[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
[July 3, 2003]
[Pages 819-826]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Interview With African Print Journalists
July 3, 2003
The President. Thank you all for coming. What I thought I would do
is make a couple of opening comments about the upcoming trip and answer
some questions, maybe go around the horn a couple of times and give
everybody a chance to fire away.
First, I'm really looking forward to the trip. I have been to the
continent of Africa twice, but I've never been as President, nor have I
been on as extensive a tour as the one we are going on.
I'll be carrying a message to the African people that, first,
America cares about the
[[Page 820]]
future of Africa. It's in our national interests that Africa become a
prosperous place. It's in our interest that people will continue to
fight terror together. It's in our interest that when we find suffering,
we deal with it.
I've laid out some initiatives that I'll be further describing to
the African people and African nations: an AIDS initiative; the
Millennium Challenge Account; our education initiative, where we'll be
spending now $600 million over a 5-year period of time; a $100 million
to fight terrorism in east Africa. In other words, just a series of
specific initiatives behind a well-intentioned administration. And it's
important for the leaders to understand precisely what I mean when I
talk about these different initiatives.
And so when we go to Senegal, we'll be talking to not only my friend
President Wade but other leaders from western
Africa. When I go to South Africa, of course, it'll be a significant
platform from which to speak to leaders in the southern region of
Africa. I'll be going to Botswana as well and then up to Nigeria and,
finally, Uganda and then home. So it's an extensive trip, and it's an
important trip, and I'm very much looking forward to it.
And I'll be glad to answer any questions. Why don't we start with
you, Mr. Babou.
President's Upcoming Visit to Senegal
Q. Thank you very much. Mr. President, when will you be going to
Senegal and how long will you stay?
The President. We're leaving Monday night from here, flying all
night long and arriving in Senegal in the morning, and we'll be there
for about a half a day. I'll be meeting with President Wade in a bilateral meeting, and then we'll be meeting
with--I'm not sure how many western African leaders have RSVP'd yet;
maybe Jendayi knows.
African Affairs Senior Director Jendayi Frazer. Seven.
The President. Seven other leaders. And then we'll be going to Goree
Island, where I'll be giving a speech about race, race in the world,
race as it relates to Africa and America. And we're in the process of
writing it. I can't give you any highlights of the speech yet because I,
frankly, haven't seen it. But I'll be fine-tuning the speech. It's an
important speech for me to give, and it's one I'm looking forward to
giving.
I look forward to seeing President Wade
on his home turf, because I admire him. I admire his leadership. He is a
man who believes in the same principles I believe in. He believes in the
dignity of each life. He believes in democracy. He believes in open
markets. He understands trade. And in our discussions--and we've had
quite a few discussions with President Wade--he has constantly talked
about the need for infrastructure development to link markets.
So he's got a--he cares deeply about the
people of Senegal, but he's also got a regional vision that makes sense.
He is a leader, he is one of the leaders of--every time we meet at,
like, the G-8, President Wade is one of the representatives of the
African nations, because he believes in the principles of NEPAD, and he
is a good fellow. I'm looking forward to seeing him at home.
Yes, sir.
Situation in Zimbabwe
Q. Thank you, sir. On Zimbabwe, Mr. President, in recent days there
has been several references from yourself and Secretary Powell to
Zimbabwe once again.
The President. Yes, there has been.
Q. Now, beyond President Mbeki and President Obasanjo's efforts in
the past to get Mugabe and Tsvangirai to sit down together, which has
not been very successful, what more do you think they should do? Or what
more----
The President. Well, that's a good question; I appreciate that. Yes,
we have been outspoken on the subject because we believe that a
democracy in Zimbabwe will
[[Page 821]]
improve the lives of all the citizens of that important country.
Listen, one of the things that we must--this country cares about is
the plight of each human. And when we see and hear about suffering
because of lack of food in sub-Saharan Africa, part of our attention is
focused on places where there's political instability. And there's no
reason why Zimbabwe is not capable of feeding not only herself but
others in the region.
