THE PRESIDENT: It's been my
honor to welcome a great friend of America to the Oval Office
again. Chancellor Schroeder came to talk about our war
against terrorist activities. We had a great discussion.
First, I want to thank the Chancellor for
his solidarity with the American people and his strong statement of
support for the American people right after the evildoers struck on
September the 11th. I also want to thank Chancellor
Schroeder and the German people for their outpouring of support for the
victims.
And I also want to thank him for being a
steadfast friend in a broad coalition that is determined to rout
terrorism out where it may exist, to not only bring the al Qaeda
organization to justice, but to declare a broad campaign against
terrorists and terrorism all across the world.
There is no more steadfast friend in this
coalition than Germany, and I'm proud to have him here. We
also talked about the Middle East and the importance that both of us
recognize for that process, to get into Mitchell as quickly as
possible. The German government has been very strong about
working with both parties in the Middle East to get into Mitchell.
I assured him we're doing the same
thing. There would be no better stabilizer for our coalition
than for the Mitchell process to begin in the Middle
East. But, Mr. Chancellor, we're so thrilled to have you
here. Thank you for coming.
CHANCELLOR SCHROEDER: Thank you
very much, indeed, Mr. President. I obviously, very happily,
came here and I'm pleased to be here, because it is important to us to
show that very much in these difficult times, friendship must prevail
and does prevail. And I'm also here to express the deepest
solidarity from the German side, which is not just words being said,
but it's a fact.
We very much are in agreement about the
fact that this fight against terrorism, which we are all involved in by
now, must be a very comprehensive approach, indeed. The
action that is being taken right now must be added to through political
measures, through diplomatic action, too.
We also find it very important to maintain
the strong degree of cohesion that we see at this point in time within
the antiterror alliance that has formed around the world. We
went on to agree that it was crucially important to dry up the
financing for the terrorists, and we also find it very important to
highlight that the action that is presently being taken in Afghanistan
is not at all directed against the people of Afghanistan, it is not at
all directed against Islam; it is far, rather, directed against Osama
bin Laden and the very ruthless regime behind him.
We have also very strongly emphasized how
important we find it that we do provide relief for the refugees and
cope with the refugee problem that will arise. And I can
only yet again emphasize the high degree of respect that I feel,
vis-a-vis the United States of America and the American President, how
he has gone about linking humanitarian aid and assistance with the
strike in this fantastic way he has done.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, sir.
Q Mr. President,
how close are we to using U.S. ground troops in
Afghanistan? And, Mr. Chancellor, what extra commitments did
you make of German military assets today to the United States cause?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first I
think the American people are beginning to realize that this is a
unique type of war. The first shot we took in this war
against terrorism was when we started cutting off their money. And I
want to thank the German Chancellor and the German government for
cooperating and joining with us in not only sharing information, but
making it clear to al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, we're going to
cut you off financially.
Secondly, as you know, we've started
conventional operations. And I believe Secretary Rumsfeld
summed it up pretty well today when he made it clear that the skies
were now free for U.S. planes to fly without being harassed in any way,
and that the missions have been successful.
And as to whether or not we will put
troops on the ground, I'm not going to tell you. I think
it's -- you've got to understand, we will not share intelligence, nor
will we talk about military plans that we may or may not have in the
future.
CHANCELLOR SCHROEDER: I have,
and you might remember me saying that, never excluded military
contributions coming from the federal republic of
Germany. We most obviously addressed this topic
today. But as you might easily understand, it would be
entirely unhelpful to spread this type of information. It
would only help the enemy that we're trying to bring down. It is
obvious that at the given point in time, details will be discussed in
all friendship, and we'll come to good decisions.
Q Mr. President,
can you tell us what prompted you to write the memo to Congress about
briefing on intelligence matters, why you think such restrictions are
appropriate? And could you also address what threat you
think these limited anthrax exposures pose more
generally? Is it linked to terrorism at all?
THE PRESIDENT: Well first, Mr.
Chancellor, we had a -- we had some security briefings take place up on
Capitol Hill that were a discussion about classified information and
some of that information was shared with the press.
CHANCELLOR SCHROEDER: Oh, we
know that trouble. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, you know
that trouble, too. (Laughter.) These are
extraordinary times. Our nation has put our troops at
risk. And therefore, I felt it was important to send a clear
signal to Congress that classified information must be held dear, that
there's a responsibility that if you receive a briefing of classified
information, you have a responsibility. And some members did
not accept that responsibility, somebody didn't. So I took
it upon myself to notify the leadership of the Congress that I intend
to protect our troops.
