Author: Camp David
Publication: The White House
Date: June 24, 2003
URL: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/06/20030624-3.html
Remarks by President Bush and President
Musharraf of Pakistan in Press Availability
PRESIDENT BUSH: Good day, Mr. President.
Thank you so much for coming. Laura and I are honored that you and Mrs.
Musharraf are joining us here at Camp David.
President Musharraf is a courageous
leader and a friend of the United States. America has a strong relationship
with Pakistan, and we have benefitted from the industry and the talents
of Pakistani Americans.
Today, our two nations are working
together closely on common challenges. Both the United States and Pakistan
are threatened by global terror, and we're determined to defeat it. Pakistan's
support was essential in our campaign against the Taliban.
Since September 11th attacks, Pakistan
has apprehended more than 500 al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists -- thanks
to the effective border security measures and law enforcement cooperation
throughout the country, and thanks to the leadership of President Musharraf.
Today, both our countries are working
with the Afghan government to build a stable democratic Afghanistan with
secure border regions that are free from terror and free from extremism.
Pakistan and the United States also share a determination to bring the
security -- the benefits of security and freedom to the people of Iraq.
And I look forward to working with President Musharraf on this critical
goal.
The friendship between the United
States and Pakistan is vital to the security and stability of South Asia.
I'm encouraged by the progress President Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister
Vajpayee may have made in easing tensions between Pakistan and India. I'm
hopeful that the two countries will deepen their engagement on all issues,
including Kashmir.
In our meeting we discussed the
need to address extremism and cross-border infiltration, and I assured
the President that the United States will do all we can to promote peace.
President Musharraf has set out on an important mission. He's working to
build a modern Pakistan that is tolerant and prosperous. Achieving this
vision of moderation and progress will require movement toward democracy
in Pakistan. The United States currently provides over $31 million for
initiatives in Pakistan, aimed at broadening political participation and
expanding educational opportunities, especially for women and girls.
Greater economic development is
also critical to fulfilling the hopes of the Pakistani people. Since we
met last year, the United States has cancelled $1 billion of debt Pakistan
owed our country. And today I'm pleased to announce that our nations are
signing a trade and investment framework agreement, which creates a formal
structure for expanding our economic partnership. In addition, I will work
with the United States Congress on a $3 billion assistance package to help
advance security and economic opportunity for Pakistan's citizens.
For more than 50 years, the United
States and Pakistan have worked together for the security and prosperity
of South Asia. Today, we reaffirm a friendship that has brought great benefits
to our people.
Mr. President, I'm honored you are
here.
PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF: Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. President. I am extremely grateful to President
Bush for his gracious invitation to me to visit the United States. I am
particularly honored and touched by his special gesture in arranging our
meeting in Camp David.
This is my fourth visit to the United
States, and, as always, the United States hospitality has been warm and
exemplary. This special gesture by the President to come to Camp David
and invite me here on a Tuesday is certainly a typical example of his warmth
and cordiality towards me as a person and towards Pakistan.
We had wide-ranging and extensive
discussions with President Bush in a congenial and most informal ambiance.
These discussions have been highly productive, reflective of the very close
and, indeed, special relationship that Pakistan today enjoys with the United
States.
We have talked not only about our
bilateral ties and the immediate situation prevailing in our region in
South Asia, but have also reflected upon and shared ideas of our common
vision of a peaceful and prosperous world. We have reviewed in depth with
President Bush how to strengthen and expand the Pakistan-U.S. bilateral
relationship and to give it greater depth and meaning.
Both sides have reaffirmed that
our ties should be made more broad-based and multifaceted and placed on
a long-term and predictable basis. The United States has accordingly agreed
on a multi-year economic and defense related package for Pakistan. This
exemplifies the U.S. commitment to remain involved with us for a long term.
We look forward to diverse programs of cooperation in the economic, commercial,
political and the defense sectors. We also expect greater people-to-people
contacts and close interaction between the parliaments of the two countries
to promote the cause of democracy.
As a result of this commitment,
two important agreements will be signed during my visit to the United States.
One relates to the trade and investment framework agreement, the TIFA,
which would help move towards an eventual free trade agreement, the FTA.
