    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [October 6, 2001]
    [Pages 1198-1199]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    October 6, 2001

        Good morning. Today I want to update Americans on our global
    campaign against terror. The United States is presenting a clear choice
    to every nation: Stand with the civilized world, or stand with the
    terrorists. And for those nations that stand with the terrorists, there
    will be a heavy price.
        America is determined to oppose the state sponsors of terror. Yet we
    are equally determined to respect and help the men and women those
    regimes oppress. Our enemy is not the Arab world. Many friendly Arab
    governments are, themselves, the targets of extremist terror. Our enemy
    is not Islam, a good and peace-loving faith that brings direction and
    comfort to over one billion people, including millions of Americans. And
    our enemy is not the people of any nation, even when their leaders
    harbor terrorists. Our enemy is the terrorists themselves and the
    regimes that shelter and sustain them.
        Afghanistan is a case in point. Its Taliban regime has made that
    nation into a sanctuary and training ground for international
    terrorists, terrorists who have killed innocent citizens of many
    nations, including our own. The Taliban promotes terror abroad and
    practices terror against its people, oppressing women and persecuting
    all who dissent.
        The Taliban has been given the opportunity to surrender all the
    terrorists in Afghanistan and to close down their camps

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    and operations. Full warning has been given, and time is running out.
        The Afghan people, however, are the victims of oppression, famine,
    and misrule. Many refugees from that unfortunate nation are on the move,
    and sadly, many Afghans are on the verge of starvation.
        America respects the Afghan people, their long tradition, and their
    proud independence, and we will help them in this time of confusion and
    crisis in their country.
        America has long been the largest source of food and humanitarian
    assistance to Afghanistan. This week I announced an additional $320
    million in aid to the Afghan people, to those within Afghanistan and
    those who have fled across borders. Despite efforts by the Taliban to
    disrupt these critical aid shipments, we will deliver food and seeds,
    vaccines and medicine by truck and even by draft animals. Conditions
    permitting, we will bring help directly to the people of Afghanistan by
    airdrops.
        This aid will help Afghans make it through the upcoming winter. For
    the longer term, I urge Congress to make funds available so that one day
    the United States can contribute, along with other friends of
    Afghanistan, to the reconstruction and development of that troubled
    nation.
        Helping people in great need is a central part of the Jewish,
    Christian, and Islamic traditions, as well as many other faiths. It is
    also a central part of the American tradition. Even as we fight evil
    regimes, we are generous to the people they oppress. Following World War
    II, America fed and rebuilt Japan and Germany, and their people became
    some of our closest friends in the world.
        In the struggle ahead, we will act in accordance with American
    ideals. We're offering help and friendship to the Afghan people. It is
    their Taliban rulers and the terrorists they harbor who have much to
    fear.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 2:50 p.m. on October 5 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on October 6. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    October 5 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office
    of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
    this address.