For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 4, 2001
Press Briefing by Ari Fleischer
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
- Personnel announcements
- Readout on
phone calls the President made
- Meeting with
Agriculture Secretary
- U.S.-China situation
over plane
- Death
tax
- Health care
budget
- Carbon dioxide
decision/Legislative Affairs Director
- Tom DeLay/ad
campaign
- Middle East
violence
- Miami Herald vote
count
- Dan Rather/fundraiser
speech
- Chinese American
scholar/espionage charge
- Mexico/amnesty for illegal
workers
- Speed of personnel
decisions
1:17 P.M. EDT
MR. FLEISCHER: Good afternoon. I want to begin with a
series of announcements before I take questions. We have
several personnel announcements to make; scheduling update, as well.
President
Bush today announced his intention to nominate Anthony Gioia to be
Ambassador Extraordinaire and Potentiary of the United States to the
Republic of Malta. President Bush today announced his
intention to nominate Sue Cobb to be Ambassador Extraordinaire and
Potentiary to Jamaica.
Other
personnel, the President intends to nominate Robert McCallum, Jr. to be
Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. The
President intends to nominate Col. Paul Kelly to be Assistant Secretary
of State for Legislative Affairs. The President intends to
nominate Erik Patrick Christian to be Associate Judge of the Superior
Court of the District of Columbia. And the President intends
to nominate Maurice Ross to be Associate Judge of the Superior Court of
the District of Columbia.
I want to
give you a readout on a couple phone calls the President made this
morning. The President spoke with Tunisian President Ben Ali
and Yemeni President Salih today. The call to the President
of Tunisia was introductory. They discussed the regional
situation and agreed on the need to find ways to restore common
stability in the region, and both reaffirmed their commitment to a
strong bilateral relationship.
And the
call with the President of Yemen was also an introductory call in which
the President reaffirmed his commitment to a strong bilateral
relationship with Yemen, and they agreed to cooperate closely on the
investigation of the USS Cole.
Final item
on the schedule: The President will be meeting today at 3:00
p.m. in the Oval Office with Secretary of Agriculture Veneman to talk
about foot and mouth disease. The President has been
monitoring that very closely, has been on the phone with her on several
occasions. He asked her to come into today to give him the
latest update. And we will have still photographers at the
top of that meeting.
Q Not
a pool event?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Still photographers at the top.
Q Moments
ago, Ari, the Secretary of State expressed regret for the loss of life
on the part of the Chinese airman; also said that there is a dialogue
between the two governments now to set up a more formal dialogue where,
in his words, explanations for this incident can be
exchanged. Was that first comment designed to be an olive
branch by the administration?
MR.
FLEISCHER: David, our government has been in contact with
the Chinese government over a period of days, as you know, pertaining
to the matter of the servicemen and women. And those
conversations will continue. For example, there will be a
meeting at the State Department this afternoon between the Chinese
Ambassador and the Deputy Secretary of State. So the
conversations will continue. And, as the President said
yesterday, the purpose of this is so our men and women can come home.
Q Does
that statement by the Secretary of State represent a new step in this
process?
MR.
FLEISCHER: That is the position of the government of the
United States that was expressed earlier this morning in the meeting in
Beijing between the American Ambassador and the Chinese Foreign
Minister. And the United States is concerned about the missing Chinese
servicemen, and we have expressed our concern and our regrets about
that incident.
Q Ari,
is it your understanding that that's not good enough for the Chinese
right now; that they have demanded an apology, that, obviously, that
happened at the meeting in Beijing, and their Ambassador to the United
States just repeated that a short time ago in an interview, saying he
wants the United States to accept responsibility and apologize?
MR.
FLEISCHER: John, I'm not in a position to say what is good
enough for a foreign government. That is, of course, a
question only a foreign government can answer. We have
talked about this previously and you know the United States position on
the apology.
Q Is
this an effort, however, to meet the Chinese demand for an
apology? Is this as close as we can get to apologizing?
MR.
FLEISCHER: This has been made clear to the Chinese prior to
today. It was reiterated today that any time there is an
apparent loss of a serviceman, the United States government's position
is clear about that. And we have said that previously in regard to
this accident.
Q This
morning was the first time, in Powell's remarks -- the first time in
public -- that the administration has expressed regret, correct, that
he used those words?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, I think Condoleezza Rice has said that
previously.
Q When
did she say it?
MR.
FLEISCHER: She said that in a group of reporters.
