[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 19 (Monday, May 19, 2008)]
[Pages 686-690]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With Nadia Bilbassy Charters of Al Arabiya Television

May 12, 2008

    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Mr. President, thank you very much for your 
time, sir.
    The President. I am honored to be with you again. Thank you.

Situation in Lebanon

    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Thank you. And of course, we're going to 
focus on Lebanon. You have been a strong supporter of Prime Minister 
Siniora. Yet when he came under attack, he seems to be abandoned--not 
the U.S. and not the U.N., not Arab countries came to his aid. How do 
you explain that?
    The President. Well, I don't think it's an accurate description that 
the United States hasn't stayed in contact with him, has listened to 
him, has listened to his requests. I mean, we're in contact with him a 
lot. And the reason why is because I personally admire Prime Minister 
Siniora, and the Lebanese democracy is essential to a peaceful Middle 
East in many ways. And so we're--we will help him. We will help him 
particularly and primarily through strengthening his armed forces, the 
Lebanese Armed Forces. It's probably the most practical way that we can 
get some help to him quickly.
    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Just to follow up on that, during the fight 
with Fatah al-Islam, you have helped the Lebanese Army, but in this 
particular case, it doesn't seem to be coming. So what--can you just 
give us some details----
    The President. Yes, we probably got some more work to do, Nadia. I 
mean, we've got--it's interesting, the situation has evolved from one 
where Hizballah supposedly was protecting the Lebanese people from 
Israel; now we're going to need--inherent in your question is a desire 
for the Lebanese Armed Forces to protect the Lebanese people from 
Hizballah. And the roles are seemingly reversed. And so Condi, in 
particular, has been in touch--Condi Rice has been in touch with the 
Prime Minister a lot to assess needs and to help and see how we can 
help.

Safety of Lebanese Leaders

    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Three of your closest allies, which is Saad 
al-Hariri, Walid Jumblatt, and Prime Minister Siniora, are under siege. 
They're under house arrest. Is this any guarantee that you--their life 
or--is safe or that they're not going to be attacked? And if they are 
attacked, what the United States can do?
    The President. Well, we're constantly looking at options, of course. 
And we're monitoring the situation very closely by staying in touch with 
these leaders, particularly Prime Minister Siniora. And the best 
solution is for the Lebanese Armed Forces to be--is to be capable of 
protecting the leaders. And that's what we expect. And our Ambassador 
evidently was in with the Prime Minister when he gave instructions to 
the military to protect these leaders.
    And the Lebanese Armed Force is pretty good. They're not great yet, 
but they're pretty good. And we want to make them better so that they 
can respond.
    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. But you're confident that their safety is not 
going to be touched?
    The President. I hope so. I'm not confident the--I was hopeful that 
Hizballah would become patriotic--patriots to Lebanon and not respond 
every time to Syrian or Iranian demands. And so we'll see what happens. 
As you know, there's been a lot of confusing stories coming out. But one 
thing

[[Page 687]]

that we're concerned about is, obviously, the safety of our friends and 
leaders.

U.S. Troop Movements/Situation in Lebanon

    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. One other thing we have seen was the USS Cole 
has moved from the Suez Canal opposite the Lebanese shores. Is this just 
a show of force, or are they able to do something?
    The President. Well, this is a part of a routine training mission 
that had been scheduled a long time before. Again, I repeat to you, the 
best way for us to help stabilize the situation and eventually allow 
this Lebanese democracy to go forward is, one, keep the pressure on 
Syria, and two, bolster the capabilities of the Lebanese Armed Forces so 
that they respond to the Government--and the Government says, okay, you 
need to go protect these people, or go take care of business here, 
they'll be able to do so.

Lebanese Armed Forces

    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. So you're satisfied with their role so far, 
the army?
    The President. Satisfied with?
    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. With the army.
    The President. No, I'm not satisfied with the army, but I'm 
satisfied that, given their equipment, they've done a good job. And the 
question then is, can we help them get better equipment and better 
training in the short run? In other words, we want it to be better than 
today. I was satisfied with the earlier incursion that you talked about. 
I thought they handled themselves very well.

Meeting With Prime Minister Fuad Siniora of Lebanon/Situation in Lebanon

    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. You wanted to meet with Prime Minister 
Siniora in Sharm el-Sheikh, but he's under siege. How he's going to get 
out of Lebanon?
    The President. Yes. I don't know; we'll see. I'd like to meet him. 
And we'll just have to deal with that when I get over there.
    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Is there any plans?
    The President. No, I haven't--there may be; I just haven't talked to 
anybody about it today, Nadia. In terms of--you know, I'd love to see 
him. I think it would be a good message if I could see him and stand 
with him, side by side, and say my--say the truth, which is, I admire 
his courage. And I think the Arab world needs to support him stronger, 
and I think the Arab world needs to make it clear to the Iranians and 
Syrians that--allow this good man to govern his country without 
interference.

