Homeland Security

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QUESTION:  From time to time, the State Department and the Homeland Security had warned Americans of possible terrorist attacks, especially since 9/11.  And also, you have expressed your concern of -- for this situation to happen the closer the possibility of a war with Iraq, you know, gets even closer. 

Mexican officials were here this week talking to Mr. Tom Ridge, and they were talking about security in the border and other issues, immigration.  But I also understand that they talk about intelligence and for what I understand, the U.S. had asked the Mexican Government to remain vigilant for possible attacks there against U.S. interests or U.S. citizens considering how popular is Mexico for -- I mean for American tourists. 

Do we know anything about this?  Can you tell me about it a little bit?

MR. BOUCHER:  I'm not the spokesman for Tom Ridge.

QUESTION:  I understand, but this is something that concerns the United States Government.

MR. BOUCHER:  And I don't talk about intelligence.  What I would tell you is that security cooperation with our neighbors is very important to us.  And when the Secretary talked to Foreign Secretary Derbez, they talked about migration and security issues and how to make sure that we helped each other in being secure.  So that's been an active area of cooperation with our neighbors, with Canada and with Mexico. 

If we had any specific warnings about attacks against Americans that we could not counter, we would put out public statements.  But we also cooperate with authorities in other countries, particularly with our neighbors, to make sure those kind of problems don't occur.

QUESTION:  Can I just follow up, please?

MR. BOUCHER:  Yes.

QUESTION:  There's a chart of colors that we became very familiar of a warning of danger that we became very familiar after 9/11.  I mean, it was orange, sometimes yellow.

MR. BOUCHER:  Yes.

QUESTION:  If we have to use this charter in Mexico, and this is just a hypothetical, but we saw a situation, pretty bad situation in Bali.  You know, so how bad it could be?  You know, it's just a hypothetical, but it's better to be aware --

MR. BOUCHER:  I don't answer hypotheticals, I'm sorry.  But the point is it's not just a matter of warning your citizens.  It's a matter of creating a secure environment so that you're not vulnerable, so that neither Mexicans nor Americans are vulnerable, so that those of us who live side by side in the same neighborhood can help protect each other, can work together so that I'm safer and the Mexicans are safer, too. 

And it's that kind of cooperation, that kind of intelligence cooperation, law enforcement cooperation, Homeland Security cooperation, as well as, you know, cooperation diplomatically, that makes us all safer in living here.  That's the goal.  So it's not -- it's trying to prevent the attacks.  It's trying to prevent the terrorists from coming in or getting near us or doing anything so that we don't have to start ratcheting up the warnings.

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