Q On
the record?
Q On
the record?
Q Ari,
is the President willing to pick up the ball and talk to the President
of China about this? He seems to be polarized
now. It may come down to that, many people feel.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Ivan, I'm not prepared to say at this time what
actions, beyond what the President has already done, that he may or may
not do in the future. We continue to have conversations with
Chinese officials and the United States will continue to do
so. The President will act as he deems most appropriate to
make certain that our men and women are able to come home.
Q But
you're not ruling it out?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'm not ruling anything out; I'm not ruling
anything in.
Q And
you aren't spelling it out. If you aren't spelling it out,
then what's the plan?
MR.
FLEISCHER: What's the plan?
Q In
other words, if you aren't spelling out what the consequences for China
would be for noncompliance, what's the plan?
MR.
FLEISCHER: As the President made very plain yesterday, the
time has come for our servicemen and women to come home. And
the President believes that is the appropriate step now for the Chinese
government to take.
Q How
do we make that happen?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, on that point, Terry, let me stress that
this is a very sensitive time in our conversations with the
Chinese. The President's goal is to make certain that our
servicemen and women are allowed to come home and be with their
families and be reunited and reenter the shores of the United
States. Because it is a sensitive time, there are moments in
diplomacy, there are times in international relations where the less
said is the most productive. And that is the President's
focus here -- is being productive and working with the Chinese and
making certain that our servicemen and women return to our shores.
Q But
the Secretary of State is saying that "we're now exploring an avenue to
get a dialogue going so both sides can present
explanations." You said that there has been a dialogue going
throughout, but this suggests that there's, perhaps at a different
level, perhaps a different kind of bilateral exchange.
MR.
FLEISCHER: There are going to be a series of contacts, as
you know. There already have been. There have
been meetings with the servicemen and women. We seek to
continue to have meetings with the servicemen and women, right up to
the point where they are, indeed, brought home. We will
continue to have diplomatic conversations, both in Washington and
Beijing. So there will be a series of conversations and we will
continue to -- the United States government will continue to pursue
them.
Q Do
you expect the President to have anything further to say today?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No word for you yet on whether the President will
have anything further to say today.
Q But
it's possible?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Anything is possible; but, again, there is no
word at this time.
Q This
morning, you said the United States sees no reason for an
apology. Does that mean you're ruling one out?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The accident took place over an international
airspace, over international waters, and we do not understand any
reason to apologize; the United States did not do anything wrong.
Q Are
you ruling one out?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I've just answered your question.
Q Two
points the Ambassador made in the interview; he said that
the Chinese government felt it had every right to keep the crew during
its investigation, and he flatly rejected the U.S. claims to any
sovereignty over the aircraft, saying that once it landed in Chinese --
at a Chinese military facility, that you have no sovereign rights over
it anymore, the United States government. How do you respond
to those two points?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think the President has made it clear that he
believes the plane should be returned to the United States, and that is
the United States government position.
Q Just
to get the diplomacy straight on this, could you summarize what exact
language did Secretary Powell and Condoleezza Rice use?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think I'm going to have to refer you, of
course, to Secretary Powell if you want to know his exact
language. There will be a State Department briefing shortly
after this. What language did Condoleezza Rice use in
describing --
Q Was
it regret or I'm sorry that the Chinese pilot -- the word "regret" or
"sorry"?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Let me go back and take a look at a transcript if
you're looking for a verbatim.
Q Is
the President in touch with any third government or anybody else
seeking help in this connection?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Any other types of diplomatic conversations that
may be going on back and forth are diplomatic and, therefore, are
private in nature, and I would not be at liberty to get into them.
Q What
has the President done on this subject today? Is he meeting
with senior officials?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I literally just got off the phone with the
President, prior to the briefing. The President discussed
this at length this morning in several different briefings that he
had. He has been on the phone with Condoleezza Rice
throughout the morning and into the early afternoon. And he
will meet with Secretary Rumsfeld today at 2:00 p.m., and the President
is keeping a very close -- staying in very close touch with the
situation. And as I indicated yesterday, he spoke late last
night with Secretary Powell at length.
Q At
the Rumsfeld meeting, Ari, will they discuss Chinese there as well?
MR.
FLEISCHER: It's the Secretary's routine weekly visit to the
White House, and I do anticipate this will be one of several topics
that comes up.
Q This
is his first major foreign policy test. Is the President
preoccupied by this?
