[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
[September 25, 2001]
[Pages 1157-1160]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Following Discussions With Prime Minister Junichiro 
Koizumi of Japan and an Exchange With 
Reporters
September 25, 2001

    President Bush. I am really pleased and honored that my personal 
friend and a friend of the United States has come all the way from Japan 
to express his solidarity with the American people and our joint battle 
against terrorism.
    The Prime Minister and I had a wide-ranging discussion about ways 
that we can cooperate with each other to fight global terrorism. Most 
notably, we talked about the need to work in a way to cut off their 
funding. The Prime Minister also talked about ways that Japan will share 
intelligence, that we'll work cooperatively on the diplomatic front. We 
had a great discussion.

[[Page 1158]]

    Not only am I pleased with the great cooperation that we're having 
with our friend the Japanese, I am most pleased that the Saudi Arabians 
yesterday cut off relations with the Taliban and that President 
Putin, in a strong statement to the world, 
talked about the cooperation that Russia and the United States will have 
in combating global terrorism as well.
    The coalition of legitimate governments and freedom-loving people is 
strong. People will contribute in different ways to this coalition. But 
the mission won't change. The duties of the coalition may alter, but the 
mission won't alter, and that is to rout out and destroy international 
terrorism.
    The Prime Minister understands this requires a long-term vision, 
requires a patience amongst both our people. And it also requires a 
determination and a strong will. I know he's got a determination and 
strong will, and he knows I am determined and willful in this struggle.
    Mr. Prime Minister.
    Prime Minister Koizumi. I'm very pleased to say, we are friends. Had 
a great talk, friendly, and I conveyed what I am thinking. We Japanese 
are ready to stand by the United States to fight terrorism. We could 
make sure of this global objective. We must fight terrorism with 
determination and patience. Very good meeting--fantastic meeting.
    President Bush. I'll take a few questions.

Airline Security/Airline Labor Issues

    Q. Mr. President, on the domestic front, sir, why not extend 
unemployment and health insurance benefits to airline workers? And what 
do you think of the proposals to put reservists and military police on 
airplanes and to allow pilots to carry guns?
    President Bush. Well, we're looking at all options--this doesn't 
require translation, by the way--we're looking at all options as to how 
to enhance airline security. I had a breakfast this morning with leaders 
of the Senate and the House. This was one of the topics we discussed. 
Secretary of Transportation Mineta is 
coming over this afternoon to present me with some of the options. And I 
look forward to working with Congress to put some concrete steps in 
place that will assure the American public that the Government and the 
airlines are doing as much as we can to enhance security and safety.
    In terms of the labor issues, Elaine Chao 
is developing a list of recommendations, a list of options, to make sure 
that the displaced worker is given due consideration in the halls of 
Government. That subject came up as well. There is no consensus yet. 
There is a desire to work toward taking care of displaced workers. And 
both the Congress and the White House will be presenting options.
    Yes, Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].

Pakistan/Saudi Arabia

    Q. Mr. President, you mentioned Saudi Arabia. What does this mean in 
terms of isolating the Taliban? And would you now encourage Pakistan to 
do the same?
    President Bush. Well, we've gotten broad cooperation from Pakistan. 
We're most pleased with their response. They are a country that has--
going to be, obviously, deeply affected by actions we may or may not 
take in that part of the world.
    It's very interesting that the Prime Minister shared with me the 
fact that his country has provided $40 million in humanitary assistance 
to the Pakistanis, and I want to thank him for that. We, too, are 
providing humanitary assistance for people in that world, as are the 
Saudis. And that's an important part of the coalition, to understand 
that one of the issues is to make sure that Pakistan is a stable country 
and that whatever consequences may occur as a result of actions we may 
or may not take is one that we do the best we can to manage.
    In terms of----
    Q. Isolation of the Taliban.
    President Bush. Oh, isolating the Taliban. Well, I think most people 
in the world

[[Page 1159]]

understand that I was very serious and they're serious when we say if 
you harbor a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorist. That's 
pretty isolated, it seems like to me.

