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Skriven 2005-05-26 23:33:16 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0505261) for Thu, 2005 May 26
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Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 26, 2005

Press Briefing by Scott McClellan
The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

Press Briefing
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  þ Economic data
      þ Reference B
  þ President's meeting with President Abbas
      þ Reference B
  þ Israeli security fence
  þ Israeli settlements
      þ Reference B
      þ Reference C
  þ Aid to Palestinian Authority
  þ U.S.-Syria relations
  þ Afghanistan
  þ Judicial nominations
  þ Commencement speech at Naval Academy

2:17 P.M. EDT

MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon. Some of your colleagues leave early, it
looks like.

Q Banker's hours.

Q Some of them do.

MR. McCLELLAN: I want to begin with a couple of things. There are a couple
of good economic reports from this morning. One, the first quarter GDP
numbers were revised upwards from 3.1 percent to 3.5 percent, and the
unemployment -- the latest unemployment insurance claims came out today, as
well. They show that -- they are a sign that we should see continued strong
job growth as we move forward. The economy is growing strong, and we're
seeing sustained growth, because of the policies that we put in place when
the President came into office. The tax cuts are working, it's got our
economy growing strong, we've seen 23-straight months of job growth, more
than 3.5 million jobs created since May of 2003, the unemployment rate is
at 5.2 percent. And I also saw news today that revenues for state
governments have been increasing significantly, as well.

But it's important that we continue to follow through with additional
pro-growth policies, to keep our economy growing, and see long-term,
sustained growth. And the President has called for continuing to open
markets and expand trade. He's called for Congress moving forward on saving
and strengthening Social Security. He's called for Congress moving forward
on a responsible budget that funds our priorities and exercises spending
restraint. That is an important part of this. We need to keep our budget on
track to cut the deficit in half over the next five years.

And the President has also called on Congress to get him an energy bill by
the August recess. Today the Senate committee -- Senate Energy Committee
moved forward on comprehensive legislation. We applaud the chairman of the
committee, Senator Domenici, and the ranking member, Senator Bingaman, for
their work to move forward on a bipartisan and comprehensive energy bill.

The President hopes that the full Senate will move forward quickly on this
legislation. As he said, it's time for Congress to act and get him an
energy bill by the August recess. The President put forward an energy plan
four years ago, and four years is long enough to wait. The American people
want Congress to act and help reduce our dependence on foreign sources of
energy.

And with that, I am glad to go to your questions. Terry.

Q In the President's conversations with President Abbas, what did he say to
him about the need or what he needs to do to dismantle terror groups?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think you essentially heard from the President
earlier today. The road map spells our specific obligations for parties to
take. And all parties need to meet their obligations. The President
specifically talked about that in his opening remarks, and he also talked
about President Abbas and his commitment to democracy and peace. He has
spoken out strongly against terrorism and spoken out in favor of ending
violence aimed at Israelis. And it's important for the Palestinian
leadership, under President Abbas, to continue moving forward and meeting
their obligations under the road map.

Q So is the President satisfied that President Abbas is moving aggressively
enough, or does he think that he is not?

MR. McCLELLAN: He appreciates his commitment and his leadership, and we
urge all parties to continue moving forward. There is more to be done.
There is more to be done to meet their obligations under the road map. We
need to keep our focus on the Gaza disengagement plan right now. That needs
to be successful so that we can lay -- that will help lay the groundwork to
get back on the road map.

But President Abbas has taken steps. He's begun reforming the security
apparatus. That's one of the reasons we sent General Ward to the region,
was to work with the Palestinian leadership and reform the security
structure and consolidate it so that it is better able to meet the security
needs of the Palestinian people. And the President spoke earlier today
about armed groups operating outside of the government structure. You can't
have that in a democracy. And the President talked about that in response
to your question earlier today.

Q So it's fair to say that the President thinks he's taken some good steps,
but he needs to do more?

MR. McCLELLAN: He's begun some steps, and there's more to be done to follow
through on the steps that he has taken. The road map specifically says that
terrorist organizations need to be dismantled. The road map also calls on
Israel to take steps. And both parties need to meet their obligations. The
international community needs to meet their obligations. The Arab states
need to meet their obligations, as well.

Q One final question. Is it the United States' understanding that under the
road map, that Israel would withdraw to the '67 boundaries? Is that --

MR. McCLELLAN: The road map spells out what the obligations are. In terms
of final status issues, the President talked about that in his remarks
today, as well. And that's to be mutually worked between the parties, in
terms of final status issues.