MR. FLEISCHER: I think given the other things the President has
done today, I'll let the President's actions speak for
themselves. The President has had a series of other events
today. As I mentioned earlier, Ann Veneman is coming into
see him. There is a singular event taking place in the House
of Representatives today that the President is paying close attention
to, which is the passage of his plan -- or a plan to repeal death
taxes, and the President is very pleased to see the House of
Representatives taking action on the domestic agenda, which includes a
tax cut which is moving through. It's a singular event that
the House of Representatives today will pass a bill to abolish death
taxes.
The
President is keeping very close tabs on the Senate where the budget
resolution is before the Senate. As you can anticipate, we
are looking at a close vote in the Senate and the President is staying
on top of the budget resolution there. So there's an
agriculture issue today; there's the House action today; the Senate
budget action today; the Chinese situation today; the phone calls that
the President made to the leaders of Tunisia and Yemen. It's
a busy day at the White House, as usual.
Q But
you're suggesting that much of the morning and into the afternoon has
been spent on this issue as he's consulted numerous people, including
his National Security Advisor.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Sure, the President is spending time on it.
Q The
bottom line is that we're three or four days into this; they haven't
released our people; President Bush has made several calls for them to
release our people. What does he say to the hawks in town
that feel that we're not taking a strong enough or forceful enough
stance. We're now more than half a week into this.
MR.
FLEISCHER: Frankly, I think the message the President has
received has been very supportive from people that we have heard from
on this issue. And I'm not aware -- if there's anything
particular, please bring it to my attention. But I think
people understand that this is a sensitive time as these diplomatic
events unfold. And people are pleased with the way the
President has proceeded. The President has expressed his
priorities very clearly here, which are to get our servicemen and women
home and have the plane returned. Those continue to be his
priorities, and those are what his endeavors are focused on.
Q You
were reluctant to go into this this morning, but the President, of
course, has a tremendous resource in his father, the former President,
Ambassador to China, head of the CIA, would be able to talk about the
issues raised by surveillance as opposed to espionage. Would
he consider consultations with his father? Has he done so?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Wendell, I talked to the President about that
yesterday, and the President has asked me to keep any conversations he
has with his father privileged, private. And I think that
also when Presidents talk to former Presidents, whether they're
father-son, or whether a President is talking to a predecessor of no
relation, there is a tradition in some areas, it's not always, but a
tradition in many times, for those conversations to be
private. Former Presidents appreciate that. That is the case
here with the father-son, and that's what the President has asked me to
do.
Q Ari,
there are differences on Capitol Hill, even among Republicans, about
views toward China; some are pro-business, some more
hard-lined. Is this, in any way, affecting the
decision-making here?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No. The President's focus, as I
indicated earlier, is on the most productive way to get our men and
women home. And he is determined to get that done and that
is his focus. Obviously -- again, if there's something that
you are aware of, please bring it to my attention. But
there's nothing that I'm aware of, that I have heard -- I've heard
nothing but support for the President's actions, and the President is
pleased to proceed.
Q Ari,
would the President consider half a loaf? The Pueblo was
never returned by North Korea. Would the President be
willing to accept a return of the 24 crewmembers and let China keep the
airplane?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President believes that the crewmembers
should come home and that the plane should be returned.
Q The
President said, time and time again, during his campaign that he was
going to have a different kind of foreign policy, and the watchword was
humility. So far, what we've seen is pretty traditional.
Wouldn't an apology be consistent with his idea of humility in foreign
policy?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Again, the accident took place in international
airspace, and the United States did nothing wrong.
Q Did
China do anything wrong?
Q The
question is, the President, as part of his campaign promises, said that
he was going to increase and help the National Health Service
Corps. There is now talking about that there is nothing
increased in there, and in terms of funding for training, and also, on
child abuse -- 18 percent reported reduction in child abuse funds,
which is about $15.7 million. How is that being a
compassionate conservative?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The budget that the President will propose to the
Congress next week includes major increases in the multi-billions of
dollars for health care programs for the uninsured. And the
President is very proud to make those proposals.
They
include such items as a $71 billion increase in health insurance tax
credits to get health insurance for the first time into the hands of
people whose employers do not provide it, people who are
uninsured. It provides $18.6 billion over 10 years for
community health centers. That represents an increase of
$5.4 billion, which would double the number of people who are typically
uninsured who are served by community health centers. A
community access program will also be a part of the President's
budget.
