[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
[May 29, 2003]
[Pages 567-569]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Interview With TVP of Poland
May 29, 2003
Upcoming Visit to Poland
Q. Mr. President, in a few hours you begin your quite unexpected
visit to Poland. Are you going to Krakow just to thank us for our
support and participation in the war in Iraq?
The President. That's one reason I'm going to Krakow. I think it's
very important
[[Page 568]]
for the Polish people to understand how deeply Americans appreciate
their sacrifice and their courage and their willingness to work with us
in Iraq and in Afghanistan.
I'm also going to Auschwitz to remind people that we must confront
evil when we find it, and there's no better place to remind people that
there has been evil in the world than at Auschwitz. I'm also going to
talk about the great spirit of the Polish people, and I'm looking
forward to it. I will have been to Poland now twice since--in my
Presidency, and there's a reason, because I have a special fondness for
Poland.
European Response to Poland's Role in Iraq
Q. Mr. President, as you probably know, we've been strongly
criticized for our support to America. President Chirac started by
telling us that we lost our chance to sit quietly. German press called
us American trojan donkey in Europe--not even a horse, American trojan
donkey. How do you perceive these opinions from American perspective?
The President. I think it's unfortunate that some of the countries
in Europe will try to bully Poland for standing up for what you think--
what they think is right. And I'm going to say in my speech, Poland
needs to be in the EU and Poland can be a friend of the United States
and the two are not in conflict. I'm also going to remind the countries
of Europe that we must work together. We don't need divides between us.
We need to work together to achieve big objectives, which is to fight
terror, to fight global poverty, to fight AIDS, and to promote freedom.
Q. But Mr. President, aren't you afraid that, for our support to
America, we might be isolated in the future united Europe, which we are
about to enter?
The President. No, I don't think you will be isolated. I think
Poland is too important a country to be isolated. I think the days of
harsh lecturing are over with. I think Poland is going to be such an
important member of the EU that people will welcome Poland's entry with
open arms.
No, I don't think so. I think that was a heated rhetoric of the
moment.
Q. But thanks to your decision we are going to run one of the zones
in Iraq. And of course our EU partners do not want to be there with us.
They say that we're new, we're unexperienced, and we simply do not
deserve getting what we got. And aren't you afraid that we may fail in
Iraq, or are you absolutely sure that you made the right decision?
The President. I'm absolutely sure I made the right decision.
Q. Why?
The President. Because I've seen the Polish troops in action. And I
know President Kwasniewski, and I
know the spirit of the Polish people. And there's no doubt in my mind
that Poland will be able to accomplish the objectives we set out
together.
And it was also--the critics need to watch very carefully what's
happening. NATO is going to support the Polish efforts inside of Iraq.
Poland will not be alone. Poland will have plenty of support. Poland is
a member of this coalition of the willing, who stood up for freedom and
stood up for peace and stood up for security. And Poland also recognizes
that there's more work to do. And I'm--also I'm going to Poland to thank
the Polish people for caring about freedom in other parts of the world.
Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction
Q. But still, those countries who didn't support the Iraqi Freedom
operation use the same argument, weapons of mass destruction haven't
been found. So what argument will you use now to justify this war?
The President. We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found
biological laboratories. You remember when Colin Powell stood up in front of the world, and he said, ``Iraq has
got laboratories, mobile labs to build biological weapons.'' They're
illegal. They're against the United Nations
[[Page 569]]
resolutions, and we've so far discovered two. And we'll find more
weapons as time goes on. But for those who say we haven't found the
banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong. We found
them.
Poland-U.S. Relations
Q. Mr. President, the last question. Coming back to your trip to
Warsaw. Two years ago you quoted a very popular song in Poland, ``On
that wheat field I'm going to build my San Francisco, over the molehill,
I'm going to build my bank.'' And there are such places in Poland in
which people believe they could build a little San Francisco, if, for
example, they have American military base in their neighborhood. What
would you tell these people today, Mr. President?
The President. Well, I'm telling them that we're looking at all
options, of course. I make no promises, but we will remember who our
friends are. And the Polish people have been strong friends of the
United States. And for that, we are very grateful.
Q. Thank you very much, Mr. President, and here's something for you.
They couldn't come for a concert to play for you, the--the songs that
you quoted, and they wrote it here: ``To Mr. President Bush, fond
greetings from the mountains, and hope you enjoy it.''
The President. Oh, thank you so very much. I'm honored. I look
forward to listening to this. I've got just the CD player to use, right
upstairs in the residence here.
Q. That's great. It's number three on that CD.
The President. Well, thanks.
Q. Thank you.
Note: The interview was taped at 2:28 p.m. on May 29 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 1:30 p.m. on May
30. In his remarks, the President referred to President Aleksander
Kwasniewski of Poland. A reporter referred to President Jacques Chirac
of France. A tape was not available for verification of the content of
this interview.