For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 23, 2002
Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
1:55 P.M. EDT
MR. FLEISCHER: I have a short report on the President's day, and
then I'll be happy to take your questions. The President this morning
had his usual round of intelligence briefings. And then the President
met in the Oval Office with the King of Morocco, and that was followed
by a luncheon back in the mansion with the King. This afternoon the
President will have a photo opportunity and make remarks on the South
Lawn to the 2002 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams who are visiting in
Washington. And then he will meet with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria,
where they will talk about bilateral relations between the United
States and Bulgaria, and I suspect the topic of NATO expansion might
come up, as well.
And that is it for public events. And if there's any questions you
have, I'll be happy to answer. Ron.
Q -- things on the Middle East. Can you give us deeper
readout on the King of Morocco meeting and if the President made any
headway on enlisting that country or any other Arab nations to pressure
Arafat?
MR. FLEISCHER: Ron, they talked about a variety of issues,
actually, including, of course, the Middle East. I'll come back to
that in a second. But they discussed the importance of a trade
agreement with Morocco that the President raised in the Oval Office.
They discussed the situation in the Western Sahara, and the President
expressed his hope that any issues involving, disputes involving the
Western Sahara would be settled peacefully. And they spent some time
talking about, of course, events in the Middle East.
I think the King noted Secretary Powell's visit and his
appreciation for the Secretary's trip to the region. And they did
discuss various ideas about how to bring peace to the Middle East. I
think one I can just share with you is there was a general level of
discussion about something the Secretary raised during his trip, about
a possible ministerial conference. That continues to be an interesting
idea in the ideas of the President, and that's really where that idea
remains.
Q Can I just follow? So the King -- you're talking about
Powell's trip -- this is a King who, in a photo opportunity, turned
to the Secretary of State and said, shouldn't you be in Jerusalem
first? Did the President make any headway in convincing this or any
other Arab leader that they need to press Arafat to be part of this
peace process?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think the King can express for himself any
messages that he sends. Suffice it to say Morocco has a longstanding
history of looking Westward, of being a good ally of the United
States. And that was the mood and the spirit of the meeting. It
actually was a very good session with the King. He's a -- the
President believes he's a very bright leader. And the President had
previously been to Morocco; they spent some time talking about the
President's previous visit.
But, Ron, as you know, the President has said that there are Arab
nations that can play a very constructive role in bringing peace to the
region. The President believes Morocco is one of them. The President
believes Morocco is working very hard to bring about a peaceful
resolution.
Q Does he believe they're doing enough?
MR. FLEISCHER: Yes, absolutely. Morocco, as I mentioned, is a
nation that has historically looked Westward and has historically been
a good ally, strong ally of the United States. And that remains.
Campbell.
Q Ari, can you clarify -- because it's not just the King of
Morocco, it's the Saudi Crown Prince, and they're not making any secret
about the fact that they don't think the U.S., the President, is doing
enough or putting enough pressure on Arafat. So it looks like you're
at standstill here with you --
MR. FLEISCHER: You're saying -- they don't believe the United
States is putting enough pressure on Arafat?
Q I'm sorry, on Sharon, rather. Thank you. But putting enough
pressure on the Israelis, especially with regard to the Church of the
Nativity and Ramallah. So are you making any headway beyond that, or
is it just a back-and-forth with the U.S. saying, you should do more,
and them saying, no, we want to see more --
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, actually, I think, Campbell, that from the
President's point of view -- and this is something that he talks
about with these leaders, and as you know, the President has now had a
series of meetings and is continuing them with a number of the Arab
nations in the Middle East. He met with the President of Lebanon last
week, the King of Morocco today. Of course, the Crown Prince is
coming. The President has had a series and will continue to have a
series of meetings. He spoke with King Abdullah of Jordan.
