[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[December 29, 2004]
[Pages 3141-3144]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks on the Earthquake and Tsunamis in the Indian Ocean and an
Exchange With Reporters in Crawford, Texas
December 29, 2004
The President. Good morning. Laura and I and
the American people are shocked and we are saddened by the terrible loss
of life from the recent earthquake and the tsunamis in the Indian Ocean.
Our prayers go out to the people who have lost so much to this series of
disasters. Our hearts are also with the Americans who have lost loved
ones in this tragedy. Our Embassies are working with host governments to
locate American citizens who are still missing and to assist those who
have been injured or displaced.
This morning I spoke with the leaders of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and
Indonesia. I expressed my
condolences and our country's condolences. I told them of our support. I
praised their steadfast leadership during these difficult time. We're
grateful to the American and international organizations that are
working courageously to save lives and to provide assistance, and I
assured those leaders this is only the beginning of our help.
We are committed to helping the affected countries in the difficult
weeks and months that lie ahead. We pledged an initial $35 million in
relief assistance. We have deployed disaster experts to the region. All
leaders expressed their appreciation for the hard work of our
Ambassadors and their embassy staffs to help the countries in need. As
well we're dispatching a Marine expeditionary unit, the aircraft carrier
Abraham Lincoln, and the maritime preposition squadron from Guam to the
area to help with relief efforts.
Secretary Powell is working hard. He has
spoken with his counterparts in Japan,
India, Australia, as well as other nations who are helping with the
response, in order to begin building an international coalition for
immediate humanitarian relief and long-term recovery and reconstruction
efforts. Based on these discussions, we've established a regional core
group with India, Japan, and Australia to help coordinate relief
efforts. I'm confident more nations will join this core group in short
order. Under Secretary of State Marc Grossman will lead a U.S. task force to work with these partners to
help coordinate interagency response in our own Government and to
encourage other nations to participate in the relief efforts.
These past few days have brought loss and grief to the world that is
beyond our comprehension. The United States will continue to stand with
the affected governments as they care for the victims. We will stand
with them as they start to rebuild their communities. And together the
world will cope with their loss; we will prevail over this destruction.
Let me answer some questions. Deb [Deb Riechmann, Associated Press].
Iraqi Elections
Q. Mr. President, more than 50 people died yesterday alone in the
Sunni Triangle area. And with the Sunnis backing out of the election,
how concerned are you that the world and the Iraqis will view this
election as credible?
The President. Well, you said ``with the Sunnis backing out''; you
mean a Sunni party has backed out, yes. I talked to President Yawr yesterday, who happens to be a Sunni, who
on the one hand expressed concern about the security situation in Mosul
and on the other hand reminded me that most people in Iraq, Sunni or
Shi'a, want to vote. And so the task at hand is to provide as much
security as possible for the election officials as well as for the
people inside cities like Mosul, to encourage them to express their
will.
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Now, Usama bin Laden issued a statement,
as you know, which made the stakes of this pretty clear to me. His
vision of the world is where people don't participate in democracy. His
vision of the world is where people kill innocent lives in order to
affect their behavior and affect their way of living. His vision of the
world is one in which there is no freedom of expression, freedom of
religion, and/or freedom of conscience. And that vision stands in stark
contrast to the vision of, by far, the vast majority of Iraqis and
leaders like Prime Minister Allawi and President
Yawr, whose vision includes the
freedom of expression, the freedom of the right to vote.
And so the stakes are clear in this upcoming election. It's the
difference between the ability for individuals to express themselves and
the willingness of an individual to try and impose his dark vision on
the world, on the people of Iraq and elsewhere. And it's very important
that these elections proceed.
We just got off a conference call with our acting--not ``acting''--
Ambassador Negroponte is not in Baghdad,
but Ambassador Jeffrey, his number two man,
as well as General Casey, talking about
how best to provide the security necessary for people to feel
comfortable in voting.
Yes, ma'am.
United Nations/International Disaster Assistance
Q. Mr. President, were you offended by the suggestion that rich
nations have been stingy in the aid over the tsunami? And is this a sign
of another rift with the U.N.?
The President. Well, I felt like the person
who made that statement was very misguided and ill-informed. The--take,
for example, in the year 2004, our Government provided $2.4 billion in
food, in cash, in humanitarian relief to cover the disasters for last
year. That's $2.4 billion. That's 40 percent of all the relief aid given
in the world last year, was provided by the United States Government.
No, we're a very generous, kindhearted nation.
You know, the--what you're beginning to see is a typical response
from America. First of all, we provide immediate cash relief, to the
tune of about $35 million.* And then there will be an assessment of the
damage, so that the relief is--the next tranche of relief will be spent
wisely. That's what's happening now. I just got off the phone with the
President of Sri Lanka.
She asked for help to assess the damage. In other words, not only did
they want immediate help, but they wanted help to assess damage so that
we can better direct resources. And so our Government is fully prepared
to continue to provide assistance and help.
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*White House correction.
