[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 27 (Monday, July 7, 2003)]
[Pages 865-871]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Interview With African Print Journalists

July 3, 2003

    The President. Thank you all for coming. What I thought I would do 
is make a couple of opening comments about the upcoming trip and answer 
some questions, maybe go around the horn a couple of times and give 
everybody a chance to fire away.
    First, I'm really looking forward to the trip. I have been to the 
continent of Africa twice, but I've never been as President, nor have I 
been on as extensive a tour as the one we are going on.
    I'll be carrying a message to the African people that, first, 
America cares about the future of Africa. It's in our national interests 
that Africa become a prosperous place. It's in our interest that people 
will continue to fight terror together. It's in our interest that when 
we find suffering, we deal with it.
    I've laid out some initiatives that I'll be further describing to 
the African people and African nations: an AIDS initiative; the 
Millennium Challenge Account; our education initiative, where we'll be 
spending now $600 million over a 5-year period of time; a $100 million 
to fight terrorism in east Africa. In other words, just a series of 
specific initiatives behind a well-intentioned administration. And it's 
important for the leaders to understand precisely what I mean when I 
talk about these different initiatives.
    And so when we go to Senegal, we'll be talking to not only my friend 
President Wade but other leaders from western Africa. When I go to South 
Africa, of course, it'll be a significant platform from which to speak 
to leaders in the southern region of Africa. I'll be going to Botswana 
as well and then up to Nigeria and, finally, Uganda and then home. So 
it's an extensive trip, and it's an

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important trip, and I'm very much looking forward to it.
    And I'll be glad to answer any questions. Why don't we start with 
you, Mr. Babou.

President's Upcoming Visit to Senegal

    Q. Thank you very much. Mr. President, when will you be going to 
Senegal and how long will you stay?
    The President. We're leaving Monday night from here, flying all 
night long and arriving in Senegal in the morning, and we'll be there 
for about a half a day. I'll be meeting with President Wade in a 
bilateral meeting, and then we'll be meeting with--I'm not sure how many 
western African leaders have RSVP'd yet; maybe Jendayi knows.
    African Affairs Senior Director Jendayi Frazer. Seven.
    The President. Seven other leaders. And then we'll be going to Goree 
Island, where I'll be giving a speech about race, race in the world, 
race as it relates to Africa and America. And we're in the process of 
writing it. I can't give you any highlights of the speech yet because I, 
frankly, haven't seen it. But I'll be fine-tuning the speech. It's an 
important speech for me to give, and it's one I'm looking forward to 
giving.
    I look forward to seeing President Wade on his home turf, because I 
admire him. I admire his leadership. He is a man who believes in the 
same principles I believe in. He believes in the dignity of each life. 
He believes in democracy. He believes in open markets. He understands 
trade. And in our discussions--and we've had quite a few discussions 
with President Wade--he has constantly talked about the need for 
infrastructure development to link markets.
    So he's got a--he cares deeply about the people of Senegal, but he's 
also got a regional vision that makes sense. He is a leader, he is one 
of the leaders of--every time we meet at, like, the G-8, President Wade 
is one of the representatives of the African nations, because he 
believes in the principles of NEPAD, and he is a good fellow. I'm 
looking forward to seeing him at home.
    Yes, sir.

Situation in Zimbabwe

    Q. Thank you, sir. On Zimbabwe, Mr. President, in recent days there 
has been several references from yourself and Secretary Powell to 
Zimbabwe once again.
    The President. Yes, there has been.
    Q. Now, beyond President Mbeki and President Obasanjo's efforts in 
the past to get Mugabe and Tsvangirai to sit down together, which has 
not been very successful, what more do you think they should do? Or what 
more----
    The President. Well, that's a good question; I appreciate that. Yes, 
we have been outspoken on the subject because we believe that a 
democracy in Zimbabwe will improve the lives of all the citizens of that 
important country.
    Listen, one of the things that we must--this country cares about is 
the plight of each human. And when we see and hear about suffering 
because of lack of food in sub-Saharan Africa, part of our attention is 
focused on places where there's political instability. And there's no 
reason why Zimbabwe is not capable of feeding not only herself but 
others in the region.
    And the reason why now is because of political instability created 
by a lack of adherence to the principles of democracy. So when you hear 
me speak out or when you hear Colin speak out, we're speaking out for 
principles. And the answer to what more can be done, the world needs to 
speak with common voice in insisting that the principles of democracy 
are adhered to by the ruling party in Zimbabwe.
    Zimbabwe--the economy of Zimbabwe at one time was a powerful economy 
for the region. It was a successful economy. People grew food in 
plentiful supply. Now the people of that country are starving. This 
country is putting up a billion dollars of money to help people who are 
starving. Then we're also--I'm asking Congress to put up what they call 
a $200-million fast reaction--or a fund for fast reaction to confront 
famine. We need that so that the flexibility--sometimes the 
appropriators like to put strings on appropriations, so it makes it hard 
for the executive branch to move with speed. I would like to have more 
capacity to move with speed when it comes to dealing with emergencies. 
The

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reason I bring that up is that it would be incredibly helpful for the 
continent of Africa to have its countries that are able to feed people 
prosperous and whole.
    The other issue I want to bring up, now that I brought up the issue 
of food, is genetically modified crops. I think it is essential that 
throughout the continent of Africa, nations be encouraged to develop--
use the technologies that have been developed to deal with pestilence 
and drought. And I have been very outspoken on that subject as well, not 
to be putting thoughts in your mind that you didn't want to hear about, 
but I've got the mike. [Laughter]
    But I do want to emphasize, and I will emphasize on the continent of 
Africa, the need for our agricultural economies on the continent of 
Africa to adjust with modern technology so that in places where there is 
drought or likelihood of drought, there can be drought-resistance crops 
being given a chance to succeed. Where there's pests that some 
agriculture economy has not been able to deal with, we use pest-
resistant crop, and they're available. The problem, of course, we have 
is that much of the enthusiasm for what we believe is scientifically 
proven safe crops have been condemned by the refusal of some countries 
and/or accumulation of countries to accept exports into their markets 
from countries that use genetically modified crop.
    That's a very long answer to a short question. Yes, sir.
    Q. Mr. President, sir----
    The President. Where is The Guardian based?
    Q. In Nigeria.
    The President. Very good.

U.S. Policy Toward Africa

    Q. I'd like to know what's your reaction to people who say that the 
major driving force for your interest in Africa is oil and that, you 
know, what you are trying to do, essentially, is to shift the focus from 
Saudi--with first your relationship between Saudi and U.S. now to 
Africa. Now, how much of that----
    The President. Saudi Arabia?
    Q. Yes. So I'd like to know how much of that is actually for 
instance, in your interest in Africa?
    The President. Well, conspiracy theorists about everywhere, I guess. 
That's one of the most amazing conspiracies I've heard. Heck, no one has 
ever made that connection, and so I would say--well, first, look, I have 
been talking about Africa since I was sworn in as President. I've met 
with 22, I believe it is, heads of state here. And I have met with 
President Obasanjo, gosh, I would say--I better be careful, because 
every number I put out there, people scrutinize--a lot, maybe five 
times----
    Dr. Frazer. Five times, yes, sir.
    The President. ----President Wade, several times in the Oval Office, 
several times in overseas meetings, President Mbeki, quite a few. In 
other words, Africa has been on the--we've been thinking about Africa 
ever since I've been sworn in.
    Secondly, the initiatives I've laid out are bold initiatives. The 
Millennium Challenge Account is a very bold initiative. We're going to 
increase our basic developmental aid by 50 percent, with a new approach 
which basically says we'll reward those countries which make correct 
choices on behalf of the people of the countries, countries which are 
not corrupt, countries which focus on the health and education of the 
people, countries which adopt market-oriented policies which will enable 
a country to more likely grow in a prosperous fashion, which would then 
benefit the people.
    I spoke out early on free trade with Africa. Certainly, the AGOA 
initiative was not my administration's initiative. I readily understand 
that. But we built on the AGOA initiative because I believe in free 
trade and, as a matter of fact, took the free trade argument to the 
Halls of Congress and got trade promotion authority, which was not an 
easy vote, by the way. It was a tough vote. There's a protectionist 
element in our country that works beneath the political surface. But I 
feel strongly that trade is an engine of opportunity for developing 
countries.
    These are all initiatives I spoke about prior to--during the war on 
terror, I guess. I wasn't in office very long before the war on terror 
became evident here in America.
    We've got good relations with Saudi. I gave a speech--just to put it 
in context, I gave a speech--I swore in some folks the other

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day to reenlist in our military. I pointed out that the relationship 
with Saudi Arabia, when it comes to tracking down terrorists, is strong. 
I reminded our citizens that Abu Bakr, who is a key operative, and 
``Swift Sword'' are no longer issues for America and Saudi Arabia 
because of the cooperation that is an ongoing cooperation inside the 
Kingdom.
    And anyway, no, listen, let me speak specifically to Nigeria. I have 
got good relations with President Obasanjo. Every time we have visited, 
it has been a very cordial, up-front way. I appreciate his cooperation 
on the U.S.' desire to work with countries such as Nigeria to train 
troops necessary to be able to handle some of the difficult situations 
on the continent. As a matter of fact, I believe the United States in 
working with Nigeria has trained five battalions of Nigerian troops, 
preparing them for issues such as Liberia or other areas on the 
continent. And we will continue that relationship with the President of 
Nigeria. And I appreciate his leadership on that issue.
    Mr. Cobb.

Uganda/Liberia

    Q. Yes, sir. You're going at least in two of the regions of Africa. 
You're going to West Africa and--well, Uganda being next door to the 
Congo.
    The President. Right.
    Q. There's a fair amount of tumult in those regions. First, I have 
two specific questions related to that and your trip. Will you make a 
decision about U.S. troops in Liberia before you go? Or will you be 
bringing some message about these U.S. troops in Liberia when you visit 
in Senegal?
    Secondly, what will you tell Mr. Museveni--whom I know you admire in 
terms of his work with HIV/AIDS and his economic policy--with regard to 
the role of militias that he created and are responsible for much of the 
violence in eastern Congo?
    The President. Right, let me start with that. I also talked to him 
about ongoing democracy in Uganda. We talked about transfer of power. We 
talked about the fact that he's been a remarkably good leader on many 
fronts and that we would hope that he would adhere to the concept of 
having any democracy with a peaceful transfer of power at the 
appropriate time.
    We did talk about that part of the region. I spoke very clearly 
about the need for all countries to recognize the peace agreements that 
we have been involved with--we're not the lead country on, but we're 
very much supportive of the peace agreements. And he listened very 
carefully to our admonition that we expect for people to honor the 
agreements that are being forged. And I will continue to discuss that 
with him when I go to Uganda.
    As well as Uganda, it's important to--one reason why one would go to 
Uganda is to make sure that people around the world, and particularly on 
the continent of Africa, understand that dealing with HIV/AIDS is 
possible. In other words, you can deal with it in a positive way, and 
it's a remarkable record of Mr. Museveni and his Government in dealing 
with the pandemic of AIDS. It's essential that--we're fixing to spend 
$15 billion--I believe Congress will respond and keep the pressure on 
as, you know--and that this trip will also help create an awareness of 
the issue in America.
    And it's important for our fellow citizens to realize that while we 
live a relative luxurious life throughout our society, there is a 
pandemic taking place that's destroying a lot of people, ruining 
families. You know, the idea of a 14-year-old little girl raising three 
brothers and sisters without parents is something that's just--it's sad. 
It is tragic. It needs to be dealt with. And I want to use this trip to 
say: Here's an example of what is possible, and let's make sure we 
follow our hearts as a society.
    In terms of Liberia, I am in the process of gathering the 
information necessary to make a rational decision as to how to bring a--
how to enforce the cease-fire, keep the cease-fire in place. I said 
yesterday--I said a while back and I said it again yesterday, ``Mr. 
Taylor must go.'' A condition for any progress in Liberia is his 
removal, in removing himself. And that's the message Colin has taken to 
the United Nations and to Kofi Annan.
    Secondly, that today there is a meeting with ECOWAS, and we had a 
representative at the--you probably knew this before I did,

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Mr. Cobb--but we had a meeting there with our military thinkers to 
determine feasibility, to look at different options. And they have yet 
to report back to the White House. Maybe the information has gone to the 
Pentagon at this point in time.
    So I'm gathering information in order to make a decision that will 
achieve a--that will allow me to make a proper decision as to how to 
bring stability to that country.
    Look, I recognize the United States has got a--has had a, you know, 
unique history with Liberia. And therefore, it's created a certain sense 
of expectations. But I also want to make sure that there are certain 
expectations met as well. And one expectation is Mr. Taylor has got to 
leave. And that message is clear, and I can't make it any more clear.
    As to whether or not--look, once the strategy is in place, I will 
let people know whether or not I'm airborne or not. In other words, I'm 
not trying to make any--I don't need to dramatize the decision. It's 
getting plenty of attention here at home. But we've got--and look, I'm 
just gathering enough information to be rational in what we do.
    You know, you read all kinds of things, of course, in American 
newspapers--it's sport here. I'm sure it is elsewhere as well. The 
gathering of the speculator, the leaker, the whatever--what do you call 
them? The source--[laughter]--people speaking out loud, ``The President 
has done this. The President is thinking this.'' And what I am thinking 
about is how to bring some stability to the country in a way that will 
be effective.
    And there's no question, step one of any effective policy, whether 
we are involved or not, is for Charles Taylor to leave.
    Yes, sir. Around the horn again. We call it going around the horn.

