. Speers. Mr. President, just finally, a lot of Sydneysiders are 
complaining about the impost of APEC, in particular your security detail 
and how that will affect the city for a week while you're there, almost 
a week while you're there. Do you have any message for them?
    The President. Well, first I'm looking forward to coming to the 
beautiful city, and to the extent that I inconvenience them, I 
apologize. I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about, in terms of--
--
    Mr. Speers. The security lockdown in the city.
    The President. It's the first--thank you for sharing that with me. I 
got a lot on my mind, and one of the things that's one [on] * my mind is 
I'm looking forward to coming to one of the most beautiful cities in the 
world. If I inconvenience people, that's not my intent. My intent is to 
represent my country in an important meeting in a country that I admire 
a lot and a country with whom we've got great relations. And it's 
important that we continue to have great relations.
    * White House correction.
    I hope people--I hope people understand why it's done, and I just 
hope it doesn't disrupt their lives too much.
    Mr. Speers. Mr. President, we do look forward to seeing you in 
Sydney. Thank you very much for your time.
    The President. I'm looking forward to it. Thank you for your time.
    Mr. Speers. Thank you.

Note: The interview was taped at 3:39 p.m. in the Map Room at the White 
House for later broadcast. In his remarks, the President referred to 
Prime Minister John Howard of Australia; and Prime Minister Gordon Brown 
of the United Kingdom. This transcript was released by the Office of the 
Press Secretary on August 31. A tape was not available for verification 
of the content of this interview.