For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 17, 2001
Press Gaggle
By Ari Fleischer the James S. Brady Briefing Room
9:50 A.M. EDT
MR. FLEISCHER: Good morning,
people of the gaggle. President Bush spoke this morning with
President Zayid of the United Arab Emirates. The
conversation lasted approximately 10 minutes. The two spoke
about cooperation against terrorism. And President Bush
thanked President Zayid for his public statements in support and for
his willingness to help.
Earlier this morning also, as you may
know, the President went to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building
and greeted employees on their way in, thanking them for doing their
part, it's a symbol of what everybody across the nation is doing today
as they do their part in returning to work.
The President, as we speak, is in a
National Security Council meeting. Then at 10:40 a.m., the President
will depart the White House en route to the Pentagon. And
the President will have a meeting at the Pentagon on the Reserve
call-up. He's going to meet a group of Reservists and thank
them for their efforts. He'll be briefed on the status of
the call-up and he will talk also about the gratitude he's shown for
the families and the employers of those who have been called up to help
our nation as it prepares to be put on a war footing.
Q Do you expect
he'll talk to the pool, Ari?
MR. FLEISCHER: Let me keep
going, then I'll take questions. The President will come
back to the White House, and then at 1:30 p.m., the President will make
a phone call to Harold Levy, who is the Chancellor of the New York City
public schools. Chancellor Levy will be joined by Secretary
Rod Paige, will be at his side.
The President is going to talk to him
about the efforts that New York City is making with federal assistance
to welcome children back to school. Secretary Paige will make an
announcement about federal assistance to the New York City public
schools today, in the form of money to help with counseling and other
services to help families and loved ones and parents as the kids go
back to school.
In mid-afternoon -- and we will give you
the exact location later -- the President will depart the White House,
where he will go to an Islamic center in the Washington, D.C. area --
Q Is this
reportable?
MR. FLEISCHER: Yes, it
is. He will go to an Islamic center in the Washington, D.C.
area to meet with Islamic leaders and congregants. And the
President feels very strongly the importance of all leaders across
America sending a message that Arab Americans, Muslim Americans love
their flag, too.
Q What time is
that?
MR. FLEISCHER: Mid-afternoon.
Q No specific
time?
MR. FLEISCHER: We'll provide
that shortly. At 3:45 p.m. this afternoon, the President
will be at the White House for a meeting on economic policy, talk about
the economy and, also, in particular, talk about the airline
industry.
Mrs. Bush will be leaving today to attend
a memorial service in Pennsylvania for those who lost their lives in
the crash of the flight in southwestern Pennsylvania.
And that's the rundown on the schedule
today. I've got some info on briefings. General
Ashcroft and Director Mueller will brief at 12:30 p.m. I will be
briefing at 1:00 p.m. As I mentioned, the President will be
calling up to New York at 1:30 p.m. That event, right now, I
have no coverage on that event, just so you know. The pool
event at the Pentagon -- there will be an event at the Pentagon, of
course, and the visit to the Muslim center, the Islamic
center. I anticipate some elements --
Q How about the
economic --
MR. FLEISCHER: No, it's a
regular, private meeting.
Q Can we at least
get a transcript of the phone call, Ari?
MR. FLEISCHER: That's an
interesting -- let me see if we can't do that.
Q And it's with the
economic team, the economics meeting? Who is going to be
involved in that?
MR. FLEISCHER: Economic
meeting? Yes, his regular economic team.
Q Ari, where is the
Vice President and where is he working during the day and where is he
staying at night?
MR. FLEISCHER: I don't know the
answer to that. I just don't know.
Q Ari, the economic
team, will O'Neill be there or --
MR. FLEISCHER: The President
has a regular group in the White House that is his economic
team. It's Larry Lindsey, it's the domestic policy staff,
Josh Bolten. That's the group. They've been spending a lot
of their time looking directly at the domestic consequences of the
terrorist attack.
Q Will Mineta be
part of that?
MR. FLEISCHER: What you have to
understand, this is the internal White House group, this
group. And they are always in touch with their appropriate
Cabinet agencies. But it's an internal White House working
group.
Q Has the President
heard back from the Pakistanis yet, concerning the Taliban?
MR. FLEISCHER: The government
continues to be in contact with the Pakistanis, in a variety of
ways. Certainly, the conversations are two-way
conversations. So the administration talks to the
Pakistanis, the Pakistanis talk, share information with us.
Q Have they agreed
to do what we ask them to do?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I have not
characterized what it is that we've asked them to do. You
notice Secretary Powell yesterday also did not characterize what we've
asked them to do with specificity. But the American
government is appreciative of the efforts that the Pakistanis are
making.
Q Well, the stories
are correct, aren't they, that we've asked them to turn over --
Q We've asked
Pakistan --
Q I think the
question is, what's the response back from the Taliban, through the
Pakistanis?
MR. FLEISCHER: I cannot confirm
those reports, that the Pakistanis are doing that.
Q Ari, where are we
in terms of the coalition that the President is trying to
build? Do you have a list of countries that are on line?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I don't
think you're going to see a list of the coalition. What
you're going to see is an effort by nations around the world to do
their part. And I've already walked through with you the
types of activities that the United States is talking to these nations
about, whether it's political, economic, military, financial,
diplomatic.
And I think what you're going to see is,
to varying degrees, different nations around the world doing different
things, different levels of support. Some nations, many
nations, it's going to be rather robust. It's going to
incorporate many of the areas. For some, it may be a
contribution in smaller ways, one or two ways on what I just
indicated. And it will vary from nation to nation, as each
nation is able. And that's the type of effort that the
President is working on world leaders with.
Q Are we asking
them to do specific things, or is that -- is it that nebulous, that
everybody offers --
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I just
indicated some very specific categories, and we are asking nations to
do specific things.
Q And is the
President at all concerned about some of the comments that have come
out -- President Putin, German officials, Italian officials -- which
are not as robust in their support. Italian officials saying
the word "war" is inappropriate; German officials saying their military
is not going to get involved?
MR. FLEISCHER: And as you know,
Secretary Rumsfeld spoke with the Italian Defense Ministry and was very
encouraged with Italy's response and reaction. So, too, was
the President, based on his conversation with President (sic)
Berlusconi.
Q And is the
President -- is the administration going to work through the United
Nations at all? Some countries have said that they will get
involved in a U.N. Security Council sanctioned
operation. What is the U.N. strategy?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President is
going to continue to work with a variety of means. And some
are multilateral, some can include the United Nations, for example,
others are going to be direct and bilateral.
What you should expect is the President is
going to do what it takes. And that means a variety of approaches that
recognize the issues that different nations have to consider as he puts
together a coalition to combat terrorism at all levels and on multiple
levels.
Q Ari, what is the
White House view of the extent and type of aid that should be provided
for the airline industry?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the
President will meet today with his economic team to consider a variety
of issues involved with helping the airline industry. The
President is very concerned about the health of the airline industry
and he'll start to get some clear indications today about what possible
options there may or may not be.
Q He will, or we
will?
MR. FLEISCHER: He.
Q To follow up on
Terry's question, can you tell us with specificity whether the
President intends currently to seek U.N. Security Council sanction on
any military activities apart of this campaign?
MR. FLEISCHER: Let me try to
obtain that.
Q And a follow up
on Keith's question. Is it just the airline industry that
the President is concerned about, or are there other industries -- the
insurance industry, other parts of the U.S. economy that may be
upstream or downstream from --
MR. FLEISCHER: No, that's why I
said he's going to have a briefing today on the status of the
economy. And, of course, the economy includes multiple
sectors.
Q But the airline
industry has received special attention. Should there be
others that also are going to receive special White House attention,
like the insurance industry?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think
you have to allow the meeting this afternoon to take place, and I'll
tell you -- to the degree I can -- what type of conversations the
President is having.
Q When we take
whatever military action we're going to take, what are the risks of,
one, retaliation back to us and, two, getting moderate Arabs and
Muslims mad at us?
