[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
[February 28, 1991]
[Pages 192-193]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks and an Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions with Prince 
Bandar bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia
February 28, 1991

    The President. We are very grateful to His Majesty for this total 
cooperation. In the beginning, we think back to all the predictions of 
how the command problems would not work, and here it's not only worked 
but it's worked so much faster.
    The Prince. This adds sweetness to it.
    The President. Yes. So, please tell His Majesty how grateful we are 
for the steadfast support. When we talk coalition, I mean, that's 
exactly what it is. Incidentally, your briefer has won the hearts of 
many Americans, including Barbara Bush over there. And so I think the 
Brits did a good job, too, and the French.
    But it's been superb from the very beginning. What's the mood at 
home on all of this?
    The Prince. Well, the mood is excellent, Mr. President, and I am 
here on behalf of His Majesty and the Saudi people to extend to you and 
through you to the American people our gratitude, thanks--and also to 
let you know that you should be very proud of the United States Armed 
Forces. They did a marvelous job. And I think their professionalism, 
their capabilities speak for itself. But also, how sensitive those young 
men and women were also, over and above all of that, to the culture of 
the country.
    The President. Yes.
    The Prince. And I think people in this

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country should be very proud of them. And we all are proud of you and 
your leadership--the steadiness and how you got the whole world to be 
together. As you say, in this country, the proof is in the pudding. 
[Laughter]
    The President. Is in the eating. But it's worked well. You know, I 
remember the early days, the question mark as to whether these Iraqi 
forces would have gone south. The more I think about it--and I don't 
know whether we have any differences on that--the more I think that if 
they had not been checked by your people and our people in a display of 
force early, I'm convinced they would have.
    The Prince. I am convinced----
    The President. They have not acted rationally. And so I think we did 
the right thing back in August. And then on, when Dick moved these 
additional forces, I think that facilitated the battle in a way that's 
kept your loss of life, our loss of life way, way down from the earlier 
predictions.
    So, all that display of force and then use of force I think has 
served a very noble purpose; I really do.
    The Prince. Absolutely, Mr. President. We would be fighting in the 
eastern province of Saudi Arabia right now if you didn't make that 
decisive decision at the right time. And one thing I want to say, we 
have healthy respect for the Iraqi people and the Iraqi forces. The 
reason they didn't fight is they didn't believe in the cause or their 
leader. We discovered it now, although all the pundits in this town told 
us otherwise. But we knew our brothers in Iraq, they really didn't 
believe in that cause. And proof of it is 100,000 prisoners, almost, 
now.
    The President. Is it that many now?
    The Prince. Almost.
    The President. Well, we've tried to make clear, and I did last 
night, that our argument has not been with the Iraqi people. We've said 
that from the very beginning. And let's hope that they realize the best 
way to--or the most peaceful relationship is to go on and get matters 
into their own hands and take a new lease on life.

Contact With Allies

    Q. Mr. President, are you planning to go back to the Middle East and 
to Europe to thank the allies?
    The President. Well, I plan to thank the allies. I was just talking 
to Bandar, His Royal Highness, about calling King Fahd. I've not done 
that yet because I think, in his first 24 hours of emotional victory, if 
you will, there are many things on his mind. But I will certainly be 
thanking him in one way or another for the extraordinary cooperation. 
And of course, our commander out there has expressed his gratitude, and 
I know Secretary Cheney has, through proper authorities. So, we will 
make clear to the Ambassador's countrymen how strongly we feel about it.
    And I think they--it's been a two-way street--they have been--I've 
watched the response from the Saudi troops, and it's been a two-way 
street. Their joy, I think, being side by side with our people.
    The Prince. That's true.
    Q. Heard any more from Iraq in the last few minutes?
    The President. Have you heard anything yet from Iraq lately? I mean, 
we have----
    The Prince. No, other than what's public.

                    Note: The President spoke at 5:40 p.m. in the Oval 
                        Office at the White House. In his remarks he 
                        referred to King Fahd bin `Abd al-`Aziz Al Sa`ud 
                        of Saudi Arabia, Secretary of Defense Dick 
                        Cheney, and Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, 
                        commander of the U.S. forces in the Persian 
                        Gulf.