But right now we need to keep the focus on Prime Minister Sharon's Gaza
disengagement plan, and it's disengagement from parts of the West Bank.
It's critical that we get that right, and I think you heard from President
Abbas earlier today saying that we are ready to coordinate with Israel on
that disengagement. It's critical that we support the Palestinian people as
they move forward to put the institutions in place for a democracy to
emerge in those Palestinian territories. And that's why the President
expressed our confidence in the leadership by signaling that we're going to
provide $50 million in funds to go to specific projects that will help
improve the livelihood of people in those territories.

Q Scott, would the President like to see Abbas take on Hamas directly and
shut it down? Or does he understand the political sensitivities that Abbas
faces in doing that?

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, I mean, the road map has specific obligations for all
parties. You heard from the President today. They had a very good
discussion about these issues. They talked about these issues. They talked
about the importance of continuing --

Q But --

MR. McCLELLAN: -- no, John, let me finish -- they talked about the
importance of continuing to move forward on the steps under the road map
and meeting their obligations. One of those obligations is dismantling
terrorist organizations.

Q So he wants to see him take on Hamas, then, and shut it down.

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, John, he has taken some steps to address these issues.
He has made a strong commitment to ending violence against Israelis or
ending attacks against Israelis. He has spoken out against terrorism, and
he is someone who is committed to democracy and peace. And to get to
democracy and peace, you have to take those steps, as well.

Q Scott, on the security fence, does the President believe that it's being
used for security reasons or for political reasons?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the President said that it must be for security
purposes, not for political --

Q What does he think --

MR. McCLELLAN: -- not as a political barrier, and that's what the President
spelled out. And we've expressed those views to the Israeli government, as
well, and we have discussions with them about that, as well, and I think
you've seen them taking some steps to take into account the need for the
Palestinian people to be able to move about more freely, as well. They've
taken some steps to --

Q You're not answering the question. What does the President believe it's
being used for?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, they've taken some steps to address that, and --

Q It was a very artful construction, to say if you're trying to impose a
boundary, then that's wrong, that would be a political --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I appreciate that, but we're consulting directly with
the parties and working with them --

Q I said what does the President believe it's being used for?

MR. McCLELLAN: -- and we're making our views known directly with the
parties. The President has said it publicly; he's said it in private, as
well, and we'll continue to talk with the Israeli government about those
issues as we move forward. And that's why --

Q You won't answer whether he thinks it's being used for political
purposes, or --

MR. McCLELLAN: I think I would leave it where the President left it.

Q Which is nowhere. He just said -- Scott, I mean, he said it should be
used for security reasons, not for political reasons, so I'm wondering what
does he think it's being used for?

MR. McCLELLAN: David, we've got a real opportunity before us to move
forward to the two-state vision --

Q He doesn't have an opinion on the fence?

MR. McCLELLAN: -- and as he made it clear, it needs to take into account
the impact it has on Palestinians that are not engaged in terrorist
activities. That's what he said in his remarks. And as we make progress,
Israel needs to continue to take that into account.

Q I want to follow up in a different area. You talk about the importance of
two things: one, returning to the road map; and also, focusing on Gaza. But
doesn't President Abbas have a pretty good point here when he says you want
to focus on removing settlers, a relatively small number of settlers --
8,000 settlers from Gaza -- and yet, the Israelis are building up these
close-in settlements to Jerusalem, like Ma'aleh Adumim, at a pretty good
clip, which would totally prejudice final status negotiations.

MR. McCLELLAN: The President said that shouldn't happen.

Q So isn't it disingenuous --

MR. McCLELLAN: Not at all.

Q So this administration is going to stay focused on Gaza and not worry
about the other?

MR. McCLELLAN: Not at all, David. In fact, the President has spoken
directly with Prime Minister Sharon about these issues, too. And you heard
him talk about it with him when he stood next to him in Crawford, as well.

Q Sharon just keeps on doing what the President says not to.

MR. McCLELLAN: He talked about it with him in Crawford, as well. And what
the Gaza disengagement plan is, it's a very bold step. It's an opportunity
to jump start the road map again. But we've got to get it right in Gaza in
order to get back to the road map. This is happening now. This is a very
great opportunity before the parties to move forward on the President's
two-state vision.

Now, in terms of the road map, we've made our views very clear that parties
have obligations they need to meet under that road map, and we expect
parties to meet those obligations. But we must make sure that it's
successful -

Q The Israelis aren't, in terms of settlements.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- we must make sure it's successful when it comes to the
Gaza disengagement, as well. And we're going to continue speaking with the
parties and consulting with them and working with them and supporting the
Palestinian Authority as they move forward. We are making progress. This is
a difficult task, as the President talked about. There are difficult things
that have to be done, and the President talked about that with President
Abbas, he's talked about it with Prime Minister Sharon. But we will be
there to support the parties as they move forward to make those hard
decisions and take those difficult steps. If this -- there's a long history
here, and we think the best way to approach this is to continue working
with the parties, continue pushing them to follow through on their
commitments. And that's exactly what we're doing.

