17 November 2003
Istanbul Bombings Show True Nature of Al Qaeda, Bush Says
White House Report, Nov. 17: Istanbul bombings, Nobel winners, ambassadorial nominations
President Bush told reporters at the White House November 17 that he had had "a good talk" over the weekend with Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following November 15 bombing attacks at two Istanbul synagogues that killed a reported 24 persons.
Bush said Erdogan assured him "that, one, he understood his responsibilities to protect people from all religions within his country; and two, that he would chase these killers down and bring them to justice."
In a question and answer session with reporters, a reporter commented that al Qaeda appeared to be taking responsibility for recent bombings in Istanbul, Riyadh, and Baghdad, and asked if this indicated "a reconstitution" of al Qaeda.
Bush responded: "We're seeing the nature of al Qaeda. They'll kill innocent people anywhere, any time. That's just the way they are. They have no regard for human life. They claim they're religious people, but they're not. Religious people do not murder innocent citizens. Religious people don't just indiscriminately bomb."
"There's only one way to deal with al Qaeda -- find them, and bring them to justice. And that's exactly what the United States and a lot of other nations, including a free Iraq, will do. We do this in the name of humanity; we do this in the name of freedom; and we do it in the name of peace," Bush said.
BUSH MEETS IN OVAL OFFICE WITH 2003 NOBEL PRIZE RECIPIENTS FROM U.S.
Six U.S. citizens who received Nobel Prizes this year -- in chemistry, physics, medicine or economics -- were recognized by President Bush November 17 during a visit to the Oval Office.
The Americans received the awards last month from the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences.
They are:
-- Peter Agre of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and Roderick MacKinnon, with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at The Rockefeller University in New York, for studies of tiny transportation tunnels in cell walls, work that illuminates diseases of the heart, kidneys and nervous system.
-- Alexei A. Abrikosov, a Russian and U.S. citizen based at the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois; and Anthony J. Leggett, a British and U.S. citizen based at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who received the physics prize.
-- Paul C. Lauterbur at the University of Illinois, who was a co-winner of the medicine prize.
-- Robert F. Engle, who shared the Nobel in economics with Clive W.J. Granger. The two were colleagues for decades at the University of California at San Diego.
Since the first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901, 277 of the 661 winners, or 42 percent, have been Americans, according to the Associated Press.
WHITE HOUSE SENDS TO SENATE TWO AMBASSADORIAL NOMINATIONS
President Bush November 17 announced his intention to nominate Glyn Townsend Davies, of the District of Columbia, to have the Rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service as the Political Director for the United States Presidency of the G-8. The White House later in the day sent the nomination to the Senate for confirmation.
A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Davies previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission for the American Embassy in London. Prior to this, he served as Executive Secretary for the National Security Council. Earlier, Davies served as Deputy Spokesman and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of State. He earned his bachelor 's degree from Georgetown University, and his master's degree from the National Defense University.
And, President Bush November 17 announced his intention to nominate James Curtis Oberwetter, of Texas, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The White House later in the day sent the nomination to the Senate for confirmation.
Currently, Oberwetter serves as Vice President of Governmental and Political Affairs for Hunt Consolidated, Inc. He previously served as Chairman of the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Earlier, Oberwetter served as Press Secretary for then Houston Congressman George H.W. Bush. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2003&m=November&x=20031117175323ssor0.9460108&t=usinfo/wf-latest.html
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