[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
[September 18, 2001]
[Pages 1125-1128]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks Prior to Discussions With President Jacques Chirac of France and an Exchange With Reporters
September 18, 2001
President Bush. It is my honor to welcome a good friend, a good
personal friend and a good friend of America, to the Oval Office. It's
the first formal visit I've had
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with any world leader since the terrible day a week ago.
After the incident, after that day, I got a lot of phone calls, and
one of the most meaningful phone calls of all was from Jacques Chirac,
who expressed his concern for the American citizens. He expressed his
desire to stand solidly with America during this terrible, terrible day.
President Chirac understands that we have entered a new type of war.
It's a war against people who hate freedom. And I am honored to welcome
our friend here to the Oval Office.
Welcome, sir.
President Chirac. Thank you. I've come here to tell you of the
emotion--the emotion of France, of the French people, an emotion which
has no precedent in history before this tragedy, which does not have a
parallel. Indeed, it is a tragic event, something which is beyond crime;
there are no words to qualify it.
I want to tell President Bush, who is my friend, that we stand in
total solidarity. We bring you the total solidarity of France and the
French people. It is solidarity of the heart.
I also wanted to say that we are completely determined to fight by
your side this new type of evil, of absolute evil, which is terrorism.
And I also wanted to say that France is prepared and available to
discuss all means to fight and eradicate this evil.
President Bush. Thank you, sir.
Yes, Ron [Ron Fournier, Associated Press].
Response to Terrorist Attacks
Q. Mr. President, sir, do you expect French and British soldiers to
fight side by side with ours?
And President Chirac, do you agree that we are in a war, and is
France in it? Will you fight side by side with U.S. troops?
President Bush. This is a new kind of war. This war will require
determination and patience. People who love freedom, such as Jacques
Chirac and the people of France, will join us--I'm confident of that--in
finding those who feel like they can terrorize nations because they hate
freedom.
We will--it's a policy of my Government not to discuss any plans we
may have as to how we intend to deal with the terrorists and the
terrorist networks that believe they can disrupt lives anyplace, anytime
in the world. I look forward to talking with one of our strongest allies
in private about what's on my mind.
But make no mistake about it: This administration has got a firm
goal and a determination to achieve the goal, and that is to rally the
world toward a campaign to find terrorists, to smoke them out of their
holes, and to get them, and to bring them to justice.
And there's no doubt in my mind France joins with us in this most
important campaign. Jacques Chirac has--this is my fourth meeting with
this leader. He's a man of vision. He's a man who understands what I
understand, that we've entered into a new era. And I feel confident that
we're going to work in a collaborative way to achieve a common
objective.
If you love freedom, you must join with us; you must join with
America and France. That's the message of this meeting. And we will
discuss ways that we can work in a way that will achieve the goal. And
there's no doubt in my mind that we'll find solidarity with the French
and the French Government.
Q. Will your citizens fight shoulder to shoulder with ours?
President Chirac. I don't know whether we should use the word
``war,'' but what I can say is that now we are faced with a conflict of
a completely new nature. It is a conflict which is attempting to destroy
human rights, freedom, the dignity of man. And I believe that everything
must be done to protect and safeguard these values of civilization.
Therefore--and we are, naturally, prepared to work in complete
solidarity with
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the United States and do everything which is necessary, in consultation
with them, to reach this target which is the elimination of terrorism.
And I would also like to add that practically all the leaders of the
world are following the same line.
Q. Mr. President, don't you think it's high time for the occidental
world to review in a very tougher way its relationship with a certain
number of, let's say, Arabic countries which have been helping or
harboring the terrorists?
President Bush. In my statement to our Nation, I told the people of
the United States that we would not only hold those who committed these
horrible acts accountable, that we would also hold those accountable who
harbored them, who fed them, who hide them. That's our policy.
Many, many Arab--first of all, it is important to know that this is
not a campaign against Islam. This is not a campaign against Arab
people. This is a campaign against terrorists. This is a campaign
against evildoers who hate freedom.
I have had and I'm sure Jacques, as well, has had strong statements
of solidarity from governments in the Middle East. I've talked to many
world leaders, Arab leaders, all of whom are outraged by the acts of
terrorism against America, all of whom understand it could be them as
well. Terrorism knows no borders.
And so I've been very pleased with the outpouring of support. And we
will take the governments for their word and will work with them to
disrupt the finances, the travel, the communications. We will find them
in their hiding places, and we'll get them moving, and we'll bring them
to justice. Make no mistake about it.
Q. Mr. President----
President Bush. Yes, Patsy [Patricia Wilson, Reuters].
Middle East Cease-Fire
Q. Do you think the Middle East cease-fire will hold? And what do
you think the next step should be for both the Israelis and the
Palestinians?
President Bush. We've had very positive developments in the Middle
East today, and it's one of the subjects that my friend and I will
discuss. I was very pleased by the statements by Chairman
Arafat, followed by the strong statements by
the Israelis that they would stand down troops.
And I hope in my heart of hearts that out of this evil comes good. I
think it will; I'm a very optimistic person. And one of the goods that
can come is that people involved with the Middle East conflict, that
both leaders here want to resolve, realize that a terrorist way of life
is not going to lead to a peaceful resolution for people.
The next step, of course, is to stay involved in the region, is to
work with both the Palestinians and the Israelis to encourage them to
seize the moment, to hold Mr. Arafat to his
word that he will fight violence, and to encourage the Israelis to sit
down and have meaningful dialog, with the attempt to get into the
Mitchell process. And it's a glimmer of hope that all of us hope that
the parties involved will seize.
U.S. Response to Terrorist Attacks
Q. Mr. President, how will this new war be fought, this new war
against terrorism?
President Bush. It is new, and it's important for the world to
understand that there are no beaches to storm, there are no islands to
conquer, there are no battle lines to be drawn. It's a war that is going
to take an international effort. It's going to take all of us to gather
the necessary intelligence, the necessary information, to be able to
find the location of terrorists, to work with governments to smoke them
out of their safe houses, to get them moving, and then have the courage
to bring them to justice.
My Government will commit whatever resources is necessary to be
effective in this all-important cause. I repeat: We're fighting for
liberty and freedom, a way of
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life that is so essential for humankind, mankind to be able to realize
their full potential. And we are focused on achieving the goal.
There's going to be a time when free nations settle into what is
viewed as an ordinary life, and I hope that happens soon; I hope that
happens soon. But make no mistake about it: My goal, my intentions will
not diminish with time. I am absolutely--I know that we are called to
respond to terror now. This is the time, and the world is ready for
leadership. And Jacques Chirac is ready to provide that leadership, as
am I.
I want to thank you all for being here.
Note: The President spoke at 6:30 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to Chairman Yasser Arafat of the
Palestinian Authority. He also referred to the Report of the Sharm el-
Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee, chaired by former Senator George J.
Mitchell, issued April 30. President Chirac spoke in French, and his
remarks were translated by an interpreter.