20 September 2001
Transcript: Deputy Defense Secretary, German Foreign Minister Sept. 19
(Wolfowitz and Fischer at Pentagon briefing) (1510)
Germany is in full solidarity with the United States and will "share
the burden now in fighting against this terrible danger," namely
terrorism, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said September 19
at a joint press briefing with Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz
at the Pentagon.
Fischer added, "we do not rule out any option."
At the same time, he cautioned about the need to carefully study the
intentions of the criminals responsible for the September 11 terrorist
attacks in the United States. "They want to inflame a war of the
cultures," he said, "and we should avoid that. Our enemy is terrorism,
not Islam."
Wolfowitz said the fight against terrorism must have an integrated
strategy with elements of diplomacy, law enforcement and the military,
and that it is a mistake to isolate one form of action from another.
"In fact, the record demonstrates over and over again," Wolfowitz
said, "that you're more successful when you combine your resources;
that diplomacy backed up by meaningful threats of force is much more
effective than diplomacy without it" and that a political strategy
must bring in "the hundreds of millions of moderate Muslims that have
to be shocked by this barbaric act that claims to be done somehow in
the name of their religion."
Following is a transcript of the media availability:
(begin transcript)
DoD News Briefing
Wednesday, September 19, 2001
DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PAUL D. WOLFOWITZ
(Joint media availability at the Pentagon with Foreign Minister
Joschka Fischer of Germany.)
WOLFOWITZ: Good afternoon. I'm Paul Wolfowitz. I'm the deputy
secretary of Defense. We just had a very excellent meeting with German
Foreign Minister Fischer. I represented Secretary Rumsfeld, who's been
engaged in a number of other high priority activities. Let me just say
that it was very gratifying to hear from the foreign minister his
personal expression and the expression of the German government and
the German people of their shock at what took place here last week and
up in New York and the deep sense of identification with Americans as
under attack. I imagine, Mr. Minister, there were quite a few Germans
who died in New York that day as well.
I will turn the microphone over to the Foreign Minister of Germany,
Joschka Fischer.
FISCHER: Thank you very much.
I think first of all I have to explain how deeply we were shocked when
we saw these terrible suicide attacks on innocent people here on the
Pentagon and in New York City. It was an attack on the American
people, on the American government. And this shock was everywhere, in
Europe and in the German people. It's a very emotional reaction
because this is also a criminal and mass murderous attack on the open
society, on the way we live. And I think we should now stay together
in full solidarity and fight against this murderous terrorism. We had
today very good talks about what has to be done for the future. We
have a lot of common understandings and analyses. But first of all,
once again, let me tell you, Mr. Secretary, and to the American people
that we are in full solidarity. We share the pain, and we also share
the burden now in fighting against this terrible danger.
Thank you.
Q: Mr. Minister, has Germany agreed to take active military
participation in any U.S. military response to the people who did
this?
FISCHER: Well, we had today a decision of our parliament, and we do
not rule out any option. It's not the time now for more specific
details. But once again as the chancellor said, we are in unlimited
solidarity with the American people and the United States of America,
and we do not rule out any option.
Q: Do you consider this an attack on Germany and other free countries,
as well as the United States?
FISCHER: Well, that time it was the United States, but, for example,
we arrested some months ago the finance minister of the bin Laden
group in Germany. And I think it also cannot be ruled out the similar
danger for other Western countries, including my own country. I think
this was a direct attack on the people, on the government, of the
United States, with terrible losses. But we fear that also hundreds of
our citizens have lost their life in New York City. I think more than
60 nations -- citizens of more than 60 nations has lost their lives in
these murderous attack in New York City last Tuesday, and this makes
quite clear that this is not only attack on the United States but also
an attack to all of us.
I think we should be -- look very carefully on the intentions of these
criminals. They want to inflame a war of the cultures, and we should
avoid that. Our enemy is terrorism, not Islam. And we appreciated very
much what President Bush announced in the recent days about that fact.
Q: Mr. Wolfowitz, so much of the public discussion has been about
Afghanistan's support for the Taliban. Do you feel there's an Iraqi
connection to these attacks, and if so, how is that affecting our
policy toward Iraq?
WOLFOWITZ: I think the president made it very clear today that this is
about more than just one organization, it's about more than just one
event, as horrible as that event was. We are engaged in a war against
terrorism, against the terrorist networks, against state support for
terrorism. And I think everyone has got to look at this problem with
completely new eyes in a completely new light after what happened last
Tuesday.
But if you go back to what the president said just earlier today, when
he was greeting President Megawati of Indonesia, he made it very clear
that this is about more than just one country or just one individual
or just one organization.
Q: Mr. Secretary, can people expect to see military action soon?
WOLFOWITZ: You know that I don't answer questions like that.
Q: Mr. Secretary, can you talk --
Q: Let me ask it this way. Are we in more of a law enforcement phase
now than a military phase, or might the two blend in the future?
WOLFOWITZ: First of all, we're going into a campaign, a sustained
campaign, which means it's going to be a long series of actions before
we achieve success. And I think it's a mistake to isolate one form of
action like law enforcement, from another like military, and another
like diplomatic. In fact, the record demonstrates over and over again
that you're more successful when you combine your resources; that
diplomacy backed up by meaningful threats of force is much more
effective than diplomacy without it; that a political strategy that
brings in those hundreds of millions of moderate Muslims who have to
be -- the hundreds of millions of moderate Muslims that have to be
shocked by this barbaric act that claims to be done somehow in the
name of their religion.
The financial resources of the world, and running down the financial
networks of these organizations. It needs to be an integrated
strategy. And if we do act militarily, we will act militarily as part
of that strategy and to support those goals, not simply for the sake
of satisfying what is understandably an enormous urge by the American
people -- and I suppose by all the 60 nations that lost people on
Tuesday -- that tremendous urge for revenge. We're after something
more than revenge. We're after dealing with and eliminating this
threat to civilization.
Q: Mr. Secretary, I understand the secretary of Defense signed the
first deployment order today. Can you give us any indication of what
that entails, what troops may be moving? Is this a precursor to
anything that we should expect?
WOLFOWITZ: There are movements, and you will see more movements, and I
hope everyone understands -- I'm sure the American people understand
why we do not want to reveal the details of those movements to people
who may be trying to figure out what we're about to do next. So I
appreciate the forbearance on that.
Q: Mr. Secretary, do you see an end to this? Is there going to be an
actual end, or will this just be continuing on forever, basically?
WOLFOWITZ: I think we're going into a campaign, and with the enormous
will and resources of the American people behind it, we will win.
If you -- it's worth going back and reading Churchill's memoirs.
The day after Pearl Harbor, he recalls people who underestimated the
United States and who believed that we were soft and we couldn't take
things. And he comments on the enormous power this country can
generate, of all kinds. And we're generating it now, and we're
generating it this time in cooperation with the most advanced, most
powerful countries in the world, for which the minister is one of the
leading representatives. And we will win.
Thank you.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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