For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 22, 2001
Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
- Personnel announcements
- Margaret Tutwiler/qualifications
- Travel to
Maine
- Expulsion of Russian
diplomats
- Faith-based initiative/black
ministers
- Economic situation/White House working
group
- Campaign finance
reform
- Patients' bill of
rights
- China/meeting with Vice
Premier Qian Qichen/topics
- Stand on airline
strikes
- Republican budget/ANWR
drilling
- Chinese missile
deployment
- Energy
situation/Mexico
- Middle
East/CIA role
- Week
ahead
- Kofi Annan
second term
12:09 P.M. EST
MR.
FLEISCHER: Good afternoon. I have many
announcements this morning. President Bush will welcome
President Ricardo Lagos of Chile to Washington for a working visit on
April 16th.
Personnel
-- several announcements this morning. The President intends
to nominate to be Ambassador Extraordinare and Plenipotentiary of the
United States to Morocco, Margaret Tutwiler. The President
intends to nominate Eric M. Bost to be Under Secretary of Agriculture
of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. The President
intends to nominate Bruce Marshall Carnes to be Chief Financial Officer
of the Department of Energy. The President intends to nominate Thomas
C. Dorr to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural
Development. The President intends to nominate J.B. Penn to
be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agriculture.
The President intends to nominate Otto Reich to be Assistant Secretary
of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. The President
intends to nominate Ms. Jessie Hill Roberson to be Assistant Secretary
of Energy for Environmental Management. The President
intends to nominate Tom Scully to be Administrator of the Health Care
Financing Administration.
And
finally, the President intends to nominate Angela Styles to be
Administrator of the Federal Procurement Policy at the Office of
Management and Budget. She's currently a Special Assistant
to the Commissioner for Public Buildings at the General Services
Administration and was previously Counsel to the Government Contracts
group at Miller and Chevalier in Washington. She's a
graduate of the University of Virginia and received her law degree from
the University of Texas Law School.
Following
the briefing today, I'm going to give an update on travel next
week. So if you would remind us, since we're traveling
tomorrow, I'll give next week's schedule at the end of today, whenever
you want to bring it to a conclusion.
Q Will
somebody be replacing Ms. Tutwiler here? And can you give us
a little update on tomorrow's trip?
MR. FLEISCHER: Tomorrow, the President will depart for Portland,
Maine at, I believe departure from the White House is 9:15 a.m., and
the topic will be budget and taxes.
Q Will
there be any new proposals?
MR.
FLEISCHER: We'll alert you if there is anything.
Q And
Margaret Tutwiler -- anybody replacing her in that?
MR.
FLEISCHER: We'll have announcements as they are announced,
but there's nothing to report at this time.
Q What
qualifies her to be an ambassador?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, Margaret, of course, is a former
spokeswoman for the Department of State, is well-versed in foreign
policy, foreign affairs; is well-known and respected by diplomats
throughout the world; and obviously she has the full faith, support,
confidence of the President, which is why he's made this announcement
today.
Q The
expulsion of the Russian diplomats is a Cold War-scale action, only
paralleled by President Reagan's order in '86. So we must
assume only a Cold War-scale espionage operation could warrant such an
action. Is that truly what the President thinks, that the
Russians went back to Cold War espionage activity, and that would be
the reason for the action against them?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The action reflects the President's approach to
foreign policy, and to relations with Russia, which is an approach that
is going to be based on mutual cooperation, finding areas of agreement
and broadening them, but also based on realism. And that's
why the President authorized the State Department to take the step that
it took last night. The President believes it's the right thing to do,
and that's why he took that step in this post-Cold War era.
Q How
does the President see Russia now? Is Russia becoming a
threat to the U.S. again?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President believes that there are many areas
where we could cooperate with Russia. And he has spoken with
President Putin about such areas and will continue to do
so. But there are areas where there are
disagreements. Clearly, this is one of them. And
the President took the appropriate action.
Q Ari,
when was the President notified about the matter? When did
he authorize the State Department to take this action?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Kelly, almost immediately upon the arrest of
Agent Hanssen, the President discussed with his national security team
at that time what possible remedies and consequences could
be. So at that moment, the President was already thinking
about what the appropriate step to take was. He continued to
have conversations with his national security team about the matter
following the arrest.
And then
last week his national security team made a recommendation to
him. The President gave the go-ahead last week. Secretary
Powell met with Russian officials last night, as you know, and that's
when the action was informed -- that's when the Russians became
informed of the action. The President authorized it last
week.
Q Do
you expect retaliatory action by the Russians?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think you have to ask the Russians that.
Q But
you have no intimation of that now, no U.S. diplomats have been asked
to leave as of now?
MR.
FLEISCHER: That's a question you would have to ask the
Russians. The United States has not been notified of any
such action.
Q How
much of this was aimed at people who were directly involved with
Hanssen, and how much of it is a broader move? And can you
explain what the broader move -- the significance of the broader move
would be?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The State Department addressed that earlier this
morning in their announcement. They noted that the action
and the expulsion of four Russian intelligence officers who have been
declared persona non grata. It followed the arrest on
February 18th, 2001, of FBI Special Agent Robert Hanssen on charges of
espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation.
Q You're
saying those four were directly involved in espionage with Hanssen?
MR.
FLEISCHER: That's correct.
Q What
about the rest of the Russian diplomats who are being asked to leave?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, as you know, the United States government
for many years has expressed its concern to the Russians about the
level and the number of Russian intelligence officers operating in the
United States, and we have addressed those concerns to the Russians.
Q When
was the last time the President spoke with Putin, and what kind of
contacts have they held in the past few months?
MR.
FLEISCHER: He spoke on the phone with President Putin a
number of weeks ago, and of course, we are always in diplomatic touch
with the Russians.
Q Don't
you think that a situation like this would merit another contact?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Clearly, the President did not think that was
necessary. The President took the action he thought
appropriate.
Q What's
the overall benefit of something like this? We know that
they spy on us; they know that we spy on them. When you make
a dramatic move like asking more than 40 diplomats/intelligence agents
to leave, it's a diplomatic move meant to send a message that will
affect Russian-U.S. relations. What's the
purpose? What's the goal?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The action is a reflection of the President's
approach to foreign policy and to dealing with Russia, which is we are
going to find areas of cooperation -- the President is going to
continue to pursue areas of cooperation; he sees many. But
the President also is going to be a realist in the conduct of his
foreign policy. And in the wake of what happened with Agent
Hanssen and the Russian involvement, the President made the
determination that it is in the United States' interest to declare the
four Russian intelligence officers persona non grata.
Q Why
was it in our best interest, and what is the message you're sending by
doing it?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The message the President is sending is that his
foreign policy is going to be based on reality. He's going
to have a realistic approach to foreign policy.
Q Isn't
espionage real -- a reality we face in the early 21st century?
MR.
FLEISCHER: And the reaction from the President is realistic,
based on conducting foreign affairs in a realistic -- and you have
heard the President say this many times before -- realistic and direct
way. He's a plainspoken man.
Q Ari,
just to get it from your mouth, please -- could you please give us a
summary of how many were expelled altogether, how many have left -- and
what's the deadline for the others?
MR.
FLEISCHER: As announced earlier this morning by the State
Department, four Russians were declared persona non grata, and other
concerns have been expressed about the level of intelligence officers
in this country.
Q But
we're not giving the number -- 51, 56 -- it keeps getting batted
around.
MR.
FLEISCHER: I've just answered the question.
Q What
are the concerns about potential retaliation, since we apparently have
fewer people on the ground in Russia than they had here?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Again, that's asking me to speculate about a
future event, and I'm not going to do that. We don't know if
that will or will not take place, and I won't speculate.
Q Can
you give us a little tick-tock? When did the President
become informed of the recommendation? Who made the
recommendation to him? And who was it that told the Russians that
these folks were no longer invited into our country?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The conversations were held with the President
and his national security team, and I believe -- you might want to talk
to the State Department about it -- my understanding was in a meeting
last night with Secretary Powell.
Q That
was the answer to the last question, Powell talked to the Russians?
MR.
FLEISCHER: To the Russians.
Q Who
all -- was there one meeting at which x-number of aides made the
recommendation to the President? When was his
meeting? Who was in on it?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Let me try to find out additional details if I
can, Ron.
Q He
did sign off on it personally?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Last week. He authorized it last
week.
Q If
you could find out details on that meeting, I'd appreciate it.
Q Can
you confirm how many have actually left?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I would refer you to the State Department for
those types of details.
Q On
Monday, the black ministers met with the President. Over the
weekend, before the meeting, one of these black ministers suggested
that the reason that conservative evangelicals weren't as supportive of
the plan was because they didn't want the money to go to poor black and
brown people. Did the President have any discussion with
Reverend Rivers about creating a new Washington, and how is that going
to put together a team here to support the faith-based initiative on
the left and the right?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, I think the way the President is going
about creating a faith-based initiative that's supported on the left
and the right is exactly what you've seen him do -- he's meeting with
the left and he's meeting with the right, and he's building bridges
between the two. And that bridge, in the President's mind, arrives at
a faith-based initiative that, for the first time, can get the
government involved in helping people who have some intractable
problems in our society, where government programs can be helpful but
don't go far enough.
And the
President does view some of the faith-based caretakers in our country
as a way to help people who are suffering from debilitating problems,
such as alcoholism, drug abuse, crime. He sees particularly
for young people faith-based initiatives as a way to see a role model
in the communities and neighborhoods in which they live. And
that's why he's meeting with people from all ends of the political
spectrum. He understands that there are going to be people
who oppose it on the left and on the right. He's full-speed
ahead, because he is building the center and pushing it on the left and
pushing it on the right.
Q But
does it build bridges when the people who come to meet with the
President are running down the people on the other side of the
spectrum, and basically suggesting that they're racists?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think, as you heard following the meeting,
there was nothing but praise for the President. Many of the
black ministers went out and addressed you all on the driveway to the
White House and expressed their support for the President's
initiative. The President is pleased to have received it.
Q Can
I go back to the spying, the expulsions. You said that we've
made representations to the Russians for a long time about the level of
espionage, the level of people engaged in these activities.
MR.
FLEISCHER: That's correct.
Q Are
you saying today that the Bush administration is not going to tolerate
the level that was tolerated in the prior administration?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'm making clear that the President has made
clear that we have concerns about the level of Russian intelligence
officers in this country.
Q And
that is because they are a friendly nation, they shouldn't -- the Cold
War is long over?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Because in the wake of the arrest of agent
Hanssen and the evidence that has developed in that case, the President
took the appropriate action based on his concerns about the number of
Russian intelligence officials in this country.
Q Ari,
the President's decision last week to approve this, was that more of a
general decision agreeing to the expulsion recommendation, or did he
get down into, this number of people should go?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, there was some specific back-and-forth
conversations between the President's national security team and the
President, and as with any decision the President makes, whether it's
domestic or foreign policy, he enjoys a back-and-forth conversation
with his advisors and he reaches a conclusion and announces it.
Q Is
there a financial working group or economic response team in place that
the President can turn to in time of economic distress, like we're
seeing in the stock market these days?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President works with his normal team, the
Secretary of Treasury, Larry Lindsey, Economic Policy Advisor, and
several others. And that's the present system.
Q
Have they met recently regarding what's going on with the economy and
with the stock market?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President meets and confers with them all the
time. I think there's another meeting with Larry this
afternoon on a number of economic issues.
Q Is
there an assumption that every Russian diplomat is a spy?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No.
Q I'm
just trying to put together the pieces of the reality that you are
talking about, the administration's perception of Russia. Russia is
being called an active proliferator. The President's budget
is cutting back on the financial aid to Russia. Russia was
mentioned in the President's interview to the New York Times, a bad
environment for investments. And now we have the expulsion
of 50 or so diplomats. So that's what the Russians called a
Cold War mentality, or most analysts here would say, a hard-line
approach to Russia.
