For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 26, 2004
Remarks by President George Bush, Prime Minister of Ireland Bertie Ahern, and President of the European Commission Romano Prodi in Press Availability
Dromoland Castle
Shannon, Ireland
2:14 P.M. (Local)
PRIME MINISTER AHERN: Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to begin this
press conference of the E.U.-U.S. summit here in Dromoland by welcoming
President Bush to Ireland for this important summit; and thank him for
coming to us and for the participation with President Romano Prodi and
under the Irish presidency.
Our meeting has not only been extremely productive, I think it's,
for us, also been historic, because it's the first summit between the
enlarged E.U. of 25 and the United States. And it's also the first
since we succeeded in concluding the negotiations in the European
constitution last weekend.
From the outset, the transatlantic relationship has been a core
focus of our presidency, and it is my steadfast belief that a close
transatlantic partnership is essential for prosperity and for growth on
both sides of the Atlantic, as well as for the broader international
community. And I'm pleased that this summit has reaffirmed the
strength, the depth, and the significance of our relationship in the
spirit of partnership.
The economic relationship between the European Union and the United
States has been a central focus of our discussions today. It's a
relationship that generates 12 million jobs on both sides of the
Atlantic. We agreed at joint declaration on strengthening our economic
partnership, which includes a commitment to work for successful outcome
of the World Trade Organization negotiations. And we also launched a
comprehensive review to maximize investment and reduce barriers to
trade across the Atlantic. And the review will be concluded in time for
the next summit this time next year.
We also focused on common challenges facing the European Union and
the United States, including the pressing need to promote peace in the
Middle East, on how we can best work together to support the people of
Iraq as they start the process of building a sovereign, secure and
democratic country. We discussed and have issued joint declarations on
Iraq, as well as on counterterrorism, on nonproliferation, the fight
against HIV and AIDS, Sudan, and partnership with the Mediterranean and
the Middle East.
So the European Union and United States share, ladies and
gentlemen, a common set of values based on the unshakeable commitment
to democracy, to human rights and the rule of law. And it's these
shared values which make us enduring partners, a partnership that has
been fundamental to the stability and prosperity of both Europe and
America over the last 50 years.
And this summit has added significantly to our close relationship,
and I thank the President, and I thank President Prodi for the good
work that we've done today.
Mr. President.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. Thanks for your
hospitality. Thanks for doing such a great job at the E.U. President
Prodi, as well, thanks for your welcome.
Taoiseach, we -- Laura and I thank you for your hospitality. And we
appreciate the people of this great country for welcoming us, as well.
I want to thank the people who work at this beautiful resort for
their warmth, and their great service. It's a wonderful place. Not only
is it beautiful, but the people who work here are really fine people.
I congratulate the nations of Europe on the enlargement of your
Union at 25 members. With this historic achievement you are erasing the
last traces of the Iron Curtain, and creating a new beginning for the
continent.
Tomorrow I will travel to Turkey for the NATO summit -- actually,
today I will travel to Turkey. (Laughter.) Tomorrow is the NATO summit.
Turkey is a proud nation that successfully blends a European identity
with the Islamic traditions. As Turkey meets the E.U. standards for
membership, the European Union should begin talks that will lead to
full membership for the Republic of Turkey.
Europe and America are linked by the ties of family, friendship and
common struggle and common values. We're also bound to each by common
responsibilities. Because we met our responsibilities in the last
century, we realized the vision of a continent that is whole, free and
at peace. As we meet our responsibilities in this new century, we will
defeat the forces of terror and help to build a freer, safer, and more
prosperous world.
The advance of freedom led to peace and prosperity in Europe, and
it can do the same for the wider world. And so our alliance is looking
beyond the borders of Europe to support the momentum of freedom in the
broader Middle East. The people of that region are eager for reform,
and we are listening to their voices.
Earlier this month, the nations of the G8, four of them members of
this Union, pledged their energies and resources to working in
partnership with the peoples of the broader Middle East to advance the
universal values of human dignity, freedom, democracy, the rule of law,
and economic opportunity.
A free and democratic Iraq is rising in the heart of the broader
Middle East. We just concluded a constructive discussion on our common
efforts to help the Iraqi people achieve the stability, prosperity and
democracy they seek. As Iraq moves toward the transfer of sovereignty
next week, the E.U. and the United States are united in our
determination to help the people of Iraq.