Situation in the Middle East/Iran

    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Sir, a former Israeli Army--[inaudible]--said 
that it's better if Hizballah is in control of Lebanon. It will make it 
easier for Israel to attack. Would you agree with this man?
    The President. I'm a peace man. I think--I don't know who this guy 
is, and I haven't read about it, but I will tell you that I would much 
rather have the Siniora Government succeed and survive and that there be 
peaceful--a peaceful process. I think we ought to all work to prevent 
the necessity for armed conflict in order to solve problems. Obviously--
look, I believe that using the military as a last option is important to 
keep on the table. But I would hope that we--through better policy that 
we would create the conditions--that we would not create the conditions 
that would enable another war inside Lebanon. These people have suffered 
too long.
    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. I hope so.
    The President. So have the Palestinians, by the way, and that's why 
I'm for a Palestinian state.
    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Well, we're going to follow up on the 
Palestinian issue in a minute, but do you see what's happening in 
Lebanon as a proxy war between Iran and the U.S., fought this time on 
Lebanese territory?
    The President. I think that it's a part of a larger ideological 
struggle where people are willing to use agents of violence in order to 
achieve their political objectives. And so whether it be Lebanon, Iraq, 
or the Palestinian Territories, you're seeing this type of strategy play 
out, and a lot of it is fueled by Iran.

Syria/Iran

    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. What measures would you take to pressurize 
Syria or Iran

[[Page 688]]

regarding the action of Hizballah in Lebanon?
    The President. Well, we're taking pressures, as you know, through 
sanctions, which sometimes are effective, sometimes aren't. And what's 
very important during this period, Nadia, is to remind people of the 
truth and the realities on the ground, to encourage them to be more 
tough on implementing these U.N. Security Council resolutions.
    And obviously, we're trying to solve problems diplomatically. I 
mean, it's important that we work with friends and allies to see if we 
can't convince the Iranians to stop funneling monies to these violent 
groups or to stop their enrichment--suspend their enrichment activities; 
or in Syria's case, to put financial pressure on them to adhere to the 
U.N. Security Council resolutions regarding Lebanon.
    And we've been successful sometimes, as I mentioned, and sometimes 
we haven't, because sometimes commercial interests don't take the 
threats nearly as seriously as you do or I do. And so it's just a lot of 
work to keep the pressure. But to me, that's the best way to try to 
solve these problems, is through diplomacy.
    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. So there is no selective military strike that 
could be considered?
    The President. Well, there's always--as you know, there's always 
that option. I made it very clear during my Presidency that option is on 
the table. And of course--and I've also always said diplomacy is our 
first choice.

Iran/Middle East Peace Process

    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Some will say that Iran is establishing a 
foothold in the Mediterranean, whether it's happening in Lebanon now, 
and this issue of Gaza, to a certain extent, by Hamas. How would you, 
sir, kind of react to Iranian influence in the region?
    The President. Well, it's clearly there. And the first thing is to 
tell the truth. That's why I'm glad you're asking me about this 
question, because I want people who are listening to understand that 
it's the Iranian influence that is creating problems for the 
Palestinians trying to have a state. I mean, isn't it interesting that 
there's a two-state solution on the table that needs to be negotiated. I 
readily understand that, that you can negotiate the boundaries, 
negotiate the refugee issue, negotiate the other issues. But as those 
negotiations go forward, there are Iranian-backed groups trying to kill 
people to stop it, trying to create enough violence and confusion so 
that the peace talks don't go forward.
    And it's just a clear example of why the Iranian influence needs to 
be dealt with. And the United States is very much involved with doing 
that through, for example, success in Iraq. And we're trying to stand 
with our friend--not trying--we are standing with our friend Siniora. 
We're analyzing ways that we can continue to do so. And I'm going to the 
Middle East to talk very clearly about the Palestinian state and how I'd 
like to get it defined before I leave office. And I think we can. I 
think we can.



United States-Israel-Palestinian Authority Meeting

    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. But the fact that you don't have a trilateral 
meeting between yourself, Abbas, and Olmert----
    The President. I don't think----
    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. ----as some would say, it's like----
    The President. Yes, I know, but don't read into that. I mean, it's--
look, I think I can be plenty effective meeting with these leaders. And 
remember, Condi is over there meeting--the main negotiators, by the way, 
happen to be Tzipi and Abu Ala. And they're talking all the time, and 
we're trying to get their data, get to where they are, and bring it to 
the leadership level at times. And the leaders are meeting as well. So 
it's a very complicated process. And I don't think necessarily not 
having a trilateral meeting should be read as anything other than that 
it just didn't work out. It's not a sign that the talks aren't going 
forward.
    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. My time is over. They give me the two x's. 
But can I--do I--can I----
    The President. Yes, fire away. Of course you can.

