[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 49 (Monday, December 9, 2002)]
[Pages 2130-2132]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
<R04>
Remarks Prior to Discussions With President Daniel T. arap Moi of Kenya
and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and an Exchange With
Reporters
December 5, 2002
President Bush. Here's what we're going to do. I'm going to welcome
our friends to the Cabinet Room in the White House. Each leader will
make a statement. We'll then have one question from an American, one
question from a Kenyan, and one question from an Ethiopian. The
President and the Prime Minister will decide who gets the questions, as
will I.
First, it's an honor to welcome President Moi and Prime Minister
Meles to the--this is where we do our work, the Cabinet Room. We welcome
two strong friends of America here, two leaders of countries which have
joined us in the--to fight the global war on terror, two steadfast
allies, two people that the American people can count on when it comes
to winning the first war of the 21st century. And I'm so pleased that
the President and the Prime Minister have agreed to come and have a
substantive visit. I thank their delegations for coming with them, and I
look forward to a good and open discussion about how we can advance our
respective interests.
So Mr. President, welcome. President Moi is a strong leader of
Kenya. He is leading the country to a transition period through open
elections. And Mr. President, you have distinguished yourself by your
service to your country, and I appreciate that, and we welcome you.
President Moi. Thank you very much indeed. I'm delighted to have my
last visit to the United States as President of the Republic of Kenya.
We are--I am here to discuss a wide range of issues. The most important
issue is the security within the Horn of Africa and particularly my own
country, Kenya.
These are important issues which will enable us to handle and manage
terrorism in that part of the world. And so I am delighted to be in
Washington today.
President Bush. Mr. President, thank you. And of course, I want to
reiterate what I have said before, and that is, our country mourns the
loss of life in Kenya, the tragedy that befell your country as a result
of killers trying to terrorize freedom-loving people. And I appreciate
your leadership on that issue.
Mr. Prime Minister, I'm so honored that you're here. Welcome.
Prime Minister Meles. Thank you, Mr. President. We are all here very
glad that we've been welcomed to Washington. A moment ago you said that
we are engaged in the first war of the 21st century. We believe that the
war against terrorism is a war against people who have not caught up
with the 21st century, who have values and ideals that are contrary to
the values of the 21st century. And in that context, it's a fight not
between the United States and some groups; it's a fight between those
who want to catch up with the 21st century and those who want to remain
where they are.
So I want to assure you that we are all with you against forces of
terror and--
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[inaudible]--and I appreciate your support and leadership. Thank you
very much for welcoming us----
President Bush. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.
We'll have one question from each side here. Jackson [David Jackson,
Dallas Morning News].
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's Decision To Disarm
Q. Mr. President, I've been out in the country on vacation, and a
lot of people have asked me, ``What are the chances that we're actually
going to war with Iraq?'' I mean, how likely is war, and what would
trigger it?
President Bush. Right. That's the question that you should ask to
Saddam Hussein. [Laughter] It's his choice to make. And Saddam Hussein
must disarm. The international community has come together through the
United Nations Security Council and voted 15 to nothing for Saddam
Hussein to disarm. We recently got back from NATO, where our NATO Allies
voted overwhelmingly to send the same message.
So David, to answer your question, the question is whether or not he
chooses to disarm, and we hope he does. For the sake of peace, he must
disarm.
There are inspectors inside the country now, and the inspectors are
there not to play a game of hide-and-seek, but they're there to verify
whether or not Mr. Saddam Hussein is going to disarm. And we hope he
does.
Q. But at what point would you make that decision?
President Bush. We hope he does. You'll see.
Mr. President, would you care to call from somebody from the Kenyan
press? You don't have to if you don't want to. [Laughter] I thought it
would be hospitable.
Q. I'm here from Ethiopia.
President Bush. Well, we'll get you next, sir. [Laughter] Is the
Kenyan reporter here? Oh, there.
War on Terror
Q. I would like to know, since Kenya has been a victim of terrorism,
what has the U.S. Government put into place, what measures have you put
into place to assist Kenya----
President Bush. Yes. Well, that's what we're going to talk about, of
course. And part of the reason the President has come is to discuss ways
that we can continue our aid program and continue our work together.
The other thing we must remember is that the war on terror is global
in nature and that if the terrorists could strike in Kenya, they could
strike in Ethiopia; they could strike in Europe; and that we must
continue this war, to hunt these killers down one at a time, to bring
them to justice, which means information sharing. We're pleased with the
information sharing we're getting from our allies here. It means cutting
off the money, and it means bringing to justice--like the Kenyan
authorities will be doing to those who kill and take innocent life.
Would you care to call on somebody from your press corps?
U.S. Assistance to Kenya and Ethiopia
Q. I'm going to repeat the same question the Kenyan reporter asked
of you. What could be exactly the role of the United States in assisting
those African countries, particularly who are the victims of terrorism?
President Bush. Yes. Well, information sharing, for example--we've
got a good intelligence-gathering network, made stronger by the fact
that we share information between countries. But if we get wind that
somebody is thinking about doing something to Ethiopia, we're prepared
to work with the Ethiopian Government to disrupt any plans.
The best thing we can do to help secure your countries is to chase
the killers down, and we're making good progress. Slowly but surely,
we're dismantling an Al Qaida network. And that inures to the benefit of
all the countries of the world.
We, of course, will be talking to--about issues such as drought as
well. We'll be talking about other issues, economic vitality. I'll be
thanking these leaders for their work in bringing stability and peace to
their part of the continent of Africa. These are leaders; these are men
who have stepped forward and have shown vision and leadership, and we're
grateful for that.
Thank you all for coming.
Note: The President spoke at 10:20 a.m. in the Cabinet Room at the White
House. The Office
[[Page 2132]]
of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
these remarks.