And that's why I sent the letter I
sent. It's a serious matter, Dave, it's very serious that
people in positions of responsibility understand, that they have a
responsibility to people who are being put in harm's way. I'm having
breakfast tomorrow with members of Congress. I will be glad
to bring up this subject.
I understand there may be some heartburn
on Capitol Hill. But I suggest if they want to relieve that
heartburn, that they take their positions very seriously, and that they
take any information they've been given by our government very
seriously. Because this is serious business we're talking
about.
And the second question about anthrax,
that is serious as well. I want to first tell the American
people that an incident obviously came up, in the form of a sick male
who unfortunately passed away. And the local authorities,
along with the CDC, responded very quickly.
There is a system in place to notify our
government and governments in the case of some kind of potential
biological incident, or chemical incident. And the system
worked. And now, the system is even working better, because
we have, in essence, gone into the building, cleaned the building out,
taken all the samples as possible, and are following any trail, any
possible trails.
Thus far, it looks like it's a very
isolated incident. But any type of incident, any type of
information that comes into our government, we take very
seriously. Because we understand we're dealing with evil
people. And as you know, I've assured the American people that life
should go on as normal.
But they also should know, the American
people should know, that our government is doing everything we can to
make our country as safe as possible.
Q Mr. President,
the Pakistani President says he was told that the bombing campaign
would be relatively short. How long do you think it will
take? And what do you say to some of these people in the
Islamic world who are protesting the campaign?
THE
PRESIDENT: Yes. Well, Steve, I don't know who
told the Pakistani President that. Generally, you know, we
don't talk about military plans. And there is one way to shorten the
campaign in Afghanistan, and that's for the -- Osama bin Laden and his
leadership to be turned over so they can be brought to justice.
We will have a sustained
effort. But I want to remind you that this is a part of a
larger effort, that our war, the war of freedom-loving people, such as
the Germans and the Americans, is against terrorists as a
whole. And this is one part of a large campaign.
We, the coalition has arrested over 200
people that have been associated with the al Qaeda
organization. All around the world, freedom-loving people
are gathering information, sharing information and bringing people to
justice. And what was the second part of your question?
Q The Islamic
protestors. What do you say to those people?
THE PRESIDENT: I say that if
they think that the -- first of all, I think the message of the al
Qaeda organization is one of evil and hate. I understand
people's willingness to protest, but they should not protest the
decisions our coalition is making, because it is in the best interest
of freedom and humankind.
Q Do you still want
him dead or alive
THE PRESIDENT: Ours is a
compassionate nation, as is Germany. We're both combining
our resources to help people in need. There are thousands of
starving Afghans, because there is a Taliban government in place that
has caused starvation and deprivation and
discrimination. And they are now housing terrorists.
And make no mistake about
it: The doctrine that says if you house a terrorist, you're
just as guilty as a terrorist, will stand. We're making that
very evident to the world as we speak.
Q Do you still want
Mr. bin Laden dead or alive, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: I want there to
be justice. I want there to be justice. And it's
al Qaeda, but it's anybody who feeds al Qaeda, who houses al Qaeda, who
encourages al Qaeda. Any other terrorist organization that
is affiliated with al Qaeda is just as guilty, as far as I'm
concerned.
We're very patient people. The
American people understand, and I know that the Chancellor understands,
that this is a different kind of war. There's a certain sense of
fascination with previous wars in Kosovo and Desert Storm, where people
could turn on their TV screens and see high-tech weaponry burrowing
into bunkers and massive explosions.
This is a different type of
war. There will be a conventional component to the conflict,
but much of what takes place will never make it onto the TV
screens. Much of the efforts that we talked about in the
Oval Office will be efforts that you will never see until people are
brought to justice. And, therefore, there has to be a
certain patience. I think the American people are beginning
to understand that.
I will assure you that the people, the
terrorists of the world, will understand that I am determined; and
having talked with the Chancellor, that he is determined, to lend the
resources of our government to bring them to justice. If it
takes one day, one month, one year, or one decade, we're patient
enough. Because we understand that the actions we take
together are not only important for today, but will say to future
chancellors, or future presidents, here is how we fight terrorism.
We also understand the actions we take
today will make it more likely that our children's children will be
able to grow up in a free world.
The first shot of the new war of the 21st
century was fired September the 11th. The first battle is
being waged; but it's only one of a long series of battles.
