[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 41 (Monday, October 20, 2008)]
[Pages 1339-1341]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of 
Italy

October 13, 2008

    President Bush. Good morning. Prime Minister Berlusconi and I just 
had a very good discussion. That's exactly the kind of meeting that you 
would expect when good friends get together.
    Mr. Prime Minister, I appreciate your leadership. I want to thank 
you for your gracious words earlier today.
    Prime Minister Berlusconi. Thank you.
    President Bush. I want to thank you for giving the American people 
the honor of celebrating Columbus Day with the leader of Italy.
    For more than 60 years, the United States and Italy have worked 
together to strengthen transatlantic alliances and to help freedom 
expand across Europe. Today, we're addressing global challenges with 
determination and vision and with confidence. America and Italy are 
working to stabilize global financial markets. People all over the world 
are understandably concerned about the global financial crisis and about 
how it will affect their families and their businesses.
    I appreciate Italy's participation in the meeting of the G-7 and G-
20 finance ministers over the weekend. Both the G-7 and G-20 issued 
important statements committing to work together to help resolve the 
crisis. I welcome the bold and specific follow-up actions by European 
nations to pursue the G-7 action plan. And the United States is also 
acting, and we will continue to implement measures consistent with the 
G-7 action plan to help banks gain access to capital, to strengthen the 
financial system, and to unfreeze credit markets and restore confidence 
in our financial system.
    These are tough times for our economies, yet we can be confident 
that we can work our way through these challenges. And America will 
continue to work closely with the other nations to coordinate our 
response to this global financial crisis.
    America and Italy are working with other nations to fight terror and 
maintain stability and secure their democratic future. More than 8,300 
Italian troops are deployed in regions of conflict around the world. 
They're helping to fight extremism and to defend liberty and give more 
people the hope of a better future. About 2,100 Italian troops are 
supporting the NATO mission in Afghanistan. Italy leads Regional Command 
West as well as a Provincial Reconstruction Team.
    I appreciate the Prime Minister's willingness to modify restrictions 
on where Italian forces can operate in Afghanistan. Italy has deployed 
Carabinieri to support the NATO training mission in Iraq. They're doing 
a fine job. These are highly professional, highly skilled folks that are 
helping the Iraqi people.
    In Lebanon, Italy is the single largest contributor to the United 
Nations peacekeeping mission. We discussed the need for Syria to respect 
Lebanon's sovereignty, to cease its support for terror, and to open full 
diplomatic relations with Lebanon's elected Government.
    Italy has deployed more than 2,300 troops to maintain stability in 
the Balkans. Our two nations support an independent and democratic 
Kosovo, and we're working to ensure that the new European Union mission 
deploys throughout that country. We agree that all Balkan nations should 
be invited to join the EU and other transatlantic institutions as they 
qualify for membership.
    We discussed Iran, and we agreed that Iran must not be allowed to 
have a nuclear

[[Page 1340]]

