Bush Holds Joint Press Conference with Italy's Prime Minister

Welcome.

ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER SILVIO BERLUSCONI (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Thank you very much, Mr. President. Thank you for this extraordinary invitation.

BERLUSCONI (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): My presence in Washington today is also the tribute to our friendship, personal friendship which bind me to President Bush as well as the friendship between our two peoples and the fact that here on the occasion of celebration of the Columbus Day, it gives me opportunity of paying homage not only to America but also to Italian-Americans.

(Inaudible) to that America which has welcomed that and made them part of this country which offered them the opportunity to enjoy wealth -- wealth and offer them the opportunity to give a contribution, which I think has been an important one. Many of the Italian-Americans now are leading the country. They are seen in Congress and the Supreme Court, in the state government buildings, and in key roles of this administration -- the administration of the biggest democracy in the world.

Our two countries have tackled together, most recently, the challenges and the problems. Our friendship is a special friendship which has its roots in common values, in sharing a world which is inspired by love for democracy and freedom. This is the deep meaning of this bond, not only a personal bond which I have for President Bush, but also the bond which unites our two countries and our two peoples.

Today, more than ever, values do matter. In a moment when two visions, opposing visions of the world, are confronted, the vision of ignorance, of (inaudible), violence on the one hand and the vision of freedom, of respect, of rights and equality of all human beings on the other side.