کنفرانس خبری رئیس‌جمهور
۱۲ فوریه ۱۹۷۹
رئیس‌جمهور: قبل از پاسخ به سؤالات، مایلم دو یا سه نکته کوتاه را بیان کنم.
وضعیت ایران
ابتدا مایلم چند کلمه درباره ایران بگویم. طی ماه‌های گذشته، ما رویدادهای آنجا را از نزدیک دنبال کرده‌ایم. هدف ما یک ایران باثبات و مستقل است که روابط خوبی با ایالات متحده آمریکا داشته باشد. سیاست ما این بوده است که در امور داخلی ایران دخالت نکنیم و همچنین انتظار قاطع داریم که سایر کشورها نیز چنین نکنند.
امیدواریم که اختلافاتی که مردم ایران را برای ماه‌های طولانی تقسیم کرده است، اکنون پایان یابد. همان‌طور که در طول این دوره نیز چنین بوده است، ما با کسانی که کنترل دولت ایران را در دست دارند، در تماس بوده‌ایم و آماده همکاری با آنها هستیم. اهداف ما در حال حاضر، همان اهداف چند ماه گذشته است:
- تأمین امنیت آمریکایی‌های حاضر در ایران،
- به حداقل رساندن خونریزی و خشونت،
- اطمینان از اینکه ایران از نظر نظامی توانایی حفظ استقلال و تمامیت ارضی خود را دارد،
- جلوگیری از مداخله یا دخالت هر قدرت خارجی در امور داخلی ایران،
- و احترام به اراده مردم ایران.
این‌ها امیدها و اهداف ما بوده است و همان‌طور که می‌دانید، در ماه‌های اخیر دخالت ما در آنجا حداقلی بوده است.
کاهش عرضه انرژی ایران موضوعی است که برای مردم کشور ما و جهان از اهمیت ویژه‌ای برخوردار است. این مسئله نشان‌دهنده آسیب‌پذیری‌ای است که هنگام ارائه طرح جامع انرژی به کنگره در آوریل ۱۹۷۷ درباره آن صحبت کردم.
کمبود خالص ناشی از کاهش تولید انرژی ایران، در سطح جهانی حدود ۲ میلیون بشکه در روز و برای ایالات متحده حدود نیم میلیون بشکه در روز است. برای درک بهتر این مسئله، این مقدار تقریباً ۲.۵ درصد از مصرف فعلی آمریکا را تشکیل می‌دهد.
ذخایر نفتی در ابتدای این فصل زمستان نسبتاً بالا بودند، بنابراین در حال حاضر با خطر فوری مواجه نیستیم، اما این ذخایر در کشور ما و سراسر جهان همچنان در حال کاهش است.
مایلم تأکید کنم و از درخواست وزیر شلزینگر برای صرفه‌جویی داوطلبانه در مصرف نفت توسط همه آمریکایی‌ها حمایت کنم. اگر محدودیت سرعت ۵۵ مایل در ساعت را رعایت کنیم، دمای ترموستات‌ها را در خانه‌ها و ساختمان‌ها بیش از ۶۵ درجه فارنهایت تنظیم نکنیم، رانندگی‌های غیرضروری را کاهش دهیم و به‌جای آن از سیستم‌های حمل‌ونقل عمومی و اشتراک خودرو استفاده کنیم، می‌توانیم کاهش فعلی عرضه نفت ایران به کشورمان را جبران کنیم.
The President’s News Conference
THE PRESIDENT. I have two or three brief statements I’d like to make before the questions.
THE SITUATION IN IRAN
First of all, I’d like to say a few words about Iran. Over the past several months, we have observed closely the events unfolding there. Our objective has been and is a stable and independent Iran which maintains good relations with the United States of America. Our policy has been not to interfere in the internal affairs of Iran and to express our firm expectation that other nations would not do so either.
We hope that the differences that have divided the people of Iran for so many months can now be ended. As has been the case throughout this period, we have been in touch with those in control of the Government of Iran, and we stand ready to work with them. Our goals are now, as they have been for the past few months, to ensure the safety of Americans in Iran, to minimize bloodshed and violence, to ensure that Iran is militarily capable of protecting her independence and her territorial integrity, to prevent interference or intervention in the internal affairs of Iran by any outside power, and to honor the will of the Iranian people.
These have been our hopes and our goals, and our involvement there has been, as you know, minimal during the last few months.
The curtailment of Iran’s energy supplies is of special interest to the people of our country and to the world. This underscores the vulnerability about which I spoke when I presented our proposal for a comprehensive energy plan to the Congress in April of 1977.
The net shortfall from the curtailment of Iran’s energy production is, on a worldwide basis, about 2 million ‘barrels per day and for the United States a curtailment of about one-half million barrels per day. To put this in perspective, it comprises about 2 1/2 percent of the current American consumption.
Most petroleum stocks were fairly high at the beginning of this winter season, and while we are, therefore, in no immediate danger, the stocks here and throughout the world continue to be drawn down.
I want to emphasize and support the call that Secretary Schlesinger made for voluntary conservation of oil within our Nation by all Americans. If we would honor the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit, set thermostats no higher than 65 degrees in homes and buildings, and limit discretionary driving, voluntarily, and shifting to carpools and to rapid transit systems, we could offset the current reduction in Iranian supply of oil to our country.
A prudent public response early and on a broad-scale basis will make sure that any interruption in our economic system will be minimal in the future.
QUESTIONS
U.S. RELATIONS WITH IRAN
Q. Mr. President, do you see much realistic hope of entering into a mutually productive relationship with the new Government of Iran?
THE PRESIDENT. Yes, I see continued hope for very productive and peaceful cooperation with the Government of Iran. This has been our posture in the past, and it will continue to be our posture in the future.
In the last few hours, our Embassy has reported that the followers of designated Prime Minister Bazargan have been very helpful in ensuring the safety of Americans, and we’ve been consulting with them very closely. So, I believe that the people of Iran and their government will continue to be our friends and that the relationship will be helpful to us.
U.S. RELATIONS WITH IRAN
Q. Mr. President, do you think that this Government should have been better prepared for the takeover by the Khomeini forces in Iran? And, also, in retrospect, do you think it was a mistake for you to embrace the Bakhtiar government as you did?
THE PRESIDENT. Well, obviously, had we had an exact prediction of what was going to happen. It’s not the policy of our Government to go into the internal affairs of another people or country and try to determine who should be their leaders. This is contrary to the philosophy of our people. I think we’ve tried it once in the past in Vietnam and failed abominably. I think no one in this country of any responsibility wants to do that to a country, including Iran.
We have worked with the existing government. We worked closely with the Shah when he was in his office. We have worked with Bakhtiar, who was chosen, as you know, by the Iranian Parliament in accordance with constitutional provisions. Now Mr. Bakhtiar has resigned, and Mr. Bazargan is their Prime Minister. And the Majles, the parliament, has also resigned.
We will attempt to work closely with the existing government. But we have never tried to decide or to determine for the Iranian people or any other people on Earth who their leaders ought to be or what form of government they should have since I’ve been in office.
Q. But why did we have to make any statements of support for the Bakhtiar government? Why couldn’t we just say nothing?
THE PRESIDENT. Well, we have statements of support and recognition for 150 nations on Earth. When we establish relationships with a government or a people, this is part of the diplomatic process. And when the governments change, quite often without delay, sometimes with a few days delay until the situation is clarified, we very quickly establish relations with the new government. But this is something that’s historically been the case, and it’s what we have pursued in Iran and what Ave will pursue in the future.