The other relates to an agreement
on cooperation in the field of science and technology, which would provide
impetus to growth and development. Our two countries have many common bonds
and linkages. Our relationship is of long-standing and in the interest
of the people of our two countries. We have cooperated closely in the global
fight against terrorism and we stand determined to rid the world of this
menace.
We abhor terrorism in all its forms
and manifestations. There is no cause that can be justified or promoted
through terrorist acts. And Pakistan is moving against terrorism in its
own national interest.
We also believe that our relations
with the United States are a factor of stability in South Asia. We are
grateful to the United States for its constructive engagement in our region,
and for its untiring efforts in diffusing tension and bringing about a
dialogue process between Pakistan and India, aimed at the resolution of
all outstanding issues, including the core issue of Jammmu and Kashmir.
President Bush has assured me that he personally, and the United States,
would remain firmly engaged in South Asia towards the end of bringing peace
and harmony in the region.
We also reviewed the situation prevailing
in Afghanistan. We reiterated our firm support to the Bonn process, and
to the government of President Karzai, which needs to be strengthened.
It is important that the world community remains engaged in Afghanistan,
and lives up to its commitment towards the reconstruction and development
of this devastated country.
We also discussed a number of other
important issues, such as the situation in Iraq, and the Middle East peace
process. I have -- I would like to, in front of this gathering, extend
a very warm invitation to the President and Mrs. Laura Bush, may I say,
to visit Pakistan, and do us this honor, and give us this opportunity of
reciprocating the warmth and cordiality that myself and my wife always
receive very well when we visit United States.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you, Mr. President.
PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF: Thank you very
much.
PRESIDENT BUSH: We will take two
questions from each side, and we'll start with Tom Raum.
Q For both Presidents, the war on
terror that you're both engaged in, there are two principles that are still
at large. Could you tell us anything about the whereabouts of Osama bin
Laden? Is he back in business in Pakistan? And what about Saddam Hussein?
Is he back in Iraq?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, let me start
off. There's more than two principles at large. There are terrorists who
are -- still have designs are destabilizing the Pakistan government, and
are destroying innocent life. You've named two. There are others around,
too. And we're just on the hunt. And we'll find them. It's a matter of
time.
Thanks to President Musharraf's
leadership, on the al Qaeda front we've dismantled the chief operators
of al Qaeda. If Osama bin Laden is alive -- and the President can comment
on that if he cares to -- but the people reporting to him, the chief operators,
people like Khalid Sheik Mohammed are no longer a threat to the United
States or Pakistan, for that matter.
As I said in my opening remarks,
thanks to the leadership of this man and his government, over 500 al Qaeda
and Taliban terrorists are detained, they're no longer a problem. So slowly
but surely, we're dismantling the networks. And we'll continue on the hunt,
it doesn't matter how long it takes. It could take a day or it could take
a month, it could take years. It doesn't matter how long it takes, Mr.
President, we will stay on the hunt. And we want to thank you for your
cooperation.
PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF: Thank you very
much. All that I would like to say is that in search of all the al Qaeda
operatives who are non-Afghan, non-Pakistani, pretty easy to identify,
we have entered on the Pakistani side an area known as the FATA, the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas, areas where the government never entered for
over a century. This is the first time that the Pakistan army and our civil
armed forces have entered this region. And we are in the process of opening
up this region.
Now, if at all any al Qaeda operative
is hiding in this region, we are after them. Now, whether Osama bin Laden
is here or across the border, your guess, sir, will be as good as mine.
So I wouldn't like to venture into a guess. But the possibility of his,
maybe, shifting sides on the border is very much there. But as I said,
we are fully inside the areas, which are treacherous areas. We have an
ingress there. And there is no doubt in my mind that the military, with
every passage of time, will be able to locate any al Qaeda members hiding
in this area.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Do you want to call
on somebody from your press?
PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF: Yes, indeed.
I think I'll take --
Q Mr. President Bush. It's a very
positive statement for bringing peace into South Asia, which is already
nuclearized, but during the 20 years of honeymoon period of India with
Soviet Union, India is the one who launched nuclear program, and insecure
and a smaller Pakistan, in search of its security, did the same thing.
Now, when you are starting a stable relationship with India, what kind
of security concerns you are going to address about the territorial integrity
of Pakistan and security concerns, because Pakistan is much smaller in
the conventional weapons, and that's why they have gone nuclear?
