Published: January 14, 2006
"Our Job Now Is To Work Together," Bush Tells German Chancellor
By Vince Crawley, Washington File
U.S. president says meeting with Chancellor Merkel was "incredibly positive"
President Bush and Germany's newly elected chancellor, Angela Merkel, pledged to work side-by-side on the world stage even if they disagree on some issues.
"Our job now is to work together," Bush said in a joint news conference with Merkel following their meeting January 13 at the White House.
"We talked about our desire to work together to accomplish important goals for the world, starting with peace," Bush said. "We share a deep desire to help those who suffer."
Merkel said she hoped her meeting with Bush "will open up also a new chapter ... in the relationship" between the two countries. She spoke in German at the news conference and her remarks were translated into English.
"Germany wants to be a reliable partner to our partners in the world," Merkel said, "but also to our partners in Europe. ... It's essential that those countries that feel that they share common ground, as regard to values in the Western world, stand together."
Bush highlighted Germany's contributions in the Balkans and thanked the German people for their help in Afghanistan, where roughly 2,000 German troops serve in the International Security Assistance Force, representing the largest non-U.S. military presence in the county.
"We've had our disagreements on Iraq, obviously," Bush said. "But in spite of disagreements, we share the desire for the Iraqi people to live in freedom. I want to thank the German government for their help with reconstruction."
Merkel's predecessor, former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, strongly opposed the 2003 military operation to remove former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from power. Merkel took office in November 2005, following a close election, and has vowed to improve relations between the United States and Germany.
However, in the joint news conference, Bush spoke highly of the former chancellor. "I do want to send my best regards to Gerhard Schroeder," Bush said. "We've spent a lot of time together, and we talked about important issues. And listen, there was room for agreement and room for disagreement. ... I do hope he's doing well."
On behalf of Germany and Europe, Merkel voiced continued concern about the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But, she said, the detention center is "only one facet in our overall fight against terrorism." Germany and other European countries "need to come up with convincing proposals as to how we ought to deal with detainees ... who do not feel bound by any law."
Merkel said "a climate of openness" should exist between the U.S. and German leadership, "an area where one says quite clearly and candidly to one another, 'Well, there we agree; there we disagree.'"
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Merkel in December 2005 and also discussed European concerns about the treatment of suspects in the War on Terror.
"We need to point out that U.S.-Germany relations cannot only rest on fighting terrorism," Merkel said. Other common interests include trade issues, the U.S. and European relationship with China, relations with Russia and other global strategic concerns, she said.
Bush, who values personal contacts, spoke with enthusiasm about his talks with Merkel.
"My first impressions, with 45 minutes alone in the Oval Office, were incredibly positive," Bush said. "She's smart. ... She's plenty capable. She's got kind of a spirit to her that is appealing. She loves freedom."
Merkel is the first chancellor from the former East Germany, which was under communist control for more than 40 years before the two Germanys united in October 1991.
"I was particularly touched by hearing about her early life in communist Germany," Bush said. "There's something uplifting to talk to somebody who knows the difference between just talking about tyranny and living in freedom, and [someone who has] actually done it."
A transcript of their joint press conference is available on the White House Web site.
On January 17, the U.S. State Department is co-hosting an Internet discussion on the new German government and trans-Atlantic relations following Merkel's first visit to Washington. William Drozdiak, president of the American Council on Germany, will field questions from German research institutes and other organizations that advocate strengthening the relationship between the United States and Europe. The discussion is co-sponsored by the Atlantic Initiative, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with offices in Washington and Berlin.
Source: U.S. Department of State
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