[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 38 (Monday, September 29, 2008)]
[Pages 1242-1243]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks During a Meeting With President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan in 
New York City

September 23, 2008

    President Bush. Mr. President, I thank you for coming. And I have 
really been looking forward to this meeting; after all, Pakistan is a 
close and important friend.
    First of all, I want to express our deepest condolences to the 
victims of those who died as a result of the terrorist attack in 
Islamabad. I know that you--your heart went out to the families of those 
who suffer and so does the collective heart of the American people; we 
stand with you.
    President Zardari. Thank you.
    President Bush. Secondly, I got to know you a little bit in an 
interesting way when I met your children at the Olympics. And it 
reminded me about the great suffering that they and you have been 
through with the loss of your beloved wife. And I thank you very much 
for staying involved in public service to honor her legacy.
    Pakistan is an ally, and I look forward to deepening our 
relationship. We'll be discussing, of course, how to help spread 
prosperity. We want our friends around the world to be making a good 
living. We want there to be economic prosperity, and we can work 
together, and of course, we'll be talking about security. And your words 
have been very strong about Pakistan's sovereign right and sovereign 
duty to protect your country, and the United States wants to help.
    One of the things I've heard here in my stay thus far in New York, 
is from world leaders wondering whether or not the United States has the 
right plan to deal with this economic crisis. And I've assured them that 
the plan laid out by Secretary Paulson is a robust plan to deal with a 
serious problem. And now they're wondering about our Congress, and I've 
assured them as well that having spoken to the leaders of the Congress 
from both political parties, there is the desire to get something done 
quickly.
    Now, there's a natural give-and-take when it comes to the 
legislative process. There are good ideas that need to be listened to in 
order to get a good bill out that will address the situation. But I'm 
confident, Mr. President, and as I've told you and other leaders, that 
there will be a bipartisan bill; that the Republicans and Democrats will 
come together to get this piece of legislation passed, which is 
necessary to address the financial situation and provide a rescue plan 
to make sure that there's some stability in the markets.
    Anyway, Mr. President, thank you for coming.
    President Zardari. Thank you. Thank you for your kind words; thank 
you for your thoughts. As always, you prove to the world that your heart 
is in there for us Pakistanis; we respect your feelings, we respect the 
American ideals. And we bring to this the whole concept of your promise 
to the world of bringing democracy to Pakistan. Democracy has come full 
circle, and it's been the help of all the friends around the world; and 
we are thankful to the world for helping democracy.
    And democracy is the answer. We will solve all the problems. We have 
a situation; we have issues; we've got problems. But we will solve them, 
and we will rise to the occasion. That's what my wife's legacy is all 
about. That's what democracy is all about, to take difficult decisions 
and do the right thing for the people of our country and our two great 
nations. We should come together in this hard time, and we will share 
the burden and the responsibility with the world.
    President Bush. Thank you, sir.

Note: The President spoke at 8:30 a.m. at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. In 
his remarks, he referred to former Prime Minister and Opposition Leader 
Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, who was killed in a

[[Page 1243]]

suicide attack in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on December 27, 2007. A tape was 
not available for verification of the content of these remarks.