02 January 2003
Bush Says North Korea Situation "Will be Resolved Peacefully"
(Also discusses Iraq, illegals, U.S. economy with reporters in Texas)
(2580)
President Bush, in remarks to reporters at his Texas ranch January 2,
said he believes "the situation with North Korea will be resolved
peacefully ... it's a diplomatic issue, not a military issue."
The United States government, Bush said, is working "with friends and
allies in the region to explain clearly to North Korea it's not in
their nation's interest to develop and proliferate weapons of mass
destruction."
"We are in constant contact with the Japanese and the South Koreans
and the Chinese and the Russians," he said.
Bush said the decision in 2002 to end fuel oil shipments to North
Korea that were being provided under the 1994 Agreed Framework "was a
joint decision. It was not a U.S. decision, it was jointly made with
the South Koreans and the Japanese and the European Union, for that
matter.
"It's important for the American people to remember the history of Kim
Jong-il. He created some international tension and the United States
of America went and signed an agreement with him. And the agreement
was that we'd provide -- along with others -- we'd provide fuel oil
and help and in return, he would not enrich uranium.
"But it turns out he was enriching uranium. And we blew the whistle on
the fact that he was in violation of the '94 agreement. And the
parties to that agreement came together and said, well, in return for
him making that decision, in terms of him abrogating the agreement
there will be a consequence. And that's where we stand right now.
"So the parties have come together. There has been a joint declaration
of intent. And we will continue working to resolve the situation."
On Iraq, Bush said he expects the Saddam Hussein regime "to live up to
the U.N. Security Council resolutions and disarm, and if they won't,
we'll lead a coalition to disarm them.
"For 11 long years, the world has dealt with him. And now he's got to
understand, his day of reckoning is coming. And therefore, he must
disarm voluntarily, I hope he does," Bush said, adding that he was
hopeful "we won't have to go war, and let's leave it at that."
Asked about illegal immigration, Bush said the new Homeland Security
Department "will be dealing with smuggling rings, like the coyotes
right south of here that are smuggling people across" the border,
"stuffing them into these trailers and abusing them."
Most of the smuggling rings, he said, "are not terrorist related, but
if we get a hint, a whiff that some of them are, we'll deal with
them."
Bush also discussed the U.S. economy, calling it "strong and
resilient.
"This economy is pretty darn strong, given the fact that we have been
through a recession and a terrorist attack, a breach of corporate
confidence because of some malfeasance. And yet the economy still
grows. That's very positive," he said, adding that "we must put
policies in place to enhance that resiliency and enhance that
strength."
Following is the White House transcript of the President's remarks:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary (Crawford, Texas)
January 2, 2003
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT TO THE PRESS POOL
Prairie Chapel Ranch Crawford, Texas
12:14 P.M. CST
Q: Sir, there's another Democrat has thrown his hat into the ring
today, John Edwards. What do you think of the Democrat strategy to
essentially say that you're not keeping America safe enough? You've
heard some of that from some of the speeches.
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, you know, I understand politics, and I'm not paying
attention to politics. I'm going to continue doing the job the
American people expect, which is to safeguard America and Americans.
We've got a war on our hands. There is a terrorist network that still
is interested in harming Americans and we will hunt them down. There
are countries which are developing weapons of mass destruction and we
will deal with them appropriately. One country is Iraq. Obviously, we
expect them to live up to the U.N. Security resolutions and disarm,
and if they won't, we'll lead a coalition to disarm them.
Another country is North Korea. And we are working with friends and
allies in the region to explain clearly to North Korea it's not in
their nation's interest to develop and proliferate weapons of mass
destruction.
It was right here at this spot where Jiang Zemin, the leader of China,
and myself got together and we put out a joint declaration that we
expect for the Korean Peninsula to be nuclear weapons-free. That was a
serious statement. I believe the situation with North Korea will be
resolved peacefully. As I said, it's a diplomatic issue, not a
military issue and we're working all fronts.
Q: Can I follow that up? You said it could be resolved diplomatically.
