THE PRESIDENT: Lord Robertson,
thank you very much for coming. I appreciate your friendship
and I appreciate the consultations we just had.
I want to welcome Nick Burns, our
Ambassador to NATO and, of course, Secretary of State Colin Powell, as
well.
Within 28 hours of the assault on
September 11th, NATO, for the first time in its 52 years of existence,
invoked the Collective Defense Clause. It didn't take long for our
friends to respond. A lot of that had to do with the
leadership of Lord Robertson. This was an act of great
friendship in a time of great need, and our country will never forget.
Today, NATO nations are acting together in
a broad campaign against terror. Britain is side by side
with us in Afghanistan. The nations of NATO are sharing
intelligence, coordinating law enforcement and cracking down on the
financing of terrorist organizations. Some NATO members will
provide logistic support to military operations. And others
have offered to fight if we deem necessary.
And right now, in a unprecedented display
of friendship, NATO air surveillance aircraft are on their way to the
United States to help keep our country safe. Lord Robertson,
I want to thank you for that, as well, and so do the American people.
This has never happened before, that NATO has come to help defend our
country. But it happened in this time of
need. And for that, we're grateful.
Together, we're building a very strong
coalition against terror. And NATO is the cornerstone of
that coalition. But I want to remind my fellow citizens, the
coalition goes way beyond NATO.
Russia is sharing intelligence and
offering strong diplomatic support. The Organization of American
States invoked the collective defense clause of the Rio
Treaty. Japan and Korea are offering logistical and other
support. I had a great conversation with Jiang Zemin of
China about his desire to join us in fighting terrorist activities.
Military forces from Australia and New
Zealand are standing by to assist in combat roles if
needed. In Africa, the Organization of African Unity has
moved quickly and strongly to condemn the attacks, and many are
offering basic services, such as overflight and the sharing of
intelligence.
In the Middle East, many nations including
Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are offering law enforcement,
intelligence and other cooperation. In short, many nations understand
what NATO expressed, that an attack on us is really an attack on
legitimate governments and on freedom.
I want to welcome again our friend to the
Rose Garden. Lord Robertson has provided extraordinary
leadership for an incredibly important alliance. He's a good Scotsman,
like many Americans are. He could have been a Texan, it
seems like to me, because he is courageous, open, forthright, and not
afraid to take a stand and to do what's right for freedom.
Lord Robertson, welcome to the Rose
Garden.
SECRETARY GENERAL
ROBERTSON: Mr. President, thank you for these kind and
generous words. I'll take them back to the headquarters of
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, because that is the
organization that you're part of, we're part of, and which has stood in
solidarity over all of these years.
I want to pay a tribute to your leadership
during this difficult time for your country, in this difficult time for
the world, as well. We stand shoulder to shoulder in a new
kind of struggle, and a struggle that we have to win.
The NATO allies, in the wake of the
terrible atrocities of the 11th of September wanted to move beyond
sadness and sympathy, and we moved to solidarity and
support. And that is why we invoked Article 5 of the
Washington Treaty, conceived here in Washington in 1949 in very
difficult circumstances; and where the language is clear and simple, an
attack on one is an attack on all of the nations of the Alliance.
NATO still represents the biggest
permanent coalition on this planet: 19 nations in the Alliance, 27
nations in addition in the Partnership for Peace and part of the
Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. And NATO is providing
now, as you said, serious and strong practical support to the United
States and the U.S.-led coalition operations that are going on in the
world today, a unique contribution, political cohesion through Article
5; real capabilities, like the AWACS aircraft that will be flying over
continental United States by Friday of this week; the tying-in of the
partners and the partnership, military interoperability that worked so
well for the coalition in the Gulf War, and a new look at the
adaptation of forces so that we're ready to deal with the threats of
the future, just as we were able to deal with the enemies of the past.
So the Alliance will continue to combine
the best of America and Europe at this difficult and troubled times.
These terrorists are not 10 feet tall,
they are not insuperable. They're not unvanquishable. But
we are, and we can win, and we certainly will win. And I'm
very, very proud that NATO and the 19 nations of the Alliance are at
the heart of a global coalition against the most evil criminals of our
age.
I'm very proud, Mr. President, that you
thought fit to describe me as a candidate for being a
Texan. (Laughter.) Given my background, I know
that you've been in Scotland before, and I haven't been in
Texas. But I'll take it as a compliment, and I believe that
you could be a Scotsman, as
well. (Laughter.) Like the great Scotsmen who
made this great country as well, and who, at the moment, happen to be
leading this Alliance. And this Scotsman, in particular, is
proud to be doing it and is determined that we'll win.
Thank you very much.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you,
sir. God bless you. Thanks for coming.