Temporary Protective Status for Senegalese

    Q. We understand that many African countries, like many countries in 
the world, get a lot of help from their immigrants living in the United 
States.
    The President. Yes.
    Q. And in the South America, at one point there were some special 
programs for immigrants, illegal immigrants, living here from Nicaragua, 
from El Salvador. Will you consider supporting a special program for 
countries that are fighting for a democracy--for the----
    The President. Temporary protective status, we call that TPS. We 
analyze that on a case-by-case basis. TPS generally is granted for those 
who are fleeing a very difficult political situation. In Senegal's case, 
the situation doesn't look very--it looks the opposite of difficult 
political situation. It's a very stable political situation. But we'll 
analyze any TPS requests.
    National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. ----remittances.
    The President. Are you talking about remittances, people sending 
money from here to there?
    Q. No, what I'm saying is like a TPS, to support democracy in 
countries because they can't on that--the Senegalese here sent about $80 
million a year to their country.
    The President. So it's a combination of status and money being 
remitted, yes.
    Well, we look at that. Of course, you know--TPS recognizes that, 
first of all, illegal immigration is an issue that we've got to deal 
with. And nobody wants anything illegal happening. But we recognize 
people come to our country not legally and that sometimes they come for 
political reasons. And that's why we have the TPS exceptions. And we'll 
look at it case by case.
    Yes, sir.

South Africa

    Q. Mr. President, you mentioned in the efforts of Americans to 
support peacekeeping in countries like Nigeria. What about South 
Africa----
    The President. Same.
    Q. ----presently engaged in the Congo and Burundi?
    The President. No, very much so. I should have--I brought it up only 
in the context of Nigeria. I feel the very same way about--I will not 
count this as a question, because I should have mentioned South Africa. 
You're absolutely right. South Africa has been a leader. President Mbeki 
is a leader. When you think about the continent of Africa, you think 
about leadership, you think about President Mbeki. He's taking strong

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positions along with President Obasanjo, and providing troops--the South 
African.
    I will be visiting, by the way, a training base there in South 
Africa. I look forward to doing so. The South African Army is a very 
sophisticated, well-trained army. And President Mbeki has been a leader 
in peace.
    And so now you get a question.

U.S. Support for African Peacekeeping Forces

    Q. Along the same lines, do you foresee increased aid from the 
United States for peacekeeping, like training, equipment?
    The President. Yes, I do. I do. We've been active in training up to 
now. We've trained seven battalions for potential peacekeeping missions. 
I think this is a very important use of U.S. assets. I think the 
American people would understand and support the notion of training 
others to take care of their business in their own neighborhood. And 
that is a--I say, take care of their business, bring peace is what I 
mean by that. And yes, I do see continued activity on that front.
    Yes, sir.

President's Upcoming Visit to Nigeria

    Q. Currently, there is a nationwide strike going on in Nigeria. Does 
that put a--do you have any--how does that affect your planned trip?
    The President. It does not affect it at all. And I've been briefed 
on the strike. I obviously hope it gets settled in a peaceful way. If I 
have to, I'll make my own bed at the hotel. [Laughter] But I'm going. 
[Laughter]
    I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a very interesting trip. 
It's a local issue, one that--when I go to different countries, 
sometimes there's local issues that pop up, not because of my trip, just 
because of the normal course of business. And this happens to be what's 
happening in the country. So I'm not changing my mind.
    Yes, sir.