And you know from the President's point of view that he believes
Secretary Powell made progress in the Middle East. And the one
overriding factor about events in the Middle East that is guiding this
President is, as he put it, the Middle East is an area where there has
been hatred that is centuries old and there has been violence that is
decades old. And up against that background, that environment, the
President does understand that the key to bringing peace in the Middle
East is a process. And the process from the President began early in
his administration and then it continued on to the events of April 4th,
when the President gave the specific responsibilities he believes need
to be accepted by the three parties in the Middle East in order to
continue progress. And that's where he is.
Q Can I just follow up? Is the President specifically doing
anything to reassure these countries, these leaders that he's talking
to, who have their own concerns about the instability it's causing for
them at home to have the perception be that the President is siding
with Israel on this?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think they understand the President's
views. And one thing they also understand living in the region is they
understand that there is no overnight solution to events in the Middle
East and they don't come to Washington asking for one. They know
that's not the way it works. And so they, I think, have -- I won't
speak for other nations; you will obviously talk to these leaders and
get their points of view directly -- but the President is --
understands that he has outlined the course that he believes needs to
be taken by the three parties in the Middle East in order to continue
to make progress, and that's the cause that he remains committed to.
Q Might there be another key to the peace process that the White
House doesn't talk much about? Would it be easier for Arab leaders to
take the risks for peace that the President is talking about if they
were democratically legitimate, if they were elected?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I don't know how to answer that, Terry. The
President works with the leaders of the region. And the President, as
you know, does believe in the power of democracy throughout the world.
But the President is working with the situation as he found it when he
came into office on January 20th, 2001, and will continue to work
productively with all those leaders, and will look forward to the visit
of the Crown Prince this week, for example.
Q Let me just follow up. The President believes in the power of
democracy. Is the administration doing anything to further the cause
of democracy in these countries which don't have elections, which are
so crucial to the peace in the Middle East. One of the reasons it's
often said that these leaders can't get out in front in the peace
process is because they're afraid of the reaction of their own people,
partly because they don't have legitimate authority.
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, Terry, that's a very complicated question you
ask. And it could be asked about any number of nations around the
world. And the President will work with the elected leaders, the
chosen leaders of the nations around the world, and will work with them
as productively as he can to bring peace, particularly to the Middle
East. I really don't know how to go beyond that, as you know.
Q Did the President urge the King to pressure other Arab leaders
to do more to reduce the violence?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President told the King what he has said
publicly, which is that he believes that the best way to achieve peace
in the Middle East is for Israel to continue to do its withdrawal, just
as the President called on them to do, for Chairman Arafat to act in
deed, and not only in word, to fight terrorism, and for the Arab
nations to use their good influences to reach out and talk to Chairman
Arafat about the need for him to put into action, not just word, his
commitment to fight terrorism. That's the President's message in
private. I can assure you -- in public. I can assure you that's the
President's message in private, as well.
Q Ari, the major obstacle at this point from the Arab world
standpoint is the continued presence of Israeli troops around the
Church of the Nativity and around the Palestinian compound in
Ramallah. Reports from the region on the status of those negotiations
are quite pessimistic. Do you have anything contrary to that, any
reports from Ambassador Burns or others about any progress? And as you
answer, in the last couple of hours, there have also been reports of
new explosions in the Arafat compound. Any indication as to the --
MR. FLEISCHER: John, I'm aware that in the talks concerning
Bethlehem, there was a Palestinian legislator this morning who was
quoted as saying they were constructive. But I think -- it's best to
keep a focus on the longer-term process for how to help the parties to
help themselves in the Middle East, than relentless focus on the
tick-tock of this morning, this afternoon, this evening. Because I
think as one thing everybody knows about the Middle East, is events
change and change rapidly.
The President is focused, despite any incremental moves forward or
backwards, to keep the pressure on the three parties to focus on what
needs to be done in order to achieve peace, which are those three
issues I just outlined before. And frankly, what alternative do the
Palestinians, the Israelis and the Arab nations have, other than to
heed the President's helpful call from that Rose Garden speech? The
alternative is continued violence, and that's not an alternative that
this President wants to countenance. And that's why he is going to
continue so steadfastly to work with the three parties to help them to
achieve those goals.