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think you're going to see the President's
approach to Russia be exactly as I indicated earlier. The
President sees avenues of cooperation with Russia. The
President sees opportunities for trade with Russia, for increasing help
with democratization inside Russia. The President also sees
disagreements, and the President will have a foreign policy with Russia
that is realistic and takes those disagreements into account, as well
as the areas of agreement.
Q Ari,
there's a Russian official quoted today in the Russian press as saying
that Russian retaliation for this expulsion would involve hundreds --
plural -- hundreds of American diplomats. And this official
noted that there are many more American diplomats in Moscow than there
are Russian diplomats in Washington. In light of that
threat, and in light of those numbers, is there some concern in the
administration that this may be counterproductive in the end; if we get
into a game of tit-for-tat in expulsions, that the United States may be
the loser?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Again, I'm not going to speculate about any
events that have not taken place. But I want to reiterate,
the President took this action because he thought it was in the
national interest in the wake of a very serious espionage matter
involving matters of American national security. It was the
right thing to do, and that is why he did it.
Q Well,
is it true that we have hundreds more?
MR.
FLEISCHER: That's a question you need to ask the State
Department. I don't keep track of the number of our
diplomats around the world.
Q You're
not going to leave a statement out like that, are you?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I don't keep track of the number of our diplomats
around the world.
Q There's
an amendment added to the campaign finance bill that would assist
candidates facing very wealthy opponents. Does the White
House support that?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Let me do this. Are there any more on
Russia? We'll finish that and then come back to that. Be
happy to.
Jim and
then Kelly.
Q You
say that the President's policy towards Russia is one of realism.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Correct.
Q You
seem to be suggesting that this is a shift from the previous
administration policy.
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President is not interested in making
comparisons. He's interested in looking forward and
designing a realistic foreign policy around the world that represents
America's best interests. And that's why he has taken this
action. I'll leave it to others the matter of comparisons.
Q The
U.S. has complained for some time about the fact that there were a
larger number of Russian intelligence agents here than they
preferred. Has it gotten worse, or did the President -- what
prompted the President to ask so many other Russian diplomats to
leave?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, again, the President has expressed, the
State Department has expressed concern about the level of Russian
intelligence officers in this country. But it's just a
reminder that even in the post-Cold War era, situations like this
arise, and the President will treat them seriously and deal with them
realistically.
Q But
the State Department had complained a year or two ago. There have been
officials complaining quietly for at least two or three years about
this. I'm trying to figure out why the President decided
this was the time not just to respond to the Hanssen case, but to also
ask some 40 other diplomats to leave.
MR.
FLEISCHER: I can only address the announcement that the
President and the State Department made this morning about the decision
to expel four Russians as persona non grata.
Q So
this is really a two-part action then. One is to get people
out who were actually dealing with Hanssen. The other is to
send the Russians a message that we're not going to allow that many
intelligence agents to operate inside the U.S.
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think I've already addressed it.
Q Just
following that, can you shed any more light on what the recommendation
from the President's national security team was, in fact? Was it to
expel only those related to Hanssen, or was it broader?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Kelly, it's my policy only to discuss the items
that the President has acted on. And any conversations that
were internal I'm going to leave internal. And don't take
that to mean that there was anything else suggested or
recommended. The President took the action that he took, and
that's what I'm discussing.
Q Ari,
how much damage do you think you've done to their intelligence
apparatus with this move?
MR.
FLEISCHER: That's not an assessment for me to make.
Q But
your response to several questions here has been to imply that
the previous administration has
allowed in too many intelligence agents?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, I'm just pointing out the historical accuracy
of the fact that expressions of concern about the level of Russian
intelligence officers in the United States is not new. I
think many people in this room know that; many people who have covered
the State Department know that. It's not meant to
compare. It's just an accurate reflection of a fact that
this government has been grappling with for considerable time.
Q Can
I ask about China?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Let's go to Keith if we're done.
Q The
amendment that passed the Senate providing more money to candidates who
have wealthy opponents -- does the White House support that amendment?
MR.