Q Where does the $50 million come from and how does it work?

MR. McCLELLAN: The $50 million comes from 2005 funding that had previously
been passed by Congress. In terms of how it works, this will be money set
aside in a separate, special account. And it will go to specific projects
-- projects that are agreed to between the United States and the
Palestinian Authority. We'll consult closely with the Palestinian Authority
about how these dollars are used. There is an elaborate process in place to
track the money throughout that process, so the money will be tracked to
make sure it's going to those specific projects it's intended for.

This money will be going to projects like housing and schools. And one
thing that the Palestinians talked about over lunch with the President was
they need more schools. It'll go to projects like road building. It'll go
to projects like health clinics, putting in place some of those basic
services that the people need in those territories, and the Gaza area. This
is directed toward Gaza. And it's a sign that we have confidence in the
leadership as they move forward.

Q And in what sense did the talks today bring us closer to resuming the
road map talks?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, that's why you heard the President emphasize the
importance of making sure that we're successful in Gaza and successful as
Prime Minister Sharon moves forward on the disengagement plan. That will,
as the President said, lay the ground work to get moving again on the road
map.

Go ahead.

Q You said there's a long history, but there has been a history here of
Sharon defying President Bush by expanding these settlements. Is the
President frustrated that he continues to build these settlements, despite
the U.S.' clearly stating policy on that?

MR. McCLELLAN: I appreciate you all trying to continue to engage us in
this, but the President's views could not be clearer, and those are views
he expressed both publicly and privately, and those are views we continue
to make known to the parties. All parties have obligations, and we expect
them to meet their obligations. There are obligations that the Palestinians
need to meet; there are obligations that the Israelis need to meet. And
both parties need to do more to meet those obligations.

Q When Abbas says that time is the enemy, does this not concern the
President that there is no momentum on this?

MR. McCLELLAN: Oh, there is momentum. The momentum is the Gaza
disengagement plan and the opportunity that that presents for us. There is
momentum because we have a democratically-elected leader in President Abbas
who is committed to democracy and peace, so I reject that characterization
outright.

Go ahead, Sara.

Q Thank you. Scott, The Post today say that Syria is being cooperative by
turning back would-be fighters who wanted to go to Iraq. Are U.S. relations
with Syria improving?

MR. McCLELLAN: There are many concerns that we continue to have about
Syria, and our expectations have been made known when it comes to -- when
it comes to Syria and the actions that they should be taking, or that
they're expected to take. They have been out of step with the direction the
rest of the Middle East is headed. And we've expressed our concerns about
their continued support for terrorists, terrorists who operate in places
like Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East, like the
Israeli-Palestinian areas.

And we have concerns about Syria's allowing terrorists operating inside
their territory that are carrying out attacks inside Iraq. We've had
concerns about what they have been doing along the border, or their lack of
taking action along the border. And it's important that they address those
issues. That's the way that they will realize better relations with the
rest of the international community.

Go ahead, Carl.

Q Scott, related to the 1967 borders, as well as the expansion of
settlements, when Prime Minister Sharon was in Crawford, did not the
President signal to Sharon and the world that there had to be a recognition
that the situation has -- has, in many ways, changed and that there would
not be a return to the '67 borders, and that at some level, a settlement
expansion had to be understood as part of the evolution of time?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President back -- that was back here at the White House
over a year ago, and the President made our views known, that you have to
take into account some of the realities of the situation on the ground. But
final status issues are to be negotiated and mutually agreed to between the
parties, but we've got to keep our focus on where we are now. This is a
process that is going to be done in a step-by-step way, and we have a real
opportunity before us with the Gaza disengagement plan to move forward on
the President's two-state vision. We shouldn't lose sight of where we are
right now and what we need to accomplish now. And there will be -- there
will be an opportunity to discuss those final status issues when we get
there.

Go ahead.

Q Besides schools, can you give us specific run-down on what was covered in
the working lunch?

MR. McCLELLAN: Let's see they talked about -- they spent a good bit of time
talking about the Gaza disengagement and the preparations for that. The
President wanted to, I think, hear President Abbas's views on what they are
doing and what help they need. And that's -- they got into a discussion
there about schools and things of that nature.

