[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 37 (Monday, September 17, 2007)]
[Page 1195]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting With Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan in 
Sydney, Australia

September 8, 2007

    President Bush. Shinzo, thank you for your time. I not only had 
breakfast with my friend; I just had a very constructive bilateral 
discussion on a variety of issues. We, of course, discussed concern 
about climate change, our regional concerns. We talked about energy 
security. We talked about Iran.
    But mostly, I want to thank the Prime Minister, his Government, and 
the Japanese people for their contribution in the war against terror. 
The role that Japan plays in this fight is a vital role, and it's a 
necessary role. Japan provides a vital service not only to the United 
States but to other countries as a refueler of our ships. And I thank 
you for that, Mr. Prime Minister, and I thank the Japanese people for 
that as well.
    The fact that we're in a war against extremists was heightened today 
by the release of a tape. The tape is a reminder about the dangerous 
world in which we live, and it is a reminder that we must work together 
to protect our people against these extremists who murder the innocent 
in order to achieve their political objectives.
    I found it interesting that on the tape, Iraq was mentioned, which 
is a reminder that Iraq is a part of this war against extremists. If Al 
Qaida bothers to mention Iraq, it's because they want to achieve their 
objectives in Iraq, which is to drive us out and to develop a safe 
haven. And the reason they want a safe haven is to launch attacks 
against America or any other ally. And therefore, it's important that we 
show resolve and determination to protect ourselves, to deny Al Qaida 
safe haven, and to support young democracies, which will be a major 
defeat to their ambitions.
    So, Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for being here. I'm proud to call 
you friend.
    Prime Minister Abe. I'm very happy that we were able to have a very 
nice meeting today, George. Following on to the trilateral breakfast 
that we had among three countries, Japan, Australia, and the United 
States, together, the two of us were able to have a very useful or 
meaningful discussion on various areas, including the political, 
economic, and security and climate change--all these areas. And we 
agreed to further strengthen the irreplaceable alliance that we have 
between our two countries.
    And Japan and the United States agreed to cooperate so that we can 
build an effective framework for addressing the problem of climate 
change. And we agreed the importance for the international community to 
be--stay united in the fight against terrorism, which is still ongoing. 
And we also agreed on the importance of the Japanese-American refueling 
operation in the Indian Ocean.
    We not only agreed to strengthen our bilateral relationship as 
allies, but we also agreed to cooperate closely in attacking the various 
issues that faces the international community.
    President Bush. Thank you, sir.

Note: The President spoke at 9:15 a.m. at the InterContinental Sydney. 
Prime Minister Abe spoke in Japanese, and his remarks were translated by 
an interpreter.