Bush Holds Joint Press Conference with Italy's Prime Minister

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Today, we're addressing global challenges with determination and vision and with confidence. America and Italy are working to stabilize global financial markets. People all over the worked are understandably concerned about the global financial crisis and about how it will affect their families and their businesses.

I appreciate Italy's participation in the meeting of the G-7 and G-20 finance ministers over the weekend. Both the G-7 and the G-20 issues important statements committing to work together to help resolve the crisis. I welcome the bold and specific follow-up actions by European nations to pursue the G-7 action plan. And the United States is also acting, and we will continue to implement measures consistent with the G-7 action plan to help banks gain access to capital, to strengthen the financial system, and to unfreeze credit markets and restore confidence in our financial system.

These are tough times for our economies yet we can be confident that we can work our way through these challenges and America will continue to work closely with the other nations to coordinate our response to this global financial crisis.

America and Italy are working with other nations to fight terror and maintain stability and secure their democratic future. More than 8300 Italian troops are deployed in regions of conflict around the world. They're helping to fight extremism and to defend liberty and give more people the hope of a better future.

About 2100 Italian troops are supporting the NATO mission in Afghanistan. Italy leads regional west command west as well as a provincial reconstruction team. I appreciate the prime ministers willingness to modify restrictions on where Italian forces can operate in Afghanistan.

Italy has deployed (inaudible) to support the NATO training mission in Iraq. They're doing a fine job. These are highly professional, highly skilled, folks that are helping the Iraqi people.