[[Page 689]]

Middle East Peace Process

    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Okay. Thank you, sir. You know, I mean, some 
will say that you were the first President to call for a Palestinian 
state, yet people do not see a tangible results on the ground. You're 
going now in a very tough time. Prime Minister Olmert is facing 
corruption charges. You're celebrating 60 years of Israel independence; 
for the Palestinians, 60 years of misery. What can we offer tangibly, on 
the ground, to the Palestinians that will say, George Bush did this for 
us?
    The President. No, I appreciate that very much. One is a security 
force that can respond to the--Prime Minister Fayyad's work and 
President Abbas's desires. I mean, it's--in other words, people want to 
see whether or not the state is capable of protecting them. And 
therefore, as this Palestinian force gets more capable, we expect the 
Israelis to move back, and move back to the point where the state can 
actually begin to function a little bit in the West Bank.
    Secondly, economic development--I mean, people are wondering, okay, 
it's great; Bush shows up; he talks about a Palestinian state, but where 
are the tangible benefits? And so the idea of working these 
entrepreneurial programs or some of these programs that my friend Tony 
Blair is doing--who I will meet with, by the way, just to get a sense 
for how we can advance them.
    But I fully understand your question. And your question is, all we 
hear is talk; when are we going to see action? Well, part of the plan is 
for people to see a better life. And the other part of the plan is for 
there to be a clearly defined state, so it's no longer just a two-state 
solution. It's, ``here's what the borders will look like; here's how 
we're going to deal with the refugees; here's how we're going to deal 
with the different, complicated issues,'' so people could actually see 
and analyze, do I want this, or do I want what's happening in Gaza, for 
example. And given that choice, I'm confident, having met a lot of 
Palestinians and know the Palestinians fairly well, about how people 
just want peace. They want their children to grow up in peace, and they 
want to be able to make a living.
    Look, the Palestinians are very entrepreneurial and--people. They 
know how to make a good living, and that's all they want. And moms want 
their kids to go to schools--and without fear of violence and fear of 
poverty and fear of disease. And there--believe me, I understand that 
there needs to be a lot of work, but from my perspective, the 
definition--a clear definition of a state would be a major step forward 
of providing hope and a different vision, a different way forward.
    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. So an agreement still can be reached by the 
time you leave office?
    The President. Yes, I think so. That's what I'm aiming for, 
absolutely. We're pushing hard.

President's Upcoming Visit to the Middle East/Saudi Arabia

    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Just on the Saudis--also, you're visiting 
Saudi Arabia to celebrate 75 years of--[inaudible]--nations.
    The President. I am going to go to Saudi. See, I'm going to go to 
Israel, but I'm also going to two other important stops, which is Saudi 
Arabia as well as Egypt.
    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. And what do you hope to achieve in your visit 
with the Saudis?
    The President. Well, first of all, His Majesty--it's always a 
pleasure to be in his company. He's a dear friend of mine, and he's 
kindly invited me back to his farm, which is a great--it's an honor. And 
we'll talk about a lot of bilateral relations, visas, and different 
relations. And of course, he'll be very interested in a lot of other 
subjects too. He'll be interested in knowing about progress in the 
Palestinian issue. He'll be----
    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Iraq?
    The President. Yes, Iraq. He'll be interested in Iran. He'll be 
interested in a lot of issues. And I'm looking forward to briefing him 
in person.

Price of Oil and Supply

    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Right. And the price of oil, would you raise 
it with him?
    The President. Yes. I mean, I raise it with him every time I see 
him. And it's gotten higher. And, yes, of course, I will. It's--the 
interesting thing for people to understand, though, is that there's not 
just--there's not a lot of excess capacity in the world now.

[[Page 690]]

Demand has risen so fast relative to supply that it's very tight. And 
there is no easy solution. It took us awhile to get to where we are, and 
it's going to take us awhile to get out of where we are.

The Presidency and the Middle East

    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Finally, what would be your advice to the 
next President regarding the Middle East? How would you----
    The President. Take the Middle East seriously because that's the 
center of--that's the place where people are--get so despondent and 
despair that they're willing to come and take lives of U.S. citizens.
    On the other hand, be hopeful, because the Middle East is full of 
really decent, honorable people that want to live in peace. And use our 
influence to promote peace, whether it would be in Iraq, Lebanon, the 
Palestinian Territories, or elsewhere.
    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Thank you very much.
    The President. Yes, ma'am.
    Ms. Bilbassy Charters. Thank you for your time. Thank you.

Note: The interview was taped at 12:09 p.m. in the Map Room at the White 
House for later broadcast. In his remarks, the President referred to 
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipora ``Tzipi'' 
Livni of Israel; former Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala), Prime 
Minister Salam Fayyad, and President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) of the 
Palestinian Authority; Quartet Representative in the Middle East Tony 
Blair; and King Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. Ms. 
Bilbassy Charters referred to Parliament Members Saad Hariri and Walid 
Jumblatt of Lebanon; and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel.