For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 31, 2001
President Discusses Foreign Policy for Year Ahead
Remarks by the President to the Press Pool
The Coffee Station
Crawford, Texas
12:44 P.M. CST
THE PRESIDENT: First of all, I wish everybody a Happy
New Year; 2002 is going to be a great year for America. And
we will continue to pursue our mission in fighting
terror. We'll work hard to make sure our economy rebounds.
But, most of all, the nation will continue to embrace the culture
of compassion, which really, really flourished right after September
the 11th.
I'm looking forward to an early evening tonight. I guess
at the age of 55, it's expected that -- or it's okay for a guy to go to
bed at about 9:00 p.m., maybe 10:00 p.m. So I don't plan
anything glamorous for New Year's Eve.
I've got to tell you, there's nothing more relaxing than being in
Crawford, Texas. I'm spending as much time outdoors as I
can. I spent -- after my briefing this morning with National
Security Council, I was able to spend about three hours in the canyons,
cleaning underbrush. And I feel refreshed and fortunate that
we've got such a beautiful piece of land to live on.
I'll be glad to answer a few questions, then I'm going to go have a
cheeseburger.
Q Any information on the whereabouts of bin
Laden or Omar? Is there a new pursuit underway now?
THE PRESIDENT: No. Yes, I mean, the same
pursuit: we're going to get him and it's just a matter of
when. You know, you hear all kinds of reports and all kinds
of rumors. You've got people saying he's in a cave, people
saying he's dead, people saying he's in Pakistan. And all I
know is that he's running -- and any time you get a person
running, it means you're going to get him pretty soon.
And same with Mullah Omar. It's just a matter of time,
and I'm patient and so is our military. There is no
artificial time lines or, you know, deadlines. The
definition of success is making sure the Taliban is out of existence,
helping rebuild Afghanistan and disrupting this international terrorist
network. And we're doing a darn good job of it, too.
Q Sir, are tensions easing in India and
Pakistan, now that Pakistan has arrested the leader of a militant
group? And just one more.
THE PRESIDENT: Sure.
Q Would you urge President -- or Prime
Minister Vajpayee to meet with President Musharraf next week?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, a couple of days ago I had a good
talk with both Prime Minister Vajpayee and President
Musharraf. I urged President Musharraf to do everything he
could to crackdown on the terrorist network that had bombed the Indian
Parliament, or raided the Indian Parliament.
In my conversation with the Prime Minister I said, I can understand
how he feels -- if someone attacked the U.S. Capitol I'd feel angry,
too.
I urged -- however, I urged -- I explained to the Indian Prime
Minister that while I understood his anger, I was hoping that they were
not headed for war. I said, give us all a chance to work
with President Musharraf to bring the terrorists to
justice. And, today, as you know, he apprehended the head of
what they call LAT. That's after he had apprehended the head
of GEM. So he's cracking down hard and I appreciate his
efforts.
Terror is terror, and the fact that the Pakistani President is
after terrorists is a good sign.
Q Mr. President, with the middle class now
rioting in Argentina, are you concerned that that country's economic
crisis is developing into a real political crisis? And has
the time come for the U.S. to do something more substantial --
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I talked to President -- interim
President Saa, and no longer President Saa -- and I'm, you know,
obviously, I'm worried about it. Argentina is a very
important part of our hemisphere. I've heard that they're
thinking about expediting elections, and that will be
good. And as soon as they can get -- I'm confident the
country will stay together until they get elections.
And once they elect a President, we'll work with
him. But the future President has got to deal with the
economic crisis at hand. And once they come up with a plan
that will sustain economic growth, then we're willing to work with
them. We're willing to provide technical assistance to the
government, through the IMF. And, hopefully, they'll get
their house in order here pretty quickly.
Q Still no need for more direct U.S.
intervention or aid?
THE PRESIDENT: I'm not sure what that
means. You know, Argentina is a vibrant democracy, they've
been around a long time, they have elections. You know, they're going
to have elections here pretty quickly. As soon as they get a
democratically elected President in place, we'll work with him as -- as
a matter of fact, I anticipate I'll be calling the person as soon as he
wins.
Q What can Americans expect in the upcoming
year, in terms of homeland security? What's next, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, what's next is really a focus on
health, a focus on -- in terms of making sure the public health systems
work. We're reviewing all our visa
policies. We're looking at our immigration
policies. We're looking at border policies, both with Canada
and with Mexico. And we'll continue doing what we're doing
now, which is any time we get a lead, we're going to disrupt -- we're
going to bring them in and give them a chance to protect Americans.
The FBI, the whole culture of the FBI has changed, for the better.
The FBI's main task now is to protect Americans from further
attack. The country is on alert. And a classic
case was the person who tried to put the bomb in his shoe and a flight
attendant on the American flight alertly notified people and they got
it. And he's now -- we're now giving him a chance to tell us
what he knows about terror and about al Qaeda.
But 2002 will -- the country will still be on alert, we'll still be
working hard to protect the American people.
Q Is there a special alert
now? The terrorists have shown an inclination to strike
around New Year's --
THE PRESIDENT: Well, or Christmas. I mean,
there's all kinds of excuses for them to attack. Let's just
put it this way, that the administration and the government has not --
is on alert and have been since 9/11. And the American
people realize we have a new culture. And that is one of
being vigilant. We've got people working overtime during the
holidays. You know, we've got CAPs still flying around;
anybody tries to harm an American, there's a good chance we're going to
get him.
Q -- for the American people?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, it is that we're a blessed
nation. God has richly blessed America. And for
that, we ought to be grateful. We're a nation that has gone
through incredible suffering and hardship. Yet, as a result
of it, we're a strong nation and a united nation. And 2002,
in my judgment, is going to be a great year.
It's going to be a great year because people are going to be able
to find work again. It's going to be a great year because
our military is going to do the job the Americans
expect. It'll be a great year because at home we'll protect
the American people. And it's going to be a great year
primarily because Americans have taken a look inward, reassessed their
values; have realized that some of the basics in life are that which is
most important -- love of faith, love of family. And as a
result, our communities have been stronger. So I'm really
looking forward to 2002.
I'm also looking forward to my cheeseburger. (Laughter.)
Q Any resolutions?
THE PRESIDENT: Resolutions? Eat fewer
cheeseburgers. (Laughter.) Thank you, all.
Q Do you have friends coming over tonight?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, we've got two couples from Austin
and a couple from Lubbock. And the Lubbock couple are
generally -- has spent, I guess, New Year's Eve with us for, like, a
decade now, I think. And that's it.
Have fun, enjoy yourselves. Thanks.
END 12:53 P.M. EST
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