MR. FLEISCHER: Let me take the
first question. I think what people have to recognize -- and
I think you are hearing it and seeing it from the President and all his
advisors -- is America is preparing for war. And that does
include the risks and the possibilities of harm to Americans, wherever
they may be, including at home. And that's why the President
has cautioned that people must be vigilant. The nation and
the government are doing everything it can. But one of the
great blessings of our country is our openness, and with that openness
comes risk. And that is the reality of the world we face
right now.
Q And
diplomatically, the moderate Arab states and so on being not so happy
about --
MR. FLEISCHER: The President
will continue to work building coalitions with different nations, and
different nations will respond accordingly. But many of
these nations face risks if they don't do anything.
Q Ari, can you
speak to the concerns about if Pakistan gets involved with an attack on
Afghanistan, how internal strife may destabilize a country with nuclear
weapons?
MR. FLEISCHER: I'm not going to
get into hypotheticals.
Q It's not a
hypothetical, it's an analysis.
MR. FLEISCHER: I'm not going to
get into hypotheticals.
Q Ari, has the
President spoken to Chairman Greenspan?
MR. FLEISCHER: I don't
know. I'll have to ask.
Q Do you have a
reaction on the Fed action?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No. The President -- the standard
policy of not commenting on interest rate cuts is in place.
Q To follow up on
Keith's question, it sounds like the President is supporting some sort
of bailout package, but they're just working on exactly what form and
how much it will be?
MR. FLEISCHER: No, I didn't
indicate that. I said the President is going to have a
briefing today about economic conditions, including that of the airline
industry. So I just urge you to suspend until the meeting
can take place.
Q -- to stimulate
the economy, specifically, that the President is considering now?
MR. FLEISCHER: I couldn't hear
the beginning of your question.
Q Are there other
options that the President is considering taking to stimulate the
economy?
MR. FLEISCHER: I can only ask
you to let the meeting take place, and I'll try to give you a report.
Q Do you expect
decisions at that meeting, or not? Difficult to say?
MR. FLEISCHER: It will take
place in five, six hours, and I'll be available.
Q Over the weekend
there were two -- seems to be the first of the killings for the
backlash against Arab Americans, Muslim, Middle Eastern and -- and a
Pakistani killed in Dallas, and a Sikh in Phoenix. Is
today's Islamic event -- the Islamic Center event related to that, and
does the President have a comment about those deaths?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I can tell
you, the President wanted to go there exactly out of -- well, for two
reasons. One is because it's just the right thing to
do. It is the tradition in the history of our nation -- we
are a nation of immigrants. We are a nation from around the
world. And no matter where someone comes from or when they
got here, they are just as American and they love our country just as
much as everyone else. And that's true in times of war, just
as much as it's true in times of peace. But it needs to be said more
often in times of war. And that's why the President is
going.
He's very concerned about any violence
that would take place to anybody as a result of ethnicity or
background. And he -- I can tell you, in the private
meetings he's been in with members of Congress, the President has said
to the members directly, it is a leadership test for all of you -- for
all of us -- to speak out and tell people, and remind people, that
Muslim Americans and Arab Americans love this country,
too. And I think that is going to be an ongoing issue where
it's important for all leaders to speak out. And the
President will do so today. It's important.
Q On the domestic
front, how similar will this wartime footing be to past wartime
footings? Will we see rationing? Will we see a
draft? Will we see sacrifice on those levels in this country?
MR. FLEISCHER: I can't
predict. I just can't say.
Q Are you
interested in preparing the country to make those kinds of sacrifices?
MR. FLEISCHER: I think the
country gets it. I think the country understands that we're
heading into what the President calls a new war of the 21st
century. And I think the country also understands that this
is not 1941. I think the country understands that in a war
on terrorism, you're dealing with people who don't have capital cities,
they don't have troops of the traditional nature. And that
means the war is going to get fought on multiple levels, as Secretary
Cheney talked about -- as Vice President Cheney talked
about. I just think the American people get that, and the
American people are preparing.
Q Ari, there are
apparently a lot of people on Capitol Hill that don't feel that they're
being as well informed by the White House as they should
be. Does the White House agree with that, and are there
plans to increase the flow of information over to the Hill?
