>> President Kikwete:
Your Excellency,
Barack Obama,
President of the United States
of America --
Mr. President, let me
once again welcome you
and the U.S. First Lady,
and your entire delegation
to Tanzania.
I thank you, Mr. President,
for accepting my invitation
to visit Tanzania.
The people of Tanzania love you.
[applause]
You have seen the
outpouring of warmth.
There has never been a visit by
head of state to Tanzania that
has attracted such big
crowds like the one --
the first one of its kind.
Thank you for coming.
Mr. President, Tanzania
and the United States
enjoy an excellent relationship.
We see eye to eye on many
regional and global issues.
We have been receiving
invaluable support
in our development endeavors.
The lives of the people of
Tanzania are different today
thanks in many ways to the
support and engaging
from the United States
of America --
support in health care,
support in education.
And health care has made many
people, many lives to be saved.
In education, many young men
and women of Tanzania
had to get a good education.
Support in food security,
nutrition security is
increasingly building
Tanzania's capacity
for self-sufficiency
and food supply.
And we're already getting
there with regards to rice.
Support in infrastructure
development, in the road sector,
in electricity,
in the water sector
has made many Tanzanians
get these services,
which otherwise they would
not have been getting them.
We applaud programs like the
Millennium Challenge compact;
PEPFAR, against
HIV/AIDS and malaria.
And your own brainchild,
Feed the Future;
Partnership for Growth;
New Alliance for Food and Nutrition Security --
these have proven to
be very useful in supporting
the development efforts.
Mr. President, we had very
fruitful discussions today.
We discussed many
issues of mutual interest
and mutual concern.
Again, I will say, President,
thank you for coming.
And your words of support
during the official talks,
and readiness to continue
to support Tanzania
in our development endeavors
goes a long way
towards assuring us in you,
and in the United States,
we have a true friend indeed.
Mr. President, welcome.
[applause]
>> President Obama:
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Well, thank you so
much, President Kikwete,
for your very kind words
and for the incredible welcome
that I've received
here in Dar es Salaam.
This is my first
visit to Tanzania,
but I feel a special
connection to this country.
Obviously, my family
on my father's side
is from East Africa.
They spent some time
actually in Tanzania.
And so, the love Michelle
and I and the girls
have felt on our arrival,
I want to assure you
that love is reciprocated
and given back in return.
So, habari zenu.
[applause]
Now, President Kikwete was the
first African leader I welcomed
to the White House
after I took office.
I was pleased to welcome him
to Washington last year
for the launch of our New
Alliance on Food Security.
And as the President indicated,
we had excellent
discussions today.
Our visits and work together
reflect the long relationship
between our countries and
our shared commitment to
the development and the dignity
of the people of Tanzania.
My visit comes on the 50th
anniversary of a key moment
in our relationship -- when
President Kennedy welcomed
to the White House the
father of your nation,
President Julius Nyerere.
Tanzania was one of
the first countries
to welcome the Peace Corps.
That spirit of
friendship continues.
Tanzania is a close partner,
as the President indicated,
on almost all our major
development initiatives.
And this reflects our confidence
in the people of Tanzania that,
with the right steps, Tanzania
has the potential to unlock new
economic growth not
only in this country
but all across East Africa.
For example,
Tanzanians continue to work
to strengthen their democracy.
Parliament, opposition
groups, civil society groups,
and journalists are all doing
their part to advance the good
governance and transparency
upon which democracy
and prosperity depend.
And I want to commend President
Kikwete on your reform efforts
to strengthen institutions,
improve the delivery of basic
services, and make
government more responsive
to the Tanzanian people.
And I also want to salute you
and President Shein of Zanzibar
and the Tanzanian people
for embarking on a vital
constitutional process
that will determine the future
of this nation
and its democracy.
President Kikwete and I agreed
to keep tackling the hurdles
of greater economic growth,
starting with the sector
where the vast majority
of Tanzanians work,
and that's in the
agricultural sector.
As has been mentioned, our
Feed the Future program has
allowed us to work together
to help more than 14,
000 farmers here to better
manage their crops and increase
their yields by
almost 50 percent.
