28 February 2002
White House Report: U.S. International Response to Terrorism
(Fleischer also discusses Mideast, Bush/Morocco, March meetings)
(1350)
White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer briefed at early morning and
afternoon meetings with reporters in the White House Briefing Room.
BUSH RESPONSE TO TERRORISM
Asked if the United States planned to send troops and money to every
country that has said it has terrorists, Fleischer responded as
follows:
"In the wake of the attack on September 11th, one of the things I
think you've seen around the world is how the world has stood in
solidarity with the United States and has faced now the fact that
terrorism does represent a threat to people throughout the world, in
the various regions of the world, people from all types of
governments, whether they're democracies or whether they are kingdoms,
in different types of regions.
"And the President views it as a healthy and welcome sign of the
multilateralism that is present in a way that people want to take this
threat seriously and look to the United States for leadership, for
strength and for help. And the President is pleased to help provide
it.
"So the United States will work very productively and closely with the
various nations throughout the world as they turn internally to deal
with their terrorism, with the problems they have in their borders.
"Specifically, in Georgia, the United States will continue our helpful
efforts to recognize and respect and strengthen the sovereignty of
Georgia. The United States has previously provided helicopters to
Georgia, as has been previously announced...
"This is an attempt to help Georgia to train and equip the Georgians
to deal with internal problems in an area of Georgia that is known for
its terrorist influence.
"In Yemen, President Salih is responded very positively since
September 11th especially, in helping to fight terrorism. That is a
serious issue in Yemen. And the Vice President will be traveling to
Yemen next month, as you know, and the United States wants to work
closely with the Yemenese government. President Salih has shown real
leadership on this measure.
"So the long answer to your question ... is yes; the United States
will work directly and closely with nations around the world as they
combat terrorism -- properly and proudly so."
Asked about the criteria for intervention in various countries,
Fleischer said:
"The criteria in fighting the war on terrorism is going to be to
continue to listen to the needs and the requests of nations throughout
the world as they deal with these issues. Terrorism represents a
serious threat, not only to the sovereign nations of the world, but to
the international community. And it's a healthy sign that since
September 11th nations have stepped up in their efforts to rout out
the terrorists where they are. And the president welcomes that, is
pleased with this sign of people looking to the United States to
provide strength, help, and leadership, and he intends to provide
it...
"The President never limited the amount of assistance the United
States would give to other nations who are dealing with terrorist
threats to only those nations that deal with terrorist threats of a
global reach. It's been a long-standing policy of the United States to
help other nations in their wars on terrorism, and Georgia is the case
in point. Prior to September 11th, the United States provided
helicopters to Georgia. The issue of Georgian sovereignty is an
important issue and a part of America's foreign policy. So it's not
limited to just that group."
FLEISCHER ON SPECIFIC TERRORIST THREATS IN GEORGIA, COLOMBIA, YEMEN
The Press Secretary outlined specific threats in this way:
"In Georgia, there is the Pankisi Gorge, which by all estimates is a
lawless area. It's a area in which the borders are hard to seal and
are unsealed and which people freely go back and forth between
Chechnya and Georgia into the Pankisi Gorge. And this was the case
prior to September 11th, as I indicated. And that's why the United
States provided -- and you received notice -- helicopters were sent to
the Georgian republic to assist them in their dealings to maintain
their sovereignty over a area that has been hard to control as a
result of the terrorist infiltration and the problems in Georgia.
"In Colombia the FARC is a listed terrorist organization.
"It traffics in narcotics, it attacks pipelines, it hijacks airplanes,
it kidnaps presidential candidates and state senators. I think there's
no question that the American people want to help the government of
Colombia put an end to that type of violence.
"In Yemen, Yemen is a country that has a(n) area that also is very
hard to patrol and to control, in the northern reaches of Yemen. And
the administration is very pleased that President Salih is helping the
United States.
"I think what's interesting here is that one of the accusations that
was previously launched against the President is why won't he work
cooperatively with other countries. Here what you have is these other
countries coming to the United States and seeking our support, and the
President's pleased to provide it."
ON THE MIDEAST
On the Middle East, Fleischer said, "the President is encouraged in
the fact that this week the security talks have taken place. There had
been a long period of time in which the security talks were not even
taking place. That is the first step of the Mitchell accords. There
have been meetings between the Israelis and the Palestinians to
discuss security arrangements in the Middle East. The President would
like to see that accelerated so that the Mitchell accord can be
entered into in a more meaningful and longer-lasting way. The
President will continue to press all the parties to comply with the
Mitchell accords. So it's a question of time."
Later in the afternoon, Fleischer issued the following brief statement
in response to other comments he had made during the briefing relating
to the Clinton peace talks that were held during the year 2000:
(begin Fleischer text)
"Earlier today, in response to a question, I stated that violence in
the Middle East began at the end of 2000 and accelerated in 2001. I
mistakenly suggested that increasing violence in the Middle East was
attributable to the peace efforts that were underway in 2000. That is
not the position of the Administration. As President Bush has
consistently said, he supported President Clinton's efforts, at the
behest of the parties, to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle
East.
"No United States President, including President Clinton, is to blame
for violence in the Middle East. The only people to blame for violence
are the terrorists who engage in it."
"I regret any implication to the contrary."
(end Fleischer text)
BUSH PHONE CONVERSATION WITH KING MOHAMED VI OF MOROCCO
The Press Secretary said President Bush "this morning spoke with King
Mohamed VI of Morocco. The two discussed a number of regional issues,
including the Israeli-Palestinian situation and the U.N.-led effort to
find a solution to the Western Sahara dispute.
"President Bush reiterated the high value that the United States
places on its deep and friendly relationships with Morocco," said
Fleischer.
BUSH TO MEET WITH LEADERS OF IRELAND AND LUXEMBOURG IN MARCH
Fleischer said Bush "will welcome Luxembourg Prime Minister
Jean-Claude Juncker for a working visit on March 6 next week. And the
President and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern will meet at the White
House on March 13."
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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