We also discussed the many actions our nations are taking to secure
our homelands from the threat of terror. We took new steps to
strengthen our efforts to freeze and block terrorist finances. And to
make travel and transportation safer, we established new guidelines for
sharing airline passenger records to improve the way we screen for
terrorists while protecting the privacy of innocent travelers. We
agreed to increase and improve the sharing of information and
intelligence. We pledged to build on this progress by launching a new
dialogue on transportation and border security. Travel between our
nations is the lifeblood of our friendship, our economies and our
alliance, and our travel system, must not only be safe, but efficient.
Earlier today, we also signed an agreement that ensures
compatibility between America's global positioning system and its
future European counterpart, Galileo. This agreement will protect our
common security, improve the delivery of emergency services, and
further our economic cooperation. This was a hard agreement to make,
and because we worked together, we now have an agreement. The two
systems will be compatible and interoperable. And users from business
to science to government in America and Europe will benefit.
The U.S. and E.U. share a fundamental interest in the health of the
global economy. Our trade and investment relationship is the largest in
the world, one that creates millions of jobs on both sides of the
Atlantic. Yet we're always exploring ways to make it stronger, and we
did so in these meetings. Lowering trade barrier increases the --
trade barriers increases the prosperity of all our nations. And so
we're looking at new ways to open markets on both sides of the
Atlantic. Free and fair trade has the power to lift nations out of
poverty. So we reaffirmed our commitment to the Doha Development
Agenda, which seeks to remove obstacles to global trade and growth in
the developing world.
As I said, tomorrow I'm going to go to Turkey for the NATO summit.
Today I'm going to Turkey -- tomorrow is the summit. (Laughter.) I look
forward to working with our European allies on many of the same issues
we addressed here in Ireland. The unit of the Transatlantic Alliance in
the face of new challenges and the advance of freedom in the world --
that's what we're going to talk about.
NATO continues to transform itself to meet the new threats of the
21st century. The NATO mission in Afghanistan is helping the people of
that country establish democracy after years of tyranny. And NATO has
the capability -- and I believe the responsibility -- to help the Iraqi
people defeat the terrorist threat that's facing their country. I look
forward to discussing NATO's response to Prime Minister Allawi's
request to help train Iraq's new security forces. Together, we can
forge a new relationship between NATO and the Iraqi people.
Taoiseach, this has been a very useful summit. I appreciate your
leadership. I appreciate President Prodi's leadership, as well. I look
forward to working with the nations of the European Union to increase
our common prosperity, to strengthen our common security, and to
advance our common interest in the spread of liberty.
Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER AHERN: Mr. President. President Prodi.
PRESIDENT PRODI: Thank you, George, and thank you, Bertie, for the
success of this summit. This is, for me, the last summit in which I
have taken part as the President of the Commission. And over the past
five years, Europe has gone through an enormous transformation. We have
helped to deliver the euro, and now the single currency -- the currency
of more than 300 million people.
We have negotiated and concluded the biggest expansion in the
history of the European project by bringing in 10 new countries. And
together, with the skillful Irish presidency, we have negotiated and
completed the biggest step ahead in our institution, adopting a new
European constitution. As a consequence, this Union has become an
important and political actor in the global scene.
And now, in discussion with President Bush, we, Prime Minister
Ahern and myself, have today spoken in the name of more than 450
million Europeans. This is the new reality in Europe, and the new
reality in European Union-United States relations.
Everyone here knows how close the ties between Europe and U.S. are.
We know, as well, that these ties are not based only on our historic,
cultural, political links, but on our rock solid economic partnership,
as well.
I remind you only one figure, $2 billion per day flow across the
Atlantic in investment or trade. In this summit, our cooperation has
broken new frontiers. The agreements and cooperation between our two
global satellite navigation systems, Galileo and GPS, is a win-win
situation. I am certain that the repercussion for the global market of
civilian uses of satellite navigation systems are very positive. And
this system will become operational in 2008, and will create 150,000
jobs in Europe alone.
Galileo is also good example of how European Union, strengthened by
the euro, the constitution, and the reunification of the continent,
can, and will play its full part as an international actor. Together,
European Union and U.S. can meet the global original challenge, as well
as threats to our security. But -- and I want to emphasize this
strongly -- we must work together as true partners and friends can do.
PRIME MINISTER AHERN: Thank you, President Prodi.
Mr. President, do you want the first question?
PRESIDENT BUSH: I have to?