Q Ari, the explosion?
MR. FLEISCHER: The reports just came in minutes before I came out
here for the briefing. I've started looking into them; I don't have
anything conclusive to share at this time.
Q So in terms of the continued siege of Arafat's compound in
Ramallah and the Church of the Nativity, do the President's calls for
Israeli withdrawal fall into a longer-term picture or an hour-by-hour
picture --
MR. FLEISCHER: No, the President has made his case about what
Israel needs to do, what the Palestinian Authority needs to do, as well
as what other Arab nations need to do. And that remains unchanged.
The President believes that all three parties need to listen to what he
said in the Rose Garden, and that includes Israel.
Q How do you deal with the criticism from the region where the
President said again today, Israel should continue its withdrawal, but
his Chief of Staff goes to a pro-Israel group and says, we might have
disagreements from time to time, from day to day, but we are
steadfast. That is read by the Arab world as essentially the wink-nod,
that we're saying withdraw, but even if we disagree, we're still with
you.
MR. FLEISCHER: John, I don't think it's any secret, going back any
number of administrations and including this administration, that
Israel is an ally, Israel is a democracy. The United States and Israel
do share much, have much in common, and that's a well-known position.
Q First of all, congratulations. When the bells are ringing?
(Laughter.)
MR. FLEISCHER: Oh, that was a question? (Laughter.)
Q No, I was just commenting on it.
MR. FLEISCHER: What's the question?
Q When is the wedding date?
Q Monsoon wedding?
MR. FLEISCHER: I can fall back into presidential spokesman speak
and say we're working on modalities, working on the timing.
Q When we have something to announce --
MR. FLEISCHER: When we have something to announce, we'll announce
it. (Laughter.) All I say is it will be -- I'll let you know when
it will be. I think it will be --
Q Will we be invited?
MR. FLEISCHER: Les? Do you really want that answer? (Laughter.)
Q Congratulations, Ari.
MR. FLEISCHER: Thank you.
Q My question is, two weeks ago -- section of India Globe ran
the same story today Washington Times is running, and every week I have
been asking Secretaries of Defense, State, and also here at the White
House that -- hundreds of Afghanis and Pakistanis also told me that
Osama bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan. Now the story is there --
MR. FLEISCHER: I think that almost any day now you can find some
type of guesswork on the Internet, on any number of newspapers,
anywhere. The fact of the matter is that our United States government
does not know whether Osama bin Laden is dead or alive. The war
against terrorism, no matter whether he is dead or alive, continues to
go on. And one of the reminders the American people have to keep in
the forefront of their minds, in the President's opinion -- and you
saw some examples of this over the weekend, with the warnings to the
banks in the Northeast, with some of the reporting that has come out
about other risks of potential dangers that America faces, the question
of whether or not they have acquired a dirty bomb, which is something
that we have previously identified as something we know they wanted to
do -- the United States remains a nation that is at war.
On the one hand, we have been very fortunate that there has been a
real lull, that there have been no incidents taking place in the United
States. And that's, in good part, thanks to many of the security
enhancements that have been undertaken as a result of congressional
legislation that gave the administration enhanced abilities. But no
one should be under any illusions. We have an enemy that is trying to
hit us and strike us, and it is still an issue that the American people
have got to be concerned with, in terms of America's safety and the
vigilance required.
Now, we haven't had to talk about this for a period of months and
that's a good thing. But the danger signs still remain, and that's
something the President, who still reads a threat matrix every day, is
keenly concerned with.
Q Ari, backtracking a little bit on Goyal's question, the word
family decisions and family-friendly White House have been bantered
about all day today so far. And yesterday President Bush embraced your
upcoming nuptials by kissing you. And he -- (laughter) --
MR. FLEISCHER: Let's keep that off the record. (Laughter.)
