    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [November 28, 2001]
    [Pages 1449-1450]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following Discussions With Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations
    November 28, 2001

        President Bush. It's my honor to welcome back to the White House our
    friend Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Today we've had a valuable
    discussion about how to make sure that the good intentions of America
    and others around the world are met, and those intentions have to do
    with feeding people who starve in Afghanistan.
        Prior to September the 11th, there was a lot of hunger in that
    country, primarily because it was run by a government that didn't really
    care about the human condition. After September the 11th, obviously, the
    war has aggravated the situation, and as I declared to the American
    people, our

    [[Page 1450]]

    good Government and our great Nation is going to do something about it.
        And around the table today are people who are responsible to making
    sure, as best as they possibly can, food is delivered and medicine is
    delivered and clothing is delivered to innocent, hurting people of
    Afghanistan. And the Secretary-General has been so great on this issue,
    and he's assembled a wonderful team who are here to brief the Secretary
    of State and myself about the efforts.
        The degree of difficulty is high. There's no question we've got a
    large task ahead of ourselves. We've got ample money, and the United
    States Government has been a major contributor of that money. We've got
    the food. The fundamental question is, in an environment that is not
    very secure, how do we get the food to the people? And that's what we're
    working on. And I'm convinced that we can do a very good job of meeting
    that objective.
        So, Mr. General, thanks for coming. It's an honor to have you back.
    I appreciate you bringing your team with you.
        Secretary-General Annan. Thank you very much, Mr. President, for the
    discussions this morning with my team.
        The Afghan people have suffered for quite a long time through a
    series of wars and, recently, drought. And we've been trying to get food
    to them, and as the President said, it's not always been easy. Even
    sometimes when we have the food in the country, we cannot always get it
    to the needy.
        We are now, with the help of the U.S. and other donors, able to get
    in as much food as we think we will need. But because of the insecurity,
    we have difficulties reaching the needy and the people, and we are
    working on that. And I hope the situation will clarify in the not-too-
    distant future to allow us to reach all those in need.
        I think it is important for the public to know the numbers we are
    dealing with, and here I'm talking about refugees, Afghan refugees in
    the neighboring countries, particularly Pakistan and Iran, and the
    internally displaced people. We are talking about 6 million needy
    people--between 6 million to 7.5 million. We are going to do our best,
    with the support that we are getting.
        And I think, on the political front, if I may say a word, we are
    meeting the Afghan parties in Bonn. Mr. Brahimi is discussing with them
    as we sit here. And so far, they're off to a good start. The parties
    seem to want a broadbased government, and I hope they will be able to
    settle this--the establishment of the government--before they leave
    Bonn.
        The willingness of the U.S. and other donor countries and the
    international community is clear, to work with them in rebuilding their
    society. But we need a partner, and the partner has to be an effective
    Afghan Government that is cohesive, that is stable, that will work with
    the donor community to ensure that the resources that are being applied
    to rehabilitation and reconstruction is used effectively.
        The challenge is theirs. They have an historic opportunity to put
    the past behind them and form a broadbased government that will be loyal
    to the Afghan people and respect its international obligations. And if
    they do that, from all the commitments that I have heard from the
    President and other leaders, the resources will be there over the
    period, in a sustained manner, to help rebuild Afghanistan.
        So I urge them to seize the moment for the sake of their people and
    for the sake of their country.
        President Bush. Thank you, Mr. General.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:51 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the
    White House. In his remarks, the Secretary-General referred to U.N.
    Special Representative for Afghanistan Lakhdar Brahimi. A tape was not
    available for verification of the content of these remarks.