That means higher incomes
and a ladder for families
and communities to
greater prosperity.
And we're very proud
of the work we've done
with the Tanzanian government.
We discussed the importance
of creating opportunities for
Tanzanian youth, and I'm hopeful
that young men and women here
will apply for the new fellows
program that I've announced this
week so that we can partner
with them as we seek new ways
to serve, working with young
people, their communities,
and to help them start new
companies and create new jobs.
I want to congratulate Tanzania
on nearing completion of
the largest Millennium Challenge
compact in the world,
which has benefited millions of
Tanzanians with new roads
and improved access to
water and electricity.
And Tanzania is also one of the
first four countries selected
for our Partnership for Growth,
and its investments
in key areas --
new and improved roads,
reforms to the energy sector --
that can help lift
people out of poverty
and unlock economic growth.
And I'm also pleased that
Tanzania is going to be one
of the first participants
in the new effort
that I announced yesterday -- Power Africa --
with its goal of doubling
access to electricity.
[applause]
This will mean more
reliable and affordable
electricity for more Tanzanians,
and it's something that we want
to spread all across
the continent.
Later today, I'll be announcing
another initiative to improve
trade with
and within Africa,
starting here with
the East African Community.
On health, we're going
to continue our efforts,
which are saving lives.
Here in Tanzania,
we're working together;
we've seen dramatic decreases
in malaria and child deaths
in part because of the support
that we've been able to provide.
Fewer people are being
infected with HIV,
more people are being treated.
We're reaching more than 1.2
million Tanzanians with care
and support through PEPFAR,
including more than 500,000
vulnerable children
and orphans.
So we're going to
keep up that fight.
Regionally, I thanked President
Kikwete for Tanzania's
contribution to security,
including its peacekeepers
in Darfur and the Congo.
On the Congo, we agreed that
all parties need to implement
their commitments under
the Framework for Peace,
that armed groups need
to lay down their arms,
and human rights abusers
need to be held accountable.
And I very much want to commend
President Kikwete as well for
the leadership role that he's
played in the Southern African
Development Community on
the issue of Zimbabwe.
[applause]
We agree that the
threats and intimidation
of citizens are unacceptable
and must stop,
and that further reforms are
needed to create the conditions
for free, fair, and credible
elections that will put Zimbabwe
on a path of success
and prosperity.
And finally, we discussed an
issue that's inseparable from
Africa's identity and prosperity
-- and that's its wildlife.
Tourists from around the world,
including the United States,
come here --
especially to Tanzania --
to experience its natural
beauty and its national parks,
and that's obviously an
important part of the economy
of this country.
But poaching and trafficking is
threatening Africa's wildlife,
so today I issued
a new executive order
to better organize U.S. government efforts in this fight
so that we can
cooperate further
with the Tanzanian
government and others.
And this includes additional
millions of dollars to help
countries across the region
build their capacity to meet
this challenge, because the
entire world has a stake
in making sure that we
preserve Africa's beauty
for future generations.
So, again, Mr. President, thank
you so much for your leadership
and for your commitment
to the partnership
between our two nations.
We've covered a lot
of ground today.
One last point I need to make,
and that is the President and I
are both basketball fans.
We did not discuss Hasheem
Thabeet, who plays in the NBA,
but maybe next time we'll have
a chance to talk about that.
[laughter and applause]
So, asante.
[applause]
Asante sana.
>> The Press:
Your Excellencies,
my name is Peter Ambilikile
from Jamboree Newspaper.
My question is for both of you,
starting with President Obama.
President Obama, are you
satisfied with the aid
that your country provides to
Tanzania, especially the MCC?
Second question goes
to President Kikwete.
Do you believe that U.S.A.
is doing enough to support
our country, Tanzania?
That's all, thanks.
>> President Obama:
Well, not only
do I think that
what we're doing is important,
but we have proof
that U.S. assistance
is making a difference.
Because of our programs, you've
reduced incidents of malaria.
Because of our programs,
you've reduced child
and infant mortality.
