07 February 2003
Bush Discusses North Korea, Iraq With Chinese President
(White House Report) (930)
BUSH DISCUSSES NORTH KOREA, IRAQ WITH PRESIDENT OF CHINA
President Bush spoke for 20 minutes by phone February 7 with President
Jiang Zemin of China, discussing both the situations in North Korea
and in Iraq, White House Press Secretary Fleischer said.
"President Bush stressed that time was of the essence in dealing with
Iraq, and he stressed that the credibility of the United Nations was
at stake," the press secretary said.
"President Bush underscored the need for a multilateral approach to
dealing with the situation in North Korea that has been created as a
result of North Korea's actions involving their weapons program.
"President Jiang reiterated China's commitment to work with the United
States to secure disarmament and to prevent the nuclearization of the
Korean peninsula. President Jiang again expressed the condolences of
the people of China to the people of the United States for the loss of
the Space Shuttle Columbia."
BUSH DISCUSSES IRAQ, MIDDLE EAST WITH PRESIDENT OF FRANCE
President Bush also spoke by phone with President Jacques Chirac of
France, Fleischer said.
"The two agreed on the importance of disarming Iraq. They agreed to
continue consultations. The president stressed that France is an
important ally. And they also discussed the importance of working
together to achieve peace in the Middle East between the Israelis and
the Palestinians," he said.
U.S. RAISES TERROR ALERT FROM YELLOW TO ORANGE
The Bush administration February 7 raised the national terror alert
from yellow to orange, the second highest level in the color-coded
system, citing a U.S. intelligence warning of a "high risk" of
terrorist attack.
President Bush approved the decision early in the day following an
hour-long meeting at the White House of the Homeland Security Council
that includes Attorney General John Ashcroft, Federal Bureau of
Investigation Director Robert Mueller, and Secretary of Homeland
Security Tom Ridge.
Based on the analysis of intelligence information, the officials
decided that the threat level needed to be raised, and Bush, who was
not at the meeting, concurred with the decision, Fleischer told
reporters.
The three officials then announced the decision to the public at a
Justice Department news conference.
They said the decision was based on an increase in intelligence
pointing to a possible attack by the al Qaeda terror network around
the Muslim holy period of the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to
the holy Saudi city of Mecca.
"There remains a network of people who hate the United States, who, as
September 11 showed us, will attack us, if they can," Fleischer said.
"We've had our embassies abroad attacked, we've had our ships attacked
abroad, September 11th they traveled to our own shores. There remain
people -- despite the disruptions that have taken place, despite much
of the activity that has hindered their abilities -- there remain
people who would seek to attack us."
As a result of the raising of the alert status, several concrete steps
to thwart terrorist attempts are being taken by officials, Fleischer
said.
These include an increase in the number of random examinations
conducted at airport security checks; the increased presence of
federal air marshals assigned to flights; closer questioning of people
as they enter the United States; closer inspection of cargo; and an
increased presence of local law enforcement, Fleischer said.
The alert had been at code yellow, or "elevated," which is the middle
of a five-point scale of risk developed after the Sept. 11, 2001
attacks. It was last raised to orange in September and stayed there
for two weeks to coincide with the first anniversary of the attacks.
The highest alert level is red.
U.S. POLICY TOWARDS COLOMBIA
A reporter noted that President Bush is requesting $110 million in
next year's budget for increased military aid to Colombia, and asked
what this is intended for -- anti-drugs or anti-terrorists?
Fleischer responded: "It is both. As you know, as a result of an act
of Congress that was passed last year, the counternarcotics and
counterterrorism efforts in Colombia have been enhanced. As we deal
with the situation in Colombia, our approach is based on that expanded
authority that was provided by the Congress. There are new deployments
that are training deployments consistent with these new authorities.
And I'll give you an example of one of them.
"Special Forces are providing training to the Colombian armed forces
for the protection of the Cano Limon oil pipeline, which is a
strategic element of Colombia's economy and a key export. It has been
attacked by terrorists dozens of times per year, causing serious
economic and environmental damage. So per the expanded authority
provided by the Congress last year, it is both."
DIPLOMACY KEY IN THE WEEK AHEAD
President Bush intends to continue with diplomatic efforts on the
issues of Iraq and North Korea in the week ahead, Fleischer said. His
schedule for February 10-14 is as follows:
Monday: Bush will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, where he will speak
to the National Convention of Religious Broadcasters. He will return
to the White House where he will meet with Prime Minister John Howard
of Australia in the Oval Office.
Tuesday: Bush will meet with President Lucio Gutierrez of Ecuador in
the Oval Office.
Wednesday: Bush will participate in roundtable discussion on economic
reform.
Thursday: Bush will travel to Jacksonville, Florida, to the Mayport
Naval Air Station to visit with soldiers.
Friday: No public events scheduled.
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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