[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 37 (Monday, September 16, 2002)]
[Pages 1525-1527]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the Embassy of Afghanistan and an Exchange With Reporters

September 10, 2002

    The President. Thank you all very much. Thank you for coming. I 
just--please, be seated. I had the opportunity of meeting with 
distinguished members of the Arab American and Muslim American 
communities, and I want to thank you all so very much for coming to 
share with me your thoughts.
    Like all Americans, they're proud of our country; they're proud of 
our military; they're proud of our allies for working together to free 
Afghanistan. They will never forget the joy of the Afghan people who 
were liberated. They appreciate the fact that we work in concert to 
destroy terrorist training camps in Afghanistan so that those terrorists 
might not hurt others. They wanted to come with me to show their 
solidarity with the people of Afghanistan and to show that America has a 
vibrant and important and dynamic Muslim faith tradition.
    I appreciate so very much Ziad, the president of the American Arab 
Anti-Defamation League for being here.
    Mr. Ambassador, thank you and your sweet wife for having us here. 
The Ambassador has a fabulous story. He's an American citizen, renounced 
his citizenship in order to become the Ambassador of Afghanistan, to 
serve this Nation. I appreciate that, appreciate your leadership.
    I want to thank Andrew Natsios, who is with us today, who is doing a 
fine job of helping people in need around the world. I want to thank--
where's Zal? There he is. Zal, thanks for coming. Zal Khalilzad is a 
member of the National Security Council and very much involved with our 
efforts to help Afghanistan.
    It's important for our fellow Americans to understand that Americans 
of Muslim faith share the same grief that we all share from what 
happened to our country, that they're just as proud of America as I am 
proud of America, that they love our country as much as I love our 
country.
    They share my profound belief that no American should be judged by 
appearance, by ethnic background, or by religious faith. I believe that 
strongly, and so do they.
    Bigotry is not a part of our soul. It's not going to be a part of 
our future. Sure, there may be some, but that's not the American way, 
and we must reject bigotry of all kinds in this great land. In order for 
us to reject the evil done to America on September the 11th, we must 
reject bigotry in all its forms.
    George Washington says, ``America gives to bigotry no sanction, to 
persecution no assistance.'' And that is true today. We treasure our 
friendship with Muslims and Arabs around the world. One year ago, the 
people of Afghanistan lived under oppression. Their country was a haven 
for terror. Today, they're an emergency democracy--an emerging democracy 
and building a better future. And we are proud to continue to stand by 
them and to stand with them.
    Americans are helping the people of Afghanistan in their time of 
hardship and need, and we will continue to do so. The United States has 
committed more than $700 million in aid to Afghanistan for food and 
seeds and roads and bridges, water and sanitation systems. I was most 
proud of the fact that American children from all walks of life 
contributed to the America's Fund for Afghan Children. It was such a 
strong statement, of children uniting to help people in need.
    All Americans must recognize that the face of terror is not the true 
faith--face of Islam. Islam is a faith that brings comfort to a billion 
people around the world. It's a faith that has made brothers and sisters 
of every race. It's a faith based upon love, not hate.
    As we mourn tomorrow, we must remember that our enemy is a radical 
network of terrorists, not a religion; that governments which support 
them are our enemies, not faithful Muslims who love their families, who

[[Page 1526]]

yearn for a more peaceful and safe world for their children.
    Tomorrow Americans of all faiths will come together in a spirit of 
unity and remembrance and resolve. I call on every American to uphold 
the values of America and remember why many have come here. In our war 
against terror, we must never lose sight of the values that makes our 
country so strong, the values of respect and tolerance. The value that 
we believe that everybody ought to worship the Almighty, however they so 
choose.
    Mr. Ambassador, thank you for letting me come by on the eve of this 
important day for our country. I'm honored to be here at your Embassy.
    Ambassador Shahryar. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
    The President. May God bless you, may God bless Afghanistan. May God 
continue to bless America.
    I'll answer a few questions. Jennifer [Jennifer Loven, Associated 
Press].

Homeland Security Alert

    Q. Yes, Mr. President, with this increased threat level, can you say 
what your level of concern is that Americans will be attacked again? And 
what is your advice to Americans in this time?
    The President. Well, we are--we take every threat seriously. The 
threats that we have heard recently remind us of the pattern of threats 
we heard prior to September the 11th. We have no specific threat to 
America, but we're taking everything seriously, obviously. And so, 
therefore, we have gone to a different level of concern, a different 
threat level, which means our Government will be providing extra 
security at key facilities and that we'll be increasing surveillance.
    We'll do everything we can to protect the American people. And 
Americans need to go about their lives. They just need to know that 
their Government, at the Federal and State and local level, will be on 
an extra level of alert to protect us.
    Heidi [Heidi Przybyla, Bloomberg]. You haven't asked a question in a 
while.

President's Upcoming United Nations Address

    Q. Thank you. I appreciate it. What do you think of French President 
Chirac's idea to give Hussein a 3-week deadline to comply with weapons 
inspections or face----
    The President. I think--Heidi, I think it's important that, so that 
you will pay attention to my speech on Thursday, that I reserve judgment 
about what may or may not be in my speech. [Applause] Even got 
applause--you finally got a question and applause. [Laughter]
    I do--I'll have something to say, obviously, and I look forward to 
speaking to that international body about--about how best we can work 
together to keep the peace, how best to make the world a more peaceful 
place. And so I hope you understand that I'll not reveal my speech ahead 
of time. I know that many are trying to find out what it is, and that's 
your job. But my job is not to answer you. [Laughter]
    Katie, [Katie Textor] ABC.
    Q. Sir, if you decide on a military solution to Saddam Hussein, have 
you resigned to go through the U.N. Security Council? Or are you 
determined to go it alone?
    The President. Katie, thank you for asking me about what's going to 
be in my speech tomorrow. [Laughter]
    Let me get to the U.N. and give what is an important speech for me. 
I'll make the case of how I think we ought to proceed, on how we work 
together to keep the peace.
    I'm going to the United Nations to give this speech for a reason--
because I believe this is an international problem and that we must work 
together to deal with the problem. And I am also very mindful of my job 
as the American President to do everything we can to protect the 
American people from future attack.
    And I'm deeply concerned about a leader who has ignored all--who 
ignored the United Nations for all these years, has refused to conform 
to resolution after resolution after resolution, who has weapons of mass 
destruction. And the battlefield has now shifted to America, so there's 
a different dynamic than we've ever faced before. And I take these 
threats seriously. The thing I take most seriously is my job to protect 
innocent

[[Page 1527]]

life here on the homeland, and I will respond to this threat starting 
Thursday. And I look forward to the chance to do so.
    In the meantime, tomorrow is going to be a hard day for a lot of 
Americans. It's going to be a day of tears and a day of prayer and a day 
of national resolve. It also needs to be a day in which we confirm the 
values which make us unique and great. And that's one of the reasons I 
came here today, to be with friends to assure all Americans that we will 
embrace those values.
    So thank you all for coming. God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 2:15 p.m. outside the Embassy. In his 
remarks, he referred to Ziad Asali, president, American-Arab Anti-
Discrimination Committee; and Afghan Ambassador to the U.S. Ishaq 
Shahryar, and his wife, Hafizah. A reporter referred to President 
Jacques Chirac of France and President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.