And the reason why now is because of political instability created
by a lack of adherence to the principles of democracy. So when you hear
me speak out or when you hear Colin speak
out, we're speaking out for principles. And the answer to what more can
be done, the world needs to speak with common voice in insisting that
the principles of democracy are adhered to by the ruling party in
Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe--the economy of Zimbabwe at one time was a powerful economy
for the region. It was a successful economy. People grew food in
plentiful supply. Now the people of that country are starving. This
country is putting up a billion dollars of money to help people who are
starving. Then we're also--I'm asking Congress to put up what they call
a $200-million fast reaction--or a fund for fast reaction to confront
famine. We need that so that the flexibility--sometimes the
appropriators like to put strings on appropriations, so it makes it hard
for the executive branch to move with speed. I would like to have more
capacity to move with speed when it comes to dealing with emergencies.
The reason I bring that up is that it would be incredibly helpful for
the continent of Africa to have its countries that are able to feed
people prosperous and whole.
The other issue I want to bring up, now that I brought up the issue
of food, is genetically modified crops. I think it is essential that
throughout the continent of Africa, nations be encouraged to develop--
use the technologies that have been developed to deal with pestilence
and drought. And I have been very outspoken on that subject as well, not
to be putting thoughts in your mind that you didn't want to hear about,
but I've got the mike. [Laughter]
But I do want to emphasize, and I will emphasize on the continent of
Africa, the need for our agricultural economies on the continent of
Africa to adjust with modern technology so that in places where there is
drought or likelihood of drought, there can be drought-resistance crops
being given a chance to succeed. Where there's pests that some
agriculture economy has not been able to deal with, we use pest-
resistant crop, and they're available. The problem, of course, we have
is that much of the enthusiasm for what we believe is scientifically
proven safe crops have been condemned by the refusal of some countries
and/or accumulation of countries to accept exports into their markets
from countries that use genetically modified crop.
That's a very long answer to a short question. Yes, sir.
Q. Mr. President, sir----
The President. Where is The Guardian based?
Q. In Nigeria.
The President. Very good.
U.S. Policy Toward Africa
Q. I'd like to know what's your reaction to people who say that the
major driving force for your interest in Africa is oil and that, you
know, what you are trying to do, essentially, is to shift the focus from
Saudi--with first your relationship between Saudi and U.S. now to
Africa. Now, how much of that----
The President. Saudi Arabia?
Q. Yes. So I'd like to know how much of that is actually for
instance, in your interest in Africa?
The President. Well, conspiracy theorists about everywhere, I guess.
That's one of the most amazing conspiracies I've heard. Heck, no one has
ever made that connection, and so I would say--well, first, look, I have
been talking about Africa since I
[[Page 822]]
was sworn in as President. I've met with 22, I believe it is, heads of
state here. And I have met with President Obasanjo, gosh, I would say--I better be careful, because
every number I put out there, people scrutinize--a lot, maybe five
times----
Dr. Frazer. Five times, yes, sir.
The President. ----President Wade,
several times in the Oval Office, several times in overseas meetings,
President Mbeki, quite a few. In other words,
Africa has been on the--we've been thinking about Africa ever since I've
been sworn in.
Secondly, the initiatives I've laid out are bold initiatives. The
Millennium Challenge Account is a very bold initiative. We're going to
increase our basic developmental aid by 50 percent, with a new approach
which basically says we'll reward those countries which make correct
choices on behalf of the people of the countries, countries which are
not corrupt, countries which focus on the health and education of the
people, countries which adopt market-oriented policies which will enable
a country to more likely grow in a prosperous fashion, which would then
benefit the people.
I spoke out early on free trade with Africa. Certainly, the AGOA
initiative was not my administration's initiative. I readily understand
that. But we built on the AGOA initiative because I believe in free
trade and, as a matter of fact, took the free trade argument to the
Halls of Congress and got trade promotion authority, which was not an
easy vote, by the way. It was a tough vote. There's a protectionist
element in our country that works beneath the political surface. But I
feel strongly that trade is an engine of opportunity for developing
countries.
These are all initiatives I spoke about prior to--during the war on
terror, I guess. I wasn't in office very long before the war on terror
became evident here in America.
We've got good relations with Saudi. I gave a speech--just to put it
in context, I gave a speech--I swore in some folks the other day to
reenlist in our military. I pointed out that the relationship with Saudi
Arabia, when it comes to tracking down terrorists, is strong. I reminded
our citizens that Abu Bakr, who is a key
operative, and ``Swift Sword'' are no longer issues for America and
Saudi Arabia because of the cooperation that is an ongoing cooperation
inside the Kingdom.
