Remarks Prior to Discussions With Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali of Pakistan,
October 1, 2003

President Bush. Listen, Mr. Prime Minister, thank you. It’s my honor to welcome you to the Oval Office. I look forward to our discussions. We will have discussions here in the Oval Office. Then we’ll go to have lunch. And over lunch we’ll discuss a wide range of issues: Our mutual desire to fight terror; our keen desire to bring stability and peace throughout the world; look forward to discussions about our bilateral relations in regards to commerce and opportunities to enhance the livelihood of our fellow citizens.

There’s a lot of Pakistani Americans who are pleased you are here today, sir. And on their behalf, I welcome you to the Oval Office. And it gives me a chance to say publicly how much we appreciate the friendship of Pakistan.

Prime Minister Jamali. Thank you, Mr. President.

President Bush. You’re welcome.

Prime Minister Jamali. Well, I can see you’re pleased. I’m sure that the Pakistan community is pleased that I’m here. And Pakistan is helping as a partner—is a partner as far as the fight against terrorism is concerned, as far as our bilateral relations are concerned. We want a long, lasting friendship with the United States, and that is why I’m here, to bring a message of the new democratic setup which I set in Pakistan the last 10 months. And in short, we intend getting that through—of course, with a pat on the back as far as President Bush is concerned. [Laughter] Will that be all right?

Thank you very much.

President Bush. Thank you, sir. Glad you’re here.

Note: The President spoke at 11:41 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White House. A tape was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.