Remarks by President Bush and President Chirac in a Joint Press Availability
Elysee Palace
Paris, France
7:41 P.M. (Local)
PRESIDENT CHIRAC: Very well, ladies and gentlemen. First of all,
let me tell you how happy I am to welcome the U.S. President most
warmly. He has come to Europe on the occasion, of course, of the
commemoration of the 60th anniversary of D-Day. And tomorrow, during
the course of the ceremonies which will take place in Normandy, and in
the presence of the veterans, and particular, of the American veterans,
of Operation Overlord, I will have the opportunity to say to America
and to Americans, just how deeply grateful we are to them today; how
grateful we are in the knowledge of the sacrifices they made, of the
blood that they spilled, their own blood, for the liberation of our
country, and of Europe as a whole. And I will say to them that France
says, thank you, and that France does not forget.
Now, on the occasion of the ceremonies, President Bush, who has
come to Europe, went first to Italy, as you know, and today has joined
us in France, which has enabled us to run through a certain number of
issues, especially in light of the up and coming summits, major summits
that are going to be taking place in June -- the G8 in Sea Island in a
few days time, and the Istanbul summit, later summit at the end of the
month.
As you can imagine, we had a very open, honest, confident
discussion on a host of different issues pertaining to the world
today. I say open and sincere and trusting, because from time to time,
I read comments that are not actually very reflective of the truth.
France and the U.S. have 200 years of shared history, and for 200 years
now, for two centuries now, we have defended the same and upheld the
same -- self-same values, which are the values of democracy, of peace,
of human rights. And, therefore, dialogue has always been easy and
made easy because of that, on those matters on which we see likewise
and also on other issues, and there are a number of issues in which we
are standing shoulder to shoulder, and we discuss them and run through
them, and that is all that pertains to peace and stability throughout
the world.
We, of course, touched upon our very strong cooperation in terms of
our fight against terrorism, and in that connection, we have, over the
last two years, considerably strengthened our cooperation,
collaboration. Likewise, in combating proliferation, a subject in
which we have like-minded views and exemplary cooperation, as, indeed,
evidenced by a PSI program cooperation, or the vote on Resolution 1540
of the U.N. Security Council.
We touched upon regional crises, and in particular, operations to
maintain peace where French and American soldiers are working
together. I think here of Afghanistan, where France is part and parcel
of Operation Enduring Freedom. Likewise, also, still in connection
with Afghanistan, the international force which is going to be
commanded shortly by a French general in Kabul. We also have excellent
cooperation in the Balkans, be it in Bosnia, be it in Kosovo. We have
cooperated to avoid, to stem off the worst in Haiti. And that's also
in quite exceptionally good ways.
We have expressed our common anxiety in light of what is happening
in Africa, and, in particular, what we see looming in Kivu -- in the
Kivu region, and all that this means in terms of threats to peace and
stability in the region. And we're very worried about the peace and
stability of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Now, on the subject of Iraq, where we all know that our countries
have had somewhat different approaches and solutions about a vision of
the situation which was not similar. That being said, we share one in
the same conviction today, namely that there is no alternative to
restoring peace and, therefore, to restoring security and development
in Iraq, and that no effort must be spared in achieving this.
And evidently, the discussions taking place within the U.N.
Security Council, basically aimed at adopting a resolution, which given
the present state of affairs in Iraq, must say loud and clear that the
international community is hell-bent on achieving one objective, which
is returning sovereignty to an Iraqi government, which will give hope
to Iraqis and the people of Iraq. So we are entirely like-minded on
that.
And I believe that things are moving in the right direction.
Discussions have been characterized by a very positive spirit, and I
very much hope that very shortly, in the next few days, we will come up
with a resolution which, indeed, reflects what, to us, is of the
essence, namely, to give the Iraqis themselves the sense that they have
recovered their own sovereignty and that their own destiny is in their
own hands, because that seems to us a sine qua non for any future
solution to the problems which this country necessarily faces.
Of course, we also touched upon the conflict in the Middle East,
because, as I said to the President, we are very worried when we see
that this conflict is continuing to spread, with all the knock-on
effects, regionally speaking, and beyond the region. And we cannot
ignore the Israeli-Syrian and Israeli-Lebanese dimensions of the
problem. And on the subject of Lebanon, precisely, we have expressed
renewed conviction and belief that Lebanon has to be ensured that its
independence and sovereignty are guaranteed.
Within a few days, we'll be meeting again at the G8 Summit at Sea
Island, where we will discuss decisions to be taken, talks to get into,
in respect of a certain number of issues having to do with growth,
development, employment, security; obviously, the fight against
terrorism and proliferation, but also development, in general, and a
sustainable development, in particular.
So, before I give the floor to President Bush, I should like to
conclude by, once again, expressing to him my warmest welcome.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you, Mr. President. Laura and I are honored
to be back in this beautiful country on the anniversary of a momentous
day in the history of freedom.
