[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.