[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

[[Page 1456]]

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.