[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 40 (Monday, October 8, 2007)]
[Pages 1298-1299]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With Parliament Member Sa'ad Hariri of 
Lebanon

October 4, 2007

    President Bush. It is my honor to welcome the honorable Sa'ad Hariri 
here to the Oval Office. Sa'ad is the majority leader in the Lebanese 
Parliament.
    I told this courageous leader that the United States strongly 
supports the success of democracy in Lebanon; that we respect your 
country, and that we understand the obstacles that you face. First, I 
was very impressed by the response of the Government and Prime Minister 
Siniora in dealing with the extremists and radicals, impressed by his 
willingness to have the Lebanese forces work for security in Lebanon, 
and so impressed that I asked Admiral Fallon to go to Lebanon to assess 
how we can further help the Government and the forces protect themselves 
from radical elements who are willing to use violence and terror to 
achieve objectives.
    We talked about the upcoming Presidential election, and I am deeply 
concerned about foreign interference in your elections. It is--the 
message has been sent to nations, such as Syria, that they should not 
interfere

[[Page 1299]]

in the election of the President. The international community has 
spoken, and we expect Syria to honor those--that demand.

    Sa'ad Hariri suffered incredible tragedy when his good father was 
assassinated, killed in Lebanon. And as a result of that coldblooded 
murder, the international community has demanded accountability. That 
tribunal is taking too long to get started. The international community 
must work more quickly to stand up this tribunal so people will be held 
to account. And not only that, this tribunal will send a clear message 
that there will be justice delivered for not only the murder of your dad 
but for the murder of others that have taken place on the streets of 
Beirut.
    You know, I admire your courage. This is a tough time.

    Mr. Hariri. Thank you.

    President Bush. And I appreciate the fact that you care enough about 
the people of Lebanon that you're willing to work hard for peace and 
democracy and freedom. And I reiterate what I told you, is that the 
United States is more than just an admirer; we want to help you as best 
as we possibly can.
    So I welcome you here to the Oval Office.

    Mr. Hariri. Thank you. I thank you, Mr. President, for the political 
and all the support that you have given Lebanon, from the international 
tribunal, from helping the security forces also, and fighting those 
terrorists in Lebanon. Also, we in Lebanon have a very important 
constitutional Presidential election that we don't want any foreign 
interference in this Presidential election.

    We've had Members of our Parliament being killed. We ask--I ask Mr. 
President that this action is taken by terrorists that want to finish 
our democracy. We will stay resolved; we will stay focused on our 
democracy. We will not let those who want to destroy our democracy 
succeed. We have paid very dear blood, from my father to Mr. Antoine 
Ghanem lately, who were willing to pay the price to preserve our 
democracy. And we shall preserve our democracy with our country.

    Thank you, Mr. President.

    President Bush. Welcome. Glad you're here. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 11:01 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister Fuad Siniora of 
Lebanon; Adm. William J. Fallon, commander, U.S. Central Command; and 
former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri of Lebanon, who was assassinated on 
February 14, 2005. Mr. Hariri referred to Parliament Member Antoine 
Ghanem of Lebanon, who was assassinated on September 19.