Because of our programs,
there are roads
that are being built here;
farmers are seeing crops
with better yields and are
better able to get them to
market because of new roads.
The MCC I think has been so
successful here in Tanzania that
phase one is near completion,
and I know that Tanzania
is going to be eligible for
applying for phase two.
And when it comes
to Power Africa,
the new program
that I'm announcing,
I think there's enormous
potential here in Tanzania
to start getting electricity out
into villages in rural areas,
more reliable service that
can then power manufacturing,
power new businesses
which creates more jobs,
creates more demand.
And we can do it using clean
energy and not just some
of the traditional sources.
Now, what I would say is --
and I've said this
throughout Africa --
we are looking at
a new model that's based
not just on aid and assistance,
but on trade and partnership.
And increasingly, what we want
to do is use whatever monies
that we're providing
to build capacity.
So we don't want to just
provide the medicine,
we want to help build the health
infrastructures that allow
Tanzanians to improve their
overall health systems.
We don't want to
just provide food,
we want to increase
food self-sufficiency.
When it comes to power,
we're not just building power plants ourselves --
we're working with the various
governments that are involved
to think about what are
the laws and regulations
that are required to sustain
it, and how do we leverage
the private sector
to put more money in.
So we're coming up with $7, $8
billion of U.S. government money
on our Power Africa
program but we're also
already obtaining about $9
billion worth of commitments
from the private sector.
So ultimately, the
goal here is for Africa
to build Africa for Africans.
And our job is to be a
partner in that process,
and Tanzania has been
one of our best partners.
>> President Kikwete:
I think the issue of
satisfied with MCC
should have been asked me.
MCC has been a great assistance
from the United
States government
to the people
of Tanzania.
There are three sectors here.
There is the road sector.
And a good thing about the MCC
is that we decide on the areas
or the sectors that
we need assistance.
But even we decide on where.
For example,
in the case of roads,
there are roads that we've
talked to many donors
who are not ready to support us.
But when you said there is going
to be support on roads, I said,
let's try these roads.
Let's see what the
Americans are going to say.
The Americans said, fine --
if you think you
need these roads,
fine, we'll give you the money.
Those, Tanzanians, fellow
Tanzanians know Namtumbo,
Songea, Binga, Tunduma,
Sumbawanga, Tanga,
Horo Horo -- the roads in Pemba.
But we chose those roads,
because these roads are actually
in our breadbasket areas.
This is where we get the
corn -- Ruvuma, Rukwa, Mbeya.
We decided -- we chose the U.S. to assist us
to increase water
supply to Dar es Salaam.
It was our decision.
The project is now
being implemented.
With electricity, we said one of
our biggest problems is access
to electricity for people
in the rural areas.
The U.S. said, fine.
We have grid in 10
regions of Tanzania.
Coverage of electricity has
increased from 10 percent
to 21 percent.
It's a phenomenal increase.
So I want to underscore
the fact that I'm satisfied
with the support from MCC.
Is the U.S. doing enough?
The U.S. has done a lot.
But if I say they
have done enough,
then the President will not
listen to my new requests.
[laughter]
But so far, so good.
[laughter]
Death from malaria has
declined by over 50 percent.
Infant mortality
rates have declined.
HIV infections have declined.
Through the PMTCT, Prevention
of Mother-to-Child Transmission,
more children born by
HIV-infected mothers
are born free of the disease.
The U.S. has supported us
with over 2 million books.
And today, I asked the President
we want another 2 million.
He says, you talk to --
and I have seen from their faces
that they are in agreement
with the President.
[laughter]
So that when it comes to
science and mathematics books,
we'll have every
Tanzanian child have
a book of his or her own,
instead of the ratios
they are talking today,
5 to 1 -- now 3 to 1.
So the list is endless.
We have a lot of support.
We are very appreciative,
very thankful.
It has really helped change
the lives of our people.
But if they can do more, please.
>> The Press:
Mr. President, President
Kikwete, thank you very much.
Mr. President, these scenes in
Egypt suggest that Mohamed Morsi
and his Muslim Brotherhood
government have lost the support
of the Egyptian people.
