President Bush Welcomes President Lagos of Chile
Remarks by President Bush and President Lagos of Chile in Photo Opportunity
The Oval Office
12:01 P.M. EDT
PRESIDENT BUSH: We'll answer a couple of questions. First, I'll
say something, the President will say something. I'll call upon an
American correspondent, he'll call upon a Chilean correspondent -- and
we'll do this two times.
First, bienvenidos. I'm glad you're here, Mr. President. Ricardo
Lagos is a very wise man, who is -- understands the politics of South
America very well and is very worldly, and so I always enjoy visiting
with him. He's a man of good advice and sound counsel. And so I'm
looking forward to our continued discussions over lunch.
One of the things that has worked well is the free trade agreement
with Chile, and we talked about that today. It turns out, Chilean
exports to the United States are up, but United States exports to Chile
are up, as well. And that's a positive development. It's good for the
people of Chile and it's good for the people of the United States. And
our relations are strong and they're important relations.
So, Mr. President, welcome, I'm glad you're here. I'm looking
forward to our continued discussions.
PRESIDENT LAGOS: Thank you. Well, let me tell you that I am
extremely happy to be here again, to be able to discuss and talk with
President Bush about the major areas in the region. Also, the update
on the latest developments in the Middle East.
And at the same time I think, as President Bush is saying, our free
trade agreement has been working in the right direction. And we're
extremely happy to see that. Later on we would like also to see what
do we have in the next APEC meeting in November and what are the trade
discussions in the Doha round next month -- next week.
And I will say also that from the point of the view of the region,
President Bush has been able to have a lot of commitments to the region
and we were discussing also our own commitment in Chile, with regard to
Haiti, what we are doing in the region. And I think that it's very
important, as President Bush has told us, in a sense, that the U.S. is
going to continue backing, helping the Haitian people.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Pues, (Laughter.) primera pregunta de el hombre de
AP.
PRESIDENT LAGOS: I will translate. (Laughter.)
Q Thank you.
PRESIDENT BUSH: That would be you.
Q Thank you. The Acting Director of the CIA says he sees no
need to create a Cabinet-level National Director of Intelligence. Does
he speak for you and your administration when he says that, Mr.
President? And speaking of the CIA, can you give us an update on when
you expect to name a new Director?
PRESIDENT BUSH: The 9/11 Commission will issue a report this week,
and, evidently, will lay out recommendations for reform of the
intelligence services of the United States. I look forward to seeing
those recommendations. They share the same desires I share, which is
to make sure that the President and the Congress gets the best possible
intelligence.
I have spoken about the reforms. Some of the reforms, I think, are
necessary: more human intelligence, better ability to listen or to see
things, and better coordination amongst the variety of
intelligence-gathering services. And so we'll look at all their
recommendations, and I will comment upon that having studied what they
-- what they say.
Q And the new Director appointment?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Still thinking about it. Let you know when it's
going to happen. I wouldn't -- I know there's intense speculation over
time, and people get their hopes built up. And still -- still taking a
good, hard look.
Q Mr. President --
PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes.
Q -- from Chile. We've been hearing a lot in the past few days
about the Riggs investigation, that found out hidden accounts of
Senator Pinochet. I understand two senators that are working in that
committee are asking the Justice Department to take legal actions. Is
that possible? What consequences can that have?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, I think the people of Chile must know that
there will be a full investigation. It's important for the facts to be
en la mesa, as we say -- on the table, and -- so that we know what
course of action may or may not be needed. And that's what you're
seeing. You're seeing a transparent society dealing with allegations
and/or -- and the Riggs Bank is being fully investigated, and they'll
be investigated in a very open way.
And the President brought this issue up. Of course, he's concerned
about it, as well. He wants to know the truth. And I appreciate that,
and we'll make sure that people do know the truth. And that's what
you're seeing. You're beginning to see the process of truth-finding.
Steve.
Q Sir --
THE PRESIDENT: Esteban.
Q Thank you. We're hearing now that eight of the September
11th hijackers passed through Iran before attacking the United States.
Do you think there's a September 11th link to Iran?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, listen, we want -- of course, we want to
know all the facts. Acting Director McLaughlin said there was no
direct connection between Iran and the attacks of September the 11th.
We will continue to look and see if the Iranians were involved. I have
long expressed my concerns about Iran. After all, it's a totalitarian
society where free people are not allowed to exercise their rights as
human beings. I have made it clear that if the Iranians would like to
have better relations with the United States there are some things they
must do.
For example, they're harboring al Qaeda leadership there. And
we've asked that they be turned over to their respective countries.
Secondly, they've got a nuclear weapons program that they need to
dismantle. We're working with other countries to encourage them to do
so. Thirdly, they've got to stop funding terrorist organizations such
as Hezbollah that create great dangers in parts of the world.
No, this has been an issue that I have been concerned about ever
since I've been the President. As to direct connections with September
the 11th, we're digging into the facts to determine if there was one.
Q -- from Chile. What do you think about the role that Chile
is playing in the reconstruction in Haiti and as an observer of the
political referendum in Venezuela?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Listen, the Chilean response in Haiti was rapid
and important. President Lagos is a decisive man, and when he saw a
problem, he went to the people of Chile and explained the problem and
responded. And I want to thank him for that. It was -- Chile is
making a very important contribution to the stability and, hopefully,
the prosperity of Haiti. And we spent a lot of time talking about,
today, about how the United States can continue to not only stay
involved, but to help. And I find it very interesting that the United
Nations is sending a very distinguished citizen from Chile to Haiti to
help stabilize that country so the people of Haiti have a chance to
live a hopeful life.
And that's going to require security measures, and as the President
mentioned -- I think you said in Spanish, there's a donors conference
tomorrow, it's a very important conference, and that we will be
attending, along with Chile, to see if we can't set priorities for the
people of Chile [sic]* so they have a chance to live a good life.
And the second part of the question was?
PRESIDENT LAGOS: Venezuela.
Q About political referendum --
PRESIDENT BUSH: Again, this is a -- Chile plays a very important
role in our neighborhood, and the referendum in Venezuela is an
important referendum. And the referendum must be conducted in a honest
and open way. And the influence of President Lagos is a very important
influence, because he has made it clear that for the credibility of the
current government, they must welcome observers, they must encourage
observers, and they must not interfere with the process, so that the
people of Venezuela have a chance to express their opinion without fear
of reprisal.
And so, again, I want to thank my friend, Ricardo Lagos, for
playing a very constructive role.