You were quoted not long ago saying that you loathe Kim Jong-il. How
can you --
THE PRESIDENT: Well, what I worry about with a leader like Kim Jong-il
is somebody who starves his people. The United States of America is
the largest -- one of the largest, if not the largest donor of food to
the North Korean people. And one of the reasons why the people are
starving is because the leader of North Korea hasn't seen to it that
their economy is strong or that they be fed. We've got a great heart,
but I have no heart for somebody who starves his folks.
Q: Mr. President, when you look forward and think about economic
stimulus -- we're beginning a new year -- and the stock market people
nursing some losses, what are your views about that? And, secondly,
are you sensitive to the idea that a stimulus is too weighted toward
helping the wealthiest Americans and are you making choices based on
that, to help the middle income --
THE PRESIDENT: Well, what I'm worried about is job creation. And I'm
worried about those who are unemployed. I am concerned about those who
are looking for work but can't find work. And so next week when I talk
about an economic stimulus package, I will talk about how to create
jobs, how best to create jobs, as well as how to take care of those
who don't have a job.
I'm concerned about all the people. And I don't view the politics of
-- you know, I understand the politics of economic stimulus -- that
some would like to turn this into class warfare. That's not how I
think. I think about the overall economy and how best to help those
folks who are looking for work.
Q: Do you -- will you propose new tax cuts? Do you think they're
necessary now for the economy?
THE PRESIDENT: I'm looking at all options. And, of course, if I knew
the answer, I probably wouldn't tell you now, because I'd like for you
to come and pay attention to the speech.
Q: I'll do that.
THE PRESIDENT: I know you'll do that.
Q: Can I go back to Korea?
THE PRESIDENT: Sure.
Q: You're talking about a diplomatic solution and you believe that
there is one. How do you think you can bring some of the other
countries in the region that are reluctant right now --
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I don't think the countries are reluctant to --
Q: -- reluctant to put pressure on.
THE PRESIDENT: They may be putting pressure on and you just don't know
about it. But I know that they're not reluctant when it comes to the
idea of nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula. And we are in
constant contact with the Japanese and the South Koreans and the
Chinese and the Russians.
As I said -- and the decision to cut off fuel oil was a joint
decision. It was not a U.S. decision, it was jointly made with the
South Koreans and the Japanese and the European Union, for that
matter. It's important for the American people to remember the history
of Kim Jong-il. He created some international tension and the United
States of America went and signed an agreement with him. And the
agreement was that we'd provide -- along with others, we'd provide
fuel oil and help and in return, he would not enrich uranium.
But it turns out he was enriching uranium. And we blew the whistle on
the fact that he was in violation of the '94 agreement. And the
parties to that agreement came together and said, well, in return for
him making that decision, in terms of him abrogating the agreement
there will be a consequence. And that's where we stand right now.
So the parties have come together. There has been a joint declaration
of intent. And we will continue working to resolve the situation.
Yes, Holly.
Q: Thank you, sir.
THE PRESIDENT: I'm tired of these people calling you Heidi.
Q: I appreciate you --
THE PRESIDENT: And I will correct them. (Laughter.) Particularly on
camera.
Q: If we do have to go to war and --
THE PRESIDENT: With which country?
Q: With Iraq. And if -- and with our economy stagnating, what makes
you confident that we can afford --
THE PRESIDENT: First of all, you know, I'm hopeful we won't have to go
war, and let's leave it at that.
Q: But if we do, though, what --
THE PRESIDENT: Until Saddam Hussein makes up his mind to disarm --
see, it's his choice to make. See, you need to ask him that question,
not me.
Q: But the White House is drawing up plans to pay for the war, if we
come to that. So why --
THE PRESIDENT: Well, let's leave it at if, for a while then, until it
happens.
Q: So you don't want to talk about whether our economy could sustain
it, if that's a possibility?
THE PRESIDENT: I thought that was the question I answered yesterday,
so we'll go back to that question, Heidi. I mean, Holly.
Q: Thank you, sir.
