    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [October 19, 2001]
    [Pages 1265-1267]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to Discussions With President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea and an Exchange With Reporters in
    Shanghai
    October 19, 2001

        President Bush. I've been looking forward to yet another meeting
    with our friend the leader of South Korea. We had a good meeting in
    Washington, DC. Now we have a second meeting to discuss our common
    interests.
        First, we'll spend a lot of time talking about the war against
    terror. South Korea has been very firm in their support for the United
    States and the people of the United States. The President was very quick
    to respond, and I want to thank you, sir.
        Secondly, I look forward to affirming our support for trade with
    South Korea. We'll discuss the new round of trade negotiations.
        Thirdly, and as importantly, I'll confirm our support for the
    President's Sunshine Policy with North Korea. We appreciate his
    leadership on this very important issue, and I have looked forward to
    explaining to the President that we, after having reviewed our policy,
    like I told him we would do, our policy toward North Korea--we have done
    so, and we've offered Kim Chong-il the chance to
    meet with United States representatives. So we look forward to hearing a
    positive response from him.
        In the meantime, the President is taking his policy and moving it
    forward, and we're very supportive of that policy.
        President Kim. First of all, ladies and gentlemen, what I would like
    to say is that I would like to convey our most sincere condolences and
    sympathies to the people of America for their tremendous loss and the
    pain and the suffering that they suffer due to the terrorist attack.
        And also, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to applaud and show my
    great respect for the leadership of President Bush, for his calm
    composure and his very wise decisions in bringing together, first of
    all, the people of America together so that they will be able to
    effectively fight this war against terrorism, and also for his
    outstanding leadership in bringing together the international community
    together in this fight to eradicate terrorism. I would like to take this
    opportunity to convey my most sincere congratulations and respect.
        As a very close, staunch ally and friend and partner of the United
    States of America, the Republic of Korea will continue to take active
    participation in this war against terrorism. We will render all the
    necessary cooperation and assistance that they might need. And also as
    for the specifics as to what the Republic of Korea will do, we have
    already publicly stated our measures to help this war against terrorism,
    and we have notified the U.S. Government as well.
        And also, ladies and gentlemen, after September 11th, the world has
    tremendously become a completely different place for us. No country,
    nobody on this Earth is safe from terrorism and from these heinous
    terrorists. We must work together; we must cooperate with each other so
    that the world will become once again a safe place for us to travel
    freely by air, so that all of us will be able to freely go live and to
    visit highrises and large apartment buildings, and also so that all of
    us will be able to safely open our own private mail. All

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    these are very much in doubt these days, and we must cooperate with each
    other to fight this and eradicate terrorism. And I have great faith that
    we will, indeed, succeed and that we will be victorious in this war
    against terrorism. And once again, I would like to applaud the efforts
    of President Bush for leading this effort to this endeavor.
        And ladies and gentlemen, so, during today's meetings with President
    Bush, it is my hope to have indepth discussions on the effective ways to
    counter terrorism. And also I wish to discuss, as President Bush
    mentioned, other issues of common interest.

    APEC Support for Military Action in Afghanistan

        Q. Mr. President, the APEC terrorism declaration will not mention
    Afghanistan or Usama bin Laden by name. Does this indicate a lack of
    support for military action in Afghanistan?
        President Bush. I believe the APEC nations fully understand that not
    only terrorists should be brought to justice, but those who harbor
    terrorists should be brought to justice as well. I am confident that
    we've got strong support here with the leaders who are present here at
    Shanghai; I've talked to most of them on the phone. I can tell you that
    the support is near unanimous for not only the activities that are going
    on now but for the strategy of fighting terrorism in the long run.
        These leaders understand that we're in a new type of war. They
    understand that the evil ones are a threat to established governments.
    They understand that for there to be peace throughout the generations,
    that we must be decisive and victorious. You heard the South Korean
    President. He's got a conviction about the need to fight terror; so do
    other world leaders.
        Q. Is it not important to have the APEC nations endorse the kind of
    military action the United States is leading?
        President Bush. The APEC leaders that I have talked to all--at least
    the ones I've talked to, fully understand that the United States, as
    well as other allies, will do what it takes to bring people to justice.
        And secondly, the doctrine is more than just the people who
    perpetuate these crimes on the American people. It is any country that
    harbors them, feeds them, houses them, or funds them. And the world
    leaders understand that. And I am very grateful for the breadth of
    support we have received. So far you've heard from two world leaders
    today, President Jiang of China, President Kim of
    South Korea, both of whom stand side by side with the American
    Government and the American people.
        And I am most pleased with the support we're receiving here, and I
    look forward to continuing to describe our efforts to our close friends
    and allies. And they will see in me a determination to succeed. And I
    fully understand that some, over time, may grow weary and may tire. But
    they'll realize the United States of America, under my leadership, will
    not. We must be successful in the war against terror.
        The United States--I'm looking forward to sharing with our friend
    the President about the recent news in the United States, that we've--
    there have been some anthrax cases, where people have sent anthrax
    through the mail. And although I cannot pinpoint directly who did it, I
    will tell him, however, that anybody who were to do that in any country
    is obviously an evil person.
        And we're fighting evil. We don't fight a religion; we fight evil
    people. There is widespread support for the coalition and widespread
    support for the aims and goals of this country.

