[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 45 (Monday, November 12, 2001)]
[Pages 1604-1605]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Satellite Remarks to the Central European Counterterrorism Conference

November 6, 2001

    Well, thank you very much, Mr. President. It is a real pleasure to 
be back in Warsaw, this time by telecast. I had a wonderful visit to the 
region in June, and I know I'm among friends today.
    I thank all the nations of Central and Eastern Europe at this 
conference. You are our partners in the fight against terrorism, and we 
share an important moment in history.
    For more than 50 years, the peoples of your region suffered under 
repressive ideologies that tried to trample human dignity. Today, our 
freedom is threatened once again. Like the Fascists and totalitarians 
before them, these terrorists--Al Qaida, the Taliban regime that 
supports them, and other terror groups across our world--try to impose 
their radical views through threats and violence. We see the same 
intolerance of dissent; the same mad, global ambitions; the same brutal 
determination to control every life and all of life.
    We have seen the true nature of these terrorists in the nature of 
their attacks. They kill thousands of innocent people and then rejoice 
about it. They kill fellow Muslims, many of whom died in the World Trade 
Center that terrible morning, and then they gloat. They condone murder 
and claim to be doing so in the name of a peaceful religion.
    We have also seen the true nature of these terrorists in the nature 
of the regime they support in Afghanistan, and it's terrifying. Women 
are imprisoned in their homes and are denied access to basic health care 
and education. Food sent to help starving people is stolen by their 
leaders. The religious monuments of other faiths are destroyed. Children 
are forbidden to fly kites or sing songs or build snowmen. A girl of 7 
is beaten for wearing white shoes. Our enemies have brought only misery 
and terror to the people of Afghanistan, and now they are trying to 
export that terror throughout the world.

    Al Qaida operates in more than 60 nations, including some in Central 
and Eastern Europe. These terrorist groups seek to destabilize entire 
nations and regions. They are seeking chemical, biological, and nuclear 
weapons. Given the means, our enemies would be a threat to every nation 
and eventually to civilization, itself.

    So we're determined to fight this evil and fight until we're rid of 
it. We will not wait for more innocent deaths. We will not wait for the 
authors of mass murder to gain the weapons of mass destruction. We act 
now because we must lift this dark threat from our age and save 
generations to come.

    The people of my Nation are now fighting this war at home. We face a 
second wave of terrorist attacks in the form of deadly anthrax that has 
been sent through the U.S. mail. Our people are responding to this new 
threat with alertness and calm. Our Government is responding to treat 
the sick, provide antibiotics to those who have been exposed, and track 
down the guilty, whether abroad or at home.

    And we fight abroad with our military, with the help of many 
nations, because the Taliban regime of Afghanistan refused to turn over 
the terrorists. And we're making good progress in a just cause. Our 
efforts are directed at terrorist and military targets because, unlike 
our enemies, we value human life. We do not target innocent people, and 
we grieve for the difficult times the Taliban have brought to the people 
of their own country.

    Our military is systematically pursuing its mission. We've destroyed 
many terrorist training camps. We have severed communication links. 
We're taking out air defenses, and now we're attacking the Taliban's 
frontlines.

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    I've seen some news reports that many Afghan citizens wish the 
Taliban had never allowed the Al Qaida terrorists into their country. I 
don't blame them. And I hope those citizens will help us locate the 
terrorists, because the sooner we find them, the better the people's 
lives will be. It may take a long time, but no matter how long it takes, 
those who killed thousands of Americans and citizens from over 80 other 
nations will be brought to justice, and the misuse of Afghanistan as a 
training ground for terror will end.
    As I've said from the start, this is a difficult struggle of 
uncertain duration. We hunt an enemy that hides in shadows and caves. We 
are at the beginning of our efforts in Afghanistan. And Afghanistan is 
the beginning of our efforts in the world. No group or nation should 
mistake America's intentions: We will not rest until terrorist groups of 
global reach have been found, have been stopped, and have been defeated. 
And this goal will not be achieved until all the world's nations stop 
harboring and supporting such terrorists within their borders.
    The defeat of terror requires an international coalition of 
unprecedented scope and cooperation. It demands the sincere, sustained 
actions of many nations against the network of terrorist cells and bases 
and funding. Later this week, at the United Nations, I will set out my 
vision of our common responsibilities in the war on terror. I will put 
every nation on notice that these duties involve more than sympathy or 
words. No nation can be neutral in this conflict, because no civilized 
nation can be secure in a world threatened by terror.
    I thank the many nations of Europe, including our NATO Allies, who 
have offered military help. I also thank the nations who are sharing 
intelligence and working to cut off terrorist financing. And I thank all 
of you for the important, practical work you are doing at this 
conference. The war against terrorism will be won only when we combine 
our strengths.
    We have a vast coalition that is uniting the world and increasingly 
isolating the terrorists, a coalition that includes many Arab and Muslim 
countries. I am encouraged by what their leaders are saying. The head of 
the 22-nation Arab League rejected the claims of the terrorist leader 
and said, he--Usama bin Laden--``doesn't speak in the names of Arabs and 
Muslims.'' Increasingly, it is clear that this is not just a matter 
between the United States and the terror network. As the Egyptian 
Foreign Minister said, ``There is a war between bin Laden and the whole 
world.'' All of us here today understand this: We do not fight against 
Islam; we fight against evil.
    I thank all of our coalition partners and all of you for your 
steadfast support. The last time I was in Warsaw, I talked of our shared 
vision of a Europe that is whole and free and at peace. I said, we are 
building a house of freedom whose doors are open to all of Europe's 
people and whose windows look out to global opportunities beyond. Now 
that vision has been challenged, but it will not change. With your help, 
our vision of peace and freedom will be realized. And with your help, we 
will defend the values we hold in common.
    Thank you for joining us. And may God bless you all.

Note: The President spoke by satellite at 7:10 a.m. from the Blue Room 
at the White House to the conference meeting in Warsaw, Poland. In his 
remarks, he referred to President Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland; Arab 
League Secretary General Amr Moussa; Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al 
Qaida terrorist organization; and Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher of Egypt.