For Immediate Release
July 4, 2003
Press Gaggle with Ari Fleischer
Aboard Air Force One
En Route Dayton, Ohio
11:00 A.M. EDT
MR. FLEISCHER: The President today will deliver remarks
celebrating our national independence day, and he'll also commemorate
the 100th anniversary of flight. A large portion of his remarks will
honor America's military troops, who are still doing so much around the
world, they and their families sacrificing for the good of our
country. And the President will thank them and talk about their role
that they play around the world.
Then the President will return to the White House and will have no
other public events this weekend. That's what I have for you.
Q Is there going to be a lid tonight when he gets back,
essentially?
MR. FLEISCHER: There will be for today. I can't guarantee you one
for the weekend, however.
Q Ari, what do you make of Taylor's agreement to step down?
MR. FLEISHCER: Several points. One, we are aware of the
statement. We do not yet have official government confirmation, so we
are aware of the reports of the statement. If the reports are
accurate, this is an encouraging sign. The President urges Mr. Taylor
to back up his encouraging words with deeds so that the stability of
the region can be achieved, so that peace can become effective, and so
that the lives of the Liberian people in the region can be improved.
Q What effect does his statement, if it does turn out to be
true, have on the President's decision to send troops as part of a
peacekeeping force?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the President hopes that his statement is
true. He hopes that it will be backed up by deeds that will indeed
allow the international community to have a - more of an effective
opportunity to create peace and put an end to the brutal way of life
that was marked in Liberia. There still is no decision made by the
President about commitment of troops. I can inform you that the
President has authorized the departure of an assessment team to the
region to work with nations in the area, to work with the United
Nations on what is needed to establish stability. They'll work with
ECOWAS and they will begin conversations with regional leaders about
what is effective to achieve stability.
Q We already had one of those meetings. How is this
different from the people who are already there?
MR. FLEISCHER: People in the ECOWAS meeting, but now an assessment
team - which will be sent from the Pentagon that will go over, outside
of -- in addition to ECOWAS -- including ECOWAS, but in addition to
ECOWAS -- to have meetings, a series of meetings with leaders, not just
limited to ECOWAS, but bilateral, to discuss how closely, most
effectively to have --
Q -- in Liberia? Or can neighboring - I mean, physically,
where will they be?
MR. FLEISCHER: The Pentagon will be the ones who report out
exactly where and when they will leave. The Pentagon is in charge of
the modalities in the region.
Q Ari, what do you make of Taylor's - he seemed to have a
condition that he would leave if - he wanted a foreign force to come in
first.
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, stability is important, but stability can be
impossible to achieve unless Mr. Taylor leaves. And his statement is
encouraging, if true. It's important that he act on it. And if it's
true, the exact timing will be something that gets developed in due
course. But the President has said, he needs to leave, leave now,
leave quickly and soon -- that's where it stands.
Q What's being done to encourage him or to hasten his
departure, if anything?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, I think numerous leaders agree with the
President's statement. I think it's fair to say that Mr. Taylor has
received that message from numerous leaders.
Q Ari, I know you said the decision hasn't been made yet, but
it does seem, with the kinds of things you and Condi said yesterday,
and after sending this assessment team over, that all the mechanisms
are being set in place for us to contribute troops. What would keep us
from doing it at this point?
MR. FLEISCHER: Certainly, if the President were to decide that
troops should be sent, it's important to do all the proper due
diligence that must come first, before troops are sent. So this is part
of planning so that when the President says all options are on the
table, if - and I still emphasize "if" - the President decides to send
troops, the planning is in place so that option can be exercised. That
is the context in which the assessment team is going out to have these
talks. But the President still has to collect additional information
and he still is not guided by any artificial deadlines about his trip
to Africa. He'll make his determination when he has his information
and feels that it is the right thing to do, one way or another.
Q His assessment team will determine if U.S. peacekeepers
should go there?
MR. FLEISCHER: No, they will determine -- no, no they will
determine what the most effective way is to create stability. The
President will determine whether troops go over there.
Q And how long does an assessment team's work normally take?
MR. FLEISCHER: Check with the Pentagon.
Q How many people in the assessment team?
MR. FLEISCHER: The Pentagon has received its charge; the Pentagon
will now make the determinations of the precise numbers and the timing,
and that type of thing. This is what the Pentagon experts do for a
living.
Q Will this be military personnel who make up the assessment
team, or civilians?
MR. FLEISCHER: Check with the Pentagon.
Q I know you said that the President didn't have any
timetable, but does he want to have something done before Monday
night?
MR. FLEISCHER: Just as Dr. Rice indicated yesterday, and I just
said moments ago, there is no artificial deadline. This will be done
based on careful analysis of information, whenever that is doable.