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It takes money, by the way, to move a expeditionary force into the
region. In other words, we're diverting assets, which is part of our
overall aid package. We'll continue to provide assets. Plus, the
American people will be very generous, themselves. I mean, the 2.4
billion was public money--of course, provided by the taxpayers--but
there's also a lot of individual giving in America. In this case, I
think it's very important for Americans who want to give to provide cash
to organizations that will be able to focus resources and assets to meet
specific needs. In other words, a lot of times Americans, in their
desire to help, will send blankets or clothes. That may be necessary,
but to me it makes more sense to send cash to organizations that could
then use that cash to make sure we match resources with specific needs
on the ground. There are many NGOs now involved that understand what is
specifically needed to meet the needs of these countries.
This has been a terrible disaster. I mean, it's just beyond our
comprehension to think about how many lives have been lost. I know that
our fellow citizens are particularly troubled to learn that many of the
[[Page 3143]]
deaths were young children, and we grieve for their families, their moms
and dads who are just, you know, heartsick during this--during these
times.
Yes, Holly [Holly Rosenkrantz, Bloomberg News].
Debt Moratorium for Somalia and Indonesia
Q. Sir, Schroeder this morning said that the Paris Club nations
should put a moratorium on the debt of Somalia and Indonesia. Is that
something that people think the U.S. and other Paris Club nations should
do, put a moratorium on these countries' debt?
The President. Well, we'll look at all requests. Right now we're
assessing the short-term needs. We are--there are two issues that are
involved, obviously, in these disasters: One, what can we do immediately
to help; and then, what needs to happen in the long term to help these
countries rebuild? And we're still at the stage of immediate help. But
slowly but surely, the size of the problem will become known,
particularly when it comes to rebuilding infrastructure and community,
to help these affected parts of the world get back up on their feet.
Tsunami Early Warning Systems
Q. Mr. President, are you confident that the U.S. west coast
residents, Hawaiian residents, Alaska residents, are well enough
protected with early warning systems for possible tsunamis affecting
this country in coastal waters?
The President. No, I appreciate that question. It's a--I think that
part of the long-term strategy in how to deal with natural disaster is
to make sure we have--``we,'' the world, has a proper tsunami warning
system. As a matter of fact, the President of Sri Lanka also mentioned that to me. She said
that one of the things that she and the Prime Minister of India have discussed--I'm not sure if they discussed it,
but they're both thinking the same way, let me put it to you that way--
is the development of a proper warning system. And I think it's going to
be very--I can't answer your question specifically, do we have enough of
a warning system for the west coast. I am going to--I am now asking that
to our agencies in Government, to let us know. I mean, that's a very
legitimate question. Clearly, there wasn't a proper warning system in
place for that part of the world, and it seems like to me it makes sense
for the world to come together to develop a warning system that will
help all nations.
Q. And seeing that as we have, does it concern you that we may not
have that mechanism in place? Or is this something we can use through
our civil defense air raid siren system?
The President. Yes, I just have to look into it. That's a very
legitimate question. I am on the--I presume that we are in pretty good
shape. I think our location in the world is such that we may be less
vulnerable than other parts, but I am not a geologist, as you know. But
I think it's a very legitimate question.
I've so far focused on the international approach towards tsunami
warning systems, and it seems like to me it's a--it makes sense for
governments to come together and figure out how best to provide a
warning system that will help all nations be prepared for such a
disaster. Obviously, such a warning system was not in place.
Yes, Richard [Richard Benedetto, USA Today].
Armored Humvees for U.S. Troops
Q. Mr. President, there continues to be criticism of the speed with
which American troops are being armed in Iraq. Are you satisfied with
the way the----
The President. In which the Iraqi troops are being armed?
Q. No, the U.S. troops.
The President. Oh, I beg your pardon.
[[Page 3144]]
Q. Are you satisfied with the pace with which the U.S. troops are
being armed in Iraq?
The President. Are you talking about the armored vehicle issue, for
example?
Q. That and others.
The President. Well, I have looked at the statistics on that, and we
have stepped up the production of armored Humvees significantly. And the
other issue is the rearmament of existing--of vehicles that are now in
theater, vehicles that require a different armament structure than that
which they initially were manufactured with. And I am told that those
vehicles will be armed up by mid-summer of 2005. And what I know is, is
that the Defense Department is working expeditiously with private
contractors and with our military to get these vehicles armed up.
Well, listen, thank you all for coming by. I'm sorry to disrupt your
day, but I felt like it was important to talk about what is going to be
one of the major natural disasters in world history. And it's important
for the world to know that our Government is focused and will continue
to respond to help those who suffer.
Thank you.
New Year's Eve
Q. Any plans for New Year's Eve?
The President. Early to bed.
Q. New Year's resolutions?
The President. I'll let you know. Already gave you a hint on one,
which is my waistline. I'm trying to set an example.
Thank you all.
Note: The President spoke at 8:38 a.m. at the Bush Ranch. In his
remarks, he referred to President Ghazi al-Ujayl al-Yawr and Prime
Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; Usama bin Laden,
leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization; U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
John D. Negroponte; Deputy Chief of Mission James Franklin Jeffrey, U.S.
Embassy Baghdad, Iraq; Gen. George W. Casey, Jr. USA, commanding
general, Multi-National Force--Iraq; President Chandrika Bandaranaike
Kumaratunga of Sri Lanka; and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India. A
reporter referred to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of Germany. A portion
of these remarks could not be verified because the tape was incomplete.
The related proclamation of January 1, 2005, honoring the memory of the
victims of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis, was published in
the Federal Register at 70 FR 1157.