Q And he's embracing this decision by Karen Hughes to go back to
Texas, primarily for her son and the fact that she's homesick. What
should corporate America take from this -- this family-friendly White
House -- to deal with these kinds of situations -- pregnancy,
leaving for issues of children? What should corporate America take
from that?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think that the fact of the matter is
whether it's corporate America, whether it's nonprofit America, whether
it's labor unions, academicians, college campuses, the truth is, about
leadership, that every organization takes its role from the person at
the top. That's true for every congressional office I ever worked in,
that the character of the person at the top really does have its way of
spreading throughout rank and file. And that's true for anything. I
think it's a function of human nature.
And one of the reasons I think Karen shared with you -- she
shared with you is because it really does start with our man at the
top, our employer and boss, the President of the United States. That
is his approach. And it's an approach that endears all of us to him in
a very real way, that makes us, I think, better workers, harder
workers, because we work for a very caring man. And that's certainly
the case with Karen, in the care that he has shown toward her and his
understanding of her priorities, which I think are marvelous
priorities.
So I think it's a good lesson for everybody who employs anybody, no
matter what their position in life, is take good care of your workers
and they'll take good care of you.
Q Ari, I'd like to ask you something about Cuba and Mexico and
the United States. When the U.N. had an economic development
conference in Monterrey, Mexico, President Bush was there, and Fidel
Castro had left abruptly. A lot of controversy ensued. Cuban
officials said that Castro left Mexico because the U.S. had pressured
Mexico to ensure that Castro and Bush did not pass at events.
President Fox put out a tape, I think yesterday if I'm not mistaken, of
a conversation --
MR. FLEISCHER: You said who put out a tape?
Q President Castro put out a tape of a conversation he had taped
before when President Fox told him through Havana before coming to the
conference, asking him not to attack the United States, not to attack
President Bush. Although the tape does not accuse Washington of any
involvement in his departure, the impression is there that the U.S.
played a role. What is the position of the White House?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, as you know, the United States has very good
and friendly relations with Mexico. Mexico is a sovereign nation;
Mexico undertakes its own judgments. And we had a very successful
conference in Monterrey, Mexico, where the world came together to focus
on how to get aid to the developing nations around the world. The
President announced additional aid for such nations at that
conference.
So, again, the President addressed this question when he was asked
it down at Monterrey. The President said basically that Fidel Castro
can do what he wants to do. And I think that America's position about
how Castro is an oppressor, somebody who has trampled on human rights
is well-known and oft expressed by the United States but, as I
indicated, Mexico is a sovereign nation and Mexico makes its own
judgments. I can't comment on any phone call that's reported to be
between two leaders.
Q A follow-up, please. After Monterrey, Mexico, for the first
time in history voted in favor of a U.N. resolution asking Cuba to
participate -- to better its human rights record. Mr. Castro
yesterday said that this was a plan hatched by Washington and Jorge
Castaneda, the Foreign Minister of Mexico.
MR. FLEISCHER: I think it would be better for the people of Cuba
if Mr. Castro focused on what that vote represented. It is a reminder
about the eternal need to have human rights around the world, but
particularly in Cuba, where the Cuban people have been oppressed and
don't have liberty, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of
press. So I think Mr. Castro would do well to look within before he
casts his gaze without -- about.
Elizabeth, did you have one before?
Q No, I didn't.
MR. FLEISCHER: I thought you did. We'll come back to you some
other time -- (laughter.) Martha. John Roberts might take yours.
(Laughter.)
Q He's always ahead of the curve. (Laughter.) How do you think
the White House will change on a day-to-day basis with Karen leaving?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think -- let me just say, Karen is the
person who approached me and recruited me to move to Texas to work for
Governor Bush. And she really made me feel welcome and at home when I
made the move, and brought me in to the Texas operation of the Texas
team and to Governor Bush's approach. That was back in the fall of
1999. And I'm going to miss her. I think everybody in this White
House is going to miss her and miss her a lot. She is very, very good
at what she does. And so I think we're all going to have to work a
little harder and try to make up for Karen going home, because she's
hard to replace.
