07 November 2001
Transcript: Bush, Blair Brief Press in Washington Nov. 7
(Following meeting to discuss anti-terrorism, Afghanistan) (3210)
President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair met at the White
House November 7, later telling reporters that they had discussed
their military strategy in Afghanistan, humanitarian issues including
aid to Afghan refugees, the reconstruction of Afghanistan once the
present Taliban regime is out of power, and building of a global
coalition against all forms of terrorism.
"I believe that coalition, if anything, is even stronger today," said
Blair. "Certainly, from the discussions I had with European leaders
just a few days ago, their commitment is real and their determination
is also absolute to see this thing done."
Both leaders expressed optimism about the military campaign in
Afghanistan while cautioning that it will take a long time. "We know
that slowly but surely, the Taliban is crumbling; its defenses are
crumbling, its folks are defecting," said Bush.
Noting that the campaign of air strikes began one month ago, Blair
said, "I think it is already having a huge impact.... Literally, we
have destroyed virtually all the terrorist training camps of al Qaeda,
we have destroyed an enormous amount of the military infrastructure of
the Taliban. Their air power, insofar as it exists, is completely
taken out. We therefore have a very, very strong situation from which
to move forward."
Both Bush and Blair said that winning the war against terrorism is not
conditional on achieving peace in the Middle East, but added that they
are "devoting enormous amounts of time" in search of a solution.
"Irrespective of the action in Afghanistan, it is in everybody's
interest that we make progress in the Middle East, and we will strain
every sinew we possibly can to do so," Blair said.
Calling the anti-terrorism effort "a long struggle and a different
kind of war," Bush said "we're patient."
Bush also was asked about the type of cuts he plans to propose for the
U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, which he declined to answer, and about
the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty.
Following is a transcript of the media availability:
(begin transcript)
PRIME MINISTER BLAIR SAYS COALITION IS STRONGER
Remarks by President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great
Britain in Press Availability
The Cross Hall
5:15 P.M. EST
PRESIDENT BUSH: The last time we were standing here I was getting
ready to give an address to the United States Congress. And I knew
then that the Prime Minister and the people he represent were going to
be great friends of the United States in our mutual struggle against
terrorism, and he has certainly proven that over the last weeks. We've
got no better friend in the world than Great Britain. I've got no
better person I would like to talk to about our mutual concerns than
Tony Blair. He brings a lot of wisdom and judgment, as we fight evil.
He also is, like me, determined. Nothing will deter us in this
all-important goal. We both recognize that we wage a fight to save
civilization, and that we must prevail; and not only must prevail,
will prevail.
We've had a great discussion about progress in Afghanistan. I fully
believe we're making great progress. I told the American people many
times and I've told the press corps many times that this is a struggle
that's going to take a while, that it's not one of these Kodak
moments. There is no moment to this; this is a long struggle and a
different kind of war. But we're patient, and our close friends are
patient, which is bad news for the Taliban and the people they harbor.
Secondly, we talked a lot about making sure that our great compassion
for the innocents in Afghanistan is fulfilled. We must feed the
people. And the Prime Minister has, every time I've talked to him,
which is a lot, is constantly talking about how we make sure that we
fulfill the mission -- not only military, but fulfill the mission of
helping people in need. And also, we continue to discuss the vision of
a post-Taliban Afghanistan, and how do we make sure that all parties
involved in that part of the world have a stake in the future. He's
got a clear vision, he is a strong friend, and I welcome him back to
the White House.
PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: First of all, can I say how pleased I am to be
back at the White House in the company of President Bush, and to have
continued the discussions we've been having over these past weeks and
continue them, face to face. And can I thank him once again for his
leadership and his strength at this time. And can I say to him, on
behalf of the people of my country, but I believe people right across
the world, that the determination to see that justice is done is every
bit as strong today as it was on September the 11th.
The cause is just, the strategy is there, the determination is there,
and there is a complete and total commitment to making sure that this
is a battle in which we will prevail. And we will; I have no doubt
about that at all.
What we've discussed already, and will carry on discussing, is
obviously the military strategy in Afghanistan. We have discussed the
humanitarian issues to make sure that we are doing everything we
possibly can to help the plight of people in Afghanistan. And we
should never forget that some four-and-a-half million of them were
refugees before the 11th of September.
We have discussed, also, the reconstruction of Afghanistan, how we
make sure that after the present Taliban regime led by Mullah Omar is
out of the way, that we construct a broad-based regime that is
representative of all the different groupings in Afghanistan and
offers some hope of stability and prosperity for that part of the
world.
And we have obviously also discussed how important it is that at this
moment in time, we carry on building that strong coalition against
international terrorism in all its forms. And I believe that
coalition, if anything, is even stronger today.