MR. FLEISCHER: As I stated
repeatedly, conversations with the Hill are terribly
important. The Hill has a vital role to play at this time,
and they have an important role to play at all times. They
have a vital role to play. And the Office of Congressional
Affairs is working as hard as they can to work with all members of
Congress to provide them with everything we can possibly provide.
Q So they are being
provided sufficient information?
MR. FLEISCHER: We hope
so. I mean, I recognize that there are going to be some who
differ with the amount of information that is provided, but the
administration is going to work as hard as it can to satisfy all
possible concerns.
Q Ari, in terms of
getting the country prepared for war -- and I'm not asking for
specifics -- does the President want to, and does he plan to travel the
country and seek out different venues where he can make that case
outside of Washington?
MR. FLEISCHER: He does want to,
yes. And I'm not going to get too far down that road on the
schedule, but I think you can anticipate that in time.
Q Ari, has the
President been involved in any discussions relating to Reagan National
Airport, or have you heard him discuss the issue? Has he
expressed his views on the subject to Secretary Mineta or --
MR. FLEISCHER: I don't
know. I don't know about the President specifically and
Reagan.
Q How about others
here at the White House?
MR. FLEISCHER: I'd have to run
some -- I couldn't tell you about every conversation everybody has
had.
Q Ari, in light of
the Vice President's comments yesterday about having confidence in our
country, the last I checked to Dow was down over 500
points. Do you have any comments on this opening or any
advice to investors or anything?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well,
one. Given what took place in the Asian markets and other
markets, some could say that this is not unexpected. But
beyond that, the fundamentals of the economy remain very strongly and
solidly in place. And markets are long-term, and I'm not
going to comment on fluctuations, large or small, up or down on any
given day.
Q How much
attention is the President paying to domestic issues and to the economy
in specific, given that, obviously --
MR. FLEISCHER: There's no
doubt, in the immediate aftermath of the attack, the President spent
most of his time planning on security details. But as you know,
Secretary O'Neill has been a part of these conversations at varying
levels, and the President is concerned and is focusing his time on the
economy and on the domestic consequences of this. But I
don't want to give you any other indication. In the
immediate aftermath, the President's first thoughts were on matters of
security.
Q On the request
that the Attorney General and the FBI Director will be making of
Congress on changing the way that Congress deals about wire-tapping and
other things, what is the sense of urgency that the administration on
having that legislation passed? Is it something that it
needs as a tool to deal with the current situation of peril that the
administration has -- the country in, or is it something that can wait
and see two or three months down the road?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President
supports the Attorney General's efforts, of course. There
are important steps that can be taken to enhance our ability to prevent
attacks on the United States and to win this war. But beyond
that, I think you're going to get a briefing from -- and the details,
at 12:30 p.m. from the appropriate officials.
Q The sense of
urgency, though?
Q What are the
President's thoughts about balancing civil rights against the need for
stepped up protection? Where does he -- how does he see
this, how do you have balance for this?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President
thinks that we can and must have both. It's vitally important to have
both.
Q Will we need to
infringe, even slightly, on civil liberties, in order to protect
ourself at this point?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President,
again, thinks that you can have both. And that has to be the goal of
policy makers.
Q You may have
already answered this. If so, I just didn't hear the
question. Any reaction to the Taliban's reported refusal to
turn over bin Laden?
MR. FLEISCHER: I indicated that
I didn't confirm that anybody -- the Pakistanis had asked for
it. I can't confirm that they have.
Q Who's attending
the NSC meeting now?
MR. FLEISCHER: The usual
National Security Council team. I didn't look in the room,
but it was presumably Secretary of Defense, Condoleezza Rice, Secretary
Powell. I don't have a list in front of me.
Q Ari, the early
indications are that although we've seen a great increase in flag
sales, we did not see any dramatic increase or even noticeable increase
in enlistment in the armed services. Number one, is the
President disappointed by that, and, number two, is the administration
considering taking any steps to boost enlistment?
MR. FLEISCHER: You know, I
think that's a DOD issue. But from everything that I have
heard, the volunteer forces that we have are the world's finest and
best and are capable of the task to which they will be assigned.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
MR. FLEISCHER: Thank
you. I'll be back to brief later.
END 10:10
A.M. EDT
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