Q Child
abuse?
MR.
FLEISCHER: And on the child programs, there are increases
under the HHS budget for the child programs, as well, in addition to a
doubling of the child credit. So there are a host of
programs in the President's budget that make it easier for parents to
get insurance for their children; insurance for themselves, if they're
uninsured; as well as programs to help them raise their children.
Q Ari,
there is a report today that the President's decision on carbon dioxide
emissions was routed through the Legislative Affairs Director, Nicholas
Calio. And Calio, in '97, was -- his firm was paid $440,000
to lobby on this issue by Teneco Automotive, which is the largest auto
exhaust systems company in the country. And I'm wondering if
the President's concern about a perception of corporate lobbyists
coming into the White House and making decisions on things they were
paid for just a couple years ago?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Who is the author if this report?
Q --
for Public Integrity --
MR.
FLEISCHER: That decision was made by the President; that
decision was made by the policy staff. Nick Calio is our
liaison to the Congress. Nick conveys to the Congress the
decisions that are made, and that was the case here.
Q But
is he concerned at all about this perception, this growing perception
that corporate lobbyists that work on exactly the same issues as paid
lobbyists come in and make the public policy decisions?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President makes his decisions on the merits;
he makes his decisions on what he believes is in the national
interest. For example, there are many people who are seeking business
tax credits, or business tax breaks on the tax bill. Nick,
the President, others, of course, on staff, made it very clear to
everybody in town that that was not going to be the case this year.
If you
recall, Larry Lindsey had a meeting with a group of K Street lobbyists,
who expected to have business provisions added to the tax bill, but
that would not be the case. As the President put it, this
tax bill should take care of people first, not business. And
so there are going to be issues in which the President takes actions,
because he believes that it's in the national interest. And
sometimes, that will include business and other times it will not.
Q Ari,
on the tax issue, related to that, Tom DeLay has been raising money
from businessmen for a pro-tax cut ad campaign, in return promising
access to top Bush administration officials. I mean, have
you been working with DeLay and NRCC, or do you think this is
appropriate or ethical?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I have not had a chance. I saw that
report. I have not had a chance to follow up and talk to any
other administration officials about that. So if you'll
allow me to do so, I will, and I'll get back on that one.
Q Since
the President's statement yesterday afternoon, is there any evidence
that China has heeded the warning or has softened its position at all,
or is this a complete stalemate at this point?
MR.
FLEISCHER: David, that's exactly the type of issue where I
was referring earlier to, where, in order to be the most productive,
sometimes the less said is the best. This is a sensitive
moment, this is a sensitive time, in making certain that our servicemen
and women return. And there are going to be ongoing conversations, not
all of which I will be at liberty to discuss with you in their
entirety, and I have to treat it as that, and I'm sure you will respect
that.
Q Would
you say, given the sensitive time, is there any thought in the
administration, because of the newness of this administration, of going
outside normal diplomatic channels and maybe naming a special envoy,
somebody who has a relationship, somebody who already has an existing
relationship with senior officials in the Chinese government?
MR.
FLEISCHER: They're going to continue the conversations in
the modes that we have been. And if there are any other
channels, sometimes we're not at liberty to discuss
those. But we continue to have conversations with the
Chinese government. And I think they understand the
message.
Q Has
there been a request to meet with the crewmembers, Ari?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Yes.
Q And
has it been granted? Are there any indications when --
MR.
FLEISCHER: The United States government has asked to, again,
meet with the crewmembers, and we have not received word.
Q Has
there been any thought to establishing a joint commission involving
both governments to explore the circumstances of the accident and try
to come up with --
MR.
FLEISCHER: One of the most useful steps in exploring the
circumstances of the accident would be to, again, have access to the
crew so we can talk to the crew and hear what took
place. It's hard to determine the cause of the accident if
we don't talk to the crew.
Q Well,
is this a possible avenue of ending this particular incident, the
setting up of a joint commission?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'm not going to speculate on possible avenues to
end it. That's part of the ongoing diplomatic process.
Q Is
it under active consideration?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The first thing would be to meet with the crew;
in order to determine the cause of an accident, it's imperative to talk
to the people involved.
Q I
have a follow-up on that. You said that the United States
did nothing wrong. Is there any evidence that China did
anything wrong that led to this accident?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Ron, the United States government has said that
this was an accident, and again, in order to ascertain the exact
reasons why an accident took place, the first step needs to be to talk
to the crew. Without that information, it's hard to come to final
determinations.
