Regarding those who face the death penalty, I announce that we are changing that punishment and will make (the maximum penalty) life imprisonment.

I firmly believe that under your able guidance, Indonesia's success in surmounting the economic and political challenges ahead will be advanced and its quest to strengthen its democratic institutions will be achieved,

We mourn with the world the passing of Pope John Paul II. His death brings to all a deep sense of grief and loss. He was a holy champion of the Filipino family and of the profound Christian values that make everyone of us contemplate, everyday, what is just, moral and sacred in life.

We're waiting for emotions to subside, and we hope that the opposition will go back to their seats so we can proceed with the debate and hopefully with the voting,

Any kind of death sentence is cruel. It doesn't matter what kind of death, I think the psychological punishment of knowing you're going to die is cruel.

We have our own home-grown terrorism, and to the extent that we can obliterate terrorism all over the world, then our own terrorism will be much easier to neutralize.