Q Is it your understanding that Nigeria has offered asylum to
Taylor?
MR. FLEISCHER: There was a media report to that effect. I cannot
confirm a media report.
Q Can you give us a sense, is the President having any
national security meetings on the plane today, and will he be doing
them this weekend at Camp David?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President had a national security meeting prior
to his departure this morning.
Q There's nothing else today on the plane -- how about this
weekend?
MR. FLEISCHER: As events warrant --
Q -- right now, over the weekend to look into this further?
MR. FLEISCHER: There's the usual structure in place, which is a
pretty effective, proven procedure. The President will have an
intelligence briefing tomorrow morning, as always on Saturdays. And
then the phones ring whenever the phones ring.
Q Do you now believe Saddam Hussein is alive, based on this
Al Jazeera audio tape?
MR. FLEISCHER: The United States is aware of the tape. The CIA
will do its usual assessments. They have not had an opportunity to
begin it yet, as the tape was just released. They will. We don't know
if he's dead or alive. Regardless, he's out of power; regardless,
there's a reward out for information that either results in his capture
if he's alive, or proves that he's dead if he's dead. Clarity is
helpful, but we don't know if he is dead or alive. This tape will be
analyzed. Too soon to say.
Q Ari, the President looks like he was limping. Is he having
further problems or exacerbated problems?
MR. FLEISCHER: I didn't ask him today. He enjoyed a healthy round
of golf yesterday. He's particularly proud of his 310 yard drive in
front of t media on the 18th hole. (Laughter.) I'm led to believe all
his previous drives ended up in the woods or some other place. He
said it wasn't the best round of golf he ever played.
Q What's wrong with him?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, he said it wasn't the best round of golf he
ever played. I don't know. Obviously, he does have the issue of his
calf, but he didn't give me any update this morning.
Q He was complaining about it a little bit yesterday in the
Roosevelt Room -- acting up, I guess.
MR. FLEISCHER: Yes, I know he talked to the reporters after the
briefing about it. I'm trying to figure out if he's going to do
anything else this weekend. So if you hang out by the South Gate of
the White House and you see a man kind of appearing and disappearing,
appearing and disappearing on the South Lawn, maybe it's him.
Q Ari, CNN was reporting yesterday that Liberian sources were
saying that the U.S. had given a 48-hour ultimatum to Charles Taylor.
Do you know anything about this?
MR. FLEISCHER: The first time I've heard that report.
Q -- directly in negotiations on whether he leaves, how he
leaves, where he goes?
MR. FLEISCHER: Secretary Powell is working the diplomacy, and as
Dr. Rice said yesterday, there are sensitive talks that are underway.
And this is because there are many nations that share the President's
view that t best way to achieve peace and stability in Liberia is for
Charles Taylor to leave the country.
Q -- (inaudible) --
MR. FLEISCHER: I leave it like I said it.
Q Must Taylor submit himself to a war crimes tribunal? Is
that the policy of the United States? Do we want to see that happen?
MR. FLEISCHER: First things first; he needs to leave the country.
Q Can you tell us a little bit about the birthday party today
that's not a surprise anymore?
MR. FLEISCHER: -- trying to split me from Mrs. Bush. You were
trying to pit message discipline against Ask The White House, the
news-breaking hit show. (Laughter.) No, actually, I don't know much
about it.
Q Who is going to be there?
MR. FLEISCHER: I don't know much about it. I'll be on the lawn
with my parents and Becki's parents, waving at the balcony.
Q Anything special on Sunday that he's going to do? Or is
this it today?
MR. FLEISCHER: Again, nothing unusual. He's going to be at the
White House on Sunday. I don't know if he's going to go to church or
play more golf. He's always eligible to do that.
Q Is there any way to give us a sense of when he might decide
on the peacekeepers?
MR. FLEISCHER: No, Steve, as I indicated, he's collecting the
information and he'll make a determination when he is comfortable with
the information that he has received. That's a process, and it will be
when he has had an ample opportunity to review it. It's an important
issue. The commitment of troops is not a matter to be taken lightly.
And the President proceeds to make these determinations in a very
methodical, deliberate fashion. And it takes some time. And so I
understand everybody would like to know how to plan their July 4th
weekend, will or won't it come up over the weekend. I wish I could
give people clarity; I cannot. And it will happen on a timetable that
the President is comfortable with. That depends on the receipt of
information, and he will be careful and methodical. That's all I can
say. Will it happen before the trip? It may. Will it happen during
the trip? It may. Will it happen after the trip? It may. So
anything is possible. I wish I could be more clear, but that's th
Q Thank you.
END 11:;12 A.M. ED
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