President Bush Names Randall Tobias to be Global AIDS Coordinator
Remarks by the President in Announcement of the New Coordinator of U.S. Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally
The Roosevelt Room
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all; please be seated. I appreciate very
much our Secretary of State for joining us, and Tommy Thompson, the
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary. I want to thank
Andrew Natsios, who's the administrator of USAID. I want to thank Joe
O'Neill, who is the Office of National AIDS Policy, for joining us. I
want to thank Elias Zerhouni, who is the director of the NIH. Where
are you, Elias? There you are; thank you for coming, Doctor. And Tony
Fauci, is here, as well -- honored you're here, Tony.
It's good to see Richard Lee Armitage, who is the Deputy Secretary
of the Department of State. Thank you for coming, Rich. I appreciate
the Tobias family for joining us. Marianne, thanks for coming; and
Paige and Tim and Todd and Amy, I'm honored you all are here, as
well.
Five weeks ago I signed into law the emergency action plan for AIDS
relief. It's one of the largest humanitarian undertakings in our
history. The plan will provide $15 billion over the next five years to
fight AIDS abroad. Millions of lives depend on the success of this
effort and we are determined to succeed.
To direct this mission, I have chosen a superb leader who knows a
great deal about lifesaving medicines, and who knows how to get
results. I'm pleased to announce my nomination of Randall Tobias to
serve as the Global AIDS Coordinator.
Randy is one of America's most talented and respected executives.
He was Vice Chairman of AT&T; International and Chairman of ATT
International, guiding the firm through immense organizational
challenges. He went to head Eli Lilly and Company, one of our nation's
largest and most innovative pharmaceutical companies.
He is a highly regarded civic leader and philanthropist in his home
state of Indiana. Throughout his career, Randy has shown the ability
to manage complex organizations and to navigate government
bureaucracies. He has earned a reputation as an executive of great
energy, resourcefulness, good judgment and integrity.
As Global AIDS Coordinator, Randy will have the rank of Ambassador,
and will report directly to Secretary of State Powell. He will
coordinate all of our international HIV/AIDS activities for all of our
government departments and agencies. He will oversee all resources of
this program. And he will work with the faith-based and community
groups to get the job done. He will report regularly to Congress on
the progress and effectiveness of our efforts.
Randy Tobias has a mandate directly from me to get our AIDS
initiative up and running as soon as possible. We'll work quickly to
get help to the people who need it most by purchasing low-cost,
anti-retroviral medications and other drugs that are needed to save
lives. We will set up a broad and efficient network to deliver drugs
to the farthest reaches of Africa, even by motorcycle or bicycle.
We will train doctors and nurses and other health care
professionals so they can treat HIV/AIDS patients. Our efforts will
ensure that clinics and laboratories will be built or renovated and
then equipped. Child care workers will be hired and trained to care
for AIDS orphans, and people living with AIDS will get home-based care
to ease their suffering.
Throughout all regions of the targeted countries we will provide
HIV testing. We will support abstinence-based prevention education.
Faith-based and community organizations will have our help as they
provide treatment and prevention and support services in communities
affected by HIV/AIDS. And we're developing a system to monitor and
evaluate this entire program, so we can be sure we're getting the job
done.
Next week I will go to Africa to meet with leaders of African
countries and with some of the heroic men and women who are caring for
the sick and are saving lives. They deserve our praise. They deserve
our help, without delay. And they will have our help.
When I visit Africa I will reaffirm our nation's commitment to
helping Africans fight this disease. America makes this commitment for
a clear reason, directly rooted at our founding: we believe in the
value and dignity of every human life. We're putting that belief into
practice.
We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we're eager to get started.
I'm hopeful that the Senate will act quickly to confirm Randall Tobias
as our Global AIDS Coordinator, and that the United States Congress
will fully fund my request for this lifesaving initiative. I'm also
hopeful that other nations of the world will join us to combat the AIDS
pandemic.
I want to thank you very much for coming. May God bless our work,
and may God bless the work of Randy Tobias.
MR. TOBIAS: Mr. President, thank you very much. It's an honor and
a privilege to be asked to take on this role, and I approach it with
enthusiasm and with optimism.
The statistics that describe the HIV/AIDS pandemic are really
nearly incomprehensible. AIDS has already killed almost 20 million
people in sub-Saharan Africa, where it is the number one cause of
death. And without intervention, it will claim the lives of
one-quarter of the population in the next decade. Of those in the
world who are infected with this disease, 75 percent -- nearly 32
million people -- live in Africa or in the Caribbean. More than 14
million children have been orphaned by this terrible plague.
Clearly, HIV/AIDS is first and foremost a health problem, but the
implications of this pandemic reach into every aspect of life. As but
one example, in a part of the world where malnutrition and starvation
are already rampant, 7 million agricultural workers in Africa have
already died from AIDS.
