For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 23, 2003
Press Gaggle with Ari Fleischer at Crawford Elementary School
Crawford Elementary School
Crawford, Texas
Audio
12:53 P.M. CDT
MR. FLEISCHER: I'm going to begin with a couple of announcements
about upcoming events for the President. Then I'll be happy to take
your questions. We will have a senior administration official who was
involved in all the meetings with the Japanese Prime Minister coming
here after the lunch. There's a lunch that begins -- that began 20
minutes ago. So I anticipate he'll get here close to 2:00 p.m., and
he'll be able to provide you additional background information on the
meetings. I'll do my best with some of it, so I may refer you to him
on many of the questions, if you have them.
I'm going to begin with the week-ahead. We'll have a little bit of
news in the week-ahead, so I want to share some things with you. I'm
going to go beyond this week. On Sunday, the President will return to
Washington, D.C.
On Monday, the President and Mrs. Bush will participate in a
wreath-laying ceremony at 10:45 a.m. in the morning at Arlington
National Cemetery. The President will also make remarks, of course, on
Memorial Day.
On Tuesday, the President will welcome to the White House the 2002
World Champion --bla-bla-bla -- (laughter.)
Q I want to see that in the transcript. (Laughter.)
MR. FLEISCHER: That is spelled *&@!
That afternoon, the President -- Tuesday afternoon, the President
will also sign into law what's called the U.S. Leadership Against
HIV-AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003, which is, of course,
the President's initiative which he asked in the State of the Union to
have emergency relief to fight AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean. We'll
have a significant ceremony on Tuesday to mark the signing of that
important legislation.
Currently there are no plans, public events on Wednesday or
Thursday. We'll update you on that. Friday the President will depart
for Europe. I do anticipate that the jobs and growth bill will be
signed before the President leaves for Europe.
A couple other items: On Tuesday at 4:00 p.m., Dr. Joseph O'Neill,
the Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, will be the guest
on Ask The White House, our web page chat. That will be Tuesday at
4:00 p.m.
Now I want to give you some other news. I'm pleased to announce
that Matt Schlapp has been named to replace Ken Mehlman as Deputy
Assistant to the President and Director of Political Affairs. Matt
previously served as a Special Assistant to the President and Deputy
Director of Political Affairs. Before his appointment, Matt worked on
the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign where he served as the regional political
director. In 1994, he helped elect Kansas Representative Todd Tiahrt
to the House of Representatives, and he served also as chief of staff.
Along the same lines, in 2000, the President's compassionate
conservative message and record of leadership attracted broad support
across the country. We are hopeful that the President's strong
leadership and bold vision for the future will again attract support in
the coming months. Next month the President will attend the following
fundraisers on behalf of Bush-Cheney 2004:
On June 17th, the President will attend a fundraiser in Washington,
D.C. On June 20th, the President will travel to Greensboro, Georgia;
on June 23rd, to New York City; on June 27th, to San Francisco and Los
Angeles; and on June 30th, Miami and Tampa.
And with that, I'm happy to take your questions. Scott.
Q A couple of questions. You said the President will sign the tax
cut before leaving. Did you mean to say he will sign it that day,
Friday, or just sometime before he leaves for Europe?
MR. FLEISCHER: Sometime prior to his departure.
Q Could I ask you to just explain to the best of your ability
what is meant by "tougher measures," or at least what the options are?
Both Koizumi and the President talked about that in the context of
North Korea.
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think, as you see from the strong unity of
the United States and Japan, and the comments you've heard from others
in the area, and China's active participation, and South Korea's stated
concerns, that North Korea has met a united neighborhood that will not
be blackmailed. And that is a message that the President hopes will
increasingly sink in with North Korea's leaders as they think forward
what they will do.
North Korea has to face important decisions about do they continue
a belligerent path or a path that may lead out of their isolation. And
as they consider their options, they're seeing a united neighborhood,
as the President and Prime Minister Koizumi stressed today.
Q Is a blockade an option? Are sanctions a option? What are
options for tougher measures?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, we -- the President has always said that we
leave all options on the table. But the President and the Prime
Minister, in their discussions, talked about how the diplomatic route
is the route they will pursue.
