18 September 2001Bush, Powell Talk with World Leaders on Fight Against Terrorism
(Administration continuing efforts to form global coalition) (660) By Wendy S. Ross Washington File White House Correspondent Washington -- President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell continue to hold discussions with leaders from around the world as they work towards a global coalition against terrorism following the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Bush made telephone calls September 18 to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, Brazil's President Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chretien, according to White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer. The president also was to meet at the White House on the 18th with French President Jacques Chirac, September 19 with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Sergeyevich Ivanov, and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, and September 20 with Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair. Chirac, whose late afternoon meeting with Bush had been scheduled prior to the attacks on the United States, will also share a private working dinner with the President. The President has made it clear that the terrorist attacks were aimed not just at the United States but at "those who cherish liberty," Fleischer told reporters. For this reason, Bush hopes all nations of the world will join in addressing the terrorism problem, he said. "This is a broad cause" that President Bush has "called on America and nations throughout the world to join," Fleischer said. "The links between where one (terrorist) group begins and another group ends are often amorphous," Fleischer noted. "All nations have a reason to protect themselves, and as this coalition is formed nations will have those reasons to protect themselves as part of this," he said. "It's going to be a very complicated matter," Fleischer pointed out, noting that some nations will be able to help more in this effort than others. The approach of the United States government, he said, "will involve both the carrot and the stick. With different nations, the carrot may be bigger. With other nations, the stick may be bigger," he said. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Powell September 18 swore in John Negroponte as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations in a private ceremony at the State Department. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Negroponte will proceed immediately to New York where his "top priority will be working to implement the President's policy to forge a worldwide coalition against international terrorism." Powell has said that the global anti-terrorism coalition will conduct a campaign with many different aspects -- legal, political, diplomatic, intelligence-gathering and military. Earlier September 18 Powell met with South Korea's Foreign Minister Han Seung-Soo, who is currently the president of the United Nations General Assembly. "We had a good exchange of views, as we always do," Powell told reporters. "I expressed my thanks to the minister for the strong expression of support we received from President Kim Dae Jung and the Korean people as a result of the tragic events of last week, last Tuesday. "I also extended my condolences and expression of sadness to the Korean lives that were lost in the World Trade Center. Some 62 nations are now identified as having lost citizens in the tragic terrorist act of last Tuesday." Foreign Minister Han told reporters that South Korea strongly condemns "the heinous act of terrorism, and we know that the United States has a great tradition of rallying round the flag in times of crisis. We the Koreans are with you in this hour of national distress," he said. Powell is scheduled to meet September 19 with Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. Germany's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer is also scheduled to be in Washington for talks September 19 and 20. Meanwhile, European Union leaders will hold a special meeting in Brussels September 21 to discuss anti-terrorism measures. On the eve of that meeting, reports say Secretary Powell is to meet in Washington with a high-level EU delegation led by Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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