[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 25 (Monday, June 21, 2004)]
[Pages 1072-1079]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
<R04>
The President's News Conference With President Hamid Karzai of
Afghanistan
June 15, 2004
President Bush. Good day. Laura and I are pleased to welcome
President Karzai back to the White House--really glad you're here.
President Karzai. Thank you very much.
President Bush. Thanks for the good visit, and I'm looking forward
to having a good lunch with you and your delegation.
President Karzai. Well, I'm looking forward to that.
President Bush. President Karzai recently visited Fort Drum and
thanked American troops on behalf of the Afghan people----
President Karzai. Yes.
President Bush. ----for their service and sacrifice. And Mr.
President, that was a sign of a true friend. I want to thank you for
doing that.
President Karzai. Thank you very much.
President Bush. I also appreciate your honor and your courage and
your skill in helping to build a new and democratic Afghanistan. You've
been instrumental in lifting your country from the ashes of two decades
of war and oppression. Under your leadership, Afghanistan's progress has
been dramatic.
Three years ago, the Taliban had granted Usama bin Laden and his
terrorist Al Qaida organization a safe refuge. Today, the Taliban has
been deposed; Al Qaida is in hiding; and coalition forces continue to
hunt down the remnants and holdouts. Coalition forces, including many
brave Afghans, have brought America, Afghanistan, and the free world its
first victory in the war on terror. Afghanistan is no longer a terrorist
factory sending thousands of killers into the world.
Three years ago, 70 percent of Afghans were malnourished, and one in
four Afghan children never saw their 5th birthday.
President Karzai. Yes.
President Bush. Today, clean water is being provided throughout the
country; hospitals and clinics have been rehabilitated; and millions of
children have been vaccinated against measles and polio.
Three years ago, women were viciously oppressed and forbidden to
work outside the home and even denied what little medical treatment was
available. Today, women are going to school, and their rights are
protected in Afghanistan's constitution.
President Karzai. Yes.
President Bush. That document sets aside a certain number of seats
for women in the National Assembly, and women will soon compete for
those seats in open elections this September.
Three years ago, the smallest displays of joy were outlawed. Women
were beaten for wearing brightly colored shoes. Even the playing of
music and the flying of kites were outlawed. Today, we witness the
rebirth of a vibrant Afghan culture. Music fills the marketplaces, and
people are free to come together to celebrate in open.
Afghanistan's journey to democracy and peace deserves the support
and respect of every nation, because free nations do not breed the
ideology of terror. Last week, at the G-8 Summit, President Karzai
talked with world leaders about the challenges of building a secure and
stable country.
My Government reaffirms its ironclad commitment to help Afghanistan
succeed and prosper. Security is essential for steady progress and
growth. The forces of many nations are working hard with Afghans to find
and defeat Taliban remnants and eliminate Al Qaida terrorists. We're
helping to build the new Afghan national army and to train new Afghan
police and border patrol. Together, we will maintain the peace, secure
Afghanistan's borders, and deny terrorists any foothold in that country.
I'm proud to call President Karzai a strong ally in the war on
terror.
The United States is also joining with Afghanistan to announce five
new initiatives that will help the Afghan people achieve the peace,
stability, and prosperity they deserve. First, the United States pledges
its full support as Afghans continue to build the institutions of
democracy. America will launch an ambitious training program for newly
elected
[[Page 1073]]
Afghan politicians and help newly elected Assembly members better serve
those who elected them.
Second, Afghanistan and America are working together to print
millions of new textbooks and to build modern schools in every Afghan
province. Girls as well as boys are going to school, and they are
studying under a new curriculum that promotes religious and ethnic
tolerance. We pledge to continue this progress through a new $4 million
women's teacher training institute in Kabul. Graduates of this
innovative program will return to their provinces and rural districts to
train other teachers in the crusade against illiteracy.
Education can be nurtured in other ways as well. Cultural exchange
programs help to foster understanding and respect as well as accelerate
progress. Last year, close to 100 Afghans studied here in various
training programs. More want to come to learn and to share their
experiences, so our third initiative will expand these opportunities to
include more than 250 qualified Afghans who will participate in
Humphrey, Fulbright, Cochran, and other exchange programs.
Fourth, to promote bilateral economic ties, the United States and
Afghanistan announced our intent to pursue a bilateral trade and
investment framework agreement. Years of war and tyranny have eroded
Afghanistan's economy and infrastructure, yet a revival is underway.
Afghans are busy starting their own businesses. Some 15,000 licenses
have already been issued for foreign businesses and investors to explore
economic opportunities in Afghanistan. Working with Japan, we have
rebuilt the Kandahar-Kabul Highway, a vital commercial and
transportation link between Afghanistan's two largest cities. A
bilateral trade agreement will add new fuel to the economic revival.
And finally, we pledge to continue our efforts to create
opportunities for women. The United States is dedicating $5 million to
fund training programs and grants for small businesses. Under the
Taliban, women were oppressed; their potential was ignored. Under
President Karzai's leadership, that has changed dramatically. A number
of innovative programs designed in collaboration with the Afghan
Government are increasing the role of women in the private sector. The
traditional funding we announce today--the additional funding we
announce today will provide Afghan women with small-business grants and
training in business management skills. As my wife, Laura, has said, no
society can prosper when half of its population is not allowed to
contribute to its progress.
The road ahead for Afghanistan is still long and difficult. Yet, the
Afghan people can know that their country will never be abandoned to
terrorists and killers. The world and the United States stands with them
as partners in their quest for peace and prosperity and stability and
democracy.
Welcome, President, glad you're here.
President Karzai. Thank you very much. Thank you. Mr. President,
it's a tremendous privilege and honor for us to be invited again by you
and the First Lady to the White House. It was a great honor for me today
to be speaking to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress. I will cherish
that memory of talking to the representatives of the American people.
There, today I thanked America for the help that it gave us liberate
ourselves and rebuild ourselves and prosper. That help has been the
source of all growth in the past 2 years. Our economy in the year 2002
grew by 30 percent, in the year 2003 by 25 percent or more. In the year
2004, the growth is estimated to be 20 percent. And we are hoping, as
some of the banks have predicted, that the Afghan economy will grow 'til
2008 by 15 percent, and beyond that, for another 5 years, by 10 percent.
Thank you very much. This could of not been possible without your
help, without America's assistance.
We are sending today 5 million children to school. Almost half of
those children are girls. Our universities are open. Our universities
are coming up in all--all over the country, in other provinces of the
country. We are building a national army, a vital institution for the
defense of our country. You want us to stand on our own feet; you want
us to defend our own sovereignty and provide security to our people; and
you're helping us do that.
The national army of Afghanistan is popular with the Afghan people.
Wherever they
[[Page 1074]]
go, people receive them with welcome. In Farah Province, where they went
some months ago, school girls and boys gave them flowers. Thank you very
much for that.
We are also building our police forces. We have a constitution that
we have today which is the most enlightened in that part of the world.
And that constitution has been made possible because of the liberation
that you helped us gain and because of the stability that the United
States helped us have in Afghanistan. As a result of that, we have a
constitution that sets us as an example of an Islamic democratic state.
Thank you very much, Mr. President, for that.
We are looking forward in this relationship to a stronger
relationship, and I'm sure the United States will remain committed to
Afghanistan. Afghanistan is, in the month of September, looking forward
to elections, Presidential elections and elections of parliament and
elections of the provincial assemblies and district assemblies.
So far, we have registered 3.8 million voters, and out of the 3.8
million voters, Mr. President, 35.4 percent are, so far, women. And as
the trend continues, as we move forward to the registration of more
voters, the number of women registering will exceed, definitely, 40
percent. In certain parts of the country, in the central highlands,
today I learned that the registration of women has exceeded that of men.
They are more than 50 percent. This could have not been achieved in
Afghanistan without your help and that of the international community.
Afghanistan has problems too. Among the problems is the question of
drugs. The Afghan Government is adamant--the Afghan people are adamant
to fight this menace, to end it in Afghanistan, and receive your help in
that.
Thank you very much, Mr. President. It's been nice visiting the
United States again. One likes to stay here and not go, it's such a good
country. [Laughter] Thanks very much.
President Bush. Get home and get to work, will you?
President Karzai. Thank you, yes. [Laughter]
President Bush. We'll answer some questions, in the tradition of
democratic societies. Are you ready? We'll start with Hunt [Terence
Hunt, Associated Press].
President Karzai. I'm ready. I now know, Mr. President, what the
free press means. We have it in Afghanistan.
President Bush. That's good.
Hunt.
Saddam Hussein/Usama bin Laden and Mullah Omar
Q. Mr. President, Iraq's Prime Minister says the new government
expects to take custody of Saddam Hussein and all other detainees when
sovereignty is transferred in about 2 weeks, and your spokesman says
that that's under consideration. Will you turn him over by that date,
and what factors are you weighing in that decision?
And President Karzai, who will try Usama bin Laden and Mullah Omar
when they're caught?
President Bush. We're working with the Iraqi government on a couple
of issues. One is the appropriate time for the transfer of Saddam
Hussein, and secondly, we're working to make sure there's appropriate
security. I mean, one thing, obviously, is that we don't want and I know
the Iraqi interim government doesn't want is there to be lax security
and for Saddam Hussein to somehow not stand trial for the horrendous
murders and torture that he inflicted upon the Iraqi people. So we're
working with them.
President Karzai. Usama and Mullah Omar have committed crimes
against the Afghan people, against the people in the United States, and
against the international community. They are international criminals.
They are wanted by the international community. They are wanted by the
world conscience. They have to be arrested and tried. And when they are
arrested, we will consult the international community and find
appropriate mechanism for their trial.
President Bush. Caren [Caren Bohan, Reuters].
Muqtada Al Sadr
Q. Mr. President, you've referred to Muqtada Al Sadr as a thug, and
your administration has promised to bring him to justice. Is it
appropriate for the new interim Iraqi
[[Page 1075]]
government to now welcome him into the political fold?
President Bush. The interim Iraqi government will deal with Al Sadr
in the way they see fit. That's--they're sovereign. When we say we
transfer full sovereignty, we mean we transfer full sovereignty, and
they will deal with him appropriately.
Let's see here. Do you want to run the table, or do you want to go
eat lunch?
President Karzai. Go ahead.
President Bush. Run the table, okay.
Holly [Holly Rosenkrantz, Bloomberg News].
Q. Mr. President----
President Bush. Hold on a second, I'll get you in a minute, please.
A little patience in front of the President here.
Holly.
National Economy
Q. Mr. President, there are signs that inflation may be on the
horizon in the U.S. economy. How concerned are you about this? What are
you--I mean, do you think this might slow down the recovery that you've
been so happy about? Also, if I can ask you a followup on the security
about Saddam Hussein. What guarantee----
President Bush. How many questions? One question apiece. If we're
going to stand out here in 100-degree temperature, let's just have one
question.
Q. Okay.
President Bush. You can pass your question on to some other person,
and I might call on them. I'm not so sure I'm going to be so
international this press conference. [Laughter]
The first question was about am I concerned about economic vitality?
I'm pleased with--what?
Q. ----inflation----
President Bush. No, I thought you said am I worried that inflation
is going to--what I'm pleased about is the fact that our economy is
strong and is getting stronger. All indications are--is that the
economic stimulus plan we put in place is working. There's strong
growth. There is--there are new jobs being added. Consumer spending is
up. Disposable--after-tax disposable income is high. In other words, the
ingredients for continued economic growth are present, and I'm very
pleased. I'm particularly pleased because it means that workers are able
to do their duties to their families.
And I am an optimistic person. I guess if you want to try to find
something to be pessimistic about, you can find it, no matter how hard
you look, you know? I'm optimistic. I have seen what we have come
through. We've been through a recession, a national emergency, corporate
scandals, a war, and yet, our economy is incredibly strong, which speaks
to the great vitality of the American entrepreneurial spirit and the
vibrancy of the small-business sector. And the plans we put in place are
working.
There's more to do. We need an energy plan out of the United States
Congress if we expect our economy to grow in the long term. We need tort
reform. We need to make sure that the--we deal with the cost of health
care in a rational way by not empowering the Federal Government, I might
add, but by empowering consumers. And I've laid out such a plan to do
so.
I mean, there's other things we need to do. We need to make sure
that we don't become economic isolationists. And--no, I'm optimistic
about the future.
Roberts [John Roberts, CBS News], I take it you had a question to
ask.
Q. If I could just pick up on that, sir, about pessimism. Your
presumed Democratic challenger is spending this week and next harshly
critical of your economic policies. And while things have looked good in
the last few months, could the case not be made that over the longer
term of your administration, that you're still operating at an economic
deficit?
And what do you plan to do to avoid the fate of Bush 41 who didn't
get credit for an improving economy in an election year?