Q Ari, a couple things. On the road map, does the structure of
this now -- by implementing the road map while Israel still has
reservations -- are you going down the Oslo kind of route where you're
leaving the tougher questions for later?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the road map speaks for itself. It's a
public document. The road map outlines a series of steps and actions
that the Israelis need to take, that the Palestinians need to take, and
that they need to take together. The President is very pleased by the
most recent developments. Once again, this may represent a bright
moment in the Middle East. Now, bright moments in the Middle East
often become cloudy. But for the time-being, this is a very positive
development, and that's what the President is focused on.
When the President announced the road map, he said, we will welcome
contributions from the parties. That is what we are now hearing, and
we are welcoming their contributions. And we will address their
concerns, as we implement the road map.
Q On the tax bill, can we assume that the President will be
back to seek -- to make permanent all the temporary items that are now
in the bill?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I'm not going to get ahead of the story. The
President is looking forward to signing it. The President thinks it
will give a boost to the economy. I can give you some statistics about
it: 91 million taxpayers will receive on average a tax cut of $1,126
under this agreement; 68 million women will see their taxes decline on
average by $1,338; 45 million married couples will receive average tax
cuts of $1,786; 34 million families with children will benefit from an
average tax cut of $1,549; 6 million single women with children will
receive an average tax cut of $558; 12 million elderly taxpayers will
receive an average tax cut of $1,401; 23 million small business owners
will receive tax cuts averaging $2,209 -- one more -- 3 million
individuals and families will have their income tax liability
completely eliminated by the act.
Q Well, when you add all those up, you still get what Bush
defined as an "itty-bitty" tax cut. So does he have to come back to
make these permanent to get what he has wanted?
MR. FLEISCHER: I'm not going to predict every step down the road.
The President continues to think that the best way to help the economy
and the right thing to do for the taxpayers is to let people keep the
money they earn. But I'm not going to predict future events.
Let me just ask, even though Ellen is wearing sneakers, to just
enough pause so she can coming running over to you with her
microphone. (Laughter.)
Q Can you give us a little bit of a readout on what was said
between the President and the Finance Minister of the Palestinian
Authority? What did they talk about? What did they achieve?
MR. FLEISCHER: On Wednesday, shortly after the President's return
from New London, the President met with the Palestinian Finance
Minister in the Oval Office for 20 minutes. The President's National
Security Advisor, Dr. Rice, had previously met with him. And the
President stressed his commitment to a two-state solution, to Israel
and a Palestine living side-by-side in peace, with security for
Israel.
The President told the Finance Minister, one, that he viewed the
Finance Minister as a real reformer. He is. He's a man who has really
worked hard for honesty and transparency, and fought corruption in the
Palestinian Authority. And the President stressed his strong views
that Prime Minister Mazen is also a reformer. He finds in each of them
qualities that the United States can work with because they're good
leaders.
So that was the tenor of the conversation. That is the first
meeting the President has had with an official of the Palestinian
Authority since his presidency.
Q Did he ask for anything specific from him in terms of actions
in the Palestinian Authority, as opposed to asking the Prime Minister?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President stressed the need for security, to
fight terrorism. He stressed that it will be much harder to achieve
peace if the violence continues, and reminded him of the important need
for the Palestinian Authority to fight terror.
Q Did Prime Minister Sharon ask for the statement that was
issued this morning?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the statement was the result of considerable
diplomacy that was carried out by the President; by Secretary Powell,
who played a very helpful role; by Dr. Rice; and there were many
conversations with many officials in the region -- Arab leaders, as
well as the Israelis and the Palestinians -- and it represents a way
forward.
Q But was it -- did Sharon make it a prerequisite that the
U.S. go on the record acknowledging Israel's serious concerns about
some provisions in the road map?
MR. FLEISCHER: No, I put it the way I did -- it's part -- this is
reflective of the ongoing successes of the diplomatic efforts. This
often is what it requires. You have Israel and the Palestinian
Authority who look to the United States to help provide leadership, and
this President has said that he will help provide it. That involves
listening carefully to the concerns of both parties and helping find
ways to bring both parties together.
Q Do you have anything on Uday Hussein looking to give himself
up?
MR. FLEISCHER: I've looked into those reports and I have nothing
to indicate, nothing to confirm or discuss. I don't find anything more
to it.
