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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

14 October 2002

Disarming Iraq Is Part of War on Terror, Bush Says

(Bush's remarks Oct. 14 upon departure for Michigan) (3010)
Disarming Iraq is part of the war on terror, President Bush said in
October 14 remarks on the South Lawn before departing for Michigan.
"There is a connection between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein," Bush
said. "Iraq is a part on the war on terror. And he must disarm."
"It is in our national interest that he (Saddam Hussein) not have
weapons of mass destruction. And anything we do must make it very
clear that Saddam must disarm, or there will be consequences," he
continued.
Bush said that he hopes the disarmament of Iraq can come about
peacefully.
"The use of the military is my last choice, is my last desire," he
said. "But doing nothing, allowing the status quo to go on, is
unacceptable, particularly since we've got a new war on terror ...
that was launched on September the 11th, 2001; particularly since
oceans no longer protect America from people who hate us."
Bush cited the recent attacks on a French vessel in Yemen, on U.S.
marines in Kuwait, and on civilians in Bali, Indonesia, as examples of
renewed terrorist activity and urged the international community to
work together to combat terrorism.
"Those of us who love freedom must work together to do everything we
can to disrupt, deny, and bring to justice these people who have no
soul, no conscience, people who hate freedom," he said.
Bush also urged the U.S. Congress to pass terrorism insurance
legislation, the defense appropriations bill, and an energy bill
before adjourning.
Following is the White House transcript of Bush's remarks:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
October 14, 2002
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT UPON DEPARTURE FOR MICHIGAN
The South Lawn
1:45 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Last night I called Prime Minister Howard of Australia
to express our country's deepest sympathies to the citizens of that
good country who lost their lives, to the families who mourn and cry.
I send the same sympathies and prayers to the family of the U.S.
citizens -- or citizens -- as well as citizens from around the world.
The murder which took place in Bali reminds us that this war against
terror continues.
I've constantly told the American people that the struggle against
terror is going to be a long and difficult struggle; that we're
dealing with cold-blooded killers; that the enemy does not value
innocent life like we do; and that we must continue to pursue the
enemy before they hurt us again.
I believe that the attacks on the French vessel in Yemen is connected
with this type of terror, that they're related. I believe that the
attack on our Marines in Kuwait reflect the international nature of
these cells, these killer cells. We've got to continue to work
together; those of us who love freedom must work together to do
everything we can to disrupt, deny, and bring to justice these people
who have no soul, no conscience, people who hate freedom.
I told the Prime Minister and I told Prime Minister Blair -- the Prime
Minister of Australia and I told Prime Minister Blair this morning
that I'm absolutely determined to continue to lead the coalition. They
recognize the need for us to continue to work together. And it's a sad
day for a lot of people around the world, and -- but it also is a day
in which we've got to realize that we've got a long way to go to make
the world more secure and more peaceful.
I'll answer a couple of questions.  Ron.
Q: Sir, how does this emphasize the risk that we have in this country
--
THE PRESIDENT: Yes -- 
Q: -- and does this improve your ability to put together a coalition
and a resolution in the U.N.?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think that the free world is -- must recognize
that no one is safe, that if you embrace freedom you're not safe from
terrorism. And clearly, the attacks in Bali -- I think we have to
assume it's al Qaeda. We're beginning to hear some reports that's more
definitive than that, but I wait for our own analysis, but clearly
it's a deliberate attack on citizens who love freedom, citizens from
countries which embrace freedom. They're trying to intimidate us, and
we won't be intimidated.
I'm concerned about our homeland. Obviously, if I knew of a specific
piece of intelligence that would indicate a moment or a place in which
the enemy would attack, we'd do a lot about it. But that's why we're
still working with our authorities, the different -- taking the
intelligence as we know it, and responding.
Here at home we're not immune from these kinds of attacks, and I'm
concerned about it.
Yes, Steve.
Q: Mr. President, does this mean now that al Qaeda has reconstituted
itself, and do you think -- how does this play on your policy on Iraq?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Well, first, I -- we're making great progress in
the war against terror. But as I told our citizens, and have been
repeatedly telling our citizens, this is a long war. And it's going to
take a while to fully rout al Qaeda. We don't know whether bin Laden
is alive or dead. You know, they keep floating supposed letters and --
or radio broadcasts. We do know that al Qaeda is still dangerous. And
while we've made good progress, there's a lot more work to do.
As I've repeatedly said, our thoughts about Iraq relate to the war on
terror, and that dealing with -- or getting Saddam Hussein to disarm
is all part of making the world more peaceful. And it's all part of
the war against terror.
