    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [December 5, 2002]
    [Pages 2166-2168]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 2166]]

    Remarks Prior to Discussions With President Daniel T. arap Moi of Kenya and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and an Exchange With Reporters
    December 5, 2002

        President Bush. Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to welcome
    our friends to the Cabinet Room in the White House. Each leader will
    make a statement. We'll then have one question from an American, one
    question from a Kenyan, and one question from an Ethiopian. The
    President and the Prime Minister will decide who gets the questions, as
    will I.
        First, it's an honor to welcome President Moi and Prime Minister
    Meles to the--this is where we do our work, the Cabinet Room. We welcome
    two strong friends of America here, two leaders of countries which have
    joined us in the--to fight the global war on terror, two steadfast
    allies, two people that the American people can count on when it comes
    to winning the first war of the 21st century. And I'm so pleased that
    the President and the Prime Minister have agreed to come and have a
    substantive visit. I thank their delegations for coming with them, and I
    look forward to a good and open discussion about how we can advance our
    respective interests.
        So Mr. President, welcome. President Moi is a strong leader of
    Kenya. He is leading the country to a transition period through open
    elections. And Mr. President, you have distinguished yourself by your
    service to your country, and I appreciate that, and we welcome you.
        President Moi. Thank you very much indeed. I'm delighted to have my
    last visit to the United States as President of the Republic of Kenya.
    We are--I am here to discuss a wide range of issues. The most important
    issue is the security within the Horn of Africa and particularly my own
    country, Kenya.
        These are important issues which will enable us to handle and manage
    terrorism in that part of the world. And so I am delighted to be in
    Washington today.
        President Bush. Mr. President, thank you. And of course, I want to
    reiterate what I have said before, and that is, our country mourns the
    loss of life in Kenya, the tragedy that befell your country as a result
    of killers trying to terrorize freedom-loving people. And I appreciate
    your leadership on that issue.
        Mr. Prime Minister, I'm so honored that you're here. Welcome.
        Prime Minister Meles. Thank you, Mr. President. We are all here very
    glad that we've been welcomed to Washington. A moment ago you said that
    we are engaged in the first war of the 21st century. We believe that the
    war against terrorism is a war against people who have not caught up
    with the 21st century, who have values and ideals that are contrary to
    the values of the 21st century. And in that context, it's a fight not
    between the United States and some groups; it's a fight between those
    who want to catch up with the 21st century and those who want to remain
    where they are.
        So I want to assure you that we are all with you against forces of
    terror and--[inaudible]--and I appreciate your support and leadership.
    Thank you very much for welcoming us----
        President Bush. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.
        We'll have one question from each side here. Jackson [David Jackson,
    Dallas Morning News].

    Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's Decision To
    Disarm

        Q. Mr. President, I've been out in the country on vacation, and a
    lot of people have asked me, ``What are the chances that

    [[Page 2167]]

    we're actually going to war with Iraq?'' I mean, how likely is war, and
    what would trigger it?
        President Bush. Right. That's the question that you should ask to
    Saddam Hussein. [Laughter] It's his choice to make. And Saddam Hussein
    must disarm. The international community has come together through the
    United Nations Security Council and voted 15 to nothing for Saddam
    Hussein to disarm. We recently got back from NATO, where our NATO Allies
    voted overwhelmingly to send the same message.
        So David, to answer your question, the question is whether or not he
    chooses to disarm, and we hope he does. For the sake of peace, he must
    disarm.
        There are inspectors inside the country now, and the inspectors are
    there not to play a game of hide-and-seek, but they're there to verify
    whether or not Mr. Saddam Hussein is going to disarm. And we hope he
    does.
        Q. But at what point would you make that decision?
        President Bush. We hope he does. You'll see.
        Mr. President, would you care to call from somebody from the Kenyan
    press? You don't have to if you don't want to. [Laughter] I thought it
    would be hospitable.
        Q. I'm here from Ethiopia.
        President Bush. Well, we'll get you next, sir. [Laughter] Is the
    Kenyan reporter here? Oh, there.

    War on Terror/U.S. Assistance to Kenya and Ethiopia

        Q. I would like to know, since Kenya has been a victim of terrorism,
    what has the U.S. Government put into place, what measures have you put
    into place to assist Kenya----
        President Bush. Yes. Well, that's what we're going to talk about, of
    course. And part of the reason the President has come is to discuss ways
    that we can continue our aid program and continue our work together.
        The other thing we must remember is that the war on terror is global
    in nature and that if the terrorists could strike in Kenya, they could
    strike in Ethiopia; they could strike in Europe; and that we must
    continue this war, to hunt these killers down one at a time, to bring
    them to justice, which means information sharing. We're pleased with the
    information sharing we're getting from our allies here. It means cutting
    off the money, and it means bringing to justice--like the Kenyan
    authorities will be doing to those who kill and take innocent life.
        Would you care to call on somebody from your press corps?
        Q. I'm going to repeat the same question the Kenyan reporter asked
    of you. What could be exactly the role of the United States in assisting
    those African countries, particularly who are the victims of terrorism?
        President Bush. Yes. Well, information sharing, for example--we've
    got a good intelligence-gathering network, made stronger by the fact
    that we share information between countries. But if we get wind that
    somebody is thinking about doing something to Ethiopia, we're prepared
    to work with the Ethiopian Government to disrupt any plans.
        The best thing we can do to help secure your countries is to chase
    the killers down, and we're making good progress. Slowly but surely,
    we're dismantling an Al Qaida network. And that inures to the benefit of
    all the countries of the world.
        We, of course, will be talking to--about issues such as drought as
    well. We'll be talking about other issues, economic vitality. I'll be
    thanking these leaders for their work in bringing stability and peace to
    their part of the continent of Africa. These are leaders; these are men
    who have stepped forward and have shown vision and leadership, and we're
    grateful for that.
        Thank you all for coming.

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    Note: The President spoke at 10:20 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
    House. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of these remarks.