The president's news conference with Prime Minister John Howard of Australia in Crawford, Texas

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, May 12, 2003

May 3,2003

President Bush. Thank you all for coming. This has been an honor for Laura and me to welcome Prime Minister Howard and Mrs. Howard to our ranch. We love coining here. It's a place for Laura and me to really spend some private time and spend time with a friend is--makes it even more special. And John Howard has been a great friend. The Australian Government has been a great friend to the American people. The Australian people are great friends with the American people as well.

The Prime Minister is a man of courage. He is a clear thinker. He understands the responsibilities of freedom. America is really grateful for the sacrifices of the Australian people and for the leadership of Prime Minister John Howard.

On September the 10th, 2001, Prime Minister Howard and I stood together at the Washington Naval Yard to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ANZUS Treaty. The next day, Australia and America began writing a new chapter in the history of our alliance. On September the 14th, just 3 days after the terrorist attacks, Australia invoked the ANZUS Treaty's mutual defense provisions. Australia came to America's aid in our time of need, and we won't forget that.

In nearly 20 months since September the 11th, Australian and American intelligence and law enforcement officials have worked very closely together. Our relationship has never been stronger, and that's good, because together we've broken up terrorist cells, we've disrupted terrorist plots, we've cut off terrorist financing. We brought a lot of terrorists to justice.

And in Iraq, Australian and American forces have stood together once again. We ended the rule of one of history's worst tyrants, and in so doing, we not only freed the American people, we made our own people more secure. By getting rid of Saddam Hussein, we ended the suffering of a lot of people in Iraq. And at the same time, we made peace more possible in the world. All Australians are justifiably proud of the superb performance--and I mean superb performance--of the Australian Air Force, Navy, and Special Forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

As you may know, I was on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln 2 days ago. I met with Admiral Kelly. He was our highest ranking official in charge of joint operations. I said, "I'm getting ready to see the Prime Minister in Crawford." I said, "What can I tell him about the performance and the bravery of the Australian troops?" He said, "They are the best in the world." And for that, Mr. Prime Minister, we're grateful.

We want to thank the Australian servicemen for their service, and particularly want to say thanks to their loved ones, who I'm sure agonized over the fate of their husband or son or daughter, and tell them that we appreciate their sacrifice as well.

We're committed to defeating the threat of terror because we have both felt terror's effects. We remember the sympathy of the people of Australia on September the 11th, and we shared the same sympathy with the people of Australia after the horrible bombings of Bali. The Prime Minister showed he's not only a man of steel, he showed the world he's a man of heart as well as he dealt with the great tragedy that affected the Australian people.

We won't tire in our attempts to fight terror. Nothing will deter us. We understand the effects of terror. We also are committed to a world that is more peaceful and more free. We're committed to a stable and democratic Iraq. We fully believe the people of Iraq are capable of running their own country. We will work to provide the conditions necessary for security, repair the infrastructure, make sure that the life of the average Iraqi citizen is back to normal, and then encourage the Iraqi people to decide their own fate and run their own Government. We agree the U.N. Security Council should move swiftly to lift the economic sanctions on Iraq.

We'll continue to work together to make the world more safe and free. Today we discussed the Korean Peninsula. We discussed my commitment to move the Middle Eastern peace process forward. We discussed a lot of key issues. I was comfortable in so doing because I value the advice of John Howard. I trust his judgment, and I appreciate his friendship.

Mr. Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Howard. Well, thank you very much, Mr. President. Can I first, for Janette and myself, thank George and Laura very much for inviting us to a piece of American soil that I know has a special place in the President's heart.

To come to the United States is always an experience and an opportunity as Prime Minister to renew the links and the friendship and the affection between our two nations and our two peoples. But to come to the heart of Texas and to be a guest of the President and his wife in this wonderful hideaway--although it doesn't appear to be very well hidden away with this large gathering today--is a special opportunity.

Can I thank the President for the kind words that he's expressed about the Australian military participation in Iraq. We too in Australia are immensely proud of the way in which the men and women of the Australian Defence Force discharged their duties. But can I, Mr. President, congratulate you on the leadership that you gave to the world, at times under very great criticism, at times fighting very great obstruction. But you had a resolute, clear view of what had to be done, and we were very pleased and very proud and very determined when the final decision was taken to be part of that,