And anyway, no, listen, let me speak specifically to Nigeria. I have
got good relations with President Obasanjo. Every time we have visited, it has been a very
cordial, up-front way. I appreciate his cooperation on the U.S.' desire
to work with countries such as Nigeria to train troops necessary to be
able to handle some of the difficult situations on the continent. As a
matter of fact, I believe the United States in working with Nigeria has
trained five battalions of Nigerian troops, preparing them for issues
such as Liberia or other areas on the continent. And we will continue
that relationship with the President of Nigeria. And I appreciate his
leadership on that issue.
Mr. Cobb.
Uganda/Liberia
Q. Yes, sir. You're going at least in two of the regions of Africa.
You're going to West Africa and--well, Uganda being next door to the
Congo.
The President. Right.
Q. There's a fair amount of tumult in those regions. First, I have
two specific questions related to that and your trip. Will you make a
decision about U.S. troops in Liberia before you go? Or will you be
bringing some message about these U.S. troops in Liberia when you visit
in Senegal?
Secondly, what will you tell Mr. Museveni, whom I know you admire in
terms of his work with HIV/AIDS and his economic policy, with regard to
the role of militias that he created and are responsible for much of the
violence in eastern Congo?
The President. Right, let me start with that. I also talked to
him about ongoing
[[Page 823]]
democracy in Uganda. We talked about transfer of power. We talked about
the fact that he's been a remarkably good leader on many fronts and that
we would hope that he would adhere to the concept of having any
democracy with a peaceful transfer of power at the appropriate time.
We did talk about that part of the region. I spoke very clearly
about the need for all countries to recognize the peace agreements that
we have been involved with--we're not the lead country on, but we're
very much supportive of the peace agreements. And he listened very
carefully to our admonition that we expect for people to honor the
agreements that are being forged. And I will continue to discuss that
with him when I go to Uganda.
As well as Uganda, it's important to--one reason why one would go to
Uganda is to make sure that people around the world, and particularly on
the continent of Africa, understand that dealing with HIV/AIDS is
possible. In other words, you can deal with it in a positive way, and
it's a remarkable record of Mr. Museveni and his Government in dealing with the pandemic of
AIDS. It's essential that--we're fixing to spend $15 billion--I believe
Congress will respond and keep the pressure on as, you know--and that
this trip will also help create an awareness of the issue in America.
And it's important for our fellow citizens to realize that while we
live a relative luxurious life throughout our society, there is a
pandemic taking place that's destroying a lot of people, ruining
families. You know, the idea of a 14-year-old little girl raising three
brothers and sisters without parents is something that's just--it's sad.
It is tragic. It needs to be dealt with. And I want to use this trip to
say: Here's an example of what is possible, and let's make sure we
follow our hearts as a society.
In terms of Liberia, I am in the process of gathering the
information necessary to make a rational decision as to how to bring a--
how to enforce the cease-fire, keep the cease-fire in place. I said
yesterday--I said a while back and I said it again yesterday, ``Mr.
Taylor must go.'' A condition for any
progress in Liberia is his removal, in removing himself. And that's the
message Colin has taken to the United
Nations and to Kofi Annan.
Secondly, that today there is a meeting with ECOWAS, and we had a
representative at the--you probably knew this before I did, Mr. Cobb--
but we had a meeting there with our military thinkers to determine
feasibility, to look at different options. And they have yet to report
back to the White House. Maybe the information has gone to the Pentagon
at this point in time.
So I'm gathering information in order to make a decision that will
achieve a--that will allow me to make a proper decision as to how to
bring stability to that country.
Look, I recognize the United States has got a--has had a, you know,
unique history with Liberia. And therefore, it's created a certain sense
of expectations. But I also want to make sure that there are certain
expectations met as well. And one expectation is Mr. Taylor has got to leave. And that message is clear, and I
can't make it any more clear.
