    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [May 21, 2002]
    [Pages 831-833]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Interview With Giulio Borrelli of RAI
    Italian Television
    May 21, 2002

    Terrorist Alerts

        Mr. Borrelli. Mr. President, raising the alarm about the possibility
    of new terrorist attack without being specific is a way of crying wolf,
    which can frighten people. Can Americans stop the suicide bombers?
        The President. Yes, it's a very interesting question. Well, first of
    all, the Vice President and the Director of the
    FBI was expressing a general threat--
    they're basically saying--with which I agree--that the Al Qaida still
    exists; they still hate America and any other country which loves
    freedom;

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    and they want to hurt us. They're nothing but a bunch of coldblooded
    killers.
        And if we had a specific threat to ourselves or to Italy, for that
    matter, we would deal with it in a way that you probably wouldn't know
    about. In other words, we'd be on the phone to the Italian authorities,
    sharing information to protect our--just so that they would help our
    friends protect themselves. Had we had a specific threat here in
    America, we would have used our assets to harden the threat. But no,
    it's a real problem.
        The best way to secure our homeland, the best way for Italy to be
    secure, and other countries, is to find these killers, is to hunt for
    them, is to chase them down. And that's what we're going to do. And the
    good news is, for those of us who love freedom, and the bad news is, for
    the enemy, this country is very patient and very united and going to be
    very deliberate in our pursuit of freedom.

    Europe-U.S. Relationship

        Mr. Borrelli. The U.S. and Europe are divided on important issues,
    as the next step in the war on terrorism and steel trade. Do you think
    you have to change something in your leadership to be more convincing
    with European countries? Or do they have to modify their policy?
        The President. Well, I don't think either of us have to change
    because we share great values. See, we love freedom. We hate those who
    want to kill. That's the common ground, and that's very important, and
    that's the high ground.
        And you bring up interesting issues, you know. You bring up the
    issue of steel. We trade--first of all, we have trade disputes because
    there is so much trade. If we had no trade, there would be no disputes.
    And we've got $2 trillion worth of trade, which is a significant amount
    of trade. Obviously, I was concerned about what imports were doing to
    our industry. And under the rules of the WTO, under the guidelines that
    we've all agreed to, I acted. I am confident and hope that our European
    trading partners will also respond within the guidelines of the WTO. And
    that's the way you settle disputes. A trade dispute is hardly a breach
    of an important relationship. It is a way to work through a difficult
    situations.
        And as far as the axis of evil, you know, I understand there are
    some that would hope that the threat would go away just on its own, but
    we're going to have to act. I will, of course, consult with our friends.
    I'm deliberate in my thinking. I have no set plans right now. But I am
    serious about making it clear to countries around the world that we need
    to work together to rid the world of the threat. And the threat is a
    nontransparent dictator--dictatorship having a weapons of mass
    destruction to be used countries such as yours and mine. And that's a
    threat that we must deal with if we want to do our duty to history.

    Situation in the Middle East

        Mr. Borrelli. How can America and Europe improve their efforts to
    make peace in the Middle East?
        The President. Yes, that's a great question. We are working together
    well, I believe. I was very pleased with--and the Secretary of
    State is the one who keeps me abreast of the
    levels of cooperation. During the recent issues in the Middle East, the
    EU and our country worked very closely to try to lay out the foundations
    and a pathway to peace.
        I gave a speech right here in the Rose Garden on April the 4th that
    said parties have responsibilities: Israelis have got responsibilities
    if they're interested in peace; the Arab world has responsibilities; as
    do the Palestinians. I've talked about a vision of two states living
    side by side, at peace with respect to each other. The Europeans agree
    with that position, so we're on the same--we share the same vision. And
    I believe that the Europeans also agree that there will never be peace
    so long as terrorists continue to kill and that we've all got

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    to use our collective efforts to stop the terrorist attacks.
        We definitely agree that we've got to provide hope for the
    Palestinian people. There's a lot of people who've been suffering for a
    long period of time. We need an economic development package that will
    help the Palestinians realize a hopeful future. But we cannot do so
    until there is the institutions of a credible state in place. In other
    words, we're not going to give money if it ends up going into somebody's
    pockets and not to help the people we're trying to help.
        So we've got the framework. We've got the vision for peace and the
    framework for getting there, and now we've just got to continue working
    together to achieve it. It is a difficult subject. People have been
    killing each other there for a long period of time. But once there is
    the collective vision for peace--and I think we're building that
    collective vision--and once people understand their responsibilities--
    and we're now laying out the responsibilities--we have an opportunity to
    move toward that vision of peace, and that's exactly what we're doing.

    Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy

        Mr. Borrelli. Last time I came here I asked you if you received an
    invitation to have dinner with Mr. Chirac or Mr. Berlusconi, which one
    would you accept? You answered, you like Italian food. Do you still
    enjoy Italian cuisine made by Berlusconi?
        The President. I love Italian cuisine. And I'm very close to the
    Prime Minister. He is a--he is a good man; he's easy to be around
    because he is a good listener and a good talker. And I like his
    judgment, and I like his friendship.

    President's Upcoming Meeting With Pope John Paul II

        Mr. Borrelli. When you go to Rome, you meet the Pope.
        The President. Yes.
        Mr. Borrelli. One of his desires is to visit Ground Zero in New
    York. Will he be visiting soon?
        The President. I hope so, but that's up for the Pope to make that
    decision. He is a--I had the honor of visiting the Holy Father the last
    time I was--the visit in beautiful Rome. And actually, it was outside of
    Rome; we went to the summer--the summer palace overlooking the
    spectacular lake. And you know, he's getting older, and whether or not
    he's able to travel to Ground Zero will be up to--up for the Holy Father
    to decide. But I just want you to know I'm looking forward to that
    visit. It is a great honor to be in his presence. He's a great man.
        Mr. Borrelli. Thank you, Mr. President.
        The President. Thank you, sir.

    Note: The interview was taped at 1:33 p.m. in the Map Room at the White
    House for later broadcast. Mr. Borrelli referred to President Jacques
    Chirac of France. A tape was not available for verification of the
    content of this interview.