[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 5 (Monday, February 3, 2003)]
[Pages 141-144]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Tony Blair of the 
United Kingdom

January 31, 2003

    President Bush. It's my honor to welcome Tony Blair back to the 
White House. We just had a wide-ranging discussion on a lot of issues. I 
appreciate my friend's commitment to peace and security. I appreciate 
his vision. I appreciate his willingness to lead. Most importantly, I 
appreciate his understanding that after September the 11th, 2001, the 
world changed, that we face a common enemy, terrorists willing to kill 
innocent lives, that we now recognize that threats which gather in 
remote regions of the world must be dealt with before others lose their 
lives.
    Tony Blair is a friend. He's a friend of the American people. He's a 
friend of mine. I trust his judgment, and I appreciate his wisdom.
    Welcome.
    Prime Minister Blair. First of all, can I say how delighted I am to 
be back in the White House and to see President Bush. And as he's just 
described to you, we had an excellent discussion, covering all the key 
issues of the day. And I would like to praise his leadership in the 
world since September the 11th, particularly, on what I think are the 
two key issues that face our world today, which are issues of 
international terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. And I think 
both of those issues come together because they threaten the peace and 
the order and the stability of the world.
    And what is essential is that in every respect, in every way that we 
can, we mobilize international support and the international community 
in order to make sure that these twin threats that the world faces are 
dealt with. And I have no doubt at all that we can deal with them. But 
we should realize those two threats, terrorism, weapons of mass 
destruction, are not different; they're linked. And dealing with both of 
them is essential for the future peace and security and prosperity of 
the world.
    Thank you.
    President Bush. Fournier [Ron Fournier, Associated Press]. Here's 
what we're going to do. I will call upon a reporter. The Prime Minister 
will call upon a reporter. And we'll do this three different times. 
Start with you.

Timetable for Action/
U.N. Resolution 1441

    Q. Thank you, sir. First, quickly to the Prime Minister, did you ask 
President Bush to secure a second U.N. resolution and to give the 
inspectors more time? And President Bush, the U.N. says--the U.N. 
inspectors say Saddam is not complying; you say Saddam is not complying. 
Why wait a matter of weeks? What's--why hold up on the decision?
    President Bush. First of all, you violated the two-question rule--as 
usual. He's had a bad habit of this. I'll start.
    Saddam Hussein is not disarming. He is a danger to the world. He 
must disarm. And that's why I have constantly said and the Prime 
Minister has constantly said this issue will come to a head in a matter 
of weeks, not months.
    Prime Minister Blair. The whole point about the present situation is 
that when President Bush made his speech to the United Nations, when we 
went down the United Nations route, we passed Resolution 1441. And I 
think it really repays reading that, because we said very clearly that 
Saddam had what we said was a final opportunity to disarm and that he 
had to cooperate fully

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in every respect with the U.N. weapons inspectors.
    As Dr. Blix said in his report to the Security Council earlier this 
week, he's not doing that. And therefore, what is important is that the 
international community comes together again and makes it absolutely 
clear that this is unacceptable. And the reason why I believe that it 
will do that is precisely because in the original Resolution 1441, we 
made it clear that failure to disarm would lead to serious consequences.
    So this is a test for the international community. It's not just a 
test for the United States or for Britain. It's a test for the 
international community, too. And the judgment has to be, at the present 
time, that Saddam Hussein is not cooperating with the inspectors and, 
therefore, is in breach of the U.N. resolution. And that's why time is 
running out.
    Andy.
    Q. Andrew Marr, from the BBC. A question for the President, if I 
may. What is the status, in your view, of any second resolution? Is it 
something that you think it's worth spending time and energy trying to 
assemble and, if so, why?
    President Bush. First, let me reiterate what I just said. This is a 
matter of weeks, not months. Any attempt to drag the process on for 
months will be resisted by the United States. And as I understand the 
Prime Minister--I'm loath to put words in his mouth--but he's also said 
weeks, not months.
    Secondly, I want to remind you, I was the guy that went to the 
United Nations in the first place. I said, ``Why don't we come together 
as a world to resolve this issue, once and for all? Why doesn't the 
United Nations stand up as a body and show the world that it has got the 
capacity to keep the peace?''
    So, first of all, in answer to one part of your question, is this 
needs to be resolved quickly. Should the United Nations decide to pass a 
second resolution, it would be welcomed if it is yet another signal that 
we're intent upon disarming Saddam Hussein. But 1441 gives us the 
authority to move without any second resolution. And Saddam Hussein must 
understand that if he does not disarm, for the sake of peace, we, along 
with others, will go disarm Saddam Hussein.
    Steve [Steve Holland, Reuters].