President Bush. Well, I think one thing the American people have
seen is that I know how to lead. When I first came to office, the
economy was headed into a recession, and we acted. We acted in a way
that called upon the true strength of the American people, and that is
we encouraged the entrepreneurial spirit to flourish by letting people
keep more of their own money.
[[Page 1076]]
In other words, some might have said, ``Well, let's strengthen the
Federal Government.'' I made the decision to strengthen the pocketbooks
of the people. And they had more money to spend, and our policy is
working. And not only that, we stimulated growth in the small-business
sector. See, I recognized most new jobs are created by small-business
owners, and a significant part of the economic stimulus plan was aimed
at small businesses so that they would have confidence to expand and
grow, and they have.
And we also have overcome corporate scandal, which we acted in a
bipartisan fashion on to make it clear that we're not going to tolerate
dishonesty in the boardrooms of America. In other words, we acted, and
the economy is getting better.
We've overcome a lot. We've overcome a lot through good policy, but
we've overcome a lot because I have great faith in the American people,
in the small-business owners and the entrepreneurs and the workers of
the country. And we're getting--not only are we strong today, we're
getting stronger. Our economy is the strongest of any major
industrialized nation in the world, and there's more work to do, see.
Go ahead, Terry [Terry Moran, ABC News]. No, you've asked your
question. Terry. Hold on for a second. Terry. Thank you, though.
Transfer of Iraqi Prisoners/Saddam Hussein
Q. Mr. President, back on the Iraqis being detained by U.S. forces.
If the Iraqi government is truly going to be sovereign after June 30th,
and if they are expressing the desire to take control over their own
citizens----
President Bush. Right.
Q. ----and the coalition disappears, by what authority----
President Bush. And what coalition disappears?
Q. If the Coalition Provisional Authority, I'm sorry----
President Bush. Okay.
Q. ----the entity disappears----
President Bush. Yes.
Q. ----by what authority does the United States continue to hold the
citizens of a sovereign country----
President Bush. I fully agree that it's a sovereign country. That's
why we're working with them to make sure that there is good security.
Look, nobody wants Saddam Hussein to leave, and when there's a transfer
of responsibility, we want to make sure that he is secure. He's a
killer. He is a thug. He needs to be brought to trial. We want to make
sure that the transfer to a sovereign government is done in a timely way
and in a secure way. That's what we're discussing with the government.
Yes, Stretch [Richard Keil, Bloomberg News]. And then you next.
2004 Election
Q. Mr. President, thank you. Just to follow up on John's question,
in Afghanistan, things are improving, as you've mentioned. In Iraq,
we're about to transfer sovereignty. And even domestically, the economy
is booming. Why is it that you're having trouble pulling ahead of your
opponent, John Kerry? I know you don't pay attention to the polls, but
we are 4\1/2\ months from election day.
President Bush. Yes.
Q. What can you do to improve your political standing as the
campaign moves forward?
President Bush. You see, I think you answered your own question. We
are 4\1/2\ months from election day. In other words, there's a long time
before the election. I'm just going to do my job, Stretch. My job is to
continue to lead. My job is to say to the American people, ``Follow me.
The world is going to be better. The world will be more free. The world
will be more peaceful. The world will be--America will be a stronger
country because our economy will improve. America will be a better
country because we're calling upon the compassion of our fellow citizens
to help a neighbor in need.''
Iraqi Security
Q. Mr. President, I want to follow up on this issue of Iraqi
security because I'm detecting some reservation that you may have about
the Iraqis' ability to really head up their own security after June the
30th, because you seem to signal that there are concerns about their
ability to even continue to detain Saddam Hussein. So what will happen
between now and June 30th that would help
[[Page 1077]]
you overcome that concern? And just related to that, there was a report
from Baghdad yesterday indicating that after the deadly bombing, car
bombing, that Iraqi police, as crowds gathered against the United
States, just stood around and didn't do anything. Why is that happening?
President Bush. Which question do you want me to answer?
Q. Well, I think they're related; both----
President Bush. No, they're not. [Laughter]
Q. Please, I'll say, please.
President Bush. Look, it's very hot out here. We've got a President
from a--a respectful President here. Why don't you just ask one
question, if you don't mind? I don't mean to be telling you how to do
your business. All right, I'll answer both. [Laughter]
First, I just want to make sure that as--when sovereignty is
transferred, Saddam Hussein is--stays in jail. That's just a matter of
discussion and understanding the procedures. That's all we're saying.
