White House Gaggle
Monday, July 21st, 2008Briefer: Dana Perino
President’s Schedule
President Bush participates in a photo opportunity and makes remarks to members of the 2008 United States Summer Olympic Team in the Rose Garden. At 10.55 am, he participates in another photo opportunity with the 2008 March of Dimes National Ambassador in the Oval Office of the White House. This afternoon, at 1:15 pm, President Bush meets with the President of Kosovo and the Prime Minister of Kosovo.
This evening, the President and Mrs. Bush host a social dinner in honor of United States past and present Olympians in the East Room of the White House.
White House Press Secretary Dana Perino will brief the press at 12.15 pm
Iraq:
When asked about a statement from the Iraqi press secretary about a timetable suggesting US combat troops to be out of Iraq by 2010, corresponding with Sen. Obama’s plan for withdrawal, Perino said that she did not see the reports this morning and declined a comment on it. However, she did say that, “we share the goal of American troops being able to transition their mission into one of more overwatch, training and of counter terrorism. We want to get there, and we can get there if we continue to have success, we will be able to bring troops home, this is return on success. But it is going to be based on conditions on the ground and the Iraq Prime Minister has reiterated that and that is what we are working towards,” Perino said.
The US team under Ambassador Crocker is working with the Iraqi team, and they will have to see what they come out with, Perino said and continued, “Whatever we get to, it will be based on conditions and it will be flexible and it will not be arbitrary, and it will be bilateral, which would be a joint goal …but it will not be a unilateral decision, a unilateral date imposed on them. “
“They are not ready to take over all the provinces, but they are closer and we share the goal of them being able taking over more of their responsible,” Perino said. She also quoted General Petreus saying that the gains the Iraqis have made are not irreversible and he believes that the Iraqis understand that.
The gaggle also became rather heated as one reporter referred to the back and forth information from the Iraqis on aspirational goals as almost comical. The reporter was referring to the government spokesperson in Iraq, who over the weekend stated that Maliki’s remarks were mistranslated, and that the White House was working very hard to bend this back into something that looks ok but that they clearly were not on the same page. Perino replied that she would not describe this as comical but very serious business, and then she stopped and decided to not reply further. When the same reporter mumbled something about the notion of this being stupid, she came back to the reporter, who then continued to say that the White House is trying to construct something here to make sense out of the conflicting things that coming out of Baghdad, even though is has been said very clearly from Baghdad. Perino wanted to know what is so clear that he had to call it comical.
Perino then said that she did not agree with his characterization and she is glad he sees it as comical. Perino said that she has checked this info and worked on it all weekend, and she referred to our American spokesperson in Iraq who talked to Dr. al-Dabbagh. Dr. al-Dabbagh was then the one who said that he did not remember it as stated, so he was going to be back and check it. “The key issue is that they understand that this is not arbitrary, it will not be a date that you just pluck out of thin air, it will not be something that Americans say we are going to leave at this date which is what some have suggested,” Perino said.
When asked who has the final say, if it comes down to the Iraqis saying that they want us to go and we do not want, or do not think it is time to go, but they say “go”, don’t we have to go?; Perino replied quoting the President, “We are there because the Iraqis want us there. If they wanted us to leave then we would talk about that, or we would do that. But nobody is talking about that. We are talking about working together, jointly in a bilateral way…” Perino said.
When asked about Perino saying that there will be an aspirational date in the Strategic Framework Agreement, and if that cannot be considered to be a timetable, she replied that is it not; not if it is agreed to on a bilateral basis, that is flexible, and not set in stone and is dependent on the conditions on the ground.
Rice
When asked about this weekend’s meeting in Switzerland, where Secretary Rice described the Iranians as not being serious and Perino was questioned where things go from here. She replied that Secretary Rice did feel that they got the runaround from the Iranians and that nobody appreciated that. Perino also said that there is new found energy in the diplomatic efforts that they are reinvigorated and that the Iranian received the message that there consequence for a missed opportunity like this.
Zimbabwe
When asked about the latest reports coming out of Zimbabwe and if the President supports them, Perino said that they have seen the reports, though they do not know the details of it, and they are monitoring the situation. Perino also said that any final measure has to deal with the concerns expressed by the United Nations, the African Nation and the SADC, and the will of the Zimbabwean people needs to be taken in to account.