In many ways, on one level, I think none of us, no matter how hard
we work, will ever be able to replace Karen. On the other hand, we all
work for the President. We have a duty to work for the President and
to do the job the President expects of us, and I think that will
happen, as well.
So it's a hard question to answer, Martha, especially today. Karen
is a wonderful, trusted advisor to the President, gives him, I think,
superb advice. She's been a great person for me to work for. I think
one of the little secrets of Karen is she is actually a big delegator.
I think that people who know Karen understand that and know that about
her, and understand that she just really plays a great role in helping
the President and, therefore, helping the country.
But as the President said, she may not be in Washington, D.C., but
she'll always be in his inner circle. And I know that's true and I'm
going to help make that stay true because I think that's great for all
of us.
I see you have a question, Elizabeth.
Q Did this surprise you, this move of hers? Were you guys --
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, yes and no. I understand the importance of
Karen's family and Texas roots. As a New Yorker who moved to Texas --
and so many of my best friends all happened to be from Texas before I
even went to work for Governor Bush, because I worked for the Ways and
Means Committee, Bill Archer of Houston. And I've seen this before in
a lot of people, interestingly, from Texas; they love Texas in a
special way. Returning home means a lot to them. And raising children
in Texas means a lot to them.
I have one family friend from Beaumont, Texas, and they had a
daughter who was born in Washington, D.C., and the grandmother brought
up soil from Beaumont and put underneath the hospital mattress, April,
so that way she could say that her granddaughter was born on Texas
soil. (Laughter.) So I think it's something special about that.
April, you might want to try that, as well. We'll get you some
Baltimore soil. (Laughter.) But I think -- let me say this about
Karen --
Q You did not expect it?
MR. FLEISCHER: I'm sorry?
Q You did not expect it?
MR. FLEISCHER: No, I can't say I was expecting this. I was not.
When Karen told me, it came as a surprise to me. But then when I
started thinking about how, some of the things I'm privy to, the things
I know about Karen and the closeness of her family and the importance
of her family in Texas, it wasn't a surprise for long.
But one of the things -- I've been in Washington 20 years, I've
spent a lot of time on the Hill. Karen has not spent a lot of time in
Washington or on the Hill. And I think that one of the great strengths
that Karen brings to the President, to all of us in this business, is a
reminder that there's a whole bigger world out there other than the way
Washington does its business. That people in Washington sometimes
spend too much time every day taking a look at the internal of who's
up, who's down, who's in, who's out, who said X, who said Y, and there
are plenty of people in Washington who are happy to play X versus Y.
Karen has never, ever been one of those people. Neither is President
Bush, and neither is really the staff that he has surrounded himself
by. And I think that's a real tribute. I used to call it the Austin
way of doing business. And I think, frankly, it's a great change in
Washington.
One of the great strengths about Karen also, and I think one of the
reasons she's going home, is because she's always, as she's worked in
this White House and been in Washington, kept that Texas part of her,
that family part of her, that not-getting-caught-in-the-Washington-way
part of her. And I think that's one of the reasons she's so good at
what she does, because she keeps that more broad, outside-the-Beltway
perspective about the events that really are important to the American
people. And she's still here, so I can't miss her yet, but I know I
will.
Q Ari, you spoke earlier on the Middle East about the need to
keep the focus on what you called the longer-term process, presumably
the peace process, or the need to get there. In a call to AIPAC today,
Prime Minister Sharon laid out a three-step process -- an immediate
cease-fire, a kind of intermediate-range armistice, if you will, and
then eventual determination of borders for Israel and the Palestinian
people. I want to know how you feel this gibes with what the
administration's stated belief that it's important to give the
Palestinians a political process to look toward now as a part of
reducing the violence, and Secretary Powell's comment about perhaps
integrating the political process with ending the violence there.
