[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
[May 29, 2003]
[Pages 554-556]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Interview With Al Arabiyya of the United Arab Emirates
May 29, 2003

Upcoming Meeting With Arab Leaders

    Q. Thanks again. We really appreciate it, Mr. President. Sir, you 
will be discussing with the Arab leaders in Egypt their responsibilities 
toward the peace process. What are your expectations, practically 
speaking, from leaders such as President Mubarak and Crown Prince 
Abdullah?
    The President. Well, first of all, one, the willingness to join with 
the United States and other nations to cut off funding to terrorist 
organizations that can't stand the thought of peace. In other words, we 
all have got to work together to make security real, not only for Israel 
but for the Palestinian people. And that's my expectations from them.
    What I hope to achieve is to be able to look at these leaders in the 
eye and say, ``I believe peace is possible, and I'm going to work to 
peace.'' And this isn't just a visit in which you won't hear from me 
again. I believe peace is necessary and possible.
    I told a lot of the leaders that after the Iraq situation, that I 
would work toward peace in the Middle East. I'm the kind of person who 
does what he says he's going to do, and now I'm working to achieve that. 
And I think it's possible.

Upcoming Meeting With Israeli and Palestinian Authority Leaders

    Q. Sir, you are known for your straight talk--some could even say, 
blunt talk. [Laughter] Are you going to use that approach in Aqaba with 
Prime Minister Abbas and Prime Minister Sharon? Are you going to hold 
them accountable for their commitments? And how far are you willing to 
go in this regard?
    The President. I am going to hold people accountable for their 
commitments. And the good news is, is that Prime Minister Sharon knows that. I have had very straightforward 
conversations with him. I think it's in Israel's best interests that 
there be two states living side by side in peace.

[[Page 555]]

He too has embraced that idea. And I don't think there's going to be any 
need for me to hold him to account, but he's agreed to that vision.
    I have not met Prime Minister Abbas ``Abu 
Mazen'' yet. I look forward to it. And he will--I did meet 
his Finance Minister, a man who impressed me. 
And I will assure him that we will work together. But I'll also assure 
him that security is essential to achieve what we want, which is a 
viable Palestinian state.

Iraq

    Q. Sir, you have held the removal of President Saddam Hussein's 
regime from power as a harbinger for a new dawn in the Middle East. Yet, 
the day after in Iraq has been marred, unfortunately, by chaos, some 
bloodshed, uncertainty. What is that going to do to your vision of a 
broader, different, more liberal political landscape in the Middle East? 
You've talked about it several times.
    The President. Absolutely. Well, first of all, we're just starting 
in Iraq. And a lot of Iraq is stable, and the life of the Iraqi people 
are better now than it was prior to the war. I readily concede Baghdad 
is still a relatively dangerous place. And therefore, first things 
first, which is to bring security to Baghdad. But along with security, 
we're bringing better electricity, more food, more medicine. And it's 
not just America, by the way; the world is now involved with the 
reconstruction of Iraq.
    I remind people that, for example, in the United States it took 13 
years for us to finally settle on a Constitution. And I guess some 
expect us to do it in 13 days in Iraq, and it's going--it's just going 
to take longer. And I talked to Jerry Bremer,  Paul ``Jerry'', 
III and again, will see him when I go to the region and will 
remind him that we're patient here in America, that we--you know, it 
wasn't until March 19th that we actually began operations. So there 
hasn't been much time yet.
    I'm not surprised that there's still some pessimism and people are 
unsettled. After all, they have lived under a brutal regime for a long 
time. But I'm confident we'll achieve our objective, and I'm confident 
the Iraqi people will be better off.

Iran and Syria

    Q. Sir, you've used tough language vis-a-vis Iran and Syria in the 
last few weeks. Is the United States on a collision course with Tehran? 
And what is the state of play with Syria, following Secretary Powell's 
visit to Damascus?
    The President. Well, first, Secretary Powell had a good visit to Damascus. And yes, we used some tough 
rhetoric, because it looked like Ba'athists were trying to escape into 
Syria, and obviously, we didn't want that to happen. And the Syrian 
Government pledged that that wouldn't be the case. We take people for 
their word until proven otherwise.
    In Iran, obviously, we're nervous about the reporting now out that 
there's some Al Qaida inside of Iran. We just want the Iranians to 
understand that if there are Al Qaida loose in Iran, we expect them to 
be detained. If there are Al Qaida in Iran and they plot against the 
United States, that obviously we're going to be displeased with that.
    My hope, of course, is that the Iranians respond. And they've heard 
our message loud and clear, and I suspect they will.
    Q. I have one more question, sir.
    The President. Sure.

Arab Allies in the War on Terrorism

    Q. Who are your Arab allies in the war on terrorism? Sometimes we 
hear conflicting reports, for instance, on Saudi Arabia----
    The President. Yes.
    Q. ----sometimes they cooperate, we are told; sometimes they don't 
cooperate. What is the state of play?
    The President. That's a good question. Crown Prince Abdullah is a 
strong ally in the war on terror. I know this not only from my 
conversations with these men, but also because of the cooperation 
between our intelligence services.
    The Gulf Coast countries have been strong supporters in the war on 
terror, and I'm grateful for that support.
    Q. Mr. President, we really appreciate it. Thanks again. There are 
so many questions, so little time. [Laughter]
    The President. Well, I'm sorry.

Note: The interview was taped at 2:54 p.m. in the Library at the White 
House for later broadcast, and the transcript was embargoed for release 
by the Office of the Press Secretary until 4 p.m. In his remarks, the 
President referred to President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt; Crown Prince 
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia; Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel; Prime 
Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and Finance Minister Salam Fayyad of 
the Palestinian Authority; L. Paul Bremer III, Presidential Envoy to 
Iraq; and King Abdullah II of Jordan. A tape was not available for 
verification of the content of this interview.