PRIME MINISTER AHERN: Yes. (Laughter.) We rotate them.
PRESIDENT BUSH: I didn't ask for an answer, I just thought, do I
have to? (Laughter.)
AP.
Q Mr. President, today's statement talks about shared commitments
in Iraq and support for training Iraqi security forces. Does that mean
that NATO is going to shoulder a larger military role in Iraq, and that
the bitter differences over the war are over?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Let me start with the latter half of that question.
I think the bitter differences of the war are over. I think people --
some people didn't agree with the decision that I made, and others
made, as well, but we all agree that a democratic Iraq, a peaceful
Iraq, an Iraq which is -- has its territorial integrity intact is in
the benefit of the -- is in all our benefit. And so there is a common
interest and a common goal to work together to help the Iraqi people
realize the benefits of a free society.
President Allawi has written a letter to NATO asking for training
and equipment. And I hope NATO responds in a positive way, because the
ultimate success inside of Iraq is going to depend upon the ability of
the Iraqi citizens to defend themselves.
We'll be turning over full sovereignty on June the 30th. That means
complete, full sovereignty. The Iraqi government will now make the
decisions that are necessary to rebuild their country and to -- and to
get to free elections. They have asked for our help, but they fully
recognize what I've just described as necessary, that they have to have
their forces, their police well-trained and well-prepared to meet the
threat of the few who want to derail the ambitions of the many.
Q Do you think NATO will --
PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, we'll find out tomorrow. That's why I'm
traveling to Turkey today -- (laughter) -- to be
Q Mr. President --
PRESIDENT BUSH: Which President?
Q Number 43. (Laughter.) Mr. President, your predecessor, Number
42, has, I understand, described Northern Ireland as the passion of his
presidency. Where does it sit on your list of priorities? And do you
regard it as a model for the resolution of conflicts like the Middle
East? Thank you.
PRESIDENT BUSH: That's a great question. I do view it as a model
for resolution of conflict, whether it be in the Middle East or
elsewhere. And we view this issue as a very important issue in my
administration, and stand ready to help. There's a special envoy from
our government that is participating in the process. I have constantly
asked the Prime Minister today whether or not the envoy is doing his
job the way the Prime Minister thinks he ought to be doing his job, and
the answer has been, yes.
I'm fully aware that the Prime Minister of both Great Britain and
Ireland are going to advance the process this early September. And we
stand ready to help. I wish them all the best. Because when this
conflict is resolved, it will be an example for others that
long-simmering disputes can be put behind them and free societies, and
peaceful societies, can emerge, for the interest of the peoples which
have been involved in those disputes.
Steve. Go ahead and yell it out. If I don't like the question I'll
-- (laughter.)
Q Thank you. Should America see the June 30th handover as the
beginning of an exit strategy from Iraq? And how big a threat is
Zarqawi to the new government?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes, well, Zarqawi has been a threat to lot of
people. He was such a threat that he was the person that ordered the
killing of Mr. Foley, who worked for the USAID -- he was an American
citizen working for our government, worked for Colin Powell. Zarqawi
ordered him to be killed. He had been in and out of Baghdad, by the
way. This is prior to the liberation of Iraq.
He is a problem because he's willing to kill people, innocent
people, in order to shake our will and shake our confidence. In other
words, he's willing to use death to stop the advance of freedom. He
recruits suiciders, orders suiciders, and has them attack on a regular
basis. Because he wants us to withdraw from Iraq, he wants Prime
Minister Allawi to lose his will. He wants him to quit and surrender.
I spoke to the Prime Minister the other day; I believe he is a man
of courage and backbone, and a man who does believe in the aspirations
of the Iraqi people. I believe he is one of the key ingredients in
making sure that we move toward a free society.
In terms of exit strategies, listen, Steve, we will work to stand
up an Iraqi security force and police force that is able to function,
to work up a chain of command where the Iraqi police and security folks
know that they're working for Iraqis, not for Americans. And we will
stay as long as necessary, and then we will leave. We will complete the
mission. And the faster the Iraqis take over their own security needs,
the faster the mission will end.
PRIME MINISTER AHERN: Charlie.
Q Taoiseach, the President has said that the bitter differences
over the war are over. This morning, President McAleese paid a courtesy
call on President Bush. She expressed certain disquiet on behalf of the
people of Ireland over some of the differences of what's happened in
Iraq. Did you echo those sentiments? And if I could also put the same
question to the President, how did he respond to what President
McAleese had to say?
