President Bush Welcomes President Aliyev of Azerbaijan (VIDEO)

Technorati Tags: President Bush and White House or President Aliyev and Azerbaijan, or Muslim, and Armenia, or Nagorno-Karabakh and VIDEO

President Bush Welcomes President Aliyev of Azerbaijan to the White House, FULL STREAMING VIDEO, The Oval Office, 10:49 A.M. EDT. In Focus: Global Diplomacy

PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. President, welcome.

We've just had a really interesting visit. And we talked about the need to -- for the world to see a modern Muslim country that is able to provide for its citizens, that understands that democracy is the wave of the future.

And I appreciate your leadership, Mr. President.

We, obviously, talked about Iran. I assured the President of my desire to solve this problem diplomatically and peacefully. I appreciate so very much the government's contribution of support in troops to the new democracy in Iraq. I spent time describing to the President a meeting I had today via video conference with our Ambassador and General Casey -- very important for me to bring our ally up to date on the progress that's being made on the ground there. I shared with him my hope that the national unity government will help achieve the objective we all want, which is peace and democracy.

And we, of course, talked about energy. And I appreciate the vision of the government and the vision of the President in helping this world achieve what we all want, which is energy security. Azerbaijan has got a very important role to play. And we discussed internal politics and we discussed politics of the neighborhood, as well, particularly relations with Armenia.

I appreciate very much the candid discussion. I thank you for sharing your thoughts with me, and thank you for our alliance. And welcome.

PRESIDENT ALIYEV: Thank you very much, Mr. President. I am very grateful for the invitation. I'm very glad to be in Washington and have an opportunity to discuss with you the issues of bilateral relations. I'm sure that our relations of strategic partnership will strengthen in the future.

We covered all the aspects of our bilateral relations. We are very grateful for the leadership of the United States in promotion of the energy security issues in the region, in assisting us to create a solid transportation infrastructure which will allow to develop full-scale Caspian oil and gas reserves and to deliver them to the international markets.

We are allies in the war on terror. We've been from the very first day shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States in the peacekeeping operations in various parts of the world, and will continue to contribute to the creation of peace and stability in the region.

Of course, the issues of resolution of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh also in the center of our discussions and we -- I informed Mr. President with the latest status of the negotiations and expressed my hope that a peaceful settlement of the conflict will happen and will serve to the peace and stability in the whole region.

In general, I'd like to say that I'm very satisfied with my visit and I consider this as instrumental in the future development of Azerbaijan as a modern, secular, democratic country. We share the same values. We are grateful for the United States assistance in promotion of political process, process of democratization of our society, and very committed to continue this cooperation in the future.

Thank you very much, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT BUSH: One final word. I forgot to mention, I do want to congratulate the President and the First Lady on the marriage of their daughter this weekend. It's a major sacrifice for the President to be here during the planning phases of the wedding. And we wish you and the First Lady all the best, and more importantly, we wish your daughter all the best.

PRESIDENT ALIYEV: Thank you, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you.

END 10:54 A.M. EDT, For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, April 28, 2006

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Status of Darfur Peace Negotiations in Abuja

Technorati Tags: President Bush and White House or Darfur and Sudan, or African and genocide, or African Growth and Opportunity Act, and Africa,

Status of Darfur Peace Negotiations in Abuja, Robert B. Zoellick, Deputy Secretary of State, Washington, DC, April 30, 2006

The United States believes that a critical step to end the violence and suffering afflicting the people of Darfur is a peace agreement between the Government of Sudan and the rebel groups. President Bush is deeply committed to helping the people of Darfur, and under his leadership the United States has been working with the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union and other international actors to reinvigorate the peace talks.

Since the March meetings we held in Europe, the Abuja peace negotiations have concentrated with new intensity on achieving a concrete result promptly.

The United States welcomed the comprehensive negotiating text presented by the AU on April 26.

The AU, backed by the UN and the other international parties, set an April 30 deadline for completing the negotiations. This deadline has proven useful to press agreement on certain issues and sharpen the focus on remaining differences.

Negotiators from all sides have been working diligently to find a way forward. The parties have made progress, and we and the AU believe it is possible for them to reach an accord. We are urging the parties to finalize the agreement right away.

Today in Washington and other cities, many Americans are gathering to express their concerns over the tragedy in Darfur. People want a solution. Their activism and energy is commendable. With their support and encouragement, the United States will continue to do everything it can to reduce the suffering and violence in Darfur.

The United States will continue to play a leading role diplomatically, work to improve security and to provide humanitarian aid, and press to strengthen the AU peacekeepers in Darfur and to transition the peacekeeping to a UN force.

Abuja negotiators must keep their eye on the vital goal - achieving peace in Darfur so that Darfurians can return to their homes and live in a secure peace that offers hope. Much good work has been done, and should not be allowed to slip away. Peace must be achieved in Abuja.

###, 2006/434

White House: Africa Policy
State Department: Sudan

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