When we saw similar
protesting against Mubarak,
you called on
Mubarak to step down.
By all accounts, these
protests are even bigger.
So my question is, is
it time for Morsi to go?
And does any of this cause you
to reconsider the hundreds of
millions of dollars --
even billions of dollars --
in aid the United States
gives Morsi's government?
And, President Kikwete,
if I can ask you --
actually both of you --
to comment on the significance
of President Obama's trip
here to Africa and the fact
that tomorrow we will see
in what I believe is
a first of two U.S. Presidents,
President Bush and
President Obama together
in a public appearance
here in Tanzania.
>> President Obama:
Obviously, we're all concerned
about what's happening in Egypt,
and we've been
monitoring it very closely.
Our commitment to
Egypt has never been
around any particular
individual or party.
Our commitment has
been to a process.
And when I took a
position that it was time
for Egypt to transition,
it was based on the
fact that Egypt had not had
a democratic government
for decades, if ever.
And that's what the
people were calling for.
They went through an election
process that, by all accounts,
were legitimate.
And Mr. Morsi was elected.
And the U.S. government's attitude has been we would deal
with a democratically
elected government.
What we've also said is that
democracy is not just about
elections, it's also about
how are you working
with an opposition; how do
you treat dissenting voices;
how do you treat
minority groups.
And what is clear right now
is that although Mr. Morsi
was elected democratically,
there's more work
to be done to create
the conditions in which
everybody feels that their
voices are heard, and that the
government is responsive
and truly representative.
And so what we've encouraged the
government to do is to reach out
to the opposition and work
through these issues
in a political process.
It's not the U.S.'s job
to determine
what that process is.
But what we have said is,
go through processes
that are legitimate and
observe rule of law.
Now, obviously, we've been
watching these big protests.
Our number-one priority has been
making sure that our embassies
and consulates are protected.
Number two, what we've
consistently insisted on is that
all parties involved -- whether
it's members of Mr. Morsi's
party or the opposition --
that they remain peaceful.
And although we have not seen
the kind of violence
that many had feared so far,
the potential remains there,
and everybody has
to show restraint.
I should add, by the way, we
have seen many reports of women
being assaulted
in these protests.
And for those who
are participating
in these protests or marches,
assaulting women does not qualify as peaceful protests.
So we're going to continue to
work with all parties inside
of Egypt to try to channel
this through legal,
legitimate processes.
But I do think that if the
situation is going to resolve
itself for the benefit of
Egypt over the long term,
then all the parties there
have to step back
from maximalist positions.
Democracies don't work when
everybody says it's the other
person's fault and I want
100 percent of what I want.
And the good thing about the
United States and other mature
democracies is you work through
processes that force compromise,
and those get institutionalized.
But, look, we've had 200-plus
years of practice at it.
This is still new in Egypt.
And so they're going to have
to work through these things.
The key is making sure that
they don't work through them
in a violent fashion.
But our position has always been
it's not our job to choose
who Egypt's leaders are.
We do want to make sure that
all the voices are heard
and is done in a peaceful way.
I know you directed the
question to President Kikwete,
but my appearance with
President Bush tomorrow --
and I know the First Lady is going to be seeing Laura Bush --
I think this is just
another opportunity
for me to reiterate what I
said in South Africa yesterday
when we were at an
HIV/AIDS clinic
that has saved lives because
of the U.S. PEPFAR program
that President Bush started.
I think this is one of
his crowning achievements.
Because of the commitment
of the Bush administration
and the American people,
millions of people's lives
have been saved.
Antiretroviral drugs have been
made available to people
who didn't have them
before, and they,
even if they were
infected with the disease,
could look forward
to a decent life.
Children have been able to avoid
infection because of that work.
And we've continued that work,
and we are going to
continue that work.
One thing I do think
is worth mentioning
is that there's been
some suggestion
that somehow we've reduced
our commitment there.
The fact of the matter is,
is that we are serving
four times the number
of people today
than we were when
PEPFAR first began.