When you signed this legislation into law, you said that the United
States of America has a long tradition of sacrifice in the cause of
freedom and a long tradition of being generous in the service of
humanity. You reminded us that we are the nation of the Marshall Plan,
the Berlin Airlift, and the Peace Corps. And now, Mr. President,
thanks to your leadership, we are also the nation of the emergency plan
for AIDS relief.
Over the past few weeks, I have had the unique opportunity to
witness firsthand the strength and the depth of your personal
commitment to this effort. And I look forward to working with you and
those in your administration, with the Congress, and with the many
non-governmental faith-based and community organizations who are
already so engaged in doing so much. And I look forward to listening
to and learning from the leaders and the people of the nations who are
most impacted by this extraordinary crisis -- for, in the end, they are
what this is all about.
Thank you very much for this opportunity to help.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Randy. Good job.
I'll answer a couple of questions here today. Let me start off
with Deb.
Q Mr. President, a posse of small nations -- like the Ukraine
and Poland -- are materializing to help keep the peace in Iraq. But
with the attacks on U.S. forces and the casualty rates rising, what is
the administration doing to get larger powers, like France and Germany
and Russia, to join the American occupation there?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, we'll put together a force
structure who meets the threats on the ground. And we've got a lot of
forces there, ourselves. And as I said yesterday, anybody who wants to
harm American troops will be found and brought to justice. There are
some who feel like that if they attack us that we may decide to leave
prematurely. They don't understand what they're talking about, if
that's the case.
Let me finish. There are some who feel like -- that the conditions
are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring them on.
We've got the force necessary to deal with the security situation. Of
course we want other countries to help us -- Great Britain is there,
Poland is there, Ukraine is there, you mentioned. Anybody who wants to
help, we'll welcome the help. But we've got plenty tough force there
right now to make sure the situation is secure. We always welcome
help. We're always glad to include others in. But make no mistake
about it -- and the enemy shouldn't make any mistake about it -- we
will deal with them harshly if they continue to try to bring harm to
the Iraqi people.
I also said yesterday an important point, that those who blow up
the electricity lines really aren't hurting America, they're hurting
the Iraq citizens; their own fellow citizens are being hurt. But we
will deal with them harshly, as well.
Q Sir, Liberians are hopeful the U.S. will send peace-keepers.
What's the likelihood of that, and how soon will you decide? And is
there a danger of U.S. forces being stretched too thin?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, look, we're looking at all options. I've
tasked the Secretary of State to talk to Kofi Annan on how best to deal
with Liberia. We're concerned when we see suffering, people are
suffering there -- the political instability is such that people are
panicking.
But the good news is there's a cease-fire in place now. And one of
the things that Colin is going to do is to work closely with the United
Nations to see how best to keep the cease-fire in place. We're
exploring all options as to how to keep the situation peaceful and
stable.
One thing has to happen: Mr. Taylor needs to leave the country.
And Colin has made that a -- I made it clear publicly; I've just made
it clear again; he made it clear to Kofi Annan. In order for there to
be peace and stability in Liberia, Charles Taylor needs to leave now.
We're looking at all options, Steve, and Colin has got the -- has
got the diplomatic initiative taking place.
Q Mr. President, we understand you talked with President Putin
this morning.
THE PRESIDENT: I did. He wished me a happy birthday. (Laughter.)
Q It was a birthday phone call?
THE PRESIDENT: I expect you to do the same thing. (Laughter.)
Q Happy birthday to you, a few days early.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. It's not until the 6th, however.
(Laughter.)
Q You can never be too early with these things.
THE PRESIDENT: That's right. (Laughter.)
Q But did you discuss the situation in Iran and did you --
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, we did.
Q -- and did you discuss the situation in Liberia?
THE PRESIDENT: No, we did not discuss the situation in Liberia.
We did discuss the situation in Iran. I thanked him for keeping the
pressure on the Iranian government to dismantle any notions they might
have of building a nuclear weapon.
And we're making progress on that front. Not only does Vladimir
Putin understand our concerns and shares the concerns, the EU, for
example, has sent out a very strong statement to the Iranians that the
world expects them to conform with the IAEA, to cooperate with the
IAEA, and to get rid of any plans to develop a nuclear weapon.
We also talked about North Korea. And I appreciate his
understanding that the best way to deal with North Korea is to do so in
a multinational forum, where the United States and China and South
Korea and Japan and, hopefully, Russia all sit down with the North
Koreans and make it clear that the world expects them to dismantle a
nuclear weapons program, and at the same time will be willing to help
the starving North Korean people.
We're making progress on those fronts, and it's helpful to be able
to cooperate with Russia in dealing with matters of international
security.
Yes, Terry.
Q Mr. President, do you support, or do you oppose a federal
constitutional amendment that would define marriage as a union between
a man and a woman?
THE PRESIDENT: I don't know if it's necessary yet. Let's let the
lawyers look at the full ramifications of the recent Supreme Court
hearing. What I do support is the notion that marriage is between a
man and a woman.
