02 October 2001
Transcript: Bush Briefs Congressional Leaders on War Against Terrorism
(President says international coalition is impressive and steady)
(1680)
President Bush, in remarks to reporters October 2 following a meeting
at the White House with the top Republican and Democratic leaders of
Congress, said he "briefed the members about the fact that we're
beginning to make progress in freezing assets -- freezing assets of
the al Qaeda organization.
"I also talked about that the net we're casting is wide and strong,
that we've put together an international coalition (against terrorism)
that is impressive and that the members of that coalition are staying
steady."
Bush said he also informed the Congressional leaders that he was going
to Washington's Reagan National Airport later in the morning to
announce that it would reopen. It has been closed for security reasons
since the September 11 terrorist attacks on Washington and New York.
In response to questions from reporters, Bush said the ruling Taliban
regime in Afghanistan "must turn over al Qaeda organization members
living within Afghanistan, and must destroy the terrorist camps. And
they must do so, otherwise there will be a consequence."
"We'll act on our time, and we'll do it in a manner that not only
secures the United States as best as possible, but makes the freedom
in the world more likely to exist in the future," said Bush.
Asked if he was prepared to recognize a Palestinian state as part of a
broader Middle East peace process, Bush responded that "The idea of a
Palestinian state has always been part of a vision, so long as the
right of Israel to exist is respected.
"But first things first. When it comes to the Middle East, we've got
to get to Mitchell, the Mitchell Accord. Senator Mitchell put together
a viable blueprint that most of the world agrees is a necessary path
to ultimately solving the problems of the Middle East. And we are
working diligently with both sides to encourage the reduction of
violence so that meaningful discussions can take place."
Following is the White House transcript of the President's remarks:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
October 2, 2001
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN PHOTO OPPORTUNITY WITH SPEAKER HASTERT,
LEADER DASCHLE, MINORITY LEADER LOTT AND MINORITY LEADER GEPHARDT
The Oval Office
8:13 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank the leaders of the Congress for coming
down for breakfast this morning. We had a really good discussion,
starting with the progress we're making on the war against terrorism.
I briefed the members about the fact that we're beginning to make
progress in freezing assets -- freezing assets of the al Qaeda
organization.
I also talked about that the net we're casting is wide and strong,
that we've put together an international coalition that is impressive
and that the members of that coalition are staying steady.
It is my desire to make sure that, as this war unfolds, that the
leaders of both the Senate and the House are fully informed of what
the government is doing. I can't think of a better way to conduct
foreign policy than to consult regularly with the leadership.
We also talked about airport security. I told the members that I'm
going to be going to Reagan Airport today to announce its opening, and
that we need to work together to make sure that the package that's
evolving in the House and Senate is put together pretty quickly.
We talked about economic stimulus. There is agreement that we've got
to come together with a vision about how big the package ought to be,
to make sure that we affect the economy in the short-run in a positive
way, but don't affect it in the long-run in a negative way.
We agree on principles, that we've got to make sure that demand for
U.S. products stay strong; demand for products throughout our economic
stays strong. Therefore, we talked about ways to stimulate demand. We
understand that investment has fallen off in the corporate sector, and
we talked about constructive ways to stimulate investments so that the
manufacturing sector, for example, of the United States has got some
added wind, in order to grow, to make sure that people find work. We
talked about worker displacement. And we had a good discussion.
And there's one thing that the American people must understand, that
as we work through these important subjects, we will do so in a spirit
of cooperation and consultation.
And, finally, all of us want to get a budget done as quickly possible,
get the appropriations process done. We're making very good progress
on coming up with the size of the ultimate budget. And once that's
decided, we pledged to work together to get the appropriations bills
moving as quickly as possible. That would be a welcome relief from the
old budget battles of the past.
And I'm most pleased with the conversations we've had. I admired all
four Leaders prior to September 11th; I admire them even more after
September 11th, because they're dedicated patriots, anxious to bring
our government together to make sure that we respond to the American
people in a positive way.
I'll answer a couple questions.
Q: Mr. President, is the time running out on the Taliban regime? Are
you prepared, sir, to recognize the Palestinian state as a part of a
broader Middle East peace process, itself?
THE PRESIDENT: Those are two questions, Major.
Q: It's been a while since I've seen you.
THE PRESIDENT: Don't take it personally.
Q: I never do, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: The idea of a Palestinian state has always been part of
a vision, so long as the right to Israel to exist is respected.
But first things first, when it comes to the Middle East, we've got to
get to Mitchell, the Mitchell Accord. Senator Mitchell put together a
viable blueprint that most of the world agrees with is a necessary
path to ultimately solving the problems of the Middle East. And we are
working diligently with both sides to encourage the reduction of
violence so that meaningful discussions can take place.
Secondly, there is no time table for the Taliban, just like there are
no negotiations. I have said that the Taliban must turn over al Qaeda
organization living within Afghanistan, and must destroy the terrorist
camps. And they must do so, otherwise there will be a consequence.
There are no negotiations, there's no calendar. We'll act on our time,
and we'll do it in a manner that not only secures the United States as
best as possible, but makes the freedom in the world more likely to
exist in the future.
Q: Mr. President, to follow up on the Middle East, sir. Were you
prepared to support the idea of a Palestinian state before the United
Nations conference that was canceled?
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, I read all kinds of speculation about what this
administration was or was not going to do. What I'm telling you is, is
that we are fully committed to the Mitchell process. And we are fully
committed to working with both sides to bring the level of terror down
to an acceptable level for both. And I fully understand that progress
is made in centimeters in the Middle East. And we believe we're making
some progress.
Steve.
Q: How big a stimulus package do you think is needed, sir, and what do
you think is the best way to stimulate demand?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, the definition -- a stimulus package big enough
-- that what is needed is big enough to get the economy moving in the
short-run, but small enough so it doesn't affect long-term interest
rates, for example. We are -- all of us are listening to the voices of
leading economists. We're all open for suggestions. The best way to
stimulate demand is to give people some money, so they can spend it.
Q: Mr. President, out of this terror comes fear.
THE PRESIDENT: What? Out of what?
Q: Out of this terror on September 11th comes fear. Many Americans are
still gripped with this fear, and they're buying gas masks in
exuberant numbers. And they're also looking to -- for anthrax
vaccinations. What do you say to those people? Is their fear
warranted?
THE PRESIDENT: I say that America ought to be on alert, but we need to
get back to business. That's why I'm opening up Reagan Airport. That's
why we had Cabinet members get on commercial airlines over the
weekend. The good news is, is that some of the load factors on
American airlines looked like they increased over the weekend.
Americans know their government is doing everything they can to
disrupt any terrorist activity that may occur. We're following every
lead, we're interrogating every possible suspect. We're on full alert
in America.
But the good news is, Americans also realize that in order to fight
terrorism, they're going to go about their lives in a normal way. And
Americans are.
Q: Are we in a recession, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: Are we in a what?
Q: Are we in a recession?
THE PRESIDENT: You let the number-crunchers tell us that. But there's
no question our economy is hurt as a result of September 11th. And the
Leaders here understand that. These members go back to their districts
and hear the plight of families who have been laid off. I, of course,
hear it all the time, as well. And we're going to do something about
it. That's exactly what these discussions are about.
In terms of how you call it, what the numbers look like, we've got
statisticians who will be crunching the numbers and let us know
exactly where we stand. But we don't need numbers to tell us people
are hurting.
MR. JOHNDROE: Thank you all very much.
THE PRESS: Thank you very much, sir.
(end White House transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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