Q Have
you heard developments on whether there will be further meetings with
the crew? Has that happened? Will that
happen? What about the crew being able to call home?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The United States government has requested an
additional meeting with the crew and we have not received and word back
yet.
Q And
what about the ability to phone home? Any progress there?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No word on that.
Q Are
they meeting, Ari, without the presence of Chinese
officials? Is that the request?
MR.
FLEISCHER: That is one of the requests. In the
first case, the Chinese officials were involved in the meeting that
took place yesterday morning.
Q And
you would like it to be without them present?
MR.
FLEISCHER: We have asked for another meeting with the crew
and we believe that is the preferable way to do it.
Q After
four or five days of this, I was wondering, could you tell us what the
feeling of the President is? Is he angry; is he upset? One
of the words I keep seeing on the wires is "dismay." And
then, secondly, at what point do we start referring to these people as
hostages?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President is focused; the President is
determined; the President, in a course of a normally very busy day, is
pursuing the diplomatic channels that I spoke about
previously. He's also attending the other important business
of the government, and he will continue to do so.
But as I
indicated, the President spoke the last two days and talked with the
American people about the importance of having our men and women come
home. The President will continue to act in the manner that
he deems most productive to securing that result.
Q At
what point do we start referring to the servicemen and women as
hostages?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I can tell you the only thing I've heard the
President say is he refers to them as our servicemen and our
servicewomen.
Q Are
they now detainees or prisoners, or what? I mean, they're
being held and we want them and we can't get them out, so what are
they?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I can only report to you the words that I've
heard the President say, and the words the President uses, and that's
he refers to them as our servicemen and women.
Q Ari,
have U.S.-Chinese relations been damaged at this point?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Keith, the President made it clear yesterday that
he hopes that this accident will not turn into an international
incident, and in his meeting with the Deputy Premier of China, they
discussed the fruitful aspects of our relationship with China and our
hopes to grow those aspects. The President said yesterday
that if the event that our servicemen and women are not returned, that
it could damage U.S.-China relations. And that is another
reason why it's important for our servicemen and women to be allowed to
come home.
Q So
it could damage U.S.-China relations; it has not so far?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Again, what's important is the return of our
servicemen and women. That's where the President's focus
is.
Q Okay,
but they've held these servicemen and women, I assume against their
will, and they want to come home for three days now. That
has not damaged U.S.-Chinese relations?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Again, I think we are still at that sensitive
point in this accident, where the President repeats his call, it's time
for our men and women to come home.
Q Ari,
what's the President's reaction --
Q You've
said several times that the accident took place in international
airspace. Is it the U.S.'s position that we will continue to
exercise our right to fly in that particular airspace? And
my second question is also on a separate subject. Do you
have a reaction to the fighting in the Middle East, which has hit kind
of a very high point at this level?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Okay. International law is clear, and
it's obeyed throughout the world, that international airspace is
international airspace, and all nations of the world have the right to
fly within that space.
On the
situation in the Middle East, the President continues to be troubled by
the violence in the Middle East. He reiterates his call for
the violence to end, and for the two parties to begin talking --
continue talking, so that they can forge a peace
agreement. He believes the best role the United States can
play is to help facilitate the peace, and that's what he will focus his
endeavors on.
Q --
that the Israelis used the helicopters essentially in an assassination
of a PLO leader. In the past, the U.S. has spoken out
against this targeted killing. Are you dismayed to see the
resumption of this policy by Israel?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think I've just addressed the question.
Q The
Miami Herald did this analysis of the Florida vote, and in almost every
scenario the President would have won Florida. What's his
reaction to this? Does he finally think the case is closed?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The President has thought that the case was
closed for months. He thought the case was closed last
year. The American people spoke and George W. Bush was
elected the President. And he thinks that the American
people have moved way beyond this; he certainly has.
Q Ari,
does the President agree with Randall Robinson and others, who are
demanding black reparations? Or does he agree with David
Horowitz, whose written opposition to black reparations was censored by
so many college newspapers? And I have one follow-up.
MR.
FLEISCHER: You know, Les, that's not a topic I've talked to
him about, so I can't weigh in on that.
Q Can
you take the question?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Let me see if I have anything further on that.
