The President's news conference with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, June 21, 2004

We are looking forward in this relationship to a stronger relationship, and I'm sure the United States will remain committed to Afghanistan. Afghanistan is, in the month of September, looking forward to elections, Presidential elections and elections of parliament and elections of the provincial assemblies and district assemblies.

So far, we have registered 3.8 million voters, and out of the 3.8 million voters, Mr. President, 35.4 percent are, so far, women. And as the trend continues, as we move forward to the registration of more voters, the number of women registering will exceed, definitely, 40 percent. In certain parts of the country, in the central highlands, today I learned that the registration of women has exceeded that of men. They are more than 50 percent. This could have not been achieved in Afghanistan without your help and that of the international community.

Afghanistan has problems too. Among the problems is the question of drugs. The Afghan Government is adamant--the Afghan people are adamant to fight this menace, to end it in Afghanistan, and receive your help in that.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. It's been nice visiting the United States again. One likes to stay here and not go, it's such a good country. [Laughter] Thanks very much.

President Bush. Get home and get to work, will you?

President Karzai. Thank you, yes. [Laughter]

President Bush. We'll answer some questions, in the tradition of democratic societies. Are you ready? We'll start with Hunt [Terence Hunt, Associated Press].

President Karzai. I'm ready. I now know, Mr. President, what the free press means. We have it in Afghanistan.

President Bush. That's good. Hunt.

Saddam Hussein/Usama bin Laden and Mullah Omar

Q. Mr. President, Iraq's Prime Minister says the new government expects to take custody of Saddam Hussein and all other detainees when sovereignty is transferred in about 2 weeks, and your spokesman says that that's under consideration. Will you turn him over by that date, and what factors are you weighing in that decision?

And President Karzai, who will try Usama bin Laden and Mullah Omar when they're caught?

President Bush. We're working with the Iraqi government on a couple of issues. One is the appropriate time for the transfer of Saddam Hussein, and secondly, we're working to make sure there's appropriate security. I mean, one thing, obviously, is that we don't want and I know the Iraqi interim government doesn't want is there to be lax security and for Saddam Hussein to somehow not stand trial for the horrendous murders and torture that he inflicted upon the Iraqi people. So we're working with them.

President Karzai. Usama and Mullah Omar have committed crimes against the Afghan people, against the people in the United States, and against the international community. They are international criminals. They are wanted by the international community. They are wanted by the world conscience. They have to be arrested and tried. And when they are arrested, we will consult the international community and find appropriate mechanism for their trial.