Debating World Issues

Interview in Oval Office; Sept. 13, 2006

President: I would say to the Iranian people: We respect your history. We respect your culture. We admire the entrepreneurial skills of your people. I would say to the Iranian people that I recognize the importance of your sovereignty; that you're a proud nation, and you want to have a positive future for your citizens.

In terms of the nuclear issue, I understand that you believe it is in your interest--your sovereign interest, and your sovereign right--to have nuclear power. I understand that. But I would also say to the Iranian people there are deep concerns about the intentions of some in your government who would use knowledge gained from a civilian nuclear power industry to develop a weapon that can then fulfill the stated objectives of some of the leadership. And I would say to the Iranian people that I would want to work for a solution to meeting your rightful desires to have civilian nuclear power--and that solution would be something I propose for other nations, and not just Iran. And that is that those of us who have the capacity to enrich uranium would provide that enriched material, so that you could have a civilian nuclear power industry. And we would collect that, and help dispose of that, the waste of that material.

And I would assure the Iranian people that I gave a speech in Washington that wasn't aimed at Iran, per se--it was part of a solution as to how do we encourage the spread of civilian nuclear power as a way to diversify away from hydrocarbons, and at the same time be good stewards of the environment. A lot of my talk in the speech was directed toward developing nations that burn coal in such a way that it creates an environmental hazard.

And I would assure the Iranian people that the objective was global in nature, and that this would be a solution that would answer a deep desire from the Iranian people to develop a civilian nuclear power industry.

I would tell the Iranian people that we have no desire for conflict. On the other hand, I would remind people that democracies yield the best hope for people. And that while America never dictates what form of democracy, we believe in the values inherent in democracy--and that is the freedom for people to worship, for public dissent - and that it troubles us when we see young democracies challenged by elements of government and/or surrogates for government.

And I would be very frank with the Iranian people and make it clear that the Hezbollah attacks on Israel were an unnecessary provocation and in my judgment an attempt to undermine, on the one hand, a Lebanese democracy and on the other the development of a Palestinian democracy.

And I would say to the Iranian people: I would hope that you would encourage the development of free societies, based upon the traditions and history of each particular country. And that it's in your interest that democracies exist on your borders.

Ignatius: What about the question of Iraq, particularly? That's the place where American and Iranian interests intersect

President: Today, Prime Minister Maliki, the head of the sovereign government of Iraq, is talking with Iranian officials - all aimed at convincing the Iranians that a stable Iraq is in their interest. They have said so, many times. And I think Prime Minister Maliki is now attempting to find out what that means and how the Iraqi government can work with the Iranians to create a sense of stability.

Ignatius: [Khatami visit]

President: One of the dilemmas facing policymakers is to understand the nature, the complex nature, of the Iranian regime. And I thought it would be beneficial for our country to receive the former leader Khatami--to hear what he had to say. And as importantly for him, to hear what Americans had to say. I felt like he was a man who...a dignified man who would come and listen carefully to commentary and to private conversations. That ours is a nation that wants to solve the nuclear weapons issue diplomatically. And that he would see the level of concern amongst people in this country, beyond the administration. It's not just George W. Bush speaking. That he would have a sense of the desire of the American people to resolve the issue, particularly in light of the fact that the current leader had made some statements, one of which would be to obliterate our ally, as well as other statements.

It was important for Mr. Khatami to come and see the reaction of more than just the government toward Hezbollah's move in Lebanon. It's too early for me to tell whether the visit accomplished anything or not. It did accomplish this: It said that the United States is willing to listen to voices. And I hope that sends a message to the Iranian people that we're an open society, and that we respect the people of Iran.

Ignatius: What's a good next step?

President: I think exchanges. I would like to see more cultural exchanges. I would like to see university exchanges. I would like to see more people-to-people exchanges. One of the greatest diplomatic assets we have is a welcoming university system. I like the idea of people coming from parts of the world that have deep suspicions of America coming to see America as it is. What are the issues we face? One of the great ironies of this period of time is that which we invented has become very useful for those who want to create an image of America that's not true. The propaganda machine, by some, is effective. And in many people's minds, for example, there's an image that the United State is anti-Muslim. We're anti-killer. We're anti-extremist. We respect people of all faiths. I know people when they [come] to America who have an image of our country being intolerant toward Islam will be shocked by how open the American people are to the idea of people being able to worship freely. I think they would be pleased to see that a Muslim in America is equally as American as the Methodist American president. So my point to you is that the ultimate decider of rational public policy in Iran will be the people -their desire to live in peace. The center of my foreign policy is my belief that most people want peace and hope for their children. That's what they want. The idea of conflict and bloodshed is something they will avoid, if given the choice. When you vote for a government, you want to vote for that government that will lead to stability and peace. I believe that's what the Iranians want. The Khatami visit hopefully had that signal as well. But I know that the more we can show the Iranian people the true intention of the American government, the more likely it is that we will be able to reach a diplomatic solution to a difficult problem.

Ignatius: [Establish a channel on Iraq, where we both have security interests?]

President: Our first priority was to establish a sovereign government of Iraq that will be capable in dealing with its neighbor. I've read commentary where somebody says, "Prime Minister Maliki shouldn't have gone to Iran." I disagree. Prime Minister Maliki should go to Iran. It's in Iraqis' national interest that relations with Iran be such that there are secure borders and no cross-border issues, including the exportation of equipment that can harm Iraqi citizens as well as coalition troops and exportation of extremism that can prevent this young democracy from flourishing. And then we'll take it from here.