As to whether or not--look, once the strategy is in place, I will
let people know whether or not I'm airborne or not. In other words, I'm
not trying to make any--I don't need to dramatize the decision. It's
getting plenty of attention here at home. But we've got--and look, I'm
just gathering enough information to be rational in what we do.
You know, you read all kinds of things, of course, in American
newspapers--it's sport here. I'm sure it is elsewhere as well. The
gathering of the speculator, the leaker, the whatever--what do you call
them? The source--[laughter]--people speaking out loud, ``The President
has done this. The President is thinking this.'' And what I am thinking
about is how to bring some stability to the country in a way that will
be effective.
[[Page 824]]
And there's no question, step one of any effective policy, whether
we are involved or not, is for Charles Taylor
to leave.
Yes, sir. Around the horn again. We call it going around the horn.
Temporary Protective Status for Senegalese
Q. We understand that many African countries, like many countries in
the world, get a lot of help from their immigrants living in the United
States.
The President. Yes.
Q. And in the South America, at one point there were some special
programs for immigrants, illegal immigrants, living here from Nicaragua,
from El Salvador. Will you consider supporting a special program for
countries that are fighting for a democracy--for the----
The President. Temporary protective status, we call that TPS. We
analyze that on a case-by-case basis. TPS generally is granted for those
who are fleeing a very difficult political situation. In Senegal's case,
the situation doesn't look very--it looks the opposite of difficult
political situation. It's a very stable political situation. But we'll
analyze any TPS requests.
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. ----remittances.
The President. Are you talking about remittances, people sending
money from here to there?
Q. No, what I'm saying is like a TPS, to support democracy in
countries because they can't on that--the Senegalese here sent about $80
million a year to their country.
The President. So it's a combination of status and money being
remitted, yes.
Well, we look at that. Of course, you know--TPS recognizes that,
first of all, illegal immigration is an issue that we've got to deal
with. And nobody wants anything illegal happening. But we recognize
people come to our country not legally and that sometimes they come for
political reasons. And that's why we have the TPS exceptions. And we'll
look at it case by case.
Yes, sir.
South Africa
Q. Mr. President, you mentioned in the efforts of Americans to
support peacekeeping in countries like Nigeria. What about South
Africa----
The President. Same.
Q. ----presently engaged in the Congo and Burundi?
The President. No, very much so. I should have--I brought it up only
in the context of Nigeria. I feel the very same way about--I will not
count this as a question, because I should have mentioned South Africa.
You're absolutely right. South Africa has been a leader. President
Mbeki is a leader. When you think about the
continent of Africa, you think about leadership, you think about
President Mbeki. He's taking strong positions along with President
Obasanjo, and providing troops--the South
African.
I will be visiting, by the way, a training base there in South
Africa. I look forward to doing so. The South African Army is a very
sophisticated, well-trained army. And President Mbeki has been a leader
in peace.
And so now you get a question.
U.S. Support for African Peacekeeping Forces
Q. Along the same lines, do you foresee increased aid from the
United States for peacekeeping, like training, equipment?
The President. Yes, I do. I do. We've been active in training up to
now. We've trained seven battalions for potential peacekeeping missions.
I think this is a very important use of U.S. assets. I think the
American people would understand and support the notion of training
others to take care of their business in their own neighborhood. And
that is a--I say, take care of their business, bring peace is what I
mean by that. And yes, I do see continued activity on that front.
Yes, sir.
[[Page 825]]
President's Upcoming Visit to Nigeria
Q. Currently, there is a nationwide strike going on in Nigeria. Does
that put a--do you have any--how does that affect your planned trip?
The President. It does not affect it at all. And I've been briefed
on the strike. I obviously hope it gets settled in a peaceful way. If I
have to, I'll make my own bed at the hotel. [Laughter] But I'm going.
[Laughter]
I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a very interesting trip.
It's a local issue, one that--when I go to different countries,
sometimes there's local issues that pop up, not because of my trip, just
because of the normal course of business. And this happens to be what's
happening in the country. So I'm not changing my mind.
Yes, sir.
War on Terror in Africa
Q. I'm curious, how big a factor--are you concerned about
international terrorism on this trip? We've seen the numbers drop very
sharply in terms of sympathy towards the United States. In the aftermath
of the Iraq war, there were the strains between the United States and
South Africa over this issue, and a Pew report, in fact, that said that
44 percent of Nigerians believe that they serve a--believe that Usama
bin Laden would do the right thing in world
affairs.