Certainly, from the discussions I had with European leaders just a few
days ago, their commitment is real and their determination is also
absolute to see this thing done. So can I once again thank President
Bush very much for his kindness in welcoming me here.
PRESIDENT BUSH: The Prime Minister has consented to take a couple of
questions, as will I. We are going to enforce the one-question rule,
however, Fournier. And that is, you get to ask me or him a question.
(Laughter.)
Q: That's an executive order?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Well -- (laughter.)
PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: It looks like it.
Q: It has been eight weeks since the September 11th attacks and we
don't know where Osama bin Laden is. It has been several weeks since
the anthrax attacks, but we don't know who sent the letters. What do
you say to Americans who might be frustrated and impatient despite
your admonition about --
PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes. I will say to them, we fight a new kind of war.
Never would we dream that someone would use our own airplanes to
attack us and/or the mail to attack us. I will tell them that we have
put a sound strategy in place that has got Osama bin Laden and the al
Qaeda thugs on the run. And I will tell them that we will bring them
to justice.
I can't tell them exactly when. But I will tell them that we will
prevail. There's no question in my mind. We know he hides in caves,
and we're shutting down caves. We know he moves around at night, and
we're looking for him.
We know that slowly but surely, the Taliban is crumbling; its defenses
are crumbling, its folks are defecting. We know that if you're on the
front line and if you're a Taliban soldier, you're likely to get
injured, because we're relentless in our pursuit of the mission.
In terms of the anthrax, we don't know who did it yet. We do know it's
a terrorist. Anybody who would use the mail to try to kill an American
is a terrorist. But we do know this, Ron, that we've responded
rapidly, that our health officials are performing really fine work.
And I truly believe -- as I've said many times, I believe they have
saved a lot of lives. We know how to treat anthrax. And we now know we
need sanitation machines in our post offices; machines to sanitize the
mail. And we're putting those in.
We know that we're fighting evil. And the American people are patient.
They've heard the call. And tomorrow night I'm going to put out an
address that reminds the nation that we're truly a great nation, that
we've responded in ways that the enemy could never have imagined. And
I'm so proud of the patience and steadfast nature of our people.
Mr. Prime Minister.
Q: Mr. President, since we're limited to only one leader, can I ask
you whether you think you can win this struggle against terrorism
without a settlement in the Middle East? And in view of the rather
strident notes struck by both sides on the Prime Minister's tour of
the Middle East last week. What do you think the United States can do
to bring that resolution about?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Of course we can win the war against al Qaeda.
Q: Without a Middle East settlement?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Oh, I believe we can. I believe we're going to -- we
are hunting them down as we speak, and we will bring them to justice.
But remember, the war is beyond just Afghanistan. There are over 60 al
Qaeda organizations around the world. And today we struck a blow for
freedom by cutting off their money -- one of their money sources. And
I'm absolutely convinced we can.
Having said that, however, we are both working hard to try to bring
peace to the Middle East. My Secretary of State, who is here, spends
enormous amounts of time on the phone with both parties, urging for
there to be calm so that we can get into the Mitchell process. There
is a process in place that will lead to peace called Mitchell. It has
been embraced by all or most of the nations of the world, and we are
working hard to get us into the Mitchell process.
There is no doubt in my mind, no doubt in my mind, we will bring al
Qaeda to justice, peace or no peace in the Middle East.
PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: Can I just say a word on that? There is no way
whatever in which our action in Afghanistan is conditional on progress
in the Middle East. And, indeed, one of the things that bin Laden
wants to do is to try and hijack the Palestinian cause for his own
purposes.
Now, we are taking the action in Afghanistan, and I believe,
incidentally, people are patient about this. I think they understand
this is not a conventional conflict, it is not fought in a
conventional way. It takes a lot of strategy and planning and
determination over a period of time to be successful.
But be under no doubt at all: Our objectives, which is to close down
that terrorist network in Afghanistan, those objectives will be
achieved. Now, even though it is not conditional in any sense, of
course we want to see progress in the Middle East. That's why we are
devoting enormous amounts of time to it.
And I believe it is possible to see how we can make progress in the
Middle East. And I described some of the ways that could happen when I
was in the Middle East last week. So be under no doubt, either, that,
irrespective of the action in Afghanistan, it is in everybody's
interest that we make progress in the Middle East, and we will strain
every sinew we possibly can to do so.
Q: Mr. President, have you decided on a figure for how far you can cut
the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, and do you agree with President
Putin who said that a common approach can be devised for interpreting
the ABM Treaty to allow for missile defense without abandoning the
treaty?
And if Mr. Blair could address the issue of, would a failure to reach
an arms agreement undermine the momentum of the international
coalition?
PRESIDENT BUSH: So much for executive orders. (Laughter.)
Q: It was an umbrella question.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Oh, it was an umbrella question.