    APEC Terrorism Declaration/South Korea-U.S. Cooperation

    [At this point, a question was asked in Korean, and a translation was
    not provided.]

        President Kim. First of all, the Republic of Korea, the Government
    of the Republic

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    of Korea during this APEC meeting will endorse, and we have been
    actively participating in endorsing this statement and the declaration
    condemning terrorism, international terrorism. We will continue to take
    a leading role in this fight against terrorism.
        And secondly, we have notified and announced to the Government of
    the United States our own measures to help in this fight against
    terrorism. For example, we've decided to send, dispatch a mobile medical
    team. And also we will be dispatching not only transportation assets and
    equipment, but also we will be dispatching our military liaison
    officers, among other measures.
        And also, whenever the need arises, the Republic of Korea, the
    Government will continue to closely consult with the U.S. Government.

    Chairman Kim Chong-il of North Korea

    [At this point, a question was asked in Korean, and a translation was
    not provided.]

        President Bush. First, I look forward to talking to our friend about
    his attitudes. After all, President Kim has been a leader in seeking
    exchanges between families.
        Secondly, as I mentioned, my administration wishes to begin a dialog
    with the Government of Kim Chong-il, yet he has refused to accept our
    invitation. I would hope that he would accept not only our invitation
    but seize an opportunity to bring more peaceful relations to the Korean
    Peninsula. He has an opportunity to lead. President Kim has given him
    that opportunity, and so have I. And I would hope he would seize the
    opportunity. I would hope he would show the world that he's interested
    in peace and interested in improving the lives of the citizens who live
    in North Korea. This is a moment in history where he can prove his
    worth. This is--part of our discussions today, of course, will be the
    Korean Peninsula.
        Final question.

    Relief Efforts in Afghanistan

        Q. Relief organizations say that Afghanistan faces what could be the
    worst humanitarian crisis ever. Should there be any consideration to
    halting U.S. military strikes in order to get enough food into the
    country by winter?
        President Bush. First of all, my Government and, I know, the leaders
    involved in the coalition are worried about the suffering in
    Afghanistan. The Taliban Government is seizing food. The Taliban
    Government refuses to allow for an efficient distribution of aid that
    has been assembled to help the Afghan people.
        We will continue our military operations in such a way that it will
    not disrupt the delivery of food. And not only that, as a matter of
    fact, concurrent with our military operations will be the distribution
    of food. But the world must understand that the primary reason why food
    is not making it to starving people is the Taliban. If they were that
    interested in serving as representatives of the people, they would be
    encouraging the distribution of food.
        We will continue to do everything we can to make sure that our
    commitment to aid to the Afghan people is fulfilled. We are the leading
    country, in terms of providing aid to the Afghan people. I have
    increased our budget from $170 million to--or asked to increase the
    budget to over $300 million of aid.
        Our beef is not with the Afghan people. Our beef is with a
    repressive government that houses, aids, and abets terrorists.
        Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:03 p.m. at the Portman Ritz-Carlton
    Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al
    Qaida terrorist organization; and President Jiang Zemin of China.
    President Kim spoke in Korean, and his remarks were translated by an
    interpreter.