They spent a good bit of time talking about the security forces. General
Ward provided an update from his standpoint in terms of how the security
reforms are moving forward and what remains to be done. And we heard from
President Abbas on those issues, as well. They talked about elections, as
well as really those areas. I think they spent a good -- most of the time
on the Gaza disengagement and security forces, and some time on elections,
and there are a few other issues that they discussed within that, as well.

Go ahead, Goyal.

Q Scott, just a clarification before a question. Yesterday the President in
the East Room with the Indonesian President, he said that we are both among
the world's largest two democracies. I hope he will not that -- with the
Prime Minister of India, he will be in July here.

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry?

Q When the President said that we are here with the -- among the world's
largest two democracies --

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, yes.

Q I hope that he was not talking that he -- with the Prime Minister of
India.

MR. McCLELLAN: You hope that he would not what with the Prime Minister of
India?

Q Indonesia is not the world's largest democracy.

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, that -- you're correct.

Q Okay, that's the --

MR. McCLELLAN: He looks forward to visiting with Prime Minister Singh in
the future. They have a good relationship, and he looks forward to seeing
him and talking about how we continue to strengthen our relationship.

Q The question is on this --

MR. McCLELLAN: Oh, that was a statement, okay. (Laughter.)

Q Yes, I'm sorry. My question -- the question is --

MR. McCLELLAN: Careful now, some others make statements, too, before their
question. (Laughter.)

Q Just clarification.

Q Who would that be?

Q It was not a question -- just a clarification.

The question is -- the question is that ex-Taliban foreign minister in
Afghanistan, Mr. Wakil Ahmed -- Mullah Wakil, he said that his government
made a mistake by hosting Omar Mullah and also Osama bin Laden. And now
he's running for the parliament as the leader of the Taliban. And also in
-- according to a Pakistan newspaper, Omar Mullah, he criticized
Afghanistan and the U.S. strategy -- or the joint statement yesterday.

My question is that now we're talking about Omar Mullah is still alive in
Pakistan or somewhere because he's making statement from Pakistan. And
ex-foreign minister is running on the Taliban ticket in Afghanistan.

MR. McCLELLAN: You're speculating things there.

Q And the ex-foreign minister is running on a Taliban ticket, so where do
we stand as far as terrorism is concerned in the future in Afghanistan and
the democracy?

MR. McCLELLAN: There has been a tremendous progress in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is no longer a safe haven for terrorists. Afghanistan now has a
democratically elected President in place, and as you heard from the two
leaders the other day, we stand firmly behind the people of Afghanistan as
they move forward on building a lasting democracy and sustaining that
democracy. And they had a very good discussion, and they also issued the
joint statement about our partnership, strategic partnership, and that kind
of spelled out our commitments that we have to each other.

John, go ahead.

Q Rumors have been circulating on Capitol Hill that some of the President's
judicial nominees would be thrown over or sacrificed in order that the
compromise reached earlier in the week be achieved. And in particular, the
Michigan judge's speculation is centered on Judge Saad, among others. Would
you state categorically and without hesitation that the President will
continue to send his nominations to the Senate and not withdraw any of
those that are there?

MR. McCLELLAN: We want all nominees to receive an up or down vote, and that
includes the ones you mentioned, as well.

Q Judge Saad.

MR. McCLELLAN: The President has -- the President has made that clear.
Absolutely, we believe all should receive an up or down vote on the floor
of the Senate.

Q So the President will not withdraw any of his own nominations?

MR. McCLELLAN: John, I think our views have been made very clear when it
comes to judicial nominees. The President has appointed highly qualified
individuals. He believes all ought to receive an up or down vote. We're
pleased that the Senate is moving forward on nominees that have waited
years for a simple up or down vote, and we continue to hold that principle,
that all nominees ought to receive an up or down vote.

Q Scott.

MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead, Les.

Q Two-part. Newsweek has featured magazine covers of international editions
with headlines like, "America leads, but is anyone following?" a Japanese
cover featuring a photo of a dirtied U.S. flag in a trash can. And my first
question, does the President believe such action by an American media
company fuels anti-Americanism overseas?

MR. McCLELLAN: Thank you, Les, for the opportunity to comment on the media.
I have tried to avoid being a media critic, with the exception of some rare
circumstances where it has been particularly outrageous. And I think that
we've made our views known previously on the subject that you bring up, and
I have nothing to add to it.

Q There are news reports this morning that parents and children who were
guests of the President, when they visited Congress, wore stickers with the
wording, "I was an embryo." And my question is, since all of us were once
embryos, and all of us were once part sperm and egg, is the President also
opposed to contraception, which stops this union and kills both sperm and
egg?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think the President has made his views known on these
issues, and his views known --

Q You know, but what I asked, is he opposed -- he's not opposed to
contraception, is he?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, and you've made your views known, as well. The
President --

Q No, no, but is he opposed to contraception, Scott? Could you just tell us
yes or no?

