[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 12 (Monday, March 25, 2002)]
[Pages 436-437]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Roundtable Discussion on Small Business and an 
Exchange With Reporters in O'Fallon, Missouri

March 18, 2002

    The President. Thank you so very much, Rolf, for your invitation to 
come. Rolf is a classic example of what makes America unique and strong. 
He had an idea and a dream. He built his own business. He employs good, 
hard-working people here in Missouri. He's got a vibrant business.
    And I explained to these folks that one of my jobs is to create an 
environment in which the entrepreneurial spirit flourishes, in which 
small-business owners are able to keep making a living and keep people 
employed. I talked about making the death tax repeal * permanent, so 
that Rolf can pass his assets to a family member, if he so chooses. I 
talked about some expensing items, some items to make sure the small-
business owner has got an incentive to invest more, which means more 
jobs. Tomorrow I'll be talking about regulatory relief. I'm also talking 
about ways so that a small-business owner such as Rolf can better afford 
health care for his employees, so that they're able to work here and, at 
the same time, enjoy health benefits like those from--large companies 
enjoy.
    *White House correction.
    We had a good discussion. And it's important to the American people 
to understand the role of small business in our society. Most new jobs 
created are created by small businesses. And more people are able to 
realize the American Dream by starting their own business. And so one of 
things we've all got to work toward is an environment in which the small 
business flourishes. Rolf, thank you for letting me come. I want to 
thank you all for a great discussion. I'll answer a couple of questions.

Terrorist Attack on Church in Pakistan

    Q. Mr. President, do you have any sense of who carried out the 
attack yesterday in Pakistan at the church, why they did it? Do you 
think they're trying to undermine Musharraf and his support for the war 
on terrorism?
    The President. Very interesting question. I talked to President 
Musharraf this morning, first thing. He is very sympathetic, obviously. 
He was deeply concerned about the American loss of life, and he wanted 
to share that with me. And I appreciated his phone call. We both talked 
about the need to continue fighting people that would kill for political 
reasons. And it goes to show that there is still some--that that part of 
the world is a dangerous place at times. And the tougher President 
Musharraf is and the more steadfast the United States is, the stronger 
we stand against terrorist activity, the more lives we'll ultimately 
save.
    Q. Mr. President----
    The President. He doesn't know who it is--excuse me for a minute. He 
doesn't know who it is yet. And when we find him, we'll bring him to 
justice.

Situation in the Middle East

    Q. Sir--thank you. Vice President Cheney is in the Middle East. 
Should he meet with Chairman Arafat? Would you like to see that happen? 
And if no, why not?
    The President. I talked to the Vice President today, and he's had a 
very good visit in the Middle East. He is--matter of fact, he was 15 
minutes away from going in to see Prime Minister Sharon. He had General 
Zinni with him. General Zinni is optimistic that we're making some 
progress in the Middle East.
    And the answer to who the Vice President ought to meet with or not 
meet with depends upon General Zinni's recommendations. He's the man on 
the ground. He's in charge of trying to foster an environment such that 
we can get into Tenet and then eventually get into the Mitchell peace 
plan. Our Government has laid out a pathway to a peaceful resolution of 
a very difficult set of problems. And Zinni's over there working hard to 
get us into that process.

[[Page 437]]

Operation Anaconda

    Q. Mr. President, Operation Anaconda, we've been told, is 
successful, and----
    The President. Operation?
    Q. Operation Anaconda, we're being told, is successful, and it's 
over. Do you feel the war in Afghanistan--that part of the war is now 
over?
    The President. John, I don't. I feel like we've got a lot more 
fighting to do in Afghanistan. First of all, we were successful in 
Operation Anaconda. I want to thank our troops, our brave troops, for 
fighting in incredibly tough terrain and against difficult 
circumstances. And the difficult circumstances were not only the 
terrain, it was the fact that we were fighting against an enemy that 
refuses to surrender. These are people that are there to die. And we 
accommodated them.
    And it's a--but there are more Al Qaida killers in Afghanistan, 
perhaps in Pakistan, willing to come back into Afghanistan. The reason--
and I know for a fact that they were trying to--in the midst of this 
battle, in the midst of the United States military and our coalition 
forces being very successful, they were trying to reinforce. And these 
are people that are--they were willing to reinforce in the midst of the 
Shahi-Kot Mountain Range, where they were getting wiped out; they were 
willing to come back into Afghanistan to continue to try to hurt us. 
These are killers. They hate America. They hate America's freedom; they 
hate what America stands for. And they are relentless.
    But so are we, and we will be more relentless than they are. That's 
why I've urged the American people to be patient, and the American 
people are patient. And that's why I've urged Congress to fund the U.S. 
military. And I hope Congress does fund the U.S. military to the 
fullest, because we've got a lot more fighting to do in Afghanistan.

Situation in the Middle East

    Q. Many Mideast leaders are saying that the U.S. should be focusing 
more on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and less on Iraq. Can you give 
a reaction to that?
    The President. I appreciate their advice, but we will not allow one 
of the world's most dangerous leaders to have the world's most dangerous 
weapons and hold the United States and our friends and allies hostage. 
That's just not going to happen. And so I appreciate their advice. But 
we will continue working with them. We will continue dialog. I have told 
people that we're a deliberate nation. We'll talk to our friends and 
allies. But what I said about the axis of evil is what I mean. I can't 
be any more plain about it.

Note: The President spoke at 2:30 p.m. in a conference room at Albers 
Manufacturing Co. In his remarks, he referred to Rolf Albers, chairman 
and chief executive officer, Albers Manufacturing Co.; President Pervez 
Musharraf of Pakistan; Barbara Green, an employee at the U.S. Embassy in 
Islamabad, Pakistan, and her daughter Kristen Wormsley, who were killed 
in the March 17 terrorist attack at the Protestant International Church 
in Islamabad; U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Gen. Anthony Zinni, 
USMC (Ret.); and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel. The President 
also referred to the Tenet plan, the Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire and 
security plan of June 13, 2001, negotiated by Director of Central 
Intelligence George J. Tenet; and the Mitchell Report, the Report of the 
Sharm el-Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee, issued April 30, 2001. A 
reporter referred to Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian 
Authority.