UNITED24 - Make a charitable donation in support of Ukraine!

Military

28 November 2001

Transcript: Bush, UN Secretary General Discuss Aid to Afghanistan

(Aid is available, Bush says, but delivery is difficult) (1070)
Getting humanitarian aid to the needy in Afghanistan was the focus of
a White House meeting November 28 between President Bush and United
Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, that included U.S. and U.N.
officials.
"Around the table today are people who are responsible to making sure,
as best as they possibly can, that food is delivered, and medicine is
delivered, and clothing is delivered to innocent, hurting people of
Afghanistan," Bush told reporters.
"The degree of difficulty is high," he said. "There's no question
we've got a large task ahead of ourselves. We've got ample money, and
the United States government has been a major contributor of that
money. We've got the food. The fundamental question is, in an
environment that is not very secure, how do we get the food to the
people. And that's what we're working on. And I'm convinced that we
can do a very good job of meeting that objective."
Secretary General Annan said "we are now, with the help of the U.S.
and other donors, able to get in as much food as we think we will
need. But because of the insecurity, we have difficulties reaching the
needy and the people, and we are working on that. And I hope the
situation will clarify in the not-too-distant future to allow us to
reach all those in need."
Annan urged the Afghan groups now meeting in Bonn, Germany to form "an
effective Afghan government that is cohesive, that is stable, that
will work with the donor community to ensure that the resources that
are being applied to rehabilitation and reconstruction are used
effectively."
Following is the White House transcript:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
November 28, 2001
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AND U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN
The Roosevelt Room
10:51 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: It's my honor to welcome back to the White House our
friend, Secretary General Kofi Annan. Today we've had a valuable
discussion about how to make sure that the good intentions of America
and others around the world are met. And those intentions have to do
with feeding people who starve in Afghanistan.
Prior to September the 11th there was a lot of hunger in that country,
primarily because it was run by a government that didn't really care
about the human condition. After September the 11th, obviously the war
has aggravated the situation, and as I declared to the American
people, our good government and our great nation is going to do
something about it.
And around the table today are people who are responsible to making
sure, as best as they possibly can, food is delivered, and medicine is
delivered, and clothing is delivered to innocent, hurting people of
Afghanistan.
And the Secretary General has been so great on this issue, and he's
assembled a wonderful team who are here to brief the Secretary of
State and myself about the efforts.
The degree of difficulty is high. There's no question we've got a
large task ahead of ourselves. We've got ample money, and the United
States government has been a major contributor of that money. We've
got the food. The fundamental question is, in an environment that is
not very secure, how do we get the food to the people. And that's what
we're working on. And I'm convinced that we can do a very good job of
meeting that objective.
So, Mr. General, thanks for coming. It's an honor to have you back. I
appreciate you bringing your team with you.
SECRETARY GENERAL ANNAN: Thank you very much, Mr. President, for the
discussions this morning with my team.
The Afghan people have suffered for quite a long time through a series
of wars, and recently, drought. And we've been trying to get food to
them. And as the President said, it's not always been easy. Even
sometimes when we have the food in the country, we cannot always get
it to the needy.
We are now, with the help of the U.S. and other donors, able to get in
as much food as we think we will need. But because of the insecurity,
we have difficulties reaching the needy and the people, and we are
working on that. And I hope the situation will clarify in the
not-too-distant future to allow us to reach all those in need.
I think it is important for the public to know the numbers we are
dealing with, and here I'm talking about refugees -- Afghan refugees
in the neighboring countries, particularly Pakistan and Iran, and the
internally displaced people. We are talking about 6 million needy
people -- between 6 million to 7.5 million.
We are going to do our best, with the support that we are getting. And
I think, on the political front, if I may say a word, we are meeting
the Afghan parties in Bonn. Mr. Brahimi is discussing with them as we
sit here. And so far, they're off to a good start. The parties seem to
want a broad-based government, and I hope they will be able to settle
this -- the establishment of the government before they leave Bonn.
The willingness of the U.S. and other donor countries and the
international community is clear, to work with them in rebuilding
their society. But we need a partner, and the partner has to be an
effective Afghan government that is cohesive, that is stable, that
will work with the donor community to ensure that the resources that
are being applied to rehabilitation and reconstruction are used
effectively.
The challenge is theirs. They have an historic opportunity to put the
past behind them and form a broad-based government that will be loyal
to the Afghan people, and respect its international obligations. And
if they do that, from all the commitments that I have heard from the
President and other leaders, the resources will be there over the
period in a sustained manner to help rebuild Afghanistan.
So I urge them to seize the moment for the sake of their people and
for the sake of their country.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mr. General.
(end White House transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



NEWSLETTER
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list