Q And
since the Washington Post reported this morning that CBS newsman, Dan
Rather, spoke at a Democratic fundraiser, does the President believe
Mr. Rather should demonstrate news objectivity by addressing a
Republican fundraiser -- (laughter) -- or would the President oppose
that? I ask you as his specialist on communications.
MR.
FLEISCHER: I think, frankly, that's an issue that the media
needs to grapple with. The White House is not going to
comment on that. But I do think that that's an issue that the media
needs to grapple with.
Q You
would just dismiss it with a "no comment," right?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'm not commenting on that. Like I
say, I think it's an issue that the media needs to grapple with.
Q The
Chinese have now formally charged the Chinese American scholar with
espionage after holding her for about a month. What is the
White House's reaction to that decision, and will it further exacerbate
relations between Washington and Beijing?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The United States is disturbed about this and we
continue to urge that she be released on humanitarian grounds, so she
can be reunited with her family in the United States.
Q Will
this have any impact on the broader patterns of relations between us?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No.
Q Any
spillover into the situation regarding --
MR.
FLEISCHER: Separate issues.
Q Ari,
the government of Mexico today presented formally the proposal for
amnesty for illegal Mexican workers in the United States, and also to
increase the visas for workers. What is the position of the
President about this reform in immigration to stop illegal immigration
on the border with Mexico?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Who took this action, you're saying?
Q The
government of Mexico presented a proposal today to the Secretary of
State and to the Attorney General, John Ashcroft, this morning.
MR.
FLEISCHER: I'd have to see that proposal before I could
comment on it. And you may want to address that question to
State or to Attorney General.
Q In
the past, the President has been in favor of the temporary worker visas
for Mexicans. Any change from his position? Does
he still support --
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, that is the President's
position. But given the specifics of this letter, I want to
see the letter before I comment on it.
Q Ari,
it seems like the appointments are still just sort of dribbling
out. You don't have an FDA head, you don't have an Surgeon
General. What is the -- why is this seemingly so slow?
MR.
FLEISCHER: I would differ with the words "dribble
out." The appointments are proceeding in an increasing
pace. And the President is very pleased with the progress
and the process of the appointments, given the fact, especially, that
we had half the transition that a President is normally
afforded. The President is making up for lost time
now. And he's very pleased with the pace and the
process. As you notice every day, it's an increasing number
of names that are nominated by the President.
Q Ari,
are you concerned that the estate tax on the floor today provides, I
think, some $70 billion less in relief over 10 years than what you
proposed?
MR.
FLEISCHER: The estate tax which is passing in the House is a
slower phase-in than the one proposed by the President, but the
President is cheered by the fact that the House of Representatives, in
what he hopes will be a bipartisan vote, is agreeing with him that the
estate tax, the death tax, is wrong and it should be abolished.
That's a
singular and a signature event, because this year it has the
possibility of becoming real. In the past -- the last
Congress, the Congress voted to do it and, of course, it was
vetoed. President Bush has indicated he will sign a bill to
repeal the death tax. That's something he ran on and
proposed, so he's heartened by today's events.
Q So
he would sign that bill?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Well, he would sign a repeal of the death tax, is
what I said. Of course, we're going to wait and see how the
entire package comes together, but the President is heartened by what
he's seen.
Q Is
he going to work to try to make the package more generous?
MR.
FLEISCHER: We're going to wait and see all the pieces as
they come together.
Q Ari,
to follow up on Ken's question, I notice that you didn't mention, you
didn't say that the charges of espionage were foolish or
wrong. Should I take any significance in that?
MR.
FLEISCHER: No, I've answered the question.
Q Was
there any indication during the visit of Premier Qian that there might
be a -- coming from the Chinese in the case of accidents and things
like that? I mean, underneath the talk of cooperation, was
there any indication from their side that there might be a tougher mind
to --
MR.
FLEISCHER: No. During the visit the President and
Deputy Premier Qian focused on the cooperative and positive aspects of
our relationship, and that was the focus of the meeting.
Q Ari,
on the four destroyers, the destroyers that Taiwan wants in any way a
bargaining chip in this whole current scenario?
MR.
FLEISCHER: Ivan, the President has not made any decision yet
about the arms sales to Taiwan. And the ultimate decision he
makes will be based on his review of the defense needs of Taiwan and
that will be the criteria he uses to make that decision.
Q Not
based in any way of spanking China, so to speak, for not returning our
airmen?
MR.
FLEISCHER: His decision will be based on the defense needs
for Taiwan.
Thank you.
END 1:46
P.M. EDT
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