15 May 2003
Bush, Roh to Work Closely on Korean Issues
(Press availability May 14) (630)
President Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun have agreed to
work closely to maintain peace on the Korean peninsula.
At a May 14 press availability in the White House Rose Garden, Bush
said of their first meeting: "One thing is for certain; we will work
to have the best possible relations between our countries, and it's
based upon close consultation on a wide variety of issues."
Following is a transcript of the event as released by the White House:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
May 14, 2003
PRESS AVAILABILITY WITH PRESIDENT BUSH AND PRESIDENT ROH OF SOUTH
KOREA
The Rose Garden
6:42 P.M. EDT
PRESIDENT BUSH: It's my honor to welcome our good friend, the
President of South Korea, to Washington, D.C. and the Oval Office, and
now the Rose Garden. I've been really looking forward to this visit.
We've had several phone calls where we've discussed important issues,
and now we've had a chance to discuss important issues face-to-face.
I have found the President to be an easy man to talk to. He expresses
opinions very clearly and it's easy to understand. One thing is for
certain; we will work to have the best possible relations between our
countries, and it's based upon close consultation on a wide variety of
issues. There's no question in my mind we'll have the kind of personal
relationship where we can -- will consult freely to solve major
problems.
We, of course, discussed the need to have a nuclear weapons-free
Korean Peninsula. I assured the President we will continue to work to
achieve a peaceful solution. We're making good progress toward
achieving that peaceful resolution of the issue of the Korean
Peninsula in regards to North Korea.
We talked about other issues. One important issue is to make sure we
continue working closely on economic issues. I have confidence in
regards to the South Korean economy. I believe South Korea will
continue to be an engine for economic growth and vitality. And I look
forward to working with the President to continue to foster very
strong bilateral relations.
So, Mr. President, I'm glad you're here. Welcome.
PRESIDENT ROH: When I left Korea, I had both concerns and hopes in my
mind. Now, after having talked to President Bush, I have gotten rid of
all my concerns, and now I return to Korea only with hopes in my mind.
In a very short period of time, we have smoothly reached an agreement.
It was not even necessary to tell President Bush all the logic that I
had in mind to convince him before I came here. President Bush had an
accurate idea of what concerned me and what were my hopes. And I
second to what President Bush has just stated.
There is one thing that he didn't mention. We have reached agreement
that the Korea-U.S. alliance have been maintaining its strength over
the past 50 years, and it will become only more stronger in the coming
50 years, or even more. And I could think of many achievements that we
both obtained from this meeting, but the most important one of those
is the fact that President Bush and I had a very frank and candid
discussion. And apart from our national agenda, we also built a close,
personal friendship.
I would like to rephrase myself. We have reached agreements on many
national agenda issues, but, more importantly, we have become to trust
each other and have confidence in each other.
I would like to reiterate my heartfelt thanks to President Bush and
his aides for providing me with this opportunity. Thank you very much.
(Applause.)
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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