But because we've gotten better
at it and more efficient at it,
we're doing it at reduced costs,
and then we're not taking that
money out of global health; what
we're doing is we're putting it
back into things like
tuberculosis and malaria
alleviation, which is making
sure that more people's lives
are saved because HIV/AIDS
is not the only disease
that is affecting people
here in Africa.
And you have public
health crises
in some of these other
areas as well.
But this indicates how timely
the PEPFAR program was.
And the bipartisan support
that it has received
has been extraordinary,
and President Bush deserves enormous credit for that.
And so, I'm looking forward to
being able, on African soil,
to once again thank him on
behalf of the American people
for showing how American
generosity and foresight
could end up making a real
difference in people's lives.
>> The Press:
And the U.S. aid to Egypt?
>> President Obama:
Well, Jonathan, I have
to say that your numbers
on U.S. aid to Egypt
were a little bit imprecise.
We have some regular assistance
that we provide Egypt.
We have some dollars
that have been held up
and have to be
approved by Congress.
But the way we make decisions
about assistance to Egypt
is based on are they in fact
following rule of law
and democratic procedures.
And we don't make those
decisions just by counting
the number of heads
in a protest march,
but we do make decisions based
on whether or not a government
is listening to the opposition,
maintaining a free press,
maintaining freedom of
assembly, not using violence
or intimidation, conducting
fair and free elections.
And those are the kinds of
things that we're examining,
and we press the Egyptian
government very hard
on those issues.
>> President Kikwete:
Is President Obama's
visit significant?
Very significant.
Why am I saying so?
Africa needs the United States.
The United States needs Africa.
And the only way you can
build this relationship
is through exchange of visits,
and visits at the highest level
speaks volumes about doing that.
So I would say the visit of
President Obama to Africa
consolidates existing relations,
but also advances them to
greater heights for the mutual
benefits of our two countries
and our two peoples.
President Bush and Madam Laura
Bush are visiting Tanzania.
The George Bush Foundation has
programs supporting African
first ladies in the work that
they do in their respective
countries, particularly
supporting women groups and
supporting girls with regards
to education and empowerment.
Were we excited?
We have the President and the
former President in Tanzania
at the same time.
It's a blessing to this country.
>> The Press:
My question to
President Obama --
Mr. President, there has
been no peace in Congo
for almost 20 years now.
As a powerful nation in the
world and a permanent member
of the Security Council
with a lot of influence
to major players of the Congo
conflict, how is the U.S.
going to assist
the DRC and Great Lakes
to reach a permanent peace?
Thank you.
>> President Obama:
Well, the people of
Congo need a chance.
They need a fair chance
to live their lives,
raise their families.
And they haven't
had that opportunity
because of constant conflict
and war for way too many years.
And of course, the tragedy is
compounded by the fact that
Congo is so rich in natural
resources and potential,
but because of this constant
conflict and instability,
the people of Congo haven't
benefitted from that.
I want to congratulate, again,
President Kikwete and others
who have helped to shape
a peace framework.
Because one of the things that
I've said throughout this trip
is, the United States
doesn't seek to impose
solutions on Africa.
We want to work
with Africans to find solutions
to some of these ongoing
security and regional problems.
And so, the fact that you now
have a peace framework
that the various parties have
signed onto is critical.
But it can't just
be a piece of paper;
there has to be follow-through.
And so, one of the things that I
discussed with President Kikwete
is how we can encourage
all the parties concerned
to follow through on
commitments that they've made
in order to bring about
a lasting solution
inside of Congo.
That means, for example,
that President Kabila
inside of Congo, he has to do
more and better when it comes
to dealing with the DRC's
capacity on security issues
and delivery of services.
And that's very important,
because if there's a continuing
vacuum there, then that vacuum
sometimes gets filled by actors
that don't have the best
interests of Congo at heart.
And we're prepared to work the
United Nations and regional
organizations and others
to help him build capacity.
The countries
surrounding the Congo,
they've got to make commitments
to stop funding armed groups
that are encroaching on the
territorial integrity
and sovereignty of the Congo.