Yes, John.
Q: Mr. President, do you -- on that point, on Osama bin Laden, do you
have a response to the letter that was put out today, allegedly under
his name, praising the killing of the American Marine in Kuwait? And
do you share the concerns of Senator Richard Shelby, who believes that
this is, in fact, a new al Qaeda offensive?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I -- first, I don't know whether bin Laden is
alive or dead. I -- you know, I do know al Qaeda is extremely
dangerous. I do know that there are still some of his top lieutenants
roaming around, and that we're doing everything we can to bring them
to justice.
John, I also know that the enemy still wants to hit us, and that the
-- as I mentioned earlier, that I believe the attack on the French
vessel was a terrorist attack. Obviously, the attack on our Marines in
Kuwait was a terrorist attack. The attack in Bali appears to be an al
Qaeda-type terrorist -- definitely a terrorist attack; whether it's al
Qaeda-related, or not -- I would assume it is. And therefore, it does
look like a pattern of attacks that the enemy, albeit on the run, is
trying to once again frighten and kill freedom-loving people. And
we've just got to understand, we are in a long struggle.
And I am absolutely determined now, as I was a year ago, to continue
to rout out these people, to find them, to use the best intelligence
we can and to bring them to justice. And we will continue to pursue.
Q: With the alert that the State Department put out last week, and now
the decision to bring home American family -- embassy families, and
urging travelers to come home from Indonesia, does this appear to be a
time in which Americans worldwide ought to stay closer to home, if
this is part of a new wave of terrorism?
THE PRESIDENT: I think that all depends where, and I think they ought
to take guidance from the State Department, but clearly, the State
Department is reacting to this attack, and reacting to some
intelligence before. As you know, we're constantly putting out alerts
when we get some kind of data that indicates our people overseas are
at risk.
Q: What about concerns of the last -- sniper attack -- 
THE PRESIDENT: The sniper attacks, first of all, I'm just sickened,
sick to my stomach to think that there is a cold-blooded killer at
home taking innocent life. I weep for those who lost their loved ones.
I am -- the idea of moms taking their kids to school and sheltering
them from a potential sniper attack is not the America I know. And
therefore, we're lending all the resources of the federal government,
all that have been required to do everything we can to assist the
local law authorities to find this -- whoever it is.
Q: -- (inaudible) -- 
THE PRESIDENT: First of all, it is a form of terrorism, but in terms
of the terrorism that we think of, we have no evidence one way or the
other, obviously. But anytime anybody is randomly shooting, randomly
killing, randomly taking life, it's cold-blooded murder and it's --
it's a sick mind who obviously loves terrorizing society. And we're
doing everything we can to capture whoever that might be and bring
them to justice. And the federal government -- I've been -- I get
briefed on it every morning. Bob Mueller, the head of the FBI, was in
this morning and gave me a full briefing on what the FBI knew, how
we're helping, what we're doing. But it's obviously a terrible,
terrible situation.
And I pray for the -- I pray for the families who grieve and suffer.
And I worry about a society where moms can't take their kids to
school. And obviously we're going to do everything we can to help the
local authorities bring these people to justice.
Q: Mr. President, on the U.N. resolution -- could I have a second one,
sir?
THE PRESIDENT: It's the new me, I'm answering all kinds of questions.
(Laughter.)
Q: Are you prepared to meet the French halfway on their concerns on
the trigger of the use of force? Specifically, are you willing to drop
the language that specifies the use of any and all means to --
THE PRESIDENT: John, I think what's important is that, first of all,
we are working with all parties to get a resolution done. I talked
about it again, I talked to Tony Blair about that subject. What I'm
interested in is making sure that Saddam Hussein is disarmed. He said
he wouldn't have weapons of mass destruction; it is in our national
interest that he not have weapons of mass destruction. And anything we
do must make it very clear that Saddam must disarm, or there will be
consequences. And how that language is worked out is up to the
diplomats.
But I am very firm in my desire to make sure that Saddam is disarmed.
Hopefully, we can do this peacefully. The use of the military is my
last choice, is my last desire. But doing nothing, allowing the status
quo to go on, is unacceptable, particularly since we've got a new war
on terror that we've -- that was launched on September the 11th, 2001;
particularly since oceans no longer protect America from people who
hate us.
And so we'll see how it plays out. But I'm anxious to work with the
international community. If I wasn't I wouldn't have gone to the
United Nations.