weapon. We discussed the importance of full implementation of United 
Nations sanctions on the regime in Tehran.
    America and Italy are working closely to end the conflict in 
Georgia. We firmly support Georgia's democracy and sovereignty and 
territorial integrity. The United States and the EU agree that the 
territory of Georgia includes the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. 
We're working to meet the humanitarian needs of the Georgian people and 
help displaced families return to their homes.
    To earn the respect of the international community, Russia must show 
respect for the sovereignty and territory of its neighbors. Russia must 
accept the responsibilities and obligations of international leadership.
    Mr. Prime Minister, Laura and I are looking forward to our dinner 
with you tonight. We look forward to celebrating the enormous 
contributions that the sons and daughters of Italy have made in America, 
and we look forward to honoring the strong alliance that binds our two 
nations together. Welcome.
    Prime Minister Berlusconi. Thank you very much, Mr. President. Thank 
you for this extraordinary invitation. My presence in Washington today 
is also the tribute of a friendship--personal friendship which binds me 
to President Bush, as well as the friendship between our two peoples.
    And the fact that I'm here on the occasion of the celebration of the 
Columbus Day gives me opportunity of paying homage not only to America 
but also to Italian Americans. It is also a thank to that America which 
has welcomed and made them part of this country, which offered them the 
opportunity to enjoy wealth and offered them the opportunity to give a 
contribution, which I think has been an important one. Many of the 
Italian Americans now are leading the country. They are--sit in Congress 
and the Supreme Court, in the State government buildings and key roles 
of this administration, the administration of the biggest democracy in 
the world.
    Our two countries have tackled together also, recently, the 
challenges and the problems. Our friendship is a special friendship 
which has its roots in common values, in sharing a world which is 
inspired by love for democracy and freedom. This is the deep meaning of 
this bond--not only a personal bond, which I have for President Bush but 
also the bond which unites our two countries and our two peoples.
    Today more than ever, values do matter, in a moment when two 
visions--opposing visions of the world are confronted. The vision of 
ignorance, of prevarication, violence on the one hand, and the vision of 
freedom, of respect of right and equality of all human beings on the 
other side.
    Over these years, we have shared a difficult historical moment--the 
tragic September--9/11, which has changed the world. We have been called 
upon to tackle difficult challenges, being aware of the fact that 
enemies must be defeated with every means available, with the strength 
of our beliefs and our heritage of ideals. The globalized world 
continues to test us by submitting us to bigger and new challenges--that 
we can't but give concrete answers to these challenges.
    And once again was the fact of being concrete and the efficacy of 
the actions we agree upon, which is helping us to solve one of the most 
recent crises, which have affected our countries, that of the financial 
crisis, which we must absolutely prevent from being a crisis affecting 
real economy as well.
    Upon indication of the other leaders of the countries which in 
Europe share the single--the same currency, I reported and briefed 
President Bush about what we decided yesterday during the summit meeting 
of the Euro-area countries. This proposal will be then submitted to the 
European Council meeting, which will be held on Wednesday. And I also 
informed President Bush that today at 3 o'clock, in various countries--
Germany, U.K., Italy, France--council of ministers meetings were hold, 
which have concretely implemented through low regulations provisions the 
decisions which were made yesterday; in order to support real economy, 
in order to make it possible for liquidity to be guaranteed to our 
banking systems, so that banks can continue to play their role and do 
their job. That is, support investments by businesses and companies and 
support consumption.

[[Page 1341]]

    I think this is really the objective we must pursue with a 
coordinated and concerted action. That is, what has been developed over 
the world--in the world of markets, which have moved away from reality, 
should not affect the reality of economies. And the concerted and common 
action between the United States and Europe will certainly have chances 
to make the real economy--to prevent real economy from being affected by 
what has happened all over the world in the financial markets.
    So we will continue to work together. President Bush has also 
expressed the intention to have a meeting among the leaders in--within 
the G-8 in the next few weeks. I absolutely agree with him. I think that 
everything which can be done for a coordinated action, just to pursue a 
common method and behave in the same way versus this global crisis, is 
something which is positive.
    I would like to close my statement by telling President Bush--and 
expressing my appreciation, my friendship, my congratulations, and my 
love and esteem. I've been working with him very well. There has never 
been a moment when I saw in him interests which are not general 
interest. I never saw biased interest. There has never been a moment 
when I saw in him something different from a very sincere and pure 
feelings and sentiment.
    He is a person--he is a man of vision. He is an idealist. And also 
he has the courage of implementing what he believes is right, what he 
thinks needs to be done to pursue the ideals which he considers to be 
right for himself, his people, and the world. The United States has 
taken over the responsibility of taking care of the world.
    I would like to express special thanks to President Bush and to his 
people for what America and United States have been doing over these 
years. And not only did they save us, save Europe from communism, nazism 
many years ago, but it--also, the United States has helped us to achieve 
welfare, wealth, and well-being. They were next to us over the cold war 
years. Every time that wounds opened in the world, the United States 
sent its troops, paying a very high price in terms of human lives, to 
guarantee freedom not only the United States but the rest of the world 
as well.
    And I think we--all European citizens must be grateful to the United 
States for this. We must be grateful to the American people. We must bow 
in front of the sacrifices and the sacrifices of so many lives. And we 
have to state and say that never, ever--the U.S. troops continued to 
stay in countries where they had intervened to help people save their 
lives, so they did never stay there to occupy out of interest. And this 
has to be remembered by all Europeans.
    Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you for being here. And believe me, 
believe me that my feelings are shared by the great majority of Italians 
and European citizens as well.
    Thank you very much. Thank you again.
    President Bush. Thank you. Good job.

Note: The President spoke at 11:05 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House. Prime Minister Berlusconi spoke in Italian, and his remarks were 
translated by an interpreter.