    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [September 19, 2005]
    [Pages 1454-1456]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Prior to a Meeting With the Homeland Security Council and an
    Exchange With Reporters
    September 19, 2005

        The President. I just met with my Homeland Security Council to
    discuss ongoing relief efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane
    Katrina. I have made it clear that I believe it's a national security
    matter for people to review emergency plans. And so therefore, I've
    instructed Secretary Chertoff and folks
    around this table to work with our local counterparts to make sure that
    we've got emergency plans in place that will deal with significant
    disaster. And for the local folks, I urge them to cooperate in a review
    of these plans. It's important.
        Secondly, one of the things that I heard loud and clear on my
    travels down there was that people are concerned about redtape. And one
    of the big concerns for the mayors and the Governor of Mississippi, in
    particular, and the mayors along the gulf coast, was this issue about
    debris removal--who's responsible, how can we get it done in an
    effective way. And I want to thank the Secretary for working with
    Governor Barbour on this issue to expedite a
    process by which we can start getting some of this debris removed from a
    part of our country that was just wiped out by this storm; I mean, there
    are piles and piles of homes and buildings just in rubble. And in order
    to help this region get rebuilt, first things first, and that's to get
    rid of the debris. And so we've got a plan in place to cut through the
    redtape and get this done in an effective way.
        On another matter, a couple of other matters--one, I want to
    congratulate the people of Afghanistan for showing up at the polls and
    defying the Taliban and those who threaten their lives and say, look,
    you know, these people supported democracy. It's just another step on
    their road toward a stable democracy, and we congratulate them.
        And as well, I want to welcome the comments of the OPEC and non-OPEC
    nations, talking about making sure they get enough supply on the markets
    to help, hopefully, affect the world price of crude oil. I have been
    concerned about the price at the pump that our folks are paying. Part

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    of that was caused by the disruptions of Hurricane Katrina. We dealt
    with that by suspending rules and regulations that enable us to import
    more gasoline. But part of the cost of gasoline is a result of high
    crude oil prices, and one way to affect those prices is to conserve, and
    the other way is to encourage an increased supply. And so I want to
    thank those countries that are trying to figure out how to get more
    supply on the market to help relieve some of the pressure.
        Be glad to answer some questions. Jennifer [Jennifer Loven,
    Associated Press] and Adam [Adam Entous, Reuters] will be asking
    questions today.

    New Orleans

        Q. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Mayor Nagin in New Orleans has invited
    people to start returning to that city when there are lots of Federal
    officials who feel that it's not safe to do so. Do you feel like you
    need to step in?
        The President. Well, we have made our position very clear. Admiral
    Allen has made the position very clear, of
    this Government, and that is that we share the goal of the mayor, but we have got concerns. There are environmental
    concerns, which Administrator Johnson
    shared with us today.
        Let me give you a real concern that I think everybody ought to pay
    attention to, and that is this Tropical Storm Rita, which now looks like
    it's going to head out into the gulf and could track Katrina, or it
    could head further to the west. But nevertheless, there is deep concern
    about this storm causing more flooding in New Orleans.
        And so Admiral Allen has reflected our--
    the concerns of this administration. And we want to work with the
    mayor. The mayor is working hard. The mayor has
    got this dream about having a city up and running, and we share that
    dream. But we also want to be realistic about some of the hurdles and
    obstacles that we all confront in repopulating New Orleans.
        Q. Will you express that concern yourself to the mayor?
        The President. Well, I just did, but, as well--absolutely.
    Secretary--``Secretary,'' I call Andy Card--former Secretary and now Chief of Staff Card is reaching
    out to him--has reached out to him earlier. But
    listen, Admiral Allen is our man on the
    ground. Admiral Allen speaks for the administration. He is--and the
    mayor knows our position. But I repeat, and the mayor needs to hear it,
    and so do the people of New Orleans, our objective--listen, I went there
    and stood in Jackson Square to say, we want this city to reemerge. As I
    said, I can't imagine America without a vibrant New Orleans. It's just a
    matter of timing, and there's issues to be dealt with. If it were to
    rain a lot, there is concern from the Army Corps of Engineers that the
    levees might break. And so therefore, we're cautious about encouraging
    people to return at this moment of history.
        Adam.

    North Korea

        Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Given what you've said in the past
    about North Korea's record of noncompliance, what makes you think that
    this time North Korea will abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons?
        The President. Five nations, in working with North Korea, have come
    up with a formula which we all hope works. Five nations have spoken and
    said it is not in the world's interest that North Korea have a nuclear
    weapon. And now there's a way forward. And part of the way forward is
    for the North Koreans to understand that we're serious about this and
    that we expect there to be a verifiable process. In other words, they
    have said, in principle, that they will abandon their weapons programs.
    And what we have said is, ``Great, that's a wonderful step forward, but
    now we've got to verify whether or not that happens.''
        It was a positive step yesterday. It was a step forward in making
    this world a more secure place. And I want to thank our other

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    partners in the six-party dialog, you know, by working together. The
    question is, over time, will all parties adhere to the agreement?
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:25 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi;
    Vice Adm. Thad W. Allen, USCG, U.S. Coast Guard Chief of Staff; and
    Mayor C. Ray Nagin of New Orleans, LA.