FLEISCHER: As you know, you saw the President's principles
on campaign finance reform, and the President is not going to comment
amendment by amendment. He looks forward to taking a look at
the campaign finance reform package as it passes the Senate and then as
it passes the House, develops in conference. He's looking
forward to build bridges so he can sign a good bill into law this
year.
Q And
the amendments -- you won't comment on the amendments that failed
yesterday, which were part of the President's principles, related to
paycheck protection and --
MR.
FLEISCHER: Because also, from the President's point of view,
it's the beginning of the process. There are going to be
several more actions taken, many more votes to come in the
Senate. And the President is closely monitoring campaign
finance reform because he wants to get something done this
year. And he believes that with a little effort, with a
little good work, a little compromise, that campaign finance reform can
be signed into law this year.
Q Even
with the failure of those amendments that he supports, he still thinks
that we can get --
MR.
FLEISCHER: It's the beginning of the process.
Q Will
he sign a bill if it doesn't have paycheck protection?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President is looking forward to working
together to bring people together so he can sign a bill.
Q Why
would he take that approach on campaign finance, and then talk on the
patients' bill of rights about bills that he would veto when the bills
haven't been introduced yet?
MR.
FLEISCHER: For the exact same -- well, several of the bills
have been introduced on patients' bill of rights, which is why the
President said what he said yesterday. But for the exact
same reason -- it's perfectly consistent, because his desire is to get
things moving in Washington so legislation can be signed into law.
In the case
of the patients' bill of rights, he obviously is pushing toward the
middle. He wants people to come together on patients' bill
of rights and get out of the rut that they've been in last year where
nothing got done. So he sent a very clear signal about a
patients' bill of rights that has strong patient protections and that
does not turn patients' rights over to trial lawyers. That
way, we can get something signed.
And I note
this morning that Congressman Charlie Norwood, one of the lead
advocates of patients' bill of rights in the Congress, issued a
statement saying that the President today -- yesterday -- solidly
aligned himself with the bipartisan House and Senate coalition that has
pushed so hard to have new standards apply to every health plan in the
country.
So the
President is looking to build on both campaign finance reform and
patients' bill of rights, bipartisan coalitions so he can sign bills
into law. And that contrasts with both campaign finance
reform and patients' bill of rights in the last
Congress. There was so much of an effort --
Q It
was Republican-dominated, and they wouldn't pass
anything. So don't give us that stuff.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Helen, the point is --
Q It
didn't pass because the Republicans were not going to allow it
to. Either one.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Would you care to come up here? The
point is, it didn't get done in the last Congress because nobody pushed
for a bipartisan, centrist solution. You had too many pitted
camps, both on patients' bill of rights and campaign finance.
Q Too
many compromises would have been demanded, so why do it?
MR.
FLEISCHER: And the President is trying to build that middle
ground on both issues. And he's pleased with what he's done
and he thinks it's going to help lead to a year in which he can sign
both patients' bill of rights and campaign finance reform.
Q On
China. Will the President raise human rights, religious
persecution, and also the issue of the American Chinese professor in
prison?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President does anticipate raising the issue
of human rights in his meeting with Deputy Premier Qian Qichen.
Q And
does human rights encompass religious persecution, specifically?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'll wait for the meeting to see exactly the
manner in which the President expresses concern, but human rights will
be a topic of the President's.
Q How
are we going to handle that, Ari? Will we have a senior
administration official?
MS.
COUNTRYMAN: We're going to try to have a senior
administration official directly after the meeting come to the briefing
room. So we know about everybody's
deadlines. We'll try to do that as quickly as we can.
Q You
said that the President is meeting with Larry Lindsey
today. I wonder, for the past couple of weeks you've
entertained questions here, you've talked about how, despite reduced
economic growth lower than projections, you're still confident that the
tax cut and all the other or the President's priorities can be funded
because of excess revenues that are exceeding
projections. You've probably seen in the paper in the last
few days a number of private economists are now downsizing their
estimates for surpluses, showing that, in fact, economic growth is
related to the surpluses at some point. Does this mean, and
will the President's economic advisor bring him the bad news, that slow
growth might mean lower surpluses, and therefore, changes in his plan?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President's estimates are right down on
target and in line with the private sector's
estimates. There are a number of private sector
organizations that have looked at anticipated revenues in this year,
even with the slowdown of growth, and they concur with the President's
estimates. I'll be happy to bring you that
list. The President's estimates have been reinforced by most
private sector analysts. There's been one notable exception to that,
and I think that's the one to which you refer, and that's a distinct
minority. The President's estimates have been borne out by
most private sector observers.