Q: How do you size up the Democrats who are in line to oppose you?
What do you think of Senator --
THE PRESIDENT: Not paying attention to it yet, not paying attention to
the race yet. I've got a lot on my agenda and a lot on my platter. And
I understand politics. I know there's going to be a lot of verbiage
and a lot of noise and a lot of posturing and a lot of elbowing. To
me, that's just going to be background noise. My job is to protect the
American people and work to create confidence in our economy so that
people can find work.
Q: On some level, were you getting ready for a rematch and hoping for
a rematch with Al Gore?
THE PRESIDENT: Really wasn't paying much attention to it, Stretch. I
seriously was -- I've got my mind on the peace and security of the
American people. And politics will sort itself out. And one of these
days, somebody will emerge and we'll tee it up and see who the
American people want to lead. And until that happens, I'm going to be
doing my job.
Q: One more thing, any thoughts for the American investor going into
this new year?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, hopefully the American investor realizes that the
-- this economy is pretty darn strong, given the fact that we have
been through a recession and a terrorist attack, a breach of corporate
confidence because of some malfeasance. And yet the economy still
grows. That's very positive.
Now, I recognize that there are some uncertainties. But one thing is
certain, that the economy of the United States is strong and
resilient. And we must put policies in place to enhance that
resiliency and enhance that strength.
Q: Sir, you asked or you talked the other day about authorizing an APB
for those five people that were wanted by the FBI for coming into this
country. Today one guy from Pakistan says that he is one of those
people on those pictures, and he has never been to the United States.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we need to follow up on forged passports and
people trying to come into our country illegally. The American people
need to know that any time we get a hint that somebody might be coming
into our country to cause harm, we'll follow up on it. And, you know,
if we think there's a smuggling ring that's willing to smuggle people
in that might harm America, we'll deal with it.
And there's -- you know, and if this fellow is one of them -- and I
think they're trying to check that out right now. And as I recall, the
story -- I haven't fully read it all -- but as I recall it said he had
a false passport. I'm kind of curious to know why he needs a false
passport. We like things aboveboard here in America.
We want people coming to our country that wants to take -- that wants
to either visit this great country or study in this great country or
see relatives in this great country and do so in a peaceful and lawful
way. And people have a feeling like they've got to travel here with
false passports sends a pretty alarming signal to those of us who are
involved with the security of the country.
Q: Do you have the suspicion that there is a smuggling ring that may
not have specific terrorist ties, but that there's a ring of --
THE PRESIDENT: I'm not sure what the -- you know, how to detail. All I
can tell you is that we were concerned and alerted to the fact that
somebody might be coming into the country. There are -- having said
that, there are a lot of smuggling rings that we're dealing with. The
INS needs to deal with that. And the new Homeland Security Department
will be dealing with smuggling rings, like the coyotes right south of
here that are smuggling people across, and treating those poor people
-- stuffing them into these trailers and abusing them. They need to be
dealt with, as well. Most of the smuggling rings are not terrorist
related, but if we get a hint, a whiff that some of them are, we'll
deal with them.
All right, let's go get some coffee.
Q: One more. Are you satisfied that the inspectors are getting to
Saddam's weapon scientists?
THE PRESIDENT: He is a man who likes to play games and charades. The
question is, will Saddam Hussein disarm. The world has asked him to
disarm from weapons of mass destruction. The first indication isn't
very positive that he will voluntarily disarm. After all, he put out a
declaration that the world realized was false. And the inspectors are
there to verify whether or not he is disarming. You hear these reports
about Iraqi scientists being interviewed, but there's a "minder" in
the room.
You know, Saddam Hussein -- hopefully he realizes we're serious, and
hopefully he disarms peacefully. He's a danger to the American people,
he's a danger to our friends and allies. For 11 long years, the world
has dealt with him. And now he's got to understand, his day of
reckoning is coming. And therefore, he must disarm voluntarily, I hope
he does.
All right, let's go get a coffee.
END 12:24 P.M. CST
(end transcript)
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Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
