    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [September 11, 2003]
    [Pages 1140-1141]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Anniversary of September 11 and an Exchange With
    Reporters
    September 11, 2003

        The President. This morning, we had a chance to go to a church
    service to remember the victims and pray for their families, the victims
    of 9/11/2001. Today--this afternoon, Laura and I
    are here to thank the brave souls who got wounded in the war on terror,
    people who were willing to sacrifice in order to make sure that attacks
    such as September the 11th don't happen again.
        I want to thank the staff of Walter Reed, the docs and the nurses
    and the caregivers, the people who look after the families, for enabling
    me to say to our fellow citizens that when somebody gets hurt, somebody
    who wears our uniform gets injured, they get the absolute best care as
    quickly as possible. I was able to pin the Purple Heart on a number of
    people upstairs. I was able to hug their parents and thank them. I'm
    just so grateful that our country has got people who are willing to
    serve in a cause greater than themselves.
        I'll answer a couple of questions, and then I've got to go.

    Usama bin Laden Tape

        Q. Sir, does this new bin Laden tape concern you at all?
        The President. First of all, they're analyzing it. Secondly, his
    tape reminds us that the war on terror goes on. As well, his rhetoric is
    trying to intimidate and, you know, create fear. And he's not going to
    intimidate America. We are at war because of what he and his fellow
    killers decided to do 2 years ago today. And we will stay at war until
    we have achieved our objective, the dismantlement of terrorist
    organizations.
        And it just reminds us of the duty we have got to do. And I say
    ``we,'' my administration and all who serve our country, our duty is to
    protect our fellow citizens from people like bin Laden.

    War on Terror

        Q. Mr. President, people are reminded of what happened 2 years ago--
    think about what's happened in the past 2 years. What can you say to
    them to make them feel

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    like this won't happen again, that there won't be another----
        The President. Yes. Well, I can just tell them--people that, first
    of all, we have--we're slowly but surely dismantling Al Qaida. We are
    not only destroying terrorist training camps, cutting off their money;
    we're either killing or capturing a lot of their leadership.
        And as I told the American people right after September the 11th,
    2001, this would be a different kind of war, and this would be a long
    war. And we're fighting this war on a lot of fronts, the major front of
    which is now in Iraq. And we're making steady progress toward achieving
    our objective, and we will continue to make progress. You can't
    negotiate with these people. You can't try to talk sense to these
    people. The only way to deal with them is to find them and bring them to
    justice, and that's what the United States--and a lot of other countries
    working with the United States--will continue to do.

    U.N. Resolution on Iraq

        Q. Sir, are we any closer to getting a U.N. resolution?
        The President. Colin is going to be
    overseas starting tomorrow and over the weekend, and we'll see when he
    comes back. But the key thing for the United Nations resolution is that
    it will hopefully encourage other nations to participate. And I think
    other nations have an obligation to participate. A free Iraq will be in
    their Nation's benefit. It will make the world more peaceful and more
    secure. And a free Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will make it
    more easy for us to not only secure America and other free nations but
    will make it easier for there to be peace in the long run.
        And therefore, I would hope that nations would participate, and to
    the extent that some nations need an additional United Nations
    resolution, this could be helpful in encouraging international
    participation. But Colin is sitting down
    with other foreign ministers from the Perm 5 as well as Kofi
    Annan, starting tomorrow.
        Okay, well, thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:30 p.m. at the Walter Reed Army Medical
    Center. In his remarks, he referred to Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al
    Qaida terrorist organization; Secretary of State Colin L. Powell; and
    Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations. A tape was not
    available for verification of the content of these remarks.