And they've signed onto
a piece of paper now,
now the question is do
they follow through.
And so, we're prepared
to work with anybody
to try to make this happen.
Ultimately, though, the
countries involved have to
recognize it is in their
self-interest to do so.
We can't force a
solution onto the region.
The peoples of the region have
to stand up and say that's
enough; it's time to move
forward in a different way.
And, by the way, that means
holding those who've committed
gross human rights
abuses accountable
for what they've done.
But there's an opportunity
for peace here.
And the countries surrounding
the Congo should recognize that
if the Congo stabilizes, that
will improve the prospects
for their growth and their
prosperity, because right now,
it's as if you have a
millstone around your neck.
If you have one of the biggest
countries in terms of geography
in all of Africa with all
these natural resources,
but it's constantly a problem
as opposed to being part
of the solution,
everybody suffers.
Tanzania should be doing
more trade with the DRC.
Rwanda should be doing more
trade and commerce with the DRC.
One of the things we're talking
about it how do we get more
inter-Africa trade, because
if countries like Tanzania
are going to improve their
economic position in the globe,
the first thing they have to do
is to make sure they can trade
with each other
more effectively.
Right now, in Africa -- this
is true not just in Tanzania,
but in Kenya and Uganda
and other places --
it's easier to send flowers
or coffee to Europe than it is
to send it across the way.
And that means that fewer
businesses are getting started
and fewer jobs
are being created.
So we want to work with
the existing international
structures like
the United Nations,
and we're supportive of the
brigade that's been shaped
and in which Tanzania is
making a contribution.
But ultimately, it's going to be
the African countries themselves
that have to follow up
on the commitments
that they've already made.
>> The Press:
President Obama, President
Kikwete, thank you very much.
President Obama, the first
question goes to you,
and I want to get your reaction
to a breaking news alert that
just came in a few minutes ago.
According to Reuters, a senior
Russian security official says
that you and President Putin
have asked the FBI and FSB
to seek a solution on Snowden,
so can you confirm that report?
Also, the latest leaks
by Edward Snowden
suggest the United States have been monitoring the phone
and email records
of its allies in the EU.
So is the United States
spying on its European allies?
Also, France and other countries
are demanding an explanation
with France saying that free
trade talks could be threatened.
So how can you reassure
your allies to make sure
that free trade
talks aren't threatened
and that your relations
abroad are not threatened?
And what will the
federal response be
to the 19 firefighters
who were killed in Arizona?
Thank you.
And to President Kikwete, did
you discuss with President Obama
the Tanzanian diplomat who
was stationed in Washington,
D.C. and fined a million dollars
for holding a woman against
her will as a domestic servant?
Is this person still
an advisor to you,
and does this issue in
any way undercut your ability
to fight human trafficking
in your great country?
Thank you, to both of you.
>> President Obama:
Well, I can confirm --
because I said so I think at
the beginning of this trip
in one of the first questions that was asked --
that we have gone through
regular law enforcement channels
in enforcing the
extradition request
that we've made with
respect to Mr. Snowden.
And that's been true with
all the countries
that have been involved, including Russia.
And so, there have been
high-level discussions with the
Russians about trying to find
a solution to the problem.
We don't have an extradition
treaty with Russia.
On the other hand, Mr.
Snowden, we understand,
has traveled there
without a valid passport,
without legal papers.
And we are hopeful that the
Russian government makes
decisions based on the
normal procedures regarding
international travel and the
normal interactions
that law enforcement have.
So I can confirm that.
With respect to the
latest article that
in part I gather is prompted
by Mr. Snowden's leaks,
we're still evaluating
the article
because the problem is
that these things come out
in dribs and drabs.
We don't know necessarily what
programs they're referring to,
we don't know how
they're sourced.
And so, what I've
said is, to my team,
take a look at this article,
figure out what they
may or may not be talking about,
and then what we'll do
is we'll communicate to
our allies appropriately.
But I'll make some
general points.
So I'm not going to comment
on any particular allegation,
but I'll make a couple
of general points.