Q Back on the road map. Was the meeting with the Finance
Minister not publicized as part of this diplomacy, as part of bringing
Sharon on board? And secondly, were the Palestinians told ahead of
time that this White House statement would come out today?
MR. FLEISCHER: In terms of the meeting with the Palestinian
Finance Minister, of course, I told you about it yesterday.
Q But not the day before when it happened, when you would
usually tell us when something like that happened.
MR. FLEISCHER: That's correct. I think the President believes
sometimes the best diplomacy is a mixture of public and private, and he
uses his judgment about what will be the most helpful to making
progress diplomatically. Sometimes the best diplomacy is allowing
quiet meetings to take place, allowing the leaders to report back to
their officials. And that's part of the mix of diplomacy.
Q Can you say why in this case that seemed to be the best way
to go about it?
MR. FLEISCHER: I'll just say that I think the proof is in the
pudding. This has been a week of real progress in the Middle East in
helping unite the Israelis and the Palestinians behind the road map.
Q Can you comment on advance notice for the Palestinians of the
statement that came out today?
MR. FLEISCHER: I leave it just as I did in the statement about the
ongoing diplomacy.
Q What will help the President make his decision as to whether
he should push for this meeting between Abu Mazen and Ariel Sharon?
MR. FLEISCHER: The question is what will help the President make
his decision about whether to push for a meeting with Abu Mazen and
Ariel Sharon. But the parties still have responsibilities. It remains
important for the Israelis and the Palestinians to take actions in
accordance with the preliminary steps of the road map that follow on
the spirit of the good news announcements today. And so the President
is always exploring ways of playing a useful role at the appropriate
time, and I think he will look for the parties to continue carrying out
their responsibilities and make a judgment.
Q Ari, you said the road map won't be rewritten and that the
changes will come as you implement it down the road. Does this mean
that the deadlines that are already set out in the road map will
change? I mean, one is coming up at the end of May, which seems a
little obvious we won't get to that one, will we?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, what's important now is to move to the
implementation phase of the road map. And that's where the President
is focused. And the actions are important; the President looks to them
to carry out the actions. We want to listen to the concerns of both
sides -- if both sides have anything they want to talk about as we
implement the road map. And I want to -- I'm going to leave it that
way.
Q You seem to be saying that the deadlines are going to slip,
or can slip. Is that -- would that be correct?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the President is committed to carrying out
what the road map says. It begins with this implantation phase, and
that's what he would like to see begin in earnest.
Q On the meeting with Koizumi, both leaders said for North
Korea that they're looking for a peaceful solution to the issue. But
both agreed that if North Korea continued to further escalate the
situation, that tougher measures would be necessary. Did the leaders
discuss at all what the tougher measures might be and did they come to
any agreement? And, if they did, can you elaborate?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I was asked that earlier and I talked about
how there is a united front in the neighborhood, which sends a very
powerful signal. Indeed, the very fact that the Prime Minister of
Japan and the President of United States meeting today, standing
shoulder-to-shoulder, sending the same message to the North Koreans in
and of itself is a helpful and useful message to the North Koreans.
Q Just to follow up on Heidi's question a little bit. What
needs to happen specifically with responsibilities of the parties in
order for a summit to come together, a three-way summit?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, those responsibilities are laid out in the
road map. Those responsibilities involve the continued fight against
terror by the Palestinian Authority, actions by the Israelis to help
improve the human conditions of the Palestinian people, a willingness
and a commitment by both parties to continue to make progress.
Q Ari, several Presidents have invested a lot of time and a lot
of political capital in trying to bring the Israelis and Palestinians
together. What is different this time? Why is the President running
the risk of squandering political capital?
MR. FLEISCHER: I think as longtime observers of the Middle East
will tell you, nothing is easy. This road map represents a way
forward, but it can also be a bumpy road. That's the history of the
peace process in the Middle East. Often there are unforeseen detours.
And that's why the President's focus is on helping the Israelis and the
Palestinians to stay on the road. That's why he made the phone calls
to Prime Minister Sharon and Abu Mazen this week.
And bear in mind one fact as you look at what has taken place today
with the statement out of Israel saying what they will do with the road
map. This comes on the heels of a bad week of violence in the Middle
East. Yet, the parties are not deterred. And that is hopeful. And
that's why the President has worked it so hard this week. That's why
he made the phone calls; that's why he had a meetings; that's why
Secretary Powell has been so deeply involved, and Dr. Rice, as well.
