    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [September 13, 2002]
    [Pages 1581-1582]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to Discussions With Central African Leaders and an
    Exchange With Reporters in New York City
    September 13, 2002

        The President. Thank you all for coming. First, I'm honored to be
    able to meet with my colleagues from Central Africa. The Secretary of
    State and I look forward to a very frank and
    constructive dialog about how to continue our common pursuit against
    terror and how we will work together to promote prosperity. I look
    forward to a constructive dialog. So thank you all for coming.
        Before we begin our discussion, let me answer a few questions. Are
    the interpreters working right now? They are? Yours isn't working, okay.
    Before we begin our dialog, I'm going to take three questions from the
    American press corps, starting with Mr. Fournier [Ron Fournier], who
    writes for the Associated Press.

    President Saddam Hussein of Iraq

        Q. Thank you, sir. Knowing what you know about Saddam, what are the
    odds that he's going to meet all your demands and avoid confrontation?
        The President. I am highly doubtful that he'll meet our demands. I
    hope he does, but I'm highly doubtful. The reason I'm doubtful is, he's
    had 11 years to meet the demands. For 11 long years he has basically
    told the United Nations and the world he doesn't care. And so,
    therefore, I am doubtful but, nevertheless, made the decision to move
    forward to work with the world community. And I hope the world community
    knows that we're extremely serious about what I said yesterday and we
    expect a quick resolution to the issue. And that's starting with quick
    action on a resolution.
        Randy [Randy Mikkelsen, Reuters].

    United Nations Resolution

        Q. Yes, sir, how soon are you expecting the resolution from the
    United Nations? In a week, month, days?
        The President. As soon as possible.
        Q. And how--what kind of deadline would you perceive within that
    resolution?
        The President. Well, there will be deadlines within the resolution.
    Our chief negotiator for the United States, our Secretary of
    State, understands that we must have

    [[Page 1582]]

    deadlines. And we're talking days and weeks, not months and years. And
    that's essential for the security of the world. This man has had 11 years to comply. For 11 long years, he's
    ignored world opinion, and he's put the credibility of the United
    Nations on line.
        As I said yesterday, we'll determine--how we deal with this problem
    will help determine the fate of a multilateral body, which has been
    unilaterally ignored by Saddam Hussein. Will
    this body be able to keep the peace and deal with the true threats,
    including threats to security in Central Africa and other parts of the
    world, or will it be irrelevant?
        Judy Keen [USA Today].

    Timing of Congressional Action/President Vladimir Putin of Russia

        Q. Mr. President, thank you. Are you concerned that Democrats in
    Congress still don't want a vote there until after U.N. action? And
    secondly, have you spoken with President Putin since your speech
    yesterday?
        The President. I have not spoken to President Putin since my speech.
    I did speak to his Foreign Minister,
    as did Colin Powell. I'll speak to President
    Putin, I'm confident, soon. I'll have--I think we've got a scheduled
    phone call, actually.
        And the first part of the question was, Democrats waiting for the
    U.N. to act? I can't imagine an elected United States--elected Member of
    the United States Senate or House of Representatives saying, ``I think
    I'm going to wait for the United Nations to make a decision.'' It seems
    like to me that if you're representing the United States, you ought to
    be making a decision on what's best for the United States. If I were
    running for office, I'm not sure how I'd explain to the American
    people--say, ``Vote for me, and, oh, by the way, on a matter of national
    security, I think I'm going to wait for somebody else to act.''
        And so I--we'll see. My answer to the Congress is, they need to
    debate this issue and consult with us and get the issue done as quickly
    as possible. It's in our national interests that we do so. I don't
    imagine Saddam Hussein sitting around,
    saying, ``Gosh, I think I'm going to wait for some resolution or not.''
    He's a threat, and we must deal with it as quickly as possible.
        Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:15 a.m. at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. In
    his remarks, he referred to Foreign Minister Igor Sergeyevich Ivanov of
    Russia. The following leaders participated in the meeting: President
    Pierre Buyoya of Burundi; President Paul Biya of Cameroon; President
    Ange-Felix Patasse of the Central African Republic; President Idriss
    Deby of Chad; President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of the
    Congo; President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea;
    President El Hadj Omar Bongo of Gabon; President Denis Sassou-Nguesso of
    the Republic of the Congo; President Paul Kagame of Rwanda; and
    President Fradique De Menezes of Sao Tome and Principe.