Any other questions? I'm willing to exhaust questions, today. I
feel like I'm on a role. (Laughter.)
Q I've got --
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, Steve.
Q There's been some recent good news out of the Middle East,
would you like to comment on that? What do you expect the parties to
do now, the Palestinians and Israelis?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we're pleased with --
Q And when is Prime Minister Abbas coming?
THE PRESIDENT: I don't know that yet.
Q Okay.
THE PRESIDENT: We are pleased with the progress in the Middle
East. I want to thank the parties in the Middle East for willing to
take a risk for peace. I am pleased with the hard work that our
Secretary of State has done, along with Ambassador Wolf, who has been
shuttling back and forth between parties, reminding people of the
commitments they made to our government -- me, personally -- the
commitments they made to me, personally, in Jordan.
I am optimistic, but I also recognize the nature of the Middle
East. I mean, there are people there who still hate. They hate
Israel. They hate the idea of peace. They can't stand the thought of
a peaceful state existing side-by-side with Israel. And they are
willing to -- may be willing to attack. And what we must continue
to do is to reject that kind of thought. That's why we spoke out
clearly. I spoke out, the Secretary of State has spoken out, on Hamas.
Hamas is not a peaceful organization when they're willing to blow
people up and destroy innocent life. And so we are making progress,
but the progress will be ultimately made when the world, particularly
that part of the world, firmly and finally rejects terrorist
activities.
The other thing that needs to happen, Steve, is that institutions
that will enable a Palestinian state to emerge need to be -- continued
to be fostered and put in place. There needs to be a constitution.
There needs to be a capable security force. There needs to be economic
hope. The Palestinian people must know that by accepting a peaceful
government, by embracing the Prime Ministership of Abu Mazen, that
there is a better day ahead for them when it comes to making a living.
And so we will work with all parties to promote economic
development in a secure environment. And so we're making progress.
I'm pleased. I think we're all, the best way to describe it is we're
really happy with what we've seen so far. But we're realists in this
administration. We understand that there has been years of hatred and
distrust. And we'll continue to keep the process moving forward.
I talked to President Mubarak and King Abdullah of Jordan today. I
praised them for their efforts. I continue to -- I urged them to
continue to stay involved in the process, that we all must continue to
-- I urge them to continue to stay involved in the process; that we all
must continue to reject terror; that we must call terrorists what they
-- by their real name. We must condemn terror in all instances. We
must cut off money to terrorist organizations in order to keep this
progress moving.
Yes, Terry.
Q On weapons of mass destruction, is it fair to say now, after
two months of looking for them, that there is a discrepancy between
what the intelligence community and you and your top officials
described as the threat from Saddam Hussein, and what was actually
there on the ground?
THE PRESIDENT: No, Saddam Hussein had a weapons program.
Remember, he used them. He used chemical weapons on his own people.
Saddam Hussein is no longer a threat to the United States, because we
removed him. But he was a threat -- such a threat that my predecessor,
using the same intelligence, in 1998, ordered a bombing of Iraq. I
mean, so, no, he was a threat. He's not a threat now. And the world
is more peaceful by virtue of the fact that he is not in power.
See, we've been there, what, how many days? You're counting the
days since we've been there? Because I'm not. Eighty, ninety?
Frankly, it wasn't all that long ago that we started military
operations. And we got rid of him, much faster than a lot of people
thought. And so we're bringing some order to the country and we're
beginning to learn the truth.
But he played his hand, Terry -- he, Saddam Hussein -- when he used
chemical weapons. And then he played his hand by not letting people
come in and inspect for the weapons. He had them. And it's just a
matter of time. It's a matter of time. The man was a threat to
America. He's not a threat today.
But what we're really finding out, as well, is the threat he posed
to the Iraqi people. I mean, we have uncovered some unbelievable
scenes. I have not seen them, myself; they've been described to me,
what it means to see mass graves opened up, with the remains of men and
women and children murdered by that regime.
He was a threat to America. He was a threat to freedom-loving
countries. He was a threat in the Middle East. But what we're finding
out is the nature of this man when it came to how he dealt with the
Iraqi people, as well. And it was -- it's unbelievable what he did.
And I -- when it comes to the AIDS initiative, we believe in human
dignity, we also believe that everybody ought to live in free
societies, too.
And so we'll stay the course in Iraq. As I said, there's people
there that would like to run us out of there, create the conditions
where we get nervous and decide to leave. We're not going to get
nervous, and we're not leaving until we accomplish the task. And that
task is going to be a free country run by the Iraqi people. And that,
in turn, will help the peace in the Middle East. That, in turn, will
bring stability in a part of the world that needs stability. And I am
-- I'm optimistic about achieving this objective because I believe that
people want to be free. I believe it's in the nature of the individual
to love freedom and embrace freedom.
And so it has been a great honor to lead our nation in not only the
cause of humanitarian relief through an AIDS initiative, but also to
lead our nation to free people from the clutches of what history will
show was an incredibly barbaric regime.