PRESIDENT BUSH: I think -- we've
spent a lot of time on this subject, not only today, but during previous
meetings. I assured President Musharraf that the United States wants to
help toward achieving a peaceful solution. What you've just described is
the reason why there needs to be a peaceful solution on this issue and
other issues. Our role will be to be a -- to aid the process forward. The
decision makers will be the Pakistani government and the Indian government.
Those are the governments that have to decide how to resolve this issue,
which is a -- which has been a thorn in both people's sides.
One thing is for certain, that we
all must work together to fight off terrorists who would like to prevent
a peaceful solution. There needs to be a hundred percent effort on all
parties side; every party involved with this issue must focus on not allowing
a few to undermine the hopes of many. And the President knows that I will
remain engaged. I have -- stand by, ready to help. But the truth of the
matter is for there to be a final agreement, it's going to require leadership
from both the Pakistani government and the Indian government.
Q May I have one more question?
PRESIDENT BUSH: No, you can't. Thank
you.
Q Mr. President, you mentioned you'd
like to see a movement toward democracy in --
PRESIDENT BUSH: What now?
Q You mentioned that you would like
to see a movement toward democracy in Pakistan. What would you like to
see happen? There's a report that he might dissolve the parliament there.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, the President
and I talked about the reforms that he's putting in place, and the democracy
to which he is committed. One of the things that he has done that is most
impressive for the long-term stability of Pakistan is to address education
reform. A good education system is one that is going to mean more likely
for any country, including ourselves, to be a freer country, and a more
democratic country.
And he is -- he's taking on the
issue in a way that is a visionary and strong. He's dealing with the Madrassahs
in a way that is productive and constructive. He is working on a national
curriculum that will focus on basic education. I'll let him describe his
vision. But this country is committed to democracy, and we're committed
to freedom. We're also committed to working with our partner to fight off
the influences of terrorism. And we've had no better partner in our fight
on terror than President Musharraf.
PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF: Thank you,
Mr. President. I would like to say a word on the previous question, also,
and before I address your -- answer your question. Pakistan very clearly,
obviously, is concerned, any country is concerned about its security. Pakistan
follows a strategy of minimum deterrence. We are not into any arms race,
but we do maintain forces to ensure this strategy of minimum deterrence.
And that is what we will keep doing
to guard our honor and dignity. We have, as far as India is concerned,
our sovereign equality to guard, vis-a-vis, India. And this is what we
pursue whenever we are talking of any defense related issues.
Coming to your question, sir, about
democracy, let me assure you it may sound rather odd that I, being a military
man, am talking of democracy. But let me assure you that I am extremely
concerned about introducing sustainable democracy in Pakistan.
Over the last 50 years, five decades,
we have had dysfunctional democracy in Pakistan. And what I am doing, really,
is to introduce sustainable democracy. Let me assure you, all the constitution
changes, all the political restructuring that we have done is in line with
ensuring sustainable democracy in Pakistan. We will continue with this
process, to ensure that democracy is never derailed in Pakistan. This is
my assurance.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Final question,
that you'd like to call?
PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF: -- yes, please.
Q This is to President Bush. During
the Indian Deputy Prime Minister Advani's visit last week, there were press
reports of his claiming to have received assurances from your administration
that Pakistan will not be provided with F-16s. This contrasts sharply with
the positive relationship that Pakistan currently enjoys with the United
States. The Pakistani public sets great score by the F-16s. So, Mr. President,
should the Pakistani public believe Mr. Advani?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, the --
PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF: You are never
going to escape this.
PRESIDENT BUSH: No, I know. (Laughter.)
Let me just say -- first, let me say, the President is not afraid to bring
up the issue of F-16s. He has been a strong advocate for the sale of F-16s
to Pakistan. In the package that we discussed, the five-year, $3 billion
package, half of that money goes for defense matters, of which the F-16
won't be a part. Nevertheless, we want to work closely with our friend
to make sure that the package meets the needs of the Pakistan people.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
We're honored you're here.
PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF: Thank you.
PRESIDENT BUSH: It's been a great
meeting.
PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF: Thank you,
Mr. President.
END 12:08 P.M. EDT