Q Ari,
can you clarify the President's stance on the possibility of airline
strikes this year? When he announced the action on
Northwest, he said that he would "take the necessary steps to prevent
airline strikes." There's a suggestion in the paper today
that you may be playing down that position. Is it still his
position that he will do whatever he can, whether it's appointing
presidential emergency boards, or calling on Congress where he can't do
that, to forestall such strikes, and therefore, avoid disruptions to
the economy?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I hope we're not circling territory we've covered
before, but if you recall, I said last week in this room that in any
airline strike, or any impasse that the President has authority to
appoint a presidential emergency board, it first is contingent on a
recommendation from the National Mediation Board, which is what I
indicated publicly here last week when I was asked a similar
question. The President does not have the authority to
appoint a PEB unless the NMB recommends it.
So what the
President said in South Dakota in regard to Northwest he said because
it was authorized by the National Mediation Board. He has
sent a clear signal that he would like to protect the economy and the
traveling public from any additional airline strikes. His
ability to appoint a presidential emergency board is directly
contingent upon a recommendation from the National Mediation Board.
Q The
emergency board, does that automatically stop the striker, or can you
just have a board that's just there, kind of watching everything?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The appointment -- there are two parts to the
process. Once the National Mediation Board concludes that
two parties to a negotiation have reached an impasse, the NMB then can
order a 30-day review on which they say at the end of the 30 days, they
will recommend to the President the appointment of the presidential
emergency board. That, therefore, is a 30-day cooling-off
period.
Once they
make the recommendation, and if the President accepts it, as he did at
Northwest, the only action the President can take when he appoints a
presidential emergency board is a 60-day cooling-off period. That's
where we are. So you have two cooling-off periods, one of 30
days, and then the other is 60 days maximum. And that's the
authority the President has granted. So it's a 60-day
cooling-off period.
Q Just
to clarify, forgive me, but by saying that he'd take
the action necessary to prevent airline strikes, was he suggesting that
when the NMB recommends that he appoint an emergency board, he will do
so, or is he preserving wiggle room not to do so?
MR.
FLEISCHER: He's sending a very clear signal that the if the
National Mediation Board recommends a presidential emergency board, his
inclination will be to protect the traveling public and the fragile
economy.
Imagine if
all these airlines go on strike all at the same time, it's going to be
a real shutdown for the American people. It's going to hurt
commerce, it's going to hurt the economy, it's going to hurt consumers,
it's going to hurt travelers when they want to take their vacations.
Q The
Republican budget assumes no revenues from the opening of ANWR in
Alaska. And I'm wondering if you think that means that
Republicans are not very confident that that proposal is going to
pass.
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, I think there are several other legislative
routes which can be pursued to secure the opening of a small portion of
ANWR to protect America's economy and to secure domestic
resources. And we're interested in talking with Congress
about some of those other options.
Q But
if it's not paid for, wouldn't you have to do it, just tack it on as a
rider under a spending bill, or how would you do that?
MR.
FLEISCHER: There are other authorization vehicles.
Q What
about the general question -- aren't you -- these are your own allies
on the Hill, and they're not -- they're assuming you're not going to be
able to open up ANWR.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Because the President understands the beginning
of a process, and he's going to continue to build support for his
energy plans. And, of course, we will in the spring, the
President will this spring be coming out with his comprehensive energy
plan and build support for it.
Q So
you still hold out the hope that ANWR can be opened up?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President believes it's important and
necessary; that's correct.
Q Ari,
on China, does the administration see Chinese missile deployments as a
threat to Taiwan?
MR.
