    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [May 21, 2002]
    [Pages 844-846]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Interview With Christian Malar of TF-3
    French Television
    May 21, 2002

    Terrorist Alerts

        Mr. Malar. Mr. President, thank you very much. Could you be more
    specific on the prospects of new attack against the United States? It's
    a source of concern for all of us, of course. And do you think it's a--
    concerns also, for instance, the French, who have been severely
    targeted--struck recently by the terrorist networks in Pakistan?
        The President. Yes, it's a good question. First, I'm concerned about
    all people who love freedom. The French love freedom; Americans love
    freedom. And Al Qaida hates freedom, and they can't stand people who
    embrace freedom.
        I have no specific threat to America and Americans or to the French.
    If I had a specific threat, something that would hurt the French, I can
    assure you we would have shared that information immediately with our
    friends in the French Government. If I have a specific threat relating
    to America, we would deal with that specific threat. We would use our
    assets to harden whatever the target might be. You probably wouldn't
    know about it.
        What you're hearing is--you're hearing--the people of my
    administration are concerned about a group of people who continue to
    plot and plan on ways to hurt us. And the best way to prevent further
    attacks is to find them and hunt them down, to chase them one by one,
    and to bring them to justice. And that's what my country and our
    coalition will continue to do.

    Iran and Iraq

        Mr. Malar. Mr. President, you spoke a lot about the evil axis. Are
    you still planning to attack Iraq? And what about Iran, which, according
    to our understanding of various sources, might have been harboring bin
    Laden for the last few months?
        The President. Oh, really? Well, I certainly hope that's not the
    case, for Iran's sake, that they be harboring bin Laden. We don't know
    about Mr. bin Laden. He might be dead; he
    might be alive. All I can tell you is, I heard--I haven't heard much
    from him in a long period of time.
        I do believe there is an axis of evil. These are countries that are
    not transparent; they're dictatorial; they've got designs for weapons of
    mass destruction, if they don't have them already. They hate--they
    preach a gospel of hate. And we'll deal with each of them differently.
    Obviously, the military is an option. I have no plans on my desk right
    now, but whatever I decide and whatever we decide, of course, we'll
    consult closely with the French, our allies, and our friends.
        But we must deal with this threat, the threat of countries such as
    Iraq using a weapons of mass destruction to affect a balance of power or
    to affect our willingness and ability to go defend ourselves. And this
    is a dangerous problem that we've got to deal with.

    Situation in the Middle East

        Mr. Malar. Mr. President, concerning the peace process in the Middle
    East, it seems there is no peace solution in sight right now. Arafat
    doesn't want--cannot control

    [[Page 845]]

    the Islamic terrorist acts against Israel. Mr. Sharon doesn't want him
    anymore as a partner for peace. What can you do? The United States is
    the only country to be able to impose a solution. What can you do
    concretely, Mr. President, to put peace back on track for good?
        The President. Yes, thank you. I'm not so sure you can ever impose a
    solution on people. In other words, the first job is to convince people
    the need for peace, to give people a chance to work toward a vision. And
    I've laid out a vision. And the vision is two states, Israel and
    Palestine, living side by side in peace. That's something we will work
    toward.
        I believe we're making some progress. It starts with convincing all
    parties in the region they have a responsibility toward peace. The
    Israelis have got a responsibility; I've made that clear to Prime
    Minister Sharon. The Palestinians have a
    responsibility, particularly to denounce and to fight against terror, to
    stop these killers from derailing peace. And the Arab world has the
    responsibility to be a party to not only discussions but a party to
    providing hope for the Palestinians.
        And we are--we've got a dialog going on. One of the first things we
    need to do is put the institutions in place that will help provide a
    stable society in the Palestinian territory. That means a security force
    that actually works, one that functions properly, one in which authority
    and responsibility are aligned.
        You need to know I'm an optimistic man. I believe we can achieve
    peace. It's going to take a lot of hard work. I have started this the
    first day of my administration, and I will continue during the last day
    of my administration.
        Mr. Malar. Two quick last questions.
        The President. Sure.

    Europe-U.S. Relationship

        Mr. Malar. Mr. President, what do you answer to the Europeans, and
    especially the French, who are very fussy sometimes and considers--the
    reproach of America's unilateralism? What do you answer to them? They
    even fear today, among Europeans, that the new American-Russian axis
    which would prevail over the rest of Europe.
        The President. Well, listen, my trip into Europe will let people
    know me a little better. I'm a person who knows that--first of all, I
    know what I believe. And the thing I believe--I believe strongly in the
    common values that we share. And I believe strongly in freedom. I mean,
    I believe we ought to do everything in our power to encourage freedom
    all around the world. And that's important. I also know we can't win a
    war on terror alone, that we've got to work with our allies and friends.
    I'll confirm the importance of the NATO Alliance for all of us.
        So I look forward to the trip. I'm confident there are some there
    that have got an opinion about me that I might not like, but that's the
    good thing about democracy. I welcome people--people's opinions. And
    I'll be honored to represent our country overseas, and to reconfirm our
    friendship.
        I'm going to Normandy, and----

    President's Memorial Day Visit to Normandy

        Mr. Malar. You are going to Normandy, so I imagine you are going to
    spend Memorial Day on the beaches of Normandy. And I'm sure, Mr.
    President, it means a lot to you when we are in the world where a lot of
    people try to fight for freedom and security.
        The President. Yes. Well, it's going to be an emotional moment, to
    think of all the sacrifice that went so that you and I can speak here in
    freedom. I'm the son of a World War II veteran. I'm a product of what
    they call the Greatest Generation. And I just--my friends who have been
    there tell me that it's an amazingly emotional place. Memorial Day is a
    great holiday here in America, where we honor those who have sacrificed.
    And so I'll give a

    [[Page 846]]

    speech that will talk about sacrifice and will call people to the memory
    of those who have come before us and lay out the sacrifices that we're
    going to need to do in the future if we expect the world to be free.
        And I can't wait to go. It's going to be one of the best parts of
    the trip. It's going to be a memorable trip, and I'm confident that the
    trip to Normandy will be one of the great highlights of the trip.
        Mr. Malar. Mr. President, I want to thank you very much. I wish you
    all the best.
        The President. Thank you, sir.
        Mr. Malar. And God bless you.
        The President. Thank you, sir.

    Note: The interview was taped on May 21 at 1:24 p.m. in the Map Room at
    the White House for later broadcast, and the transcript was released by
    the Office of the Press Secretary on May 22. In his remarks, the
    President referred to Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist
    organization; and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel. Mr. Malar
    referred to Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority. A tape
    was not available for verification of the content of this interview.