MR. McCLELLAN: Les, I think that this question is --

Q Well, is he? Does he oppose contraception?

MR. McCLELLAN: Les, I think the President's views are very clear when it
comes to building a culture of life --

Q If they were clear, I wouldn't have asked.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- and if you want to ask those questions, that's fine. I'm
just not going to dignify them with a response.

Go ahead.

Q Back to our regularly scheduled briefing -- (laughter) -- there was more
good news on the economy today, but all the polls and consumer confidence
surveys indicate that a majority of Americans both disapprove of the
President's handling of the economy, and are pessimistic about the way
things are going to go in the next 12 months. How do you explain --

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sure it's nothing to do with any reporting on Bloomberg,
so --

Q Just call the numbers like we see them, right? No, but how does the
President feel about that dichotomy, and what can he do, what does he think
he can do to try and convince Americans that, in fact --

MR. McCLELLAN: There are a lot of good economic signs out there, and I
think if you talk to economic forecasters, they will tell you that they see
strong, sustained growth ahead of us.

But we also -- we live in a changing economy, and we must make sure that
people have the job training and the skills they need to fill the jobs in a
changing economy. There are a lot of high-growth jobs out there. We want to
make sure that workers are trained to fill those jobs. There is more to do
to keep our economy growing -- I talked about that at the beginning of the
briefing -- but if you look at the facts, the facts are very clear. We're
in a sustained period of growth, we're in a sustained period of job
creation, and that's because of the policies that the President enacted.
And I appreciate you asking the question, because it gives me an
opportunity to talk to the American people about what those facts are, and
those facts point to 3.5 million jobs created since May of -- since May of
2003. They point to an unemployment rate of 5.2 percent. Real disposable
income is up some 12 percent. And we're seeing jobs created for, now, 23
straight months.

So the economy is moving in the right direction and seeing sustained
growth, but there's more we have to do to keep that economy growing.

Q Scott, on the issue I asked you earlier in the day about --

MR. McCLELLAN: Not sure if I had a chance to follow up on it with all the
meetings today, but go ahead.

Q Oh, well, in that case --

MR. McCLELLAN: Do you want to defer?

Q I guess we will defer.

MR. McCLELLAN: Okay. Anybody -- Greg.

Q Scott, will the war on terrorism be the focus of the President's comments
tomorrow at the Naval Academy?

MR. McCLELLAN: War on terrorism and military transformation. The President
looks forward to going to the Naval Academy tomorrow and giving the
commencement address. The President went to the Naval Academy back in 2001
to give the commencement address, and many of those midshipmen who
graduated that day are now serving in the global war on terrorism and
serving with great valor and distinction. We appreciate the job that
they're doing.

Back on that day in 2001 -- that was prior to the attacks of September 11th
-- we weren't a country at war at that point. We are now a country at war.
And the President will talk about the strategy we have in place to win the
war on terror, and he'll talk about the steps we've taken since September
11th to better protect the American people. And he'll talk about the role
that our Navy and Marine Corps officers are playing in the war on
terrorism. They're playing a critical war -- I mean, they're playing a
critical role in the global war on terrorism. We appreciate the great job
that they're doing. So I think he'll talk about that in his remarks.

And he'll talk to the future Navy and Marine leaders tomorrow. After they
graduate, they will start serving their country in a new capacity. They
will also join their colleagues who have preceded them in the global war on
terrorism. But the President, I think, will spend a good bit of his remarks
focusing on military transformation. Back in 2001, when he went to the
Naval Academy, he spoke about the need to transform our military to address
the threats of the 21st century.

So this -- these remarks tomorrow are an opportunity for the President to
update those at the Naval Academy about the progress that we're making to
transform our military and the way forward to transforming our military so
that we can confront those threats that we face.

Q Will he address the BRAC process, as well as part of that
transformational message?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, that is -- that does tie into transformation, as
Secretary Rumsfeld spoke about in his remarks when he made the
recommendations on that. Remember, this was something that was approved --

Q Will it be in tomorrow's remarks?

MR. McCLELLAN: You'll hear tomorrow. He'll talk about transformation, and
he's still finishing up his remarks. But you'll hear tomorrow on -- he'll
cover a good bit of ground on military transformation, and it's much
broader than just that.

Q Will he talk about women in combat units?

MR. McCLELLAN: He's already spoken about that.

Q Thank you, Scott.

MR. McCLELLAN: Thank you.
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