FLEISCHER: As you know, the United States, under the Taiwan
Relations Act, is committed to the defense of Taiwan and has a
responsibility to provide defensive weapons to Taiwan. And
we are concerned about any military threat that could violate our
obligations on the Taiwan Relations Act.
Q Do
you believe one now exists because of Chinese missiles?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The United States has previously expressed its
concerns about missile build-up.
Q Ari,
how does the President reconcile the bear market with the concept of
personal retirement accounts within the context of Social Security?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, of course, there have been many bears and
many bulls in the history of the stock market. And if you go
back to a period of time beginning, or just before the Great
Depression, and you note that there was a world war, there were, I
believe 11 recessions, one Great Depression -- investments in the stock
market still out-perform the rate of return that people get on their
Social Security money that's invested in the government. So
even with a long history in this country of bulls and bears, of ups and
downs in the markets, over time, over long periods of time, investments
in markets out-perform investments in government bonds, therefore,
giving people more money to retire.
Q Should
there be a hold-harmless of some sort to set a floor below which a
person's losses would be stopped?
MR.
FLEISCHER: When the President announced his Social Security
plan in June of 2000, he did not indicate any support for such a
provision. And, of course, when the President announces his
commission, that will be an item that they're free to look
at. But that is not an item that the President has
previously supported.
Q Ari,
on energy, the President of Mexico last night in California offered
support to the state for dissolution of the electricity
crisis. But, at the same time, he said that the United
States doesn't have any right to advise the Mexicans to let the foreign
capital to explore the natural gas and other resources, and as
President Bush said a few weeks ago. So what is the reaction
of the White House?
MR.
FLEISCHER: As the President discussed with President Fox
during his visit to Mexico, he understands that the Mexican
constitution, there are internal Mexican rules, requirements and that
any actions that Mexico takes to help the United States would be in
accordance with the Mexican constitution. The President is
very respectful of that.
Let me give
you an update for next week.
Q Can
I follow up on one question? On the statement on the defense
of Taiwan, does that mean the President has made up his mind on the
destroyers, the radar and all the new things the Taiwanese are asking
for?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, the President has not made up his
mind. That is a decision that will be made in April.
Q Ari,
one more question on the Middle East. Can you tell us, has
the President instructed the CIA to end its role in increasing security
cooperation between the Israelis and the Palestinians?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I don't have anything on that. Maybe
you want to check with Mary Ellen on that. I noted that in
the papers this morning. I don't have anything.
Let me get
into next week's schedule. The President will travel to
Kansas City, Missouri; Billings, Montana; and Kalamazoo, Michigan to
talk about his budget, tax relief and the economy on Monday and Tuesday
of next week.
On
Wednesday, at the White House, the President will meet with a group of
high-tech leaders, as well as with the King of Spain.
On
Thursday, the President will meet with the Chancellor of Germany for a
working visit. And he will address the 57th Annual Dinner of
the Radio and Television Correspondents Association. He will
do so, joyfully.
And Friday,
the President will have lunch with baseball Hall of Famers and meet
with the President of Brazil, before departing for Camp David.
And one
longer-term announcement for you. The President will throw
out the first pitch on April 6th at the Milwaukee Brewers-Cincinnati
Reds baseball game, in Milwaukee. That will be a return --
it's the opening of a new stadium in Milwaukee, and it's also a return
to the city where the President was able to watch Robin Yount get his
3,000th hit and Nolan Ryan his 300th victory. The President
attended both of those games. So he's looking forward to going back to
Milwaukee.
Q Having
lunch with the Hall of Famers -- are these the new, newly elected
members?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, it's a group of Hall of Famers from -- it's
going to be a very exciting group, going back many
years. We'll bring some real celebrities to the White
House.
Q Ari,
does the President support a second term period of Kofi Annan as
Secretary General of the United Nations?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I noted that the Secretary General just announced
that he would run, and I have not had a chance to talk with the
President about that yet.
Q Have
we taken a position on his --
MR.
FLEISCHER: Kofi Annan? No. He just
announced that, that he would run again.
Okay, thank
you, everybody.
END 12:42
P.M. EST
#24-03/22
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