Tomorrow, I will join the President and other leaders at the
Normandy beaches to commemorate the Allied landing 60 years ago. We
will honor the many thousands of veterans, living and lost, who took
part in that battle. It will be a time to reflect on the sacrifices
that helped to defeat fascism, and to restore the liberty of France and
of Western Europe.
We will also remember the timeless lessons that D-Day teaches, that
sacrifices must always be borne in the defense of freedom, that free
nations working together can overcome danger, and that the deepest
source of strength of any army is the values for which it fights.
I appreciate all the hard work, Mr. President, that went into
planning this year's D-Day ceremonies, and I congratulate you and all
those involved. It's going to be a spectacular day.
I also appreciate the chance to talk to the President and to hear
his views on a variety of issues, on the common challenges we face.
Today, we discussed the future of Iraq as a free and democratic state.
Our coalition will soon hand over full sovereignty to an Iraqi
government. Iraq's new Prime Minister Allawi and his cabinet are
working hard to provide security and to prepare their country for
national elections that will bring forward new leaders empowered by the
Iraqi people. The interim government is the first step in a political
process, outlined in the transitional administrative law, which will
lead to the first democratic elections in Iraq's history, elections to
take place no later than January, 2005. At the request of the interim
government, the request of the Prime Minister, multinational forces
will remain in Iraq to help this new government succeed in its vital
work.
Free Iraq deserves the full support of the international community,
and I appreciate our discussions. The Iraqi people want and deserve
freedom, peace, and prosperity, and the nations of the world have a
responsibility to help them achieve that. Members of the U.N. Security
Council are working with Iraq's new leaders toward a new resolution
that will express international support for Iraq's interim government,
that will reaffirm the world's security commitment to the Iraqi nation,
and encourage other U.N. members to help in joining the Iraqi people as
they establish a representative government.
The President and I discussed our common goals in the broader
Middle East. We seek freedom and the peace that freedom brings. We
seek political and social reform, the true stability that results when
people are free to live and think and worship as they choose. We know
that freedom cannot be imposed from abroad, but free nations can, and
must, choose to ally ourselves with reformers, wherever they are, and
with reform, wherever it occurs.
I fully know that democratization is not the same as
westernization. Nations as different as Romania and the Philippines,
Nicaragua and Senegal and Turkey show that freedom takes different
forms around the globe, and that new liberties can find an honored
place amidst ancient traditions. Democratic governments in the Middle
East will reflect their own cultures and their own traditions. America
and France are working with many allies and friends in the region
beyond to support the increase of reform, which will serve as the
antidote to terror.
As the President mentioned, we'll be going to Sea Island, Georgia,
where we will discuss ways to build partnerships between the world's
great democracies and the nations of the broader Middle East. I look
forward to those discussions. Later this month we'll bring the same
message and the same challenge to the NATO summit in Turkey.
The President and I also share -- had discussions about the Holy
Land. We seek two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in
peace and security. I support the establishment of a Palestinian state
that is viable, contiguous, sovereign and independent. And I realize
that security is the foundation for peace and the starting point for
all progress in the Middle East.
I believe that Israel needs a truly responsible partner in
achieving peace. I believe the Palestinian people deserve democratic
institutions and responsible leaders. So for the sake of peace, I'm
committed to helping the Palestinian people establish a democratic and
viable state of their own. And I look forward to working with
President Chirac to achieve that objective.
The United States and France also agree that the people of Lebanon
should be free to determine their own future, without foreign
interference or domination.
Our two nations are working together to bring peace and security to
other parts of the globe. We're in Haiti together; we're in
Afghanistan together. We're working to ensure that Iran meets its
commitments to the IAEA, and does not develop nuclear weapons. The
President talked about our mutual concerns on the continent of Africa.
We're proud countries with deep traditions rooted in freedom and
equality and justice. These common values enable us to work together
for the good of world peace. And I look forward to doing that with
you, Mr. President. Thank you for your hospitality.
Now -- Jim Angle.
Q Thank you, Mr. President. As we understand, there has been an
exchange of letters between the new interim government in Iraq and the
coalition. I wonder if you could tell us a little something about
that, Mr. President.
And, President Chirac, if I may, sir, I assume you've been told
about this. Do you now believe that the new Iraqi government will get
full sovereignty? And do you have any remaining objections about a new
U.N. resolution?
PRESIDENT BUSH: One of the issues that I have been asked about
quite frequently was whether or not the Iraqi government would be able
to determine its security needs. And I said, absolutely; that's the
definition of sovereignty. And I also assured the American people at
several news conferences that we have entered into these kind of
security agreements in the past that recognize the sovereignty of the
host government. And the exchange of letters does just that. The
exchange of letters between the Prime Minister and the coalition lays
out the parameters of security, of the security cooperation in Iraq.
And this is a positive step forward.