War on Terror in Africa

    Q. I'm curious, how big a factor--are you concerned about 
international terrorism on this trip? We've seen the numbers drop very 
sharply in terms of sympathy towards the United States. In the aftermath 
of the Iraq war, there were the strains between the United States and 
South Africa over this issue, and a Pew report, in fact, that said that 
44 percent of Nigerians believe that they serve a--believe that Usama 
bin Laden would do the right thing in world affairs.
    The President. Well, I would have to say obviously there needs to be 
an education program, because Usama bin Laden is nothing but a killer 
who has hijacked a great religion. And he doesn't care about innocent 
life. And so I would be glad to have that debate with anybody, anywhere. 
And I would be glad to take those who believe that he is of some kind of 
remedial value, to his point of view, to the World Trade Center and 
introduce them to families who lost life for no reason other than the 
fact that he is a killer.
    Secondly, parts of Africa are--they've got ongoing terrorist 
threats. And the good news is we are working closely with those 
governments to deal with those threats. We've got very good 
intelligence-sharing. We are--the law enforcement officials of these 
countries where there is a direct threat are moving rapidly upon the--
when we enrich the intelligence, when we calibrate the intelligence.
    Kenya is a great country, and it has been a place where there's been 
threats. Everybody knows that. Not only threats, there's been an attack 
in the past. And the Government of Kenya has been very responsive. And 
we are--we are helping them. We're helping other countries in Africa. 
Djibouti comes to mind. There is country after country after country 
where we're working with their governments when we--or they--they ask 
for help, and/or we provide information that we have been able to pick 
up.
    Did you ask whether or not the threats are going down?
    Q. No, I was saying that the admiration of the United States in 
surveys has dropped in the aftermath of the Iraq war, particularly in 
Nigeria.
    The President. No, I got what you're saying. Yes, yes, I beg your 
pardon.
    Well, look, it depends upon what the people are being told 
sometimes. I mean, if there's a constant effort to describe America as a 
non-caring country, then the people are going to have a bad attitude 
about us.

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    But when they know the truth, when the truth comes out, which is 
that we care deeply about the plight of the African citizen, that we're 
not only trading partners--and by the way, most nations, I think, would 
really like to trade with America--that we not only care deeply about 
the pandemic of AIDS but that we hear the cries of those who are sick 
and tired of corruption on the continent of Africa. And therefore, we 
are--we've got a new approach to foreign aid. I think people, when they 
know the facts, will say, ``Well, this is a great country.''
    And the other thing is that no one likes war, and what you heard--
there was kind of attachment to the word ``America'' with war. What 
they're going to find out, the word ``freedom'' and ``America'' are 
synonymous. That's what we believe. We believe in freedom. And we 
believe everybody desires freedom. And that when it's all said and done 
in Iraq, the world will wake up and say, ``Now we understand what a free 
Iraq means to peace and stability.''
    And so I--if I conducted our foreign policy based upon polls and 
focus groups, we would be stumbling all over ourselves. That's not the 
way I do things. I base our foreign policy based upon deep-seated 
principles.
    And this is a peroration to what's been a very, hopefully, 
constructive dialog for you. It has been for me. My message to the 
African people is, we come as a nation that believes in the future of 
Africa. We believe that people want to be free. We will work with those 
who embrace the habits of freedom, that when this Nation sees suffering, 
we will not turn away.
    There is tremendous suffering on the continent of Africa. And we 
will put a strategy in place that effectively spends $15 billion over 5 
years to help ease the suffering from HIV/AIDS. When we see starvation, 
we don't turn our back. We act. We care about the people of the 
continent. And there are--we've got great relations with leaders and 
countries on the continent of Africa, relations which will not only 
make--help enable people to realize their dreams but also make the world 
more safe.
    And that is my message. And I am proud to carry the message on 
behalf of a great nation to a very important, great continent.
    Thank you all for your time.

Note: The interview began at 10:30 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, the President referred to President 
Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal; Dr. Jendayi E. Frazer, Special Assistant to 
the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National 
Security Council; President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria; President 
Thabo Mbeki of South Africa; Abu Bakr Al Azdi, senior Al Qaida associate 
responsible for the May 12 bombing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; President 
Yoweri Kugata Museveni of Uganda; President Charles Taylor of Liberia; 
Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations; and Usama bin Laden, 
leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization. Journalists referred to 
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of 
Zimbabwe's opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change. Journalists 
participating in the interview were: Dame Babou, Sud Quotidien; Charlie 
Cobb, AllAfrica.com; Lalou Akande, The Guardian; and Deon Lamprecht, 
Media 24/Naspers. A tape was not available for verification of the 
content of this interview.