Japan

    Q. Mr. President, according to opinion poll, about 90 percent of the 
Japanese are concerned that Japan's support of the U.S. military action 
could trigger terrorist attacks on Japan, itself. Do you have anything 
to say to them, to their concern?
    President Bush. Well, I think this: I think 100 percent of the 
Japanese people ought to understand that we're dealing with evil people 
who hate freedom and legitimate governments, and that now is the time 
for freedom-loving people to come together to fight terrorist activity. 
We cannot be--we cannot fear terrorists. We can't let terrorism dictate 
our course of action. And we will not let a terrorist dictate the course 
of action in the United States, and I'm sure the Prime Minister feels 
the same way about Japan. No threat--no threat will prevent freedom-
loving people from defending freedom.
    And make no mistake about it: This is good versus evil. These are 
evildoers. They have no justification for their actions. There's no 
religious justification; there's no political justification. The only 
motivation is evil. And the Prime Minister understands that, and the 
Japanese people, I think, understand that as well.

Afghanistan

    Q. Mr. President, amid signs of increasing turmoil in Afghanistan 
and signs that there may be splits within the Taliban regime, itself, do 
you believe that the people of Afghanistan, themselves, are trying to 
liberate themselves from the Taliban rule, and would you support that as 
part of your campaign against terrorism?
    President Bush. We have no issue and no anger toward the citizens of 
Afghanistan. We have, obviously, serious problems with the Taliban 
Government. They're an incredibly repressive government, a government 
that has a value system that's hard for many in America, or in Japan for 
that matter, to relate to--incredibly repressive toward women.
    They have made the decision to harbor terrorists. The mission is to 
rout terrorists, to find them and bring them to justice. Or, as I 
explained to the Prime Minister in western terms, to smoke them out of 
their caves, to get them running so we can get them.
    The best way to do that, and one way to do that, is to ask for the 
cooperation of citizens within Afghanistan who may be tired of having 
the Taliban in place or tired of having Usama bin Laden, people from foreign soils, in their own land, willing 
to finance this repressive government.
    I understand the reality of what's taking place inside Afghanistan, 
and we're going to have a--listen, as I've told the Prime Minister, 
we're angry, but we've got a clear vision. We're upset, but we know what 
we've got to do. And the mission is to bring these particular terrorists 
to justice and, at the same time, send a clear signal, Terry [Terry 
Moran, ABC News], that says if you harbor a terrorist, if you aid a 
terrorist, if you hide terrorists, you're just as guilty as the 
terrorists.
    And this is an administration--we're not into nation-building; we're 
focused on justice. And we're going to get justice. It's going to take a 
while, probably. But I'm a patient man. Nothing will diminish my will 
and my determination--nothing.

Japan

    Q. Mr. President, do you expect any financial support also from 
Japan, including----
    President Bush. Financial proposals?
    Q. Yes.
    President Bush. You mean, related to our----
    Q. For the entire mission against terrorism.

[[Page 1160]]

    President Bush. For our--well, first of all, the Prime Minister, as 
he said, talked about $40 million of aid to Pakistan. That's a very 
important contribution. And I repeat the reason why: A stable Pakistan 
is very important to a stable world. After all, Pakistan has nuclear 
weapons, and we want stability in countries that may have nuclear 
weapons. And so that's a very important financial contribution.
    Remember, this war will be fought on a variety of fronts. It is not 
like wars that we're used to. There's very little that's conventional 
about it. It's different. And so, for example, the sharing of 
information is vital to find and rout out terrorism. It's vital that we 
have a cooperative relationship. It's vital that if we hear anything 
that may affect the security of Japan, that we're forthcoming with that 
information and vice versa.
    And so the resources--again, you--the tendency is to think in terms 
of a conventional war, where people might put money in to support a 
military operation. That's not the kind of war we're talking about now. 
And so resources will be deployed in different ways: intelligence 
gathering, diplomacy, humanitarian aid, as well as cutting off 
resources. And one effective tool in getting these people is to cut off 
their money. And yesterday I made an announcement here about how we 
intend to do so.
    Prime Minister Koizumi. I believe there are many ways to cooperate. 
It is one way to provide financial assistance, but there are diplomatic 
means; there are ways to provide medical assistance; there is assistance 
to refugees; there is ways to transport supplies. And I believe these 
are all various ways in which we can cooperate.
    President Bush. Thank you all very much.

Note: The President spoke at 11:45 a.m. in the Colonnade at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to President Vladimir Putin of 
Russia; and Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist 
organization. After the Prime Minister's opening remarks, he spoke in 
Japanese, and his remarks were translated by an interpreter.