Q: Are you willing to be a little more oblique about that particular
part of the language?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we'll just see how it comes. What I'm not -- what
I want is a firm resolution that says, you disarm, and an inspection
regime that is there not for the sake of inspectors, but is there to
achieve the objective of disarming Mr. Saddam Hussein. It's his choice
to make. And in order to make sure the resolution has got any kind of
credence with Mr. Hussein, there has to be a consequence.
Randy.
Q: Mr. President, are you satisfied with the cooperation you've gotten
from Indonesia up until now in fighting terrorism?
THE PRESIDENT: I will speak to Ms. Megawati soon. She is in Bali right
now and she is obviously grieving for her citizens that lost their
lives. And I'm going to make it clear to her that we need to work
together to find those who murdered all those innocent people and
bring them to justice. And I hope I hear the resolve of a leader that
recognizes that anytime terrorists take hold in the country it's going
to weaken the country itself. And there has to be a firm and
deliberate desire to find out -- find the killers before they kill
somebody else.
See, these are the kinds of people that, if they go unchallenged and
don't feel like there's going to be any consequences, they will
continue to kill. These are nothing but cold-blooded killers. They do
not value life the way we value life in the civilized world. They take
no care for innocent life. They just blow up in the name of a religion
which does not preach this kind of hatred or violence.
And the war we fight is a different kind of war. There will be times
in which people settle in and say, well, gosh, there's nothing going
on in the war; and then something like this happens, and it's a
reminder about how dangerous the world can be if these al Qaeda are
free to roam.
And so we're chasing them, and we're denying them sanctuary. We've
made great progress in the war against terror. We've hauled in, and-or
killed a bunch of their leaders. There are still more out there. There
are -- the training camps that they have been using have been
disrupted. We're doing a better job of cutting off their money. We've
got them on the run, and we intend to keep them on the run. They are
still lethal, and they are still dangerous.
Q: Congress is about to go out, sir. What's the bare minimum you
expect --
THE PRESIDENT: When Congress goes out? Well, they -- there's a lot of
talk about job creation, and there should be. So what they ought to do
is pass some bills that will help with jobs, like the terrorism
insurance bill. There has been a lot of talking here in Washington on
issues such as terrorism insurance, which clearly will help create the
job base, expand the job base. And yet, with a couple of days to go,
it's hard to tell whether or not they're going to get a bill to my
desk.
The energy bill will be good for jobs. There ought to be an energy
bill on my desk. And so I think -- I think before they go home I hope
they recognize they can make a difference in job creation. They've
also got to make sure they don't overspend. They need to make sure we
have fiscal discipline. On the way out of town, if they have to do a
CR, it ought to be a clean CR, and then if they feel like they need to
come back, they can come back and deal with the appropriations
process.
I'd also like to get the defense appropriations bill -- it passed the
House, it looks like it's going to pass the Senate soon, which is a
very good sign. But, you know, in four days time, no telling what's
going to happen up here. Let's hope they get some constructive things
done in terms of jobs.
Listen, thank you all.
Q: Sir, could we ask you one more question, sir? Senator Graham last
week said that the number one threat to this nation still remains al
Qaeda and questioned the wisdom about going after Saddam Hussein while
al Qaeda remains the number one threat. Based on what's happened for
the last week in terms of Yemen, Kuwait, and Bali, does it suggest
that that argument does hold some water?
THE PRESIDENT: I think they're both equally important, and they're
both dangerous. And as I said in my speech in Cincinnati, we will
fight if need be the war on terror on two fronts. We've got plenty of
capacity to do so. And I also mentioned the fact that there is a
connection between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. The war on terror,
Iraq is a part on the war on terror. And he must disarm.
And so I -- I respect the opinion of a lot of people, and I respect
his opinion. But if we don't deal with Saddam Hussein and disarm him
-- hopefully, it will be done peacefully -- he becomes more and more
dangerous. And someday we don't want to step back and say, where was
the United States government? How come we didn't act? And we've got
plenty of capacity to fight the war against al Qaeda, which is going
to take a while. We just learned a lesson this weekend: it's going to
take a while to succeed. And at the same time, the United Nations
hopefully will pass -- will show their strong desire to disarm Saddam
and we can get after it, get him disarmed before he hurts America. And
I'm absolutely confident we can achieve both objectives, John.
Listen, thank you all.
Q: Does this constitute a press conference?
THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely. The difference between this news conference
and the one in the East Room is you didn't get to put makeup on.
(Laughter.)
Q: You didn't -- 
THE PRESIDENT: Of course, I didn't. But -- that was an unnecessary
cheap shot, I apologize. It's a Columbus Day cheap shot. (Laughter.)
See you all.
END 1:58 P.M. EDT
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



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