[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 38 (Monday, September 29, 2008)]
[Pages 1254-1255]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Prior to a Meeting With President Michel Sleiman of Lebanon

September 25, 2008

    President Bush. It is my honor to welcome the President of Lebanon 
here to the Oval Office. Mr. President, there are a lot of Lebanese 
Americans who are paying attention to this visit. They care deeply about 
their ancestors. They want Lebanon to be free and sovereign and 
independent, and so do I, and so do you.
    I have watched very carefully your initial statements upon being 
sworn in as President, and it--your statement impressed me. And we're 
most impressed by the national dialog that you're holding in attempt to 
seek reconciliation. The United States is proud to stand by your side. 
Our mission is your mission: a country that is strong and capable and a 
country where people can live in peace.
    And so I welcome you. It's been a long time since the President of 
Lebanon has been in the Oval Office. And it has been my--it is my honor 
to host you for this occasion. So I welcome you, and I'm looking forward 
to our dialog.
    President Sleiman.  Thank you. Well, I am delighted to be here 
visiting the White House and visiting with you, President Bush.

[[Page 1255]]

I am here to thank you for all the efforts that you have undertaken in 
order to support Lebanon, particularly the military institutions of 
Lebanon.
    We are also very proud of Lebanese Americans, who are around a 
million of them here, occupy very important position in the United 
States. And they work very sincerely for their country here as well as 
for their original homeland.
    Mr. President, we share with the United States many of the human 
values and many of the cultural values. We promote and we believe very 
strongly in democracy and the principles of democracy. We believe in the 
promotion of liberty, all liberties, as well as the protection of human 
rights.
    Mr. President, we work against bigotry and those who try to promote 
it, and certainly, we work very hard to combat terror. There are so many 
things in common between the American people and the Lebanese people.
    We are here also to reaffirm our right in having a prosperous 
Lebanon, a democratic Lebanon, a country that it is diverse in its 
nature and through its people, but that in itself is wealth--the wealth 
of the power--and the power of the people of Lebanon. And that adds to 
the value of the Middle East and the Arab world and the entire world.
    Mr. President, we are also here to reaffirm the need to liberate all 
Lebanese territories and also to make it very clear that the future of 
Palestinian refugees is in their homeland, not in Lebanon. Mr. 
President, we believe that this is in the interest of Lebanon as well as 
it's in the interest of the Palestinian people themselves.
    Thank you very much.
    President Bush. Yes, sir. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 9:45 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. President Sleiman spoke in Arabic, and his remarks were 
translated by an interpreter.