[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 21 (Monday, May 27, 2002)]
[Pages 873-875]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With Christian Malar of TF-3 French Television

May 21, 2002

Terrorist Alerts

    Mr. Malar. Mr. President, thank you very much. Could you be more 
specific on the prospects of new attack against the United States? It's 
a source of concern for all of us, of course. And do you think it's a--
concerns also, for instance, the French, who have been severely 
targeted--struck recently by the terrorist networks in Pakistan?
    The President. Yes, it's a good question. First, I'm concerned about 
all people who love freedom. The French love freedom; Americans love 
freedom. And Al Qaida hates freedom, and they can't stand people who 
embrace freedom.
    I have no specific threat to America and Americans or to the French. 
If I had a specific threat, something that would hurt the French, I can 
assure you we would have shared that information immediately with our 
friends in the French Government. If I have a specific threat relating 
to America, we would deal with that specific threat. We would use our 
assets to harden whatever the target might be. You probably wouldn't 
know about it.
    What you're hearing is--you're hearing--the people of my 
administration are concerned about a group of people who continue to 
plot and plan on ways to hurt us. And the best way to prevent further 
attacks is to find them and hunt them down, to chase them one by one, 
and to bring them to justice. And that's what my country and our 
coalition will continue to do.

Iran and Iraq

    Mr. Malar. Mr. President, you spoke a lot about the evil axis. Are 
you still planning to attack Iraq? And what about Iran, which, according 
to our understanding of various sources, might have been harboring bin 
Laden for the last few months?
    The President. Oh, really? Well, I certainly hope that's not the 
case, for Iran's sake, that they be harboring bin Laden. We don't know 
about Mr. bin Laden. He might be dead; he might be alive. All I can tell 
you is, I heard--I haven't heard much from him in a long period of time.
    I do believe there is an axis of evil. These are countries that are 
not transparent; they're dictatorial; they've got designs for weapons of 
mass destruction, if they don't have them already. They hate--they 
preach a gospel of hate. And we'll deal with each of them differently. 
Obviously, the military is an option. I have no plans on my desk right 
now, but whatever I decide and whatever we decide, of course, we'll 
consult closely with the French, our allies, and our friends.
    But we must deal with this threat, the threat of countries such as 
Iraq using a weapons of mass destruction to affect a balance

[[Page 874]]

of power or to affect our willingness and ability to go defend 
ourselves. And this is a dangerous problem that we've got to deal with.

Situation in the Middle East

    Mr. Malar. Mr. President, concerning the peace process in the Middle 
East, it seems there is no peace solution in sight right now. Arafat 
doesn't want--cannot control the Islamic terrorist acts against Israel. 
Mr. Sharon doesn't want him anymore as a partner for peace. What can you 
do? The United States is the only country to be able to impose a 
solution. What can you do concretely, Mr. President, to put peace back 
on track for good?
    The President. Yes, thank you. I'm not so sure you can ever impose a 
solution on people. In other words, the first job is to convince people 
the need for peace, to give people a chance to work toward a vision. And 
I've laid out a vision. And the vision is two states, Israel and 
Palestine, living side by side in peace. That's something we will work 
toward.
    I believe we're making some progress. It starts with convincing all 
parties in the region they have a responsibility toward peace. The 
Israelis have got a responsibility; I've made that clear to Prime 
Minister Sharon. The Palestinians have a responsibility, particularly to 
denounce and to fight against terror, to stop these killers from 
derailing peace. And the Arab world has the responsibility to be a party 
to not only discussions but a party to providing hope for the 
Palestinians.
    And we are--we've got a dialog going on. One of the first things we 
need to do is put the institutions in place that will help provide a 
stable society in the Palestinian territory. That means a security force 
that actually works, one that functions properly, one in which authority 
and responsibility are aligned.
    You need to know I'm an optimistic man. I believe we can achieve 
peace. It's going to take a lot of hard work. I have started this the 
first day of my administration, and I will continue during the last day 
of my administration.
    Mr. Malar. Two quick last questions.
    The President. Sure.

Europe-U.S. Relationship

    Mr. Malar. Mr. President, what do you answer to the Europeans, and 
especially the French, who are very fussy sometimes and considers--the 
reproach of America's unilateralism? What do you answer to them? They 
even fear today, among Europeans, that the new American-Russian axis 
which would prevail over the rest of Europe.
    The President. Well, listen, my trip into Europe will let people 
know me a little better. I'm a person who knows that--first of all, I 
know what I believe. And the thing I believe--I believe strongly in the 
common values that we share. And I believe strongly in freedom. I mean, 
I believe we ought to do everything in our power to encourage freedom 
all around the world. And that's important. I also know we can't win a 
war on terror alone, that we've got to work with our allies and friends. 
I'll confirm the importance of the NATO Alliance for all of us.
    So I look forward to the trip. I'm confident there are some there 
that have got an opinion about me that I might not like, but that's the 
good thing about democracy. I welcome people--people's opinions. And 
I'll be honored to represent our country overseas, and to reconfirm our 
friendship.
    I'm going to Normandy, and----

President's Memorial Day Visit to Normandy

    Mr. Malar. You are going to Normandy, so I imagine you are going to 
spend Memorial Day on the beaches of Normandy. And I'm sure, Mr. 
President, it means a lot to you when we are in the world where a lot of 
people try to fight for freedom and security.
    The President. Yes. Well, it's going to be an emotional moment, to 
think of all the sacrifice that went so that you and I can speak here in 
freedom. I'm the son of a World War II veteran. I'm a product of what 
they call the Greatest Generation. And I just--my friends who have been 
there tell me that it's an amazingly emotional place. Memorial Day is a 
great holiday here in America, where we honor those who have sacrificed. 
And so I'll give a speech that will talk about sacrifice and will call 
people to the memory of those who have come before us and lay out the

[[Page 875]]

sacrifices that we're going to need to do in the future if we expect the 
world to be free.
    And I can't wait to go. It's going to be one of the best parts of 
the trip. It's going to be a memorable trip, and I'm confident that the 
trip to Normandy will be one of the great highlights of the trip.
    Mr. Malar. Mr. President, I want to thank you very much. I wish you 
all the best.
    The President. Thank you, sir.
    Mr. Malar. And God bless you.
    The President. Thank you, sir.

Note: The interview was taped on May 21 at 1:24 p.m. in the Map Room at 
the White House for later broadcast, and the transcript was released by 
the Office of the Press Secretary on May 22. In his remarks, the 
President referred to Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist 
organization; and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel. Mr. Malar 
referred to Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Authority. A tape 
was not available for verification of the content of this interview.