PRIME MINISTER AHERN: And the answer is, I did, Charlie -- and not
on the first occasion. When I had the opportunity of meeting the
President on St. Patrick's Day, as he kindly does every year for us,
we raised these issues. We discussed these issues at the G8 meeting.
How prisoners have been dealt with in some of the -- in one of the
prisons, what has happened in the
-- from Afghanistan in Guantanamo, that that's been an issue. The
President has answered those. The President is concerned about his own
troops and some of the issues that happened as much -- as much as I am,
or anybody else in this country, and we've discussed that issue.
And I think it is a great thing that -- where we have such good
relationships with the United States, where we have so much
cooperation, where today we can clear eight declarations, but still, we
are all interested in progress, we're all interested in human rights
and the dignity of the person, that we can raise these issues. That is
a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. The President has given us
comprehensive answers, which I think both the Tanaiste and Minister
Cowen and myself were very glad to hear his perspective on this, and
want to admire it, because these things, unfortunately, happened. Of
course, we wish they didn't, but they do. And what's important then is
how they're dealt with, how things improve for the future. And the
questions were answered to -- as far as we were concerned, to our
satisfaction, and the progress for the future of what the President is
doing is also impressive.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Of course, the Prime Minister brought the issues of
Iraq up, as did the President. And I told them both I was sick with
what happened inside that prison. And so was -- so were the American
citizens. The action of those troops did not reflect what we think.
And it did harm. It did harm, because there are people in Ireland and
elsewhere that said, this isn't the America we know, this isn't the
America that we believe exists. And both leaders, of course, brought
the issue up, and they should. And I assured them that we'll deal with
this in a transparent way -- which stands in stark contrast to how a
tyrant would deal with it. Had these abuses -- well, these abuses did
take place in Iraq prior to our arrival. There were rape rooms, mass
graves. I don't remember any international investigation of what took
place in Iraq. You'll -- we are investigating, and you'll be able to
see exactly what takes place, and you'll be able to see the legal
process that unfolds.
And in terms of the decision to go to war, I can understand why
people were disquieted about that. Nobody likes war. But remember --
let me take a step back and remind you about what happened: There was
that resolution out of the United Nations called 1441, it was voted on
unanimously, where the world said, disclose, disarm, or face serious
consequences. That's what the world said. And Saddam Hussein deceived.
He didn't allow the inspectors to do their job. And so we had an issue
-- either you say something and mean it, or you don't. I happen to
believe when you say something you better mean it. And so with other
nations, we acted.
And now the task is to see to it that Iraq becomes a free country,
where people are able to realize their dreams. Free countries are
peaceful countries. And the best way to defeat terror as a tool to
promote a sick ideology is to promote freedom around the world. And
that's one of the key initiatives that we discussed today, which is the
initiative to promote democracy and stand with the reformers of the
broader Middle East.
Hutch.
Q Thank you. Mr. President, you don't appear to be a very popular
fellow here in Europe. Do you have any explanation for your poor poll
standings? And is that something that should concern Americans?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, Hutch, I must confess that the first polls I
worry about are those that are going to take place in early November of
this year. I -- listen, I care about the image of our country. We've
got a country that we've just got two-and-a-half trillion dollars worth
of trade, or $2.2 trillion worth of trade with the EU. Obviously,
something positive is happening.
I don't like it when the values of our country are -- are
misunderstood because of the actions of some people overseas. As far as
my own personal standing goes, Hutch, my job is to do my job. I'm going
to do it the way I think is necessary. I'm going to set a vision, I
will lead, and we'll just let the chips fall where they may.
Romano. You look like a nice fellow, I don't know why they don't
call on you. (Laughter.)
Q Taoiseach, could I ask you to confirm that the Portugese Prime
Minister Barrosa has emerged as the likely successor to Mr. Prodi, and
if you'll be proposing his name next Tuesday night as you're meeting
with the foreign ministers?
PRIME MINISTER AHERN: When I -- when I go back to Dublin this
evening, I have to talk to still about half of my colleagues, which I
hope to do that between about 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. tonight. I also
have to talk to Jose Manuel Barrosa, the present Prime Minister of
Portugal. But we do hope, sincerely hope, that I would be in a position
to both have the meeting and to make a recommendation and get a
positive decision on Tuesday evening.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thanks, Taoiseach. We've got to go to Turkey.
END 2:39 P.M. (Local)
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