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, one, I think the President welcomes ideas
that focus on peace, whether they're from Prime Minister Sharon,
whether they're from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, perhaps Chairman
Arafat. The President will welcome people's ideas on how to bring
everybody to the peace table, as opposed to how to continue violence.
I think it's fair to say that the President continues to believe
that it's harder to get to the political process so long as there is
violence. But the President would like to see a way of showing there
is hope at the end of a cease-fire process for people's realizations
and dreams to be reality. And that's the political process.
So I don't think it's fair to say that the President is set in any
one stone about "you must have an end to violence before you have
political talks." The Secretary has been talking about that
repeatedly. And so I think you're going to see, you are seeing, some
willingness from the administration to figure out how to bring the
parties together on those two measures.
Q Two questions. First of all, after 9/11, the President and
-- well, not the President, but several administration officials got on
Al-Jazeera and talked about the administration's policies. Do you have
any plans to do that, in light of the King of Morocco, the Crown Prince
coming? And the second question is, Burns and Zinni are both in
Palestinian area and in Israel. How are they working together? How is
that --
MR. FLEISCHER: You may want to check with State Department about
exactly where people are. I know that General Zinni had a wedding, and
so he was in the United States. I'm not certain if he is actually back
in the region, so you may want to check that with State.
But we work as one team. General Zinni is in the region to help
find ways to bring the parties together. He's particularly focused on
the security aspects of issues. Secretary Burns is in the region, and
has been since Secretary Powell's trip. And we will continue to have a
presence in the region, whether it's direct and in person -- I
anticipate there may be some days where there won't be anybody in
person there, but there will be a lot of working the phones. There
will be days, of course, where there's more than one person in the
region. So it continues at various levels.
I'll keep you informed if there are any additional interviews with
Al-Jazeera. I know that's something that people here do from time to
time, not only with Al-Jazeera but with other media.
Q First of all, again, congratulations. We're happy for you,
your fiancee, and the family. On the Middle East, for months there was
no public emphasis at all on the Israeli or the Palestinian situation.
Now it dominates almost everything. Is there any concern that other
crucial areas of the world are being neglected?
Q Well, you know, I think there's always a difference between
what is asked about and what is the top news of the day, versus what is
the ongoing activities of the United States government. I can assure
you that the ongoing activities of the United States government are
around the world, and we are busily engaged in them -- whether it's
continuing to work toward peace involving Kashmir and issues involving
India and Pakistan, which has been a nice bit of success, it continues
to be an important region of the world; whether it's, of course, the
President's conversations with President Putin and Prime Minister
Berlusconi of Italy about what I think is going to be a very
significant change in the world, about Russia a part of NATO, NATO plus
20.
There are a lot of other issues around the world that continue to
be priorities for this administration. Just because they don't come up
in the time we have for this briefing doesn't mean they don't come up
in a variety of ways throughout the government.
Q Ari, I'm curious, what's the motivation for your reminder
twice today that, in your words in this briefing, that "danger signs
remain." Is there some concern here that the nation's becoming
complacent, that people are letting their guard down? Why all of a
sudden are you --
MR. FLEISCHER: Peter, I just, I think it was important to
highlight, given some of the recent pieces of information that have
been released by the Department of Justice that have made people,
again, for the first time in months, focus again on the fact that we
are a nation at war. I think it was important to say; that's why I
said it.
It doesn't go beyond anything you have publicly heard, but we --
like I said, on the one hand we're very fortunate that we have moved
away from the atmosphere of last fall, where there were a series of
events, including the anthrax attacks and other warnings about
potential attacks on the country. Fortunately, into the winter and the
spring, we evolved away from having reminders of those types. But it's
important to just say. We still are a nation at war. We still have
enemies who want to hit us.
Q But is the President concerned, is there concern perhaps
elsewhere in the administration, that the country is letting its guard
down?
MR. FLEISCHER: No, I can't say I've heard that, Peter. No. I
just think it was an appropriate thing to say publicly, and that's why
I said it.