I'm confident that when it's all said and done, he will stay in jail. I
just want to be assured.
Listen, we've got--we're over there for a reason. We're over there
to make our country more secure, and one way to do so was to make sure
Saddam Hussein was not in power. Secondly, we're there to help the
Afghan--I mean, the Iraqi people. We want to make sure that he doesn't
come back to power. And so, therefore, it's a legitimate question to ask
of the interim government, ``How are you going to make sure he stays in
jail?'' And that's the question I'm asking. And when we get the right
answer, which I'm confident we will, we will work with them to do so.
Then we'll all be satisfied.
Wendell [Wendell Goler, Fox News].
Q. Mr. President----
Q. How about the second part?
President Bush. The second part was what? I forgot. It was so long
ago that you asked it----
Q. I know. I apologize. I was long-winded.
President Bush. Oh, why did they stand back--look, the Iraqi people
are going to have to figure out how to make sure their country is secure
enough for a free government to emerge. And what you're watching is a
government learning how to protect itself. The transfer of sovereignty
to Iraq means not only will they have the freedom to make decisions on
behalf of their people, but they will have to secure their own country.
And you're watching this happen. You also heard the comments of Prime
Minister Alawi, who made it very clear that these types of acts are
terrorist acts against the Iraqi people.
Wendell.
Reactions of Iraqis and Afghans to Coalition Presence
Q. Mr. President, how do you explain why the success we've had in
Afghanistan appears to be eluding us in Iraq? Is it possible that the
Afghan people objected to the Taliban more strongly than the Iraqi
people objected to the reign of Saddam Hussein?
President Bush. No, that's not possible. The Iraqi people objected
to the reign of Saddam Hussein, and you would, too, if you lived there,
where you couldn't express yourself, where you got tortured, where there
was mass graves.
This is hard work, and it wasn't easy work in Afghanistan, by the
way. I mean, it seems easy now that we're standing here, Wendell, after
several years of working together with this great leader, but it was
hard work. And out of kind of the desperate straits that the Afghan
people found themselves is now a welcoming society beginning to grow.
And the same thing is going to happen in Iraq.
These aren't easy tasks. I mean, somehow there's this expectation,
``Well, all this is supposed to have happened yesterday.'' That's just
not the way it works when you go from a society that has--that was
subjugated to a tyrant--by a tyrant to a free society. And the President
will tell you, it's hard work. It may look easy in retrospect, but it's
not easy. And that's why it's very important for us to speak clearly to
the people of Afghanistan and in Iraq that the United States will help
them, will stay and help them fulfill the mission, which is a free and
peaceful Afghanistan, a free and peaceful Iraq, which are in our
Nation's interests.
First, it's in our interest that we defeat terrorists there than
fight them here. That's our short-term security interest. Secondly, it's
in our long-term interests that we work for free
[[Page 1078]]
societies in parts of the world that are desperate for freedom. And the
reason I keep saying that, Wendell, is because I know that a free
society is a peaceful society. And America is interested in working with
friends to promote the peace, and that's what we're doing. The short-
term solution for our security problem is to find the terrorists and
bring them to justice before they hurt Americans again, is to deny them
training bases, is to deny them affiliates and allies in the war on
terror. That's what we have done in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The long-term solution is to promote free societies that are able to
defeat the forces of pessimism, darkness, intolerance, and hatred.
Okay, a couple more questions. Yes. Let me work my way through the
TV readers.
Q. On another issue, have you been----
President Bush. Which one, you or Sanger [David Sanger, New York
Times]?
Q. Me. [Laughter]
President Bush. Okay.
CIA Employee Identity Disclosure Investigation
Q. On another issue, have you been called to answer questions
regarding the CIA leak? And have you retained the attorney----
President Bush. You need to call--you need to talk to the counsel
over there.
Yes, Elisabeth [Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times].
President's View on the Role of Religion
Q. ----Ron Reagan's remarks at the former President's funeral----
President Bush. I didn't hear them.
Q. He said that politicians should not wear religious faith on their
sleeve. And a lot of Republicans interpreted those remarks as being
critical of you and your position on stem cell. I'd like to ask you
about that.
President Bush. Whether or not a politician should wear their--I've
always said I think it's very important for someone not to try to take
the speck out of somebody else's eye when they may have a log in their
own. In other words, I'm very mindful about saying, you know, ``Oh, vote
for me. I'm more religious than my neighbor.'' And I think it's
perfectly--I think it's important for people of religion to serve. I
think it is very important for people who are serving to make sure there
is a separation of church and state.
