PRESIDENT BUSH: Good morning. It's my honor
to welcome our close friend and my personal friend back to Washington,
D.C. President Chirac, thank you for being here,
sir. We've had a good discussion about our common efforts to
fight terror. I thank the French people, the French
government, for their strong support, and I appreciate your help on the
military front, Mr. President.
We recognize that our war against terror is more than
just military action in Afghanistan; that we have an
obligation to help feed the innocent people in Afghanistan, and that
we've got to make sure that there is a post-Taliban government that
reflects the values of both our countries. And so we had a good
discussion and it's -- I value the advice of the
President. I value his friendship. And I'm so
glad he came back to the country.
Mr. President, welcome.
PRESIDENT CHIRAC: Well, thank you, Mr.
President. I must say, it's always a pleasure and a delight
to be here and to be at your side. And I must say that I
admire you. I admire your calm and your determination in the
difficult circumstances that we have to face together.
The ultimate responsibility of any political official, be he head
of state or head of government, is to ensure the safety of his
people. And that is exactly what President Bush is doing,
what I am doing, what all our colleagues are doing. And to
ensure the safety of the people, we have to use all the tools at our
disposal, the domestic tools and also the international
tools. And by international tool, of course, I refer to the
eradication of the current terrorism.
In this spirit, we talked about the military operations, about
French support, about the political actions that we must take to
establish in Afghanistan all the trappings of a modern state; and also
the urgent need for humanitarian aid, both for refugees and all the
people of Afghanistan. And also, we mentioned the crises across the
world, crises that can fuel terrorism. And of course, by
that I mean that we mentioned, amongst other things, the Middle East
and the need for the peace process to be restored there.
And on all these issues, I wanted to contribute a few thoughts in
the general debate, and that is what I did. And I'd like to
thank him for welcoming me.
PRESIDENT BUSH: We'll take a couple of
questions. I'll take two. The President's agreed to take
two, starting with Mr. Fournier.
Q Sir, this morning you said that the
terrorists -- al Qaeda terrorists are seeking to obtain weapons of mass
destruction. Can you tell us how close they are to getting a
nuclear bomb, or even a bomb that would distribute deadly nuclear waste
across the country?
And to President Chirac, your government says about 2,000 of your
troops will be involved in the U.S.-led effort. How many of
those will be on the ground in Afghanistan?
PRESIDENT BUSH: This morning I did say that Osama bin
Laden, al Qaeda, were seeking to develop weaponry that -- weapons of
mass destruction. And the reason I said that is because I
was using his own words. He announced that this was his
intention. And I believe we need to take him
seriously. We will do everything we can to make sure he does
not acquire the means to deliver weapons of mass
destruction. If he doesn't have them, we will work hard to
make sure he doesn't; if he does, we'll make sure he doesn't deploy
them. And that's why it is so important that we continue our
search for al Qaeda in Afghanistan to hunt them down, to get them on
the run, and to bring them to justice.
But this is an evil man that we're dealing with. And I
wouldn't put it past him to develop evil weapons to try to harm
civilization as we know it. And that's why our coalition is
-- that's why I work hard to keep our coalition bound
together. And that's why we're going to keep relentless
military pressure on him in Afghanistan. And that's why we
must prevail. That's why we must win.
And I told my friend, the President, there's no doubt in my mind we
will win.
The question to Mr. Chirac.
PRESIDENT CHIRAC: I didn't say that France was ready to
put 2,000 men at the disposal of the military operation; on the
contrary, I said that we already had 2,000 men of all three forces
involved in the operation.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Question from the French
press. No, only one question, Mr. Fournier. This
is the old two-question trick; you say you've got one question and he
has two questions.
Would you call on somebody from your press?
Q We are -- I'll ask the question in French,
a question that is directed to both Presidents. And we are
already involved in the military phase. Have we already --
have you already started thinking about the political phase and the
possible increased involvement of the U.N. for the future in that
phase?
PRESIDENT CHIRAC: Of course we have mentioned all
this. And I must say that the military aspect is necessary,
yes, but there are other aspects. And the U.S. and its
allies are currently making efforts to speed up the political process
and the quest for a political settlement in Afghanistan. And
in this respect, we support Mr. Brahimi and what he is
doing. We are all also involved in increasing and stepping
up the humanitarian aid, and we mentioned that this morning.
We spoke about all these issues, because they are all closely
intertwined, as are other issues that haven't yet been mentioned in
front of you ladies and gentlemen: for instance, the
financing of the fight against terrorism, or financial measures to
fight against terrorism; and also the havens that are offered to
terrorists in some countries because of national legislation, and also
the fight against the opportunities that our democratic societies give
these terrorists.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes, I have nothing more to add to
that. I'm in agreement with what the President said.
Q Mr. President, you said this morning that
you wanted more than sympathy or words from other
countries. What nations were you specifically talking about,
and what do you want from them?
PRESIDENT BUSH: I am going to the United Nations to give
a speech on Saturday. And I am going to praise those nations
who have joined our coalition. But a coalition partner must
do more than just express sympathy; a coalition partner must
perform. And our coalition partner here has performed; we
work together.
And that means different things for different
nations. Some nations don't want to contribute troops, and
we understand that. Other nations can contribute
intelligence-sharing, and for that we're grateful. But all
nations, if they want to fight terror, must do something. It
is time for action. And that's going to be the message of my
speech at the United Nations.
I have no specific nation in mind, at least as I stand here now.
Everybody ought to be given the benefit of the doubt. But
over time, it's going to be important for nations to know they will be
held accountable for inactivity. You are either with us or
you are against us in the fight against terror. And that's
going to be part of my speech at the United Nations.
Last question.
PRESIDENT CHIRAC: Just one comment. I would
just like to remind you, ladies and gentlemen, that through Resolution
1373, the Security Council of the United Nations acknowledged the
legitimacy of U.S. action, and also outlined the obligation for all
countries to join the fight against terrorism. So, of
course, all nations and countries contribute according to their
capabilities. But there is no way they can get out of this
commitment. It is the legitimacy and the legitimate reaction
of the U.S. that was endorsed.
PRESIDENT BUSH: The soup is getting cold. Do
you want one more question from the French press?
PRESIDENT CHIRAC: You are the -- you're the boss.
PRESIDENT BUSH: I'm the boss? Well, let's go
eat, then. (Laughter.)