PRESIDENT CHIRAC: On the subject of the resolution, again, I
repeat what I said earlier on. I think we have progressed, we have
moved forward positively, and we should be able to put the finishing
touches to this text very shortly. Now, yes, we still have to qualify
the matter pertaining to security arrangements that establish relations
between the Iraqi government and the coalition. But, obviously, we
wish to see sovereign and full authority, and the multinational force.
And as you rightly said, an exchange of letters between the Iraqi
government and the international force whose thrust has to be picked up
in the language of the resolution is happening right now. And I hope
all of this can take place very speedily.
In my view, in my view, what is important here, in all the
technicalities of all of this, what is important is to ensure that the
Iraqi people, that the Iraqis truly have the sense that they have
recovered their independence, their sovereignty, and that they hold
their own destiny in their hands. I think that that is the only way
forward if we want to solve the considerable problems that are arising
in this country, and to be able to contain the very strong forces --
see to it, as it were. And I feel it's very important that we send no
negative signal to the Iraqis in the sense that we might, in any way,
be undermining their sovereignty, because that would undermine their
confidence.
Yes, a question?
Q Thank you, sir. I would have a question for Mr. Bush. Once,
President Kennedy said, "Everyone has two countries, their own, and
France." And why is it that your policy tends to be pushing your
country and France to divorce?
Second point, some in public opinion have accused you of state
terrorism, and do you not believe that what has happened in Abu Ghraib
has put you in the same basket, as it were, of Saddam Hussein,
especially in the eyes of an international tribunal, and especially in
light of the unfound weapons of mass destruction?
PRESIDENT BUSH: To paraphrase President Kennedy, there's America,
and then there's Texas.
We have great relations with France. We work closely with the
French government on a lot of issues. I just laid out a lot of the
issues that we're working together on, as did the President. We're
working to stop proliferation, we're working in Haiti, we're working on
the continent of Africa. We're working to feed the hungry. We're
working to make sure that the pandemic of AIDS gets -- the people get
the help they need to arrest the pandemic of AIDS in Africa. No, there
are a lot of issues we work on.
As for the prison abuse issue, I am -- I was humiliated, as was
most of my country. Those soldiers didn't reflect the character of the
American people. They didn't -- they stained our honor. And the world
will see a full investigation of those -- of that humiliation, which
will stand in stark contrast to what takes place in states run by
tyrants. And there will be a full investigation in a transparent way.
And those that violated rules will be held to account.
Gregory. Monsieur Gregory. (Laughter.)
Q President Chirac, given the fact that your government also
believed that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq prior to
the war, do you believe that there was a worldwide intelligence
failure? And despite your opposition to the war, do you believe that
Iraq is better, or worse off, today?
Mr. President, what role specifically would you like the French to
play in Iraq going forward? Merci.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Listen, the French are going to provide great
advice. President Chirac has got good judgment about the Middle East,
and he understands those countries well. The French are going to work
together to put out a U.N. Security Council resolution that sends a
clear signal the free world is united in helping Iraq. And those are
great contributions, for which I am grateful, and so is my nation.
Q President Chirac -- Monsieur Presidente?
PRESIDENT CHIRAC: Yes, you said that the French government, if
I've understood you rightly, prior to the war had stated that there
were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and that is not correct. I
have always said that I had no information that would lead me to
believe that there were, or were not, for that matter, weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq. That's a fact. All the information available to
us at that time and on that subject did not allow us to take a stand or
to reach any conclusion, which is why I said to President Bush that I,
personally, was incapable of saying whether or not there were weapons
of mass destruction.
Q Do you believe that -- despite your opposition to the war, do
you believe that today Iraq is better or worse off?
PRESIDENT CHIRAC: Well, one thing is for certain, which is the
tyrannical regime of Saddam Hussein is no longer in power, and that is
a positive thing, it's a positive step. What's less positive is that
there is a degree of chaos prevailing. And our problem today is to try
and contain -- or build upon what has been achieved in positive terms.
In other words, open the way to what could be a form of democracy, and
ensure that the forces which are in a confrontational mode be
pacified.
But this is something we will see further down the road. We have
certainly not put the difficulties behind us; do not believe that. We
are in a situation which is extremely precarious.
Q Mr. President, to what extent is the comparison made by
President Bush between the liberation of Europe from Nazism 60 years
ago, which we're celebrating today, or tomorrow, rather, and the
liberation of Iraq by American forces a year ago -- to what extent do
you feel that this comparison is just and justified?
PRESIDENT CHIRAC: I fully understand what led President Bush to
establish or to make this comparison, if only for the reasons of
circumstance. I mean, what are we celebrating today and tomorrow? And
I think, nonetheless, that history does not repeat itself, and it is
very difficult to compare historical situations that differ, because
history is not repetitive. And there is a situation which we defined
earlier on in Iraq, prevailing in Iraq, which has to be contained and
has to be mastered. There's a lot to be done. We are going to have to
roll up our sleeves and put a lot of our hearts and our minds into
doing this. And, perhaps -- perhaps, we will succeed.