I think it's best that I share with Mr. Putin the acceptable level of
offensive weapons with him, before I do with you. And so I'm going to
reserve -- I'm not going to tell you until I tell him. (Laughter.)
Q: Have you reached a decision?
PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: And then, I guess I had better not, either.
PRESIDENT BUSH: I have reached a decision. And I've spent time
thinking about the issue. I've told the American people that the
United States will move to reduce our offensive weapons to a level
commensurate with being able to keep the peace and, at the same time,
much lower levels than have been negotiated in previous arms control
agreements. We don't need an arms control agreement to convince us to
reduce our nuclear weapons down substantially, and I'm going to do it.
And I can't wait to share that information with the President. I will
do so.
Listen, the ABM Treaty is outmoded and outdated and we need to move
beyond it. It's exactly what I've been telling the President ever
since I've been meeting with him, and my position has not changed. And
if he's got some interesting suggestions on how to make the ABM Treaty
not outdated and not outmoded, I'm more than willing to listen.
But our nation and this terrorist war says to me more than ever that
we need to develop defenses to protect ourselves against weapons of
mass destruction that might fall in the hands of terrorist nations. If
Afghanistan or if the Taliban had a weapon that was able to deliver a
weapon of mass destruction, we might be talking a little different
tune about our progress against al Qaeda than we are today.
So it's important for us to be able to develop defenses that work. And
the ABM Treaty prevents us from doing that.
Q: Mr. Prime Minister, I'd like to divert your attention a little bit
away from military conflicts toward the economic side of things. I'd
like to ask you if you've had a chance at all to ask the President if
they would formally launch open skies agreements and, if not, if that
means that the UK's position is now that the EU is going to be
handling this matter?
PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: No. I mean, no doubt we will discuss these
issues, but we haven't yet.
PRESIDENT BUSH: We haven't had dinner yet.
Q: But does that mean that the EU is going to be in charge of it now?
PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: No, it doesn't mean that at all.
Q: Mr. President, could I ask a question of your guest? But feel free
to jump in if so desire.
PRESIDENT BUSH: It depends on what the question is.
Q: Well, sir, it is a multiple part-question, for which I am famous.
But, anyway, Prime Minister, as you know, the air war in Afghanistan
is one month old today. There are many experts on both sides of the
Atlantic who believe that the air war is limited in its ability to
really inflict a decisive blow against the Taliban. Many say the only
way you can defeat the Taliban is to put boots on the ground.
One, do you agree? And, two, are you willing to commit large numbers
of British troops beyond the SAS and the Royal Marines, to the effort
to defeat the Taliban?
PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: Well, first of all, let me say something to you
I often say to our own media when I am asked a question about the
precise nature of our military operations. And that is that I have
learned in these situations that it is not a sensible thing to discuss
in detail the types of military operation that you may undertake for
very obvious reasons.
But we are completely committed to seeing this thing through. I think
people know that the strategy has to encompass more than air strikes
alone, although do not underestimate the enormous damage that is now
being done to Taliban front-line troops because that is where the air
power is being concentrated.
But, of course, there are other operations that we will mount as well.
And there are, obviously, the support and the assistance that we are
giving to the Northern Alliance. There are the measures that we are
taking of a political and diplomatic nature as well.
And when you said a moment or two ago that the air strikes were just
-- and the conflict was a month old, I think it is probably just as
well to reflect upon that for a moment. It is simply a month old. And
we have begun this action. We have taken it at a number of different
levels. I think it is already having a huge impact.
Some of the information that I have seen -- I think sometimes people
don't always reflect on maybe enough when we state it to people --
but, literally, we have destroyed virtually all the terrorist training
camps of al Qaeda, we have destroyed an enormous amount of the
military infrastructure of the Taliban. Their air power, insofar as it
exists, is completely taken out. We therefore have a very, very strong
situation from which to move forward. And I think what is -- what is
different about this conflict is that every part of it has to come
together. In other words, not just the military part, but also the
support for those parties in opposition to the Taliban, and the
political and diplomatic aspects that help build a strong coalition
that can secure the objectives we want to see. And I have absolutely
no doubt at all that we will achieve the objectives that we want.
And those objectives are very simple. Sometimes people say to me,
well, you know, clarify the military objectives. There's no difficulty
about doing that at all. It's al Qaeda and the terrorist network shut
down, it's the Taliban regime out, it's a new regime in that is
broad-based, and it's a decent future for the people of Afghanistan,
based on some stability and progress, not based on a regime that
oppresses its people, treats its people appallingly, is a threat to
regional stability, and basically thrives on the drugs trade.
Now, I think those are pretty clear objectives, and I've absolutely no
doubt at all that we will achieve them in full, and we will not let up
until we do.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you all.
END 5:31 P.M. EST
(end transcript)
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