PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. President, welcome to the Oval Office. Last
time we met was in Georgia, and now you're here in Washington, D.C. and
I'm really honored you're here.
First, I want to thank you for your courage and your vision for a
united and free Iraq. The President and I just had a great
conversation about the future of Iraq -- he can speak for himself, but
I came away that I'm talking to a man who has got great confidence in
the Iraqi people's capacity to self-govern and a great belief in the
fact that it's going to happen.
We talked about a variety of issues. We talked about how the
United States can continue to stand with those who believe in
democracy. We talked about the security situation. We talked about
the election process. And I assured the President that my comments
about the need to have elections was real and genuine. I believe it's
necessary for the Iraqi people to vote on January the 30th because it
provides an opportunity for people to participate in democracy. It'll
send the clear message to the few people in Iraq that are trying to
stop the march toward democracy that they cannot stop elections. It
will give the Iraqi people a chance to become invested in the future of
that vital country.
And the President can speak for himself on the subject, but he was
very reassuring to me, as he was yesterday in his comments to the
American people.
All in all, Mr. President, I am really proud you're here. I look
forward to working with you.
PRESIDENT AL-YAWER: Thank you.
PRESIDENT BUSH: And I look forward to achieving a common
objective, which is an Iraq that is free and peaceful.
PRESIDENT AL-YAWER: Thank you very much, sir. I've been honored
this morning to meet the President of the United States -- after all,
we in Iraq are in debt for the United States for -- and the courageous
leadership of President Bush of liberating Iraq from a dynasty, a
villain. Right now we are faced with the armies of darkness who are --
who have no objective but to undermine the political process and incite
civil war in Iraq. But I want to assure the whole world that this will
never, ever happen; that we in Iraq are committed to move along. After
all these sacrifices there is no way on earth that we will let it go in
vain.
This is very important. Victory is not only possible, it's a fact,
we can see it, it's there. We are committed. We see that we have all
the reasons to prevail. We see that our enemy is an enemy that has
only a short time because they have no roots in the Iraqi society, they
have no ideology that they can sell to Iraq or the whole world.
There is unfairness by calling them Sunni insurgents
-- these are not Sunni. These are a mix of people who have one
thing in common: hatred to the Iraqi society and hatred to democracy,
people who are trying to stop us from having our first elections. We
in Iraq, the whole Iraqi society are willing to participate in
elections. Nobody in Iraq wants to boycott the elections, except for
some politicians. But I'm talking about the mass public of Iraq; they
all are very anxious to go and cast their votes and practice, for the
first time in 45 years, their right and duty of voting for whoever they
feel confidence in.
This is very important. And I just came here to tell the President
of the United States and the American public that we in Iraq are very
appreciative for all the sacrifices; that this is a job that we see has
honor and even a duty that we have to make everybody free. In Iraq,
these people are trying to kidnap people in streets and sell them from
one gang to another. This is slavery, and shame on anybody who can
condone to slavery. We are going to face them. We are determined.
And God bless you, sir.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you very much, good job.
PRESIDENT AL-YAWER: Thank you.
PRESIDENT BUSH: We'll answer a couple of questions in the spirit
of democracy.
Q Mr. President, who do you think was behind today's attacks in
Saudi Arabia, and what do you think was their motive? And on Iraq, if I
could ask a little bit more, how can Iraqis feel secure about going to
the polls on January 30th when there is so much violence and
bloodshed?
PRESIDENT BUSH: First, on the incident in Saudi Arabia, I want to
thank the Saudi government for responding as quickly as they did. We
send our heartfelt condolences to the Saudi National Guard that died in
the defense of our consulate. I want to thank the Marines for doing
their job so splendidly. And we will find out more about who caused
the attacks. As I understand it, several of the attackers died, but
several were captured by the Saudi government, and I'm confident they
will share the information with us.
The attacks in Saudi Arabia remind us that the terrorists are still
on the move. They're interested in affecting the will of free
countries. They want us to leave Saudi Arabia. They want us to leave
Iraq. They want us to grow timid and weary in the face of their
willingness to kill randomly and kill innocent people. And that's why
these elections in Iraq are very important.
You remember all the dire threats prior to the elections in
Afghanistan. People said, if you vote in Afghanistan, you'll be
killed. But the desire of people to vote overwhelmed the capacity of
the terrorists. And this is the same message we're getting here in
Iraq -- that people are willing to blow up people by the use of car
bombs will do anything they can to stop democracy, and there is a
reason why -- because a free society in Iraq will be a major defeat for
the terrorists.
And I think that the capacity of these killers to stop an election
would send a wrong signal to the world, and send a wrong signal to the
Iraqi people, themselves. And the President has said that people want
to vote, and I believe they ought to have a chance to vote. And we'll
do everything we can, working with the Iraqis, to make the election
sites as secure as possible. That's why the commanders on the ground
have asked for additional troops -- to help with the election process.
And I granted them that request, Mr. President. And our commanders,
working with Ambassador Negroponte and the Iraqi security forces,
believe they can do a lot to make these polling places secure. You can
never guarantee a hundred percent security.
But Iraqi people have a chance to say to the world, we choose
democracy over terrorism. And that's going to be defining moment in
that country.
Are you Al Jazeera?
Q Al Arabia.
THE PRESIDENT: I mean, Al Arabia. Welcome.
Q Mr. President, I know that the democracy is your major
concern in Iraq and in the Middle East. Despite all difficulties,
security difficulties we see in Iraq, are you confident that this
election will produce a true democracy in Iraq and then will help your
project in the Middle East?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. I appreciate that question. I am confident
that when peoples are allowed to vote and express their will, peaceful
societies emerge. And I'm confident that the process that has been set
up by the international community to allow the people of Iraq to
express their will is a major step in democracy in the greater Middle
East. I believe the Iraqi people have got the capacity and the desire
to self-govern. And these elections will be a very important moment in
the advance of democracy.
The American people must understand that democracy just doesn't
happen overnight. It is a process. It is an evolution. After all,
look at our own history. We had great principles enunciated in our
Declarations of Independence and our Constitution, yet, we had slavery
for a hundred years. It takes a while for democracy to take hold. And
this is a major first step in a society which enables people to express
their beliefs and their opinions.
I also believe that success in Iraq will breed success elsewhere.
I believe it is very possible for there to be a Palestinian state with
the institutions of democracy in place that will allow for leadership
to emerge that listens to the demands of the Palestinian people. And
when such a state takes place, it will make peace much more possible
with the Israelis. And so in a second term, not only will I work with
our Iraqi friends to help them achieve democracy that the President has
just said is the overwhelming desire of most people, but I'll also
spend time and efforts to help the Palestinian people grow their own
state and own democracy so we can achieve peace.
Steve.
Q Senator Warner has raised some concerns about the chain of
command issue in the intelligence reform bill. Is this bill going to
have to wait until next year?
THE PRESIDENT: I certainly hope the bill gets to my desk soon. I
believe we have addressed the concerns of, by far, the majority of
members of both the House and the Senate. As we speak, we're working
with the key members to address concerns. I call upon the Congress to
pass the intelligence bill. It is a good piece of legislation. It is
a necessary piece of legislation. It's a piece of legislation that is
important for the security of our country.