Secretary Powell's Upcoming U.N. Visit

    Q. Thank you, sir. Mr. President, is Secretary Powell going to 
provide the undeniable proof of Iraq's guilt that so many critics are 
calling for?
    President Bush. Well, all due in modesty, I thought I did a pretty 
good job myself of making it clear that he's not disarming and why he 
should disarm. Secretary Powell will make a strong case about the danger 
of an armed Saddam Hussein. He will make it clear that Saddam Hussein is 
fooling the world or trying to fool the world. He will make it clear 
that Saddam is a menace to peace in his own neighborhood. He will also 
talk about Al Qaida links, links that really do portend a danger for 
America and for Great Britain, anybody else who loves freedom.
    As the Prime Minister says, the war on terror is not confined to 
just a shadowy terrorist network. The war on terror includes people who 
are willing to train and to equip organizations such as Al Qaida.
    See, the strategic view of America changed after September the 11th. 
We must deal with threats before they hurt the American people again. 
And as I have said repeatedly, Saddam Hussein would like nothing more 
than to use a terrorist network to attack and to kill and leave no 
fingerprints behind. Colin Powell will continue making that case to the 
American people and the world at the United Nations.
    Prime Minister Blair. Adam.

Iraq and Terrorists

    Q. Adam Boulton, Sky News. One question for you both. Do you believe 
that there is a link between Saddam Hussein, a direct link, and the men 
who attacked on September the 11th?
    President Bush. I can't make that claim.
    Prime Minister Blair. That answers your question. The one thing I 
would say, however, is I've absolutely no doubt at all that unless we 
deal with both of these threats, they will come together in a deadly 
form. Because, you know, what do we know after September the 11th? We 
know that these terrorist networks would use any means they

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can to cause maximum death and destruction. And we know also that they 
will do whatever they can to acquire the most deadly weaponry they can. 
And that's why it's important to deal with these issues together.
    President Bush. Jim [Jim Angle, FOX News].

Role of U.N. Inspectors

    Q. Mr. President and Prime Minister, if I could, sir, the arms 
inspectors made their report on Monday this week. You've both made clear 
that it's a question of weeks, not months. And here we are at the end of 
the week and the Iraqis are suddenly inviting the arms inspectors back 
to Baghdad for further consultations. Could I ask both of you what you 
make of that?
    President Bush. Let's see if I can be polite. Saddam Hussein has had 
12 years to learn how to deceive, and I would view this as more 
deception on his part. He expects to be able to convince 108 inspectors 
that he is openminded. The only way that he can show that he is truly a 
peaceful man is to not negotiate with inspectors, is not to string the 
inspectors along, but to disarm in front of inspectors. We know what a 
disarmed regime looks like. We know what it means to disarm. There's no 
negotiations. The idea of calling inspectors in to negotiate is a 
charade. If he is going to disarm, he must start disarming. That's the 
only thing he needs to talk to the inspectors about, is, ``Here. I'm 
disarming.''
    Prime Minister Blair. That's absolutely right. If you look back at 
the history of this, for 12 years, he's played these games. And that's 
why it's so important to realize what the U.N. inspectors were put back 
in to do. The U.N. inspectors--and this is the crucial point, because 
it's on this basis that the whole issue of the U.N. authority rests--the 
U.N. inspectors did not go back into Iraq to play a game of hide-and-
seek with Saddam. They didn't go back in as a detective agency. They 
went back in under an authority that said that they had to cooperate 
fully, in every respect: The interview of witnesses, not just access to 
sites; honest, transparent declarations in the material they had. 
They're not doing that.
    Now, why are they calling back the inspectors? I think it's fairly 
obvious. It's because as the pressure grows, they want to play the same 
games as they've been playing all the way through. That's why it's 
important we hold to the path that we've set out. They have to disarm. 
They have to cooperate with the inspectors. They're not doing it. If 
they don't do it through the U.N. route, then they will have to be 
disarmed by force.
    Nick.

Impact of September 11

    Q. Nick Robinson, ITV News. Mr. President, an account of the White 
House after 9/11 says that you ordered invasion plans for Iraq 6 days 
after September the 11th--Bob Woodward's account. Isn't it the case that 
you have always intended war on Iraq, and that international diplomacy 
is a charade in this case?
    President Bush. Actually, prior to September the 11th, we were 
discussing smart sanctions. We were trying to fashion a sanction regime 
that would make it more likely to be able to contain somebody like 
Saddam Hussein. After September the 11th, the doctrine of containment 
just doesn't hold any water, as far as I'm concerned.
    I've told you the strategic vision of our country shifted 
dramatically, and it shifted dramatically because we now recognize that 
oceans no longer protect us, that we're vulnerable to attack. And the 
worst form of attack could come from somebody acquiring weapons of mass 
destruction and using them on the American people, or the worst kind of 
attack could come when somebody uses weapons of mass destruction on our 
friends in Great Britain.
    Recently, Tony Blair's government routed out a poison plot. It 
should say to the people of Great Britain: There is a present danger, 
that weapons of mass destruction are a danger to people who love 
freedom.
    I want to congratulate you on your fabulous job of using your 
intelligence and your law enforcement to protect the people of Great 
Britain.
    Today Italy rounded up yet another cell of people who are willing to 
use weapons of mass destruction on those of us who love freedom.
    And so, no, quite the contrary. My vision shifted dramatically after 
September the

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11th, because I now realize the stakes. I realize the world has changed. 
My most important obligation is to protect the American people from 
further harm. And I will do that.
    Thank you all very much.

Note: The President's news conference began at 4:12 p.m. in the Cross 
Hall at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to President Saddam 
Hussein of Iraq. Prime Minister Blair referred to Hans Blix, Executive 
Chairman, United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection 
Commission. A reporter referred to journalist Bob Woodward.