[SEE ALSO: G8 LEADERS SUMMIT 2008 - SCOOP FULL COVERAGE]
President Bush and President Kikwete of Tanzania Discuss G8 Working Session with Africa Outreach Representatives
The Windsor Hotel Toya Resort and Spa
Toyako, Japan
4:12 P.M. (Local)
PRESIDENT BUSH: I'm really pleased to be standing with a really good friend of the American people and a great leader in
Africa, President Kikwete of Tanzania. I just -- first of all, I'd like to announce that he's coming to visit in late
August. I'm really looking forward to having you to the White House; looking forward to giving you a good dinner. And
we'll have a good visit.
PRESIDENT KIKWETE: Looking forward.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes. One of the things that's so impressive about his leadership in Tanzania is that the help of the
American people is effective help, measurable in the number of people whose lives are being saved, babies are being
helped with malaria. I mean, it's just unbelievable the job you've done there. And we're excited to welcome you to the
country. I really want the American people to hear firsthand how successful their generosity has been, whether it be on
HIV/AIDS or malaria. And Tanzania is a good example. But this success would not have taken place without your
leadership, really important.
The other thing we discussed in the -- we discussed a lot of issues with the African leaders here in the G8, but one, of
course, was Zimbabwe. You know, I care deeply about the people of Zimbabwe. I am extremely disappointed in the
elections, which I labeled a "sham" election. And we, of course, listened very carefully. And President Kikwete, as the
head of the AU, has been very involved in this issue. I'm not going to put words in his mouth, he can express his own
self, but it was -- this issue of Zimbabwe took a fair amount of time --
PRESIDENT KIKWETE: It did, it did.
PRESIDENT BUSH: -- and rightly so. Anyway, thank you for agreeing to come to the States, and I'm really looking forward
to having you.
PRESIDENT KIKWETE: President, let me thank you for the invitation. I'm really looking forward, too. We enjoyed your
visit there. I think I've been around for some time. I think one -- that was one of Tanzania's biggest visits.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you.
PRESIDENT KIKWETE: You saw how people came out into the streets to receive you. It's a measure of our appreciation of
what the people of the United States have done to apply assist us in many things. Many lives have been saved through
those programs in support of malaria, or to HIV/AIDS, but there are so many other programs that are building our --
capacity of our people to measure -- to marry their own development, which we highly appreciate.
Well, of course we see eye-to-eye on many international issues. Of course we have discussed the issue of Zimbabwe, where
we understand your concerns. But I want to assure you that the concerns that you have expressed are indeed the concerns
of many of us in the African continent. At the last summit of the African Union, many leaders expressed their
dissatisfaction at the way things happened. But also we agreed on the way forward.
The only area that we may differ is on the way forward. You see differently, but for us in Africa we see differently.
But I think again, there is still room for us for discussions. We are saying no party can govern alone in Zimbabwe, and
therefore the parties have to work together to come up to -- to come out, work together, in a government, and then look
at the future of their country together.
So this is the way we see it. I don't think there is much, the divergence there. You would have liked to see us do a bit
-- some things, we would have liked to see you do some things. But we'll continue to discuss all these issues, and as
friends at the end of the day we'll come to an understanding.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you, sir. Looking forward to having you in Washington.
PRESIDENT KIKWETE: Thank you.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Some of these very same people will be there yelling questions there at the press conference.
END 4:17 P.M. (Local)
ENDS