Yes.
Status of Military Contractors Under Iraqi Interim Government
Q. Mr. President, questions are being raised about the legal status
of U.S. military contractors in Iraq. Your administration is asking for
them to be granted immunity by the incoming Iraqi government. If they
aren't going to operate under Iraqi law, will they operate under U.S.
civilian law or under what legal jurisdiction?
President Bush. I need to make sure I stay in touch with the lawyers
on this subject. They are the ones who are raising the issue. We'll
continue to work the issue.
Q. So you haven't decided yet?
President Bush. Right.
Mike [Mike Allen, Washington Post].
Q. Mr. President----
President Bush. Yes. I'm getting distracted over here, there seems
to be some noise.
Saddam Hussein and Terrorist Connections
Q. The Vice President, who I see standing over there, said yesterday
that Saddam Hussein has long-established ties to Al Qaida. As you know,
this is disputed within the U.S. intelligence community. Mr. President,
would you add any qualifiers to that flat statement? And what do you
think is the best evidence of it?
President Bush. Zarqawi. Zarqawi is the best evidence of connection
to Al Qaida affiliates and Al Qaida. He's the person who's still
killing. He's the person--and remember the e-mail exchange between Al
Qaida leadership and he, himself, about how to disrupt the progress
toward freedom.
Saddam Hussein also had ties to terrorist organizations as well. In
other words, he was affiliated with terrorism--Abu Nidal, the paying of
families of suiciders to go kill innocent people. I mean, he was no
doubt a destabilizing force. And we did the absolute right thing in
removing him from power, and the world is better off with him not in
power.
[[Page 1079]]
I look forward to the debate, for people saying, ``Oh, gosh, the
world would be better off if Saddam Hussein were still in power.'' I
think we'd have trouble finding takers, particularly those in Iraq as
well. They're now living in a free society, and I repeat, it's hard work
to go from Saddam Hussein to a free society. But we'll get there. And
we'll get there because people want to be free. That's why we'll get
there. People long to live in freedom. And the United States--and I will
continue to make it clear that we will not abandon those who are
building free societies, whether it be in Afghanistan or whether it be
in Iraq.
Richard [Richard Benedetto, USA Today].
Movement Toward Democracy in Afghanistan
Q. Mr. President, there have been some reports that the Afghan
Government has been cooperating with warlords, former warlords in
Afghanistan, and I wondered if you talked about that with President
Karzai today----
President Bush. Yes, I did.
Q. ----and how you feel about it?
President Bush. I did, and he can answer the question, what he told
me.
President Karzai. Yes. See, Afghanistan is emerging from years of
oppression to a free, democratic society. And in democracy, you are
supposed to be talking to each other. You are supposed to be preparing
the country for a better future by negotiating and by understanding each
other. And as the Afghan President, it's my job to take that nation, the
Afghan people, into a better future, through stability and peace, to a
higher degree of democracy, to the elections. It's my job to do that
peacefully. It's my job to keep stability and peace in Afghanistan. And
I will talk to anybody that comes to talk to me about stability and
peace and about movement towards democracy.
No deals have been made. No coalitions have been made, and no
coalition will be made. And they did not ask for it. First of all, we
don't call them warlords. Some of those people are respected leaders of
the Afghan resistance. Some of them are former Presidents, and we
respect them in Afghanistan. Yes, there are bad people in the country as
well with whom we're not making a deal, with whom we are not talking.
This country is moving forward. It's a society now emerging with a
strong civil society sense in institutions, and that's what we are doing
there.
President Bush. Mr. President, thank you very much.
President Karzai. Thanks very much.
President Bush. Lunch awaits us.
President Karzai. Lunch awaits us, indeed. Thank you.
Note: The President's news conference began at 11:27 a.m. in the Rose
Garden at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Usama bin
Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization; former President
Saddam Hussein of Iraq; Muqtada Al Sadr, Iraqi Shiite cleric whose
militia engaged in an uprising in Iraq which began in early April; Prime
Minister Ayad al-Alawi of the Iraqi interim government; senior Al Qaida
associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; and Palestinian terrorist Abu Nidal, who
was found dead in Baghdad, Iraq, on August 19, 2002. President Karzai
referred to Mullah Omar, head of the deposed Taliban regime in
Afghanistan.