Q Mr. President, as
you noted on Sunday, there's a certain amount of nervous anxiety in the
nation -- fear of new attacks, now that the military campaign has
begun. Will the new Office of Homeland Security do anything
concrete to recommend to average people that they can do to protect
themselves?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, Bill, I
think the -- you know, the people of America should go about their
business, should go about their daily lives, knowing full well that our
government, at all levels, is doing everything we can to disrupt any
potential action and/or to provide the security necessary for people to
travel, for example.
I'm briefed every single morning about
what somebody may or may not have heard and what actions are taking
place. And their government is responding as forcefully and
actively as humanly possible.
One of the reasons why this coalition is
so important is because we share information. When Germany
hears something about something that may take place here and
vice-versa, we share information. And so, we're on high
alert at the governmental level.
But the American people should go about
their business. And people ought to travel. And
people ought to feel comfortable going to see the mighty Houston Astros
play. People ought to feel comfortable going about their
lives, knowing that their government is doing everything humanly
possible to disrupt any potential activity that the evil ones may try
to inflict upon us.
Q Mr. President,
when you meet with the congressional leadership tomorrow, will you be
specific about what they can and cannot relay back up to the
Hill? Or, do you just expect them not to relay anything?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I'm going
to talk to the leaders about this. I have talked to them
about it. I mean, when the classified information first
seeped into the public, I called him on the phone and said, this can't
stand. We can't have leaks of classified
information. It's not in our nation's interest.
But we're now in extraordinary
times. And I was in the -- when those leaks occurred, by the
way, it was right before we committed troops. And I knew
full well what was about to happen. And yet, I see in the
media that somebody, or somebodies, feel that they should be able to
talk about classified information. And that's just
wrong. The leadership understands that.
And if there's concerns, we'll work it
out. I mean, obviously I understand there needs to be some
briefings. I want Don Rumsfeld to feel comfortable briefing
members of the Armed Services Committee. But I want Congress
to hear loud and clear, it is unacceptable behavior to leak classified
information when we have troops at risk. I'm looking forward
to reiterating that message. And we will work
together. We've got a great relationship.
Listen, the four leaders with whom I have
breakfast on a weekly basis fully understand the
stakes. They fully understand the decision I made. And they
will have gotten feedback from their members, and we will discuss
it. But one thing is for certain, I have made clear what I
expect from Capitol Hill when it comes to classified information.
CHANCELLOR SCHROEDER: Let me
add something. I hope that the German press corps did hear
it. (Laughter.)
Q We didn't hear
it, Mr. Chancellor.
Q Mr. President, do
you consider Russia's war in Chechnya to be first a war against
terrorists? And has your view on that changed since
September 11th?
THE PRESIDENT: I've had very
good conversations with Vladimir Putin about the war on
terrorism. I know the Chancellor has as
well. I'm, as a matter of fact, going to be meeting with the
President of Russia within two weeks, in Shanghai, and I'm looking
forward to those meetings.
I have made it clear to him that I
appreciate his strong statements about America's efforts and the
coalition's efforts to fight terrorism where we find it. I
also made it clear to him that he needs to respect minority rights
within his country. And he listened very carefully, and I
think he's appreciative that our message has been
consistent. From the very first conversation I had with
President Putin, I expressed concern about how his government was
viewing the minority that exists, and how they were being
treated. So my position has been very consistent.
To the extent that there's al Qaeda
organizations in his neighborhood, they need to be brought to justice
as well. And we look forward to sharing information with
him, just like he's sharing information with us. He is -- he
was one of the first -- I will tell you an interesting story.
I was airborne on Air Force One and put
our -- on September 11th, and put our troops to a high-alert
status. And one of the first phone calls I got through my
national security office was from Vladimir Putin, announcing that he
has stood his troops down, which is significant. In the old
days, if we would have put our troops on heightened alert, they would
have put their troops on more heightened alert -- (laughter) -- which
would have caused our troops to go on higher alert. And all
of a sudden we would have had a conflict, a potential conflict out of
the realm of the incident that caused the troops to go on alert.
So he quickly called and said, we're
standing our troops down. It's a new attitude toward
relationship. He understands the Cold War is over, and so do
I -- which provides great opportunity for not only America, but
Germany, to work with Mr. Putin for our nation's interests and his
nation's interests. And I think we're going to find a lot of
common ground, one of which will be to fight terrorism. But
as I explained to him, it's going to be hard to have common ground if
he represses the press and/or treats minorities within his own country
in a way that the Western world simply doesn't understand.
Listen, thank you all for
coming. Thank you, Chancellor, I appreciate you, sir.