11 October 2001
Bush Reports Progress in War Against Terrorism
(President discusses anti-terror campaign in White House press
conference) (930)
By Wendy S. Ross
Washington File White House Correspondent
Washington -- With help from around the world, the United States is
making progress in the war against terrorism and has the al-Qaeda
terrorists in Afghanistan "on the run," President Bush told reporters
at a prime time news conference at the White House October 11, a month
to the day after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon.
"We've accomplished a great deal in one month," Bush said. "Our
staunch friends Great Britain, our neighbors Canada and Mexico, our
NATO allies, our allies in Asia, Russia, and nations from every
continent on the Earth have offered help of one kind or of another,
from military assistance to intelligence information to crackdown on
terrorists' financial networks."
Bush noted that 56 Islamic nations earlier in the week issued a
statement strongly condemning the September 11 acts of terror and
emphasizing that those acts contradict the peaceful teachings of
Islam.
Bush said he wants suspected terrorist leader Osama bin Laden brought
to justice, and in response to a question, said he doesn't know
whether he is dead or alive. But he said the fight is not about just
one man.
"Success or failure depends not on bin Laden. Success or failure
depends upon routing out terrorism where it may exist all around the
world. He's just one person, a part of a network, and we're slowly but
surely, with determined fashion, routing that network out and bringing
it to justice," Bush said.
"There are al Qaeda organizations in roughly 68 countries. And over
200 have now been apprehended. And every time I talk to a world
leader, I urge them to continue finding the al Qaeda representatives
and bring them to justice."
"We are sending a signal to the world, as we speak," he said, "that if
you harbor a terrorist, there will be a price to pay."
"I'm a performance-oriented person," Bush said. "I believe in results.
And if you want to join the coalition against terror, we'll welcome
you in. I recognize some countries will do things that others won't
do. All I ask is for results. If you say you want to join us to cut
off money, show us the money. If you say you want to join us
militarily, like Great Britain does, do so. And they have done so in a
fashion that should make the people of Great Britain proud. If you're
interested in sharing intelligence, share intelligence."
He said that Syria, a nation often linked with terrorist groups, had
expressed a desire to help with the anti-terror coalition, "and we'll
give them an opportunity to do so." He did not give specifics on the
type of assistance Syria offered, but said he takes it seriously.
Bush suggested that the United Nations would have a role in
establishing a stable new government in Afghanistan.
"We should not just simply leave after a military objective has been
achieved," he said, adding that he had signalled this in his recent
announcement that the United States was going to spend $320 million in
humanitarian aid for the people of Afghanistan, up from roughly the
$170 million already being spent this year.
Asked about Iraq, Bush said "there's no question that the leader of
Iraq is an evil man. After all, he gassed his own people. We know he's
been developing weapons of mass destruction. And I think it's in his
advantage to allow inspectors back in his country to make sure that
he's conforming to the agreement he made after he was soundly trounced
in the Gulf War. And so we're watching him very carefully."
On the Middle East asked whether he planned to meet with Palestinian
Authority chairman Yasser Arafat, he said if he were "convinced that a
meeting with a particular party at this point in time will further the
process, I will do so. If it turns out to be an empty photo
opportunity that creates expectations that will become dashed, I won't
meet."
He said he "was pleased to see that Mr. Arafat is trying to control
the radical elements within the Palestinian Authority, and I think the
world ought to applaud him for that. I hope he's taking measures
necessary to reduce the violence in the Middle East so that we can get
into the Mitchell process."
The president said that an FBI warning issued earlier in the day about
the possibility of further terrorist attacks on the United States and
abroad was the result of a "general threat," and "had it been
specific, we would have dealt with the specifics of the threat."
Bush said "it is important for the American people to know their
government is on full alert. And that's what that warning showed. We
take every threat seriously. And the American people shouldn't be
surprised that we're issuing alerts. After all, on our TV screens the
other day, we saw 'the evil one' threatening, calling for more
destruction and death in America."
"The truth of the matter is," Bush said, "in order to fully defend
America, we must defeat the evildoers where they hide. We must round
them up, and we must bring them to justice. And that's exactly what
we're doing in Afghanistan -- the first battle in the war of the 21st
century."
(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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