So at a time where previous violence could have knocked things off
course, the President is pleased that events are moving on course. But
it's a difficult course, but it's a hopeful moment. We'll see how long
it can last. The President is committed to making it last and
traveling down the road that the road map lays out.
Q Ari, at this point would the President consider meeting Prime
Minister Sharon without meeting Prime Minister Abbas? Or are they now
intertwined?
MR. FLEISCHER: No, the President has always said that he would
look forward to a meeting with Prime Minister Mazen. He was previously
scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Sharon. That is a meeting that
will, indeed, be made up at a later time per the calendar and schedule
both of the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of
Israel. And now laid in on top of that is the possibility of a
three-way meeting. So you can expect any combination of the above to
continue happening.
Q On North Korea again, the President said Japan agreed to
participate in talks. But isn't the question, are China and North
Korea open to that participation? Is there any sign that they would
accept Japan and South Korea as partners?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, we think it would be productive of North
Korea to be open to this. After all, it is their neighborhood, these
are their neighbors. And a sign from North Korea about its desire to
be welcomed into the neighborhood would be to welcome the talks to the
parties that live closest to the area. After all, why would North
Korea exclude the Japanese or exclude the South Koreans if they want to
pursue a good neighborhood policy and be a responsible nation?
Q And China's position on that?
MR. FLEISCHER: I can't speak for China's position. China,
however, has been playing a productive role, as you know, in a very
helpful way, and we see that as ongoing.
Q What kind of discussion on Japanese economy was there? And
was there any discussion on the exchange rate of --
MR. FLEISCHER: I think what I'll do is on those questions
specifically about any discussions on the economic matters between the
United States and Japan, I'll wait for the background official to get
here -- I think he can do it more justice.
Anything else?
Q Is there not a mixed message going out from the
administration that you're handling this tax cut bill that's being
enacted even as the Congress is working to lift the ceiling on the
national debt by nearly a trillion dollars?
MR. FLEISCHER: Absolutely not. If the Congress hadn't even taken
up the tax bill, the Congress would have to lift the ceiling on the
national debt today in all cases. So the two are not connected.
Q Why is it so important to start fundraising so early?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the President has a very busy schedule of
official events he has a limited window in which he can participate in
his own direct political affairs as he prepares for an election -- a
reelection. And so the process does begin. This is, in fact,
beginning later than for a few Presidents; earlier than for a few other
Presidents. Basically, it's beginning right about in the same season
that it historically has. So that's why.
Q Can I ask you --
MR. FLEISCHER: You're playing ping-pong with poor Ellen. She's
traveled over there --
Q It's good exercise.
Q I was going to ask why all the fundraisers are jammed into
one week, but I think you answered that by saying he had -- do you know
how much he's going to raise in that week?
MR. FLEISCHER: No. What we'll do is, as we standardly do with all
our events, on the day before the event I'm sure you'll remember that
question and you'll ask me how much does he raise at each event. And
as it gets close to the event, when we actually have the best estimates
at hand, we will give it out.
Q Did you misspeak when you said Greensboro, Georgia? You
meant North Carolina, didn't you?
MR. FLEISCHER: I did not misspeak. It is, indeed, Greensboro,
Georgia. That was my first question -- is did my piece of paper
misspeak, Reed Dickens -- and he assures me the piece of paper did not
misspeak, it says, Greensboro, Georgia because it is Greensboro,
Georgia. Greensboro, Georgia is located in Greensboro, Georgia.
(Laughter.)
Q And they've got Republican money.
Q Any public events for the President tomorrow or Sunday?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, Sunday, of course, he will depart. But, no,
tomorrow I anticipate a quiet day at the ranch.
Q And you briefing -- will you brief tomorrow or Sunday?
MR. FLEISCHER: The "cherubic one" will be here Saturday and
Sunday, so I would refer to more cherubic officials.
Q Subject of the radio address?
MR. FLEISCHER: Subject of the radio address? It will be
riveting. (Laughter.) Okay, if nothing else --
Q He's going to talk about riveting? (Laughter.)
MR. FLEISCHER: If nothing else, I hope everybody has a very happy
and relaxing Memorial Day Weekend. Thanks.
END
1:14 P.M. CDT
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