Transcript: Bush Expresses "Special Fondness" for Poland in Interview

(May 29: deplores attempts "to bully Poland" on Iraq) (1300)

In an interview with TVP Poland at the White House May 29, President
Bush expressed a "special fondness" for Poland and said he was
"absolutely sure" he made the right decision in asking Poland to run
one of the zones in post-war Iraq.

"I think it's very important 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," Bush
said, citing his message of thanks as one reason for his visit to
Poland.

Asked about criticism by some European countries toward Poland because
of its support for the campaign against Saddam Hussein's regime, Bush
replied that he thinks it "unfortunate that some of the countries in
Europe will try to bully Poland for standing up for what ... [it
thinks] is right."

"The critics need to watch very carefully what's happening," he said.
"NATO is going to support the Polish efforts inside of Iraq. Poland
will not be alone."

But Bush also said that during his trip he was 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," he said.

Asked about the possibility of American military bases in Poland, Bush
replied that the United States is "looking at all the options."

"I make no promises, but we will remember who our friends are. And the
Polish people have been strong friends of the United States."

Following is the White House transcript of the interview:

(begin transcript)

THE WHITE HOUSE 
Office of the Press Secretary 
May 29, 2003

INTERVIEW OF THE PRESIDENT BY TVP, POLAND

The Library

2:28 P.M. EDT

QUESTION: Mr. President, in a few hours you begin your quite
unexpected visit to Poland. Are you going to Krakow just to thanks 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 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.

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.

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 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.

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 mole
hill, 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.

END  2:34 P.M. EDT

(end transcript)

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