Number one, the Europeans are
some of the closest allies
that we have in the world.
And we work with
them on everything,
and we share
intelligence constantly.
And our primary concerns are
the various security threats
that may have an impact
on both our countries.
The initial two programs that
were of concern as a consequence
of the Snowden leak had to do
with a very particular issue,
and that is, were we going
around snooping and reading
people's emails and listening
to people's phone calls,
whether that was in the
United States or in Europe.
And I responded to that when
I was in Europe, in Germany,
explaining that one program had
to do with telephone numbers
that were exchanged
without content.
The other was very narrowly
tailored to deal with threats
like terrorism, proliferation
-- and that all of this was done
legally and under the
supervision of the FISA Court.
So that's one set of issues.
Now, there's a second set of
issues that this article seems
to be raising, and that is
how our intelligence services
operate generally
around the world.
And I think we should stipulate
that every intelligence
service --
not just ours, but every
European intelligence service,
every Asian
intelligence service,
wherever there's an intelligence
service -- here's one thing
that they're going to be doing:
they're going to be trying
to understand the world better
and what's going on in world capitals around the world
from sources that
aren't available
through the New York Times
or NBC News;
that they are seeking
additional insight
beyond what's available
through open sources.
And if that weren't the case,
then there would be no use
for an intelligence service.
And I guarantee you that
in European capitals,
there are people who
are interested in,
if not what I had for breakfast,
at least what my talking points
might be should I end up
meeting with their leaders.
That's how intelligence
services operate.
So I don't know what is
precisely in this article.
I've asked my team and
the NSA to evaluate
everything that's being claimed.
When we have an answer,
we will make sure to provide
all the information
that our allies want
and what exactly the
allegations have been.
But I can -- here's one
last thing I'll say.
I'm the end user of this
kind of intelligence.
And if I want to know what
Chancellor Merkel is thinking,
I will call Chancellor Merkel.
If I want to know what
President Hollande is thinking
on a particular issue,
I'll call President Hollande.
If I want to know what
David Cameron is thinking,
I'll call David Cameron.
Ultimately,
we work so closely together
that there's almost
no information
that's not shared between
our various countries.
But I do think it's important
for everybody analytically
to separate this issue,
which is how our
intelligence service
is gathering information about
the world versus the particular
programs that were initially
the cause of this controversy,
which I was responding
to when I was in Germany.
>> The Press:
And the wildfires?
>> President Obama:
Oh, thank you.
See, this is what happens when
I've got too many questions.
Obviously, the news
is heartbreaking.
And our thoughts and prayers
go out to the families
of the brave firefighters
who are out there.
This is one more reminder of the
fact that our first responders,
they put their lives on
the line every single day.
And every time we have
a community in crisis,
a disaster strikes,
we've got people in need --
firefighters,
law enforcement officers,
they run towards
the danger.
And so we are heartbroken
about what happened.
Obviously, we're prepared to
provide any support we can
in investigating exactly
how this took place.
I think we're going to have to
ask ourselves a set of broader
questions about how we're
handling increasingly deadly
and difficult firefights.
Wildfires have been
continually escalating
at higher and higher cost,
and putting more
and more pressure
not only the
federal fire services,
but also on state
and local fire services.
And we're going
to have to think about
what more we can
do on that front.
But for now, I think what
we're most concerned about
is how painful these losses are.
>> President Kikwete:
The question that
was directed to me --
yes, I am aware of a
situation in Washington
that involved one of our
diplomats who later we recalled.
This incident involves
a young sister
of the wife of this diplomat.
They took her with them to help
her get education and support --
make it in life.
And then I think there was a
conflict within the family,
and then this young lady
accused the brother-in-law
and the sister of
using her for cheap labor.
The court decided on a one
million fine, an amount which,
for a Tanzanian, there is no
way that he can afford to pay.
See, even the President here --
the President --
when I retire, my retirement benefits cannot pay that,
because we get far less.
Then, I think there
was reconsideration
for this gentleman
to pay $175,000,
which, as far as I know,
has already been paid.
So that matter has
been put to rest.