The President. Well, I would have to say obviously there needs to be
an education program, because Usama bin Laden is nothing but a killer
who has hijacked a great religion. And he doesn't care about innocent
life. And so I would be glad to have that debate with anybody, anywhere.
And I would be glad to take those who believe that he is of some kind of
remedial value, to his point of view, to the World Trade Center and
introduce them to families who lost life for no reason other than the
fact that he is a killer.
Secondly, parts of Africa are--they've got ongoing terrorist
threats. And the good news is we are working closely with those
governments to deal with those threats. We've got very good
intelligence-sharing. We are--the law enforcement officials of these
countries where there is a direct threat are moving rapidly upon the--
when we enrich the intelligence, when we calibrate the intelligence.
Kenya is a great country, and it has been a place where there's been
threats. Everybody knows that. Not only threats, there's been an attack
in the past. And the Government of Kenya has been very responsive. And
we are--we are helping them. We're helping other countries in Africa.
Djibouti comes to mind. There is country after country after country
where we're working with their governments when we--or they--they ask
for help, and/or we provide information that we have been able to pick
up.
Did you ask whether or not the threats are going down?
Q. No, I was saying that the admiration of the United States in
surveys has dropped in the aftermath of the Iraq war, particularly in
Nigeria.
The President. No, I got what you're saying. Yes, yes, I beg your
pardon.
Well, look, it depends upon what the people are being told
sometimes. I mean, if there's a constant effort to describe America as a
non-caring country, then the people are going to have a bad attitude
about us.
But when they know the truth, when the truth comes out, which is
that we care deeply about the plight of the African citizen, that we're
not only trading partners--and by the way, most nations, I think, would
really like to trade with America--that we not only care deeply about
the pandemic of AIDS but that we hear the cries of those who are sick
and tired of corruption on the continent of Africa. And therefore, we
are--we've got a new approach to foreign aid. I think people, when they
know the facts, will say, ``Well, this is a great country.''
[[Page 826]]
And the other thing is that no one likes war, and what you heard--
there was kind of attachment to the word ``America'' with war. What
they're going to find out, the word ``freedom'' and ``America'' are
synonymous. That's what we believe. We believe in freedom. And we
believe everybody desires freedom. And that when it's all said and done
in Iraq, the world will wake up and say, ``Now we understand what a free
Iraq means to peace and stability.''
And so I--if I conducted our foreign policy based upon polls and
focus groups, we would be stumbling all over ourselves. That's not the
way I do things. I base our foreign policy based upon deep-seated
principles.
And this is a peroration to what's been a very, hopefully,
constructive dialog for you. It has been for me. My message to the
African people is, we come as a nation that believes in the future of
Africa. We believe that people want to be free. We will work with those
who embrace the habits of freedom, that when this Nation sees suffering,
we will not turn away.
There is tremendous suffering on the continent of Africa. And we
will put a strategy in place that effectively spends $15 billion over 5
years to help ease the suffering from HIV/AIDS. When we see starvation,
we don't turn our back. We act. We care about the people of the
continent. And there are--we've got great relations with leaders and
countries on the continent of Africa, relations which will not only
make--help enable people to realize their dreams but also make the world
more safe.
And that is my message. And I am proud to carry the message on
behalf of a great nation to a very important, great continent.
Thank you all for your time.
Note: The interview began at 10:30 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the
White House. In his remarks, the President referred to President
Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal; Jendayi E. Frazer, Special Assistant to the
President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National
Security Council; President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria; President
Thabo Mbeki of South Africa; Abu Bakr Al Azdi, senior Al Qaida associate
responsible for the May 12 bombing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; President
Yoweri Kugata Museveni of Uganda; President Charles Taylor of Liberia;
Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations; and Usama bin Laden,
leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization. A journalist referred to
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of
Zimbabwe's opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change. Journalists
participating in the interview were: Dame Babou, Sud Quotidien; Charlie
Cobb, AllAfrica.com; Lalou Akande, The Guardian; and Deon Lamprecht,
Media 24/Naspers. A tape was not available for verification of the
content of this interview.