Q Ari, has the President expressed any reaction to polls which
show his ratings slipping?
MR. FLEISCHER: You're kidding, aren't you? Well, you know, I took
a look at -- for example, the latest one I saw was the Washington
Post today which -- I don't know if you saw it, but way down, buried
in the middle of the Washington Post article about the Mideast was the
President's most recent polling ratings. I think they had him at a 78
percent overall job approval, unchanged for the last month. His
handling of foreign policy, if I remember, was at 70 percent.
So, I mean, frankly, I kind of get a kick out of some of these
things I've seen about critics of Bush this, and critics of Bush that.
I'm often struck by the fact that while the country believes so
strongly the President is doing a good job, there just are a couple
isolated individuals who -- it's like breathing oxygen -- have to
get on cable television and say something critical. There's always going to be that in a
democracy; that's part of the process.
But the American people, as shown by all the data, powerfully,
continually support the President at record-breaking levels for a
record-breaking amount of time. Now, I know that, after a while,
becomes old news, people don't want to tell it anymore, it kind of gets
buried in those stories. But I think that's the fairer, more accurate
snapshot of where the public is.
Q One of those critics is Gary Bauer, who -- it seems that you
can't pick up a newspaper without him criticizing the President for
something. What does the President think of Gary Bauer?
MR. FLEISCHER: He thinks it's a democracy, and Mr. Bauer is
entitled to his opinion. It makes for good cable, I guess.
Q But they don't talk? Do they ever communicate?
MR. FLEISCHER: Mr. Bauer communicates through cable. (Laughter.)
Q Ari, as you know, there are revelations out of Jenin in recent
days that have exacerbated the Arab antipathy toward Israel and toward
the United States. And as you know, on Friday -- or Thursday, the
Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia likened them to war crimes. I'm
wondering how the President has reacted in recent days to the reports
coming out of Jenin, and how he might have expressed any feelings about
this to the King of Morocco today?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the President reacts by saying that he wants
facts, he wants information. The President understands that in
war-like situation -- and Israel said this was a war, I think the
Palestinians have said something similar -- that truth is often one
of the first casualties, and that it's important for the facts to be
determined. And the United Nations is working toward that goal. And
the President will await a review of the facts, to make any
determinations.
Q Ari, I'm sorry, did he address in any way with the King today
the antagonism that the Arabs have expressed --
MR. FLEISCHER: I think they had a very broad discussion about, as
I indicated at the top of the briefing -- the needs for all of the
parties to do what the responsibilities the President discussed in the
Rose Garden.
Q I add to the warmest congratulations.
MR. FLEISCHER: Thank you, Lester.
Q Half a page of Sunday's New York Times reports that some of
Idi Amin's 48 children are hoping he can return to Uganda from Saudi
Arabia. And my question is, does the President think that this would
be a good thing, or does he think Amin should be extradited to stand
trial for murdering at least one quarter of a million blacks? And will
he be willing to suggest this extradition to his guest in Crawford on
behalf of all of these murdered blacks families?
MR. FLEISCHER: Les, I have no information on Idi Amin. That's the
first I've heard about this. Let me see if there's anything I can
develop along those lines.
Q That would be great. The President's fellow Republican
Congressman Bob Barr, in commenting on the GAO report of extensive
vandalism when the Clinton staffers had to leave the White House, said,
"it should not matter whether the damage was $14 or $40,000. No one
should get away with deliberately vandalizing one of our country's most
sacred public monuments, the White House." And my question is, does
the President believe that Congressman Barr is wrong, and that those
Clinton people should get away with it, Ari?
MR. FLEISCHER: Les, I think the President from the very first
moments of this White House said he was looking forward and not
backward. And that's always been the tenor --
Q You mean they should get away with it then?
MR. FLEISCHER: I think, Les, a lot of things have happened that
are now part of closed chapters. And the President is looking
forward.
THE PRESS: Thank you.
MR. FLEISCHER: Thank you.
END 2:26 P.M. EDT
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