Friday
Apr282006
White House Gaggle
Friday, April 28, 2006 at 3:00AM
By Gregory Gorman
April 28, 2006
President's Schedule
President Bush taped his radio address and had his usual briefings. This morning, the president will meet with the President of Azerbaijan. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said that Azerbaijan is a strategic partner in the region. The two leaders will discuss energy security issues and the two countries' relationship as allies on the war on terror. At 11:45 am, President Bush will make a statement on the economy in the White House Rose Garden. Following his statement, he will meet with family members of Japanese citizens who were abducted by North Korea and North Korean defectors. At 1:15 pm, the president will meet in the Roosevelt Room with advocates for the Darfur region of Sudan.
Dubai Takeover
McClellan said that the president is prepared to accept the recommendation of the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States for the takeover of a British engineering company with U.S. plants that support the Pentagon. McClellan announced that the 15-day waiting period for the president's decision has come to an end and he will accept the deal. McClellan pointed out that this was not the same kind of transaction as the Dubai Ports World deal. McClellan went on to say, "The Committee concluded that [the deal] would not compromise national security after the intelligence community did a thorough assessment and all the relevant agencies reviewed it". This was a transaction in the marketplace consisting of one company purchasing another company. By law, it must go through the committee process. McClellan said the president has been focused on the security aspects of the transaction and accepted the recommendation of the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States once it was acknowledged that the purchase was not a threat to national security.
Azerbaijan Parliamentary Election
According to McClellan, "International observers determined that last year's parliamentary elections did not meet international standards in a number of areas. There were some improvements such as the inking of fingers and the more inclusive candidate registration process. However, there was also interference from local authorities and serious violations during the vote count".
North Korea Humanitarian Situation
McClellan said the president is gravely concerned about the humanitarian situation in North Korea and that this is a high priority for him. He went to say, "The United States has repeatedly drawn international attention to the plight of the people of North Korea. The North Korean regime has been one of the world's worst human rights violators and it is something that the president believes the entire international community should be paying attention to . . . this is the regime that starved its own people and caused its people great suffering".
North Korea Six Party Talks
McClellan commented that the six-party talks with North Korea were a separate matter from the humanitarian issue. Five of the six parties are ready to come back to the table; the only one lacking is North Korea. The United States is ready to talk about how important it is to abandon its nuclear weapon programs and nuclear weapons ambitions.
IAEA Report
The White House looks forward to receiving the International Atomic Energy Agency's Report on Iran's compliance with the UN Security Council's demand that it cease its nuclear weapons program. McClellan said the UN Security Council "must act if its word it to mean something". McClellan said he wanted to make it very clear that Iran is not Iraq and that the United States is working on a diplomatic front to avoid the further development of nuclear weapons in Iran.
President's Week Ahead
On Monday, the president will make remarks on health care in Washington. McClellan had nothing to announce for Tuesday. On Wednesday, President Bush will welcome German Chancellor Merkel to the White House as well as have a photo opportunity with the 2005 President's Award for Excellence in Teaching in Science and Mathematics. On Thursday, the president will make remarks for the National Day of Prayer and welcome the President of Paraguay to the White House. He will also make remarks for Cinco de Mayo. On Friday night, President and Mrs. Bush will attend a parade at the Marine Barracks as the guests of honor. On Saturday, the president will travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma to give the commencement address at Oklahoma State University.
April 28, 2006
President's Schedule
President Bush taped his radio address and had his usual briefings. This morning, the president will meet with the President of Azerbaijan. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said that Azerbaijan is a strategic partner in the region. The two leaders will discuss energy security issues and the two countries' relationship as allies on the war on terror. At 11:45 am, President Bush will make a statement on the economy in the White House Rose Garden. Following his statement, he will meet with family members of Japanese citizens who were abducted by North Korea and North Korean defectors. At 1:15 pm, the president will meet in the Roosevelt Room with advocates for the Darfur region of Sudan.
Dubai Takeover
McClellan said that the president is prepared to accept the recommendation of the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States for the takeover of a British engineering company with U.S. plants that support the Pentagon. McClellan announced that the 15-day waiting period for the president's decision has come to an end and he will accept the deal. McClellan pointed out that this was not the same kind of transaction as the Dubai Ports World deal. McClellan went on to say, "The Committee concluded that [the deal] would not compromise national security after the intelligence community did a thorough assessment and all the relevant agencies reviewed it". This was a transaction in the marketplace consisting of one company purchasing another company. By law, it must go through the committee process. McClellan said the president has been focused on the security aspects of the transaction and accepted the recommendation of the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States once it was acknowledged that the purchase was not a threat to national security.
Azerbaijan Parliamentary Election
According to McClellan, "International observers determined that last year's parliamentary elections did not meet international standards in a number of areas. There were some improvements such as the inking of fingers and the more inclusive candidate registration process. However, there was also interference from local authorities and serious violations during the vote count".
North Korea Humanitarian Situation
McClellan said the president is gravely concerned about the humanitarian situation in North Korea and that this is a high priority for him. He went to say, "The United States has repeatedly drawn international attention to the plight of the people of North Korea. The North Korean regime has been one of the world's worst human rights violators and it is something that the president believes the entire international community should be paying attention to . . . this is the regime that starved its own people and caused its people great suffering".
North Korea Six Party Talks
McClellan commented that the six-party talks with North Korea were a separate matter from the humanitarian issue. Five of the six parties are ready to come back to the table; the only one lacking is North Korea. The United States is ready to talk about how important it is to abandon its nuclear weapon programs and nuclear weapons ambitions.
IAEA Report
The White House looks forward to receiving the International Atomic Energy Agency's Report on Iran's compliance with the UN Security Council's demand that it cease its nuclear weapons program. McClellan said the UN Security Council "must act if its word it to mean something". McClellan said he wanted to make it very clear that Iran is not Iraq and that the United States is working on a diplomatic front to avoid the further development of nuclear weapons in Iran.
President's Week Ahead
On Monday, the president will make remarks on health care in Washington. McClellan had nothing to announce for Tuesday. On Wednesday, President Bush will welcome German Chancellor Merkel to the White House as well as have a photo opportunity with the 2005 President's Award for Excellence in Teaching in Science and Mathematics. On Thursday, the president will make remarks for the National Day of Prayer and welcome the President of Paraguay to the White House. He will also make remarks for Cinco de Mayo. On Friday night, President and Mrs. Bush will attend a parade at the Marine Barracks as the guests of honor. On Saturday, the president will travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma to give the commencement address at Oklahoma State University.
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