Text 1078, 592 rader
Skriven 2005-06-03 23:35:30 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0506034) for Fri, 2005 Jun 3
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Press Gaggle with Scott McClellan
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For Immediate Release
June 3, 2005

Press Gaggle with Scott McClellan
Crawford Middle School
Crawford, Texas



11:39 A.M. CDT

MR. McCLELLAN: Good morning, everybody.

Q Good afternoon.

MR. McCLELLAN: It's before noon.

I want to begin by giving you an update on the Virgin Atlantic flight 45.
Just to start at the beginning, the Virgin Atlantic flight 45 had departed
London earlier today and it was en route to New York. And while it was over
the Atlantic Ocean, it had relayed a code signal for a hijack. And once
that happened, there was additional communication made with the pilots of
the aircraft. The pilots indicated that there was no hijack, but out of an
abundance of caution, procedures were put in place, Canadian fighter jets
intercepted the plane and they escorted the plane to Canada. The plane was
required to land in Halifax.

It has since landed in Halifax, as you are aware, a short time ago. It was
met by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and I believe that the Canadian
border service, as well, is involved in overseeing jurisdiction for this
situation right now. And as far as additional details, you might want to
direct questions to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at this point. But it
is on the ground in Canada and was met by the Canadian police. The
President was briefed on it while he was out at the ranch and kept apprised
of -- has been being kept apprised of the situation, as well.

A couple of other things to update you on, in terms of the President's day.
He had his usual briefing this morning at the ranch. And following that
briefing, the President called President Saakashvili of Georgia. The
President called to congratulate President Saakashvili on reaching
agreement with Moscow on Russia withdrawing its forces from military bases
in Georgia. The two leaders agreed on the importance of Georgia and Russia
working together in a constructive way to move forward on the agreement and
to advance cooperation on the peaceful resolution of Georgia's separatist
conflicts.

The two leaders also discussed the cooperation between the United States
and Georgia to advance democracy in the South Caucuses, Central Asia and
beyond.

And then following that, the President was out on the ranch, where he was
doing some work and clearing some brush. And that's the latest update I
have on his day. And with that, I'm glad to go to your questions.

Q Scott, did the President discuss with Saakashvili the grenade incident
during his visit?

MR. McCLELLAN: They touched on it briefly. The President expressed his
appreciation for the official -- the security official who located it and
removed it.

Q Scott, -- increasing in recent weeks on North Korea, and if they don't
return to the six-party talks, what is the next step? Also, what's your
reaction to the North Korean foreign minister's comments that when
President Bush referred to Kim Jong-il as Mr. Kim Jong-il it sort of
softened the tone and maybe opened up the chance for talks?

MR. McCLELLAN: What we want to see is North Korea return to the talks as
soon as possible. That's what all the other parties to the talks want to
see, as well. We are all saying we want to see a nuclear-weapons free
peninsula, and the way to get there is through the six-party talks. We've
made that very clear to North Korea. The other parties have made it very
clear to North Korea. We would like them to return as soon as possible.
They made a commitment some time ago that they were committed to the talks.

But not only do we want to see them return to the talks, we want to see
them return prepared to move forward in a serious way on the proposal that
we outlined. We outlined a proposal that we believe addresses the concerns
of all the parties and is the way forward to resolving this matter in a
diplomatic way. And that's what we're committed to, and so that's what we
would like to see.

Q Do you have a reaction to the foreign minister's comments?

MR. McCLELLAN: My reaction is that we'd like to see them return to the
six-party talks. They say a lot of things. We want to see them come back
and be prepared to talk in a serious way about how to move forward. And I
think that's what the other parties in the region want to see, as well.
They've made that clear, too. There are no preconditions for returning to
the talks.

Q Did the U.S. government think that the hijacking alert from that plane
might have been a homeland security issue, and was the President briefed
while it was underway or after it was over?

MR. McCLELLAN: No, he was briefed when we first were learning about it, on
the ranch, and he's been kept apprised of it since. Other than that -- I
mean, I just reported to you the facts that we know at this point, and I
don't have any information beyond that. We will probably hear more from the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, I suspect, later today.

Q Is that kind of an event a homeland security alert that would put the
U.S. government on the watch for it?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, there are procedures in place, and those procedures
were followed in this instance. The plane was diverted to Canada, where it
landed. It was intercepted by Canadian fighter jets. They escorted it as it
landed in Halifax. We had officials, senior staff that was here with the
President, including the Deputy Chief of Staff and the President's military
aide that participated in various calls regarding the situation, as well.
After September 11th, we worked to put steps in place to address matters
like this. And those procedures were being followed in this case, as well.

Q British Prime Minister Tony Blair is visiting the President on the White
House on Tuesday. He's going to ask the President to support initiatives
for debt relief in Africa, and fighting global warming. Tony Blair has been
a supporter of the United States and President Bush in the war in Iraq.
What is the President's posture, at this point, in terms of willingness to
give the British Prime Minister what he's asking for?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, first of all, I think that --

Q What was the question, Scott?

MR. McCLELLAN: It was regarding Prime Minister Blair's visit, and some of
the things that the two leaders may discuss. First of all, this is -- this
meeting is an opportunity for the President to congratulate Prime Minister
Blair in person on being reelected to office. And I suspect that they are
going to talk about a wide range of issues. I suspect they're going to talk
about our efforts to support the advance of freedom and democracy around
the world. I'm sure that they will talk about the progress in Iraq, to
build a free and democratic future and peaceful future.

And I'm sure they'll talk about Afghanistan and other areas around the
world. I imagine that they'll talk about proliferation. That's something
that has always been high on our agenda, particularly after September 11th.
And it's something that has been a focus of the G8, as well. They've taken
a number of steps to move forward on efforts to counter proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction. The most serious threat that we face are those
weapons getting into the hands of terrorists.

And I suspect that they will talk about Africa. The United States has been
leading the way when it comes to providing assistance to developing
countries in Africa. And we've been working with the G8 to make sure that
aid is focused on achieving its intended results. In 2002, there was an
Africa Action Plan that was adopted by the G8, and there were commitments
that were outlined in that Africa Action Plan. We have been fulfilling our
commitments under that African Action Plan, and we encourage other
countries to join with us and do the same, and meet their commitments.

And so the President looks forward to talking about these issues with Prime
Minister Blair, as we get ready to head to the G8 next month in Scotland.
But they will talk about a range of issues, and I think we should let the
meeting take place.

In terms of debt relief, we've been at the forefront of encouraging debt
relief for those developing countries in Africa. So I would take exception
with some of the characterization there that left an impression like --
that it's not something we've been working on. These are issues that we've
been working on for quite some time, and we've been working closely with
the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Blair. There are many common goals
that -- there are common goals that we share. And we must continue working
together to address those common goals.

Q One follow up. The President, in the Oval Office photo op with South
African premier Mbeki, was asked a question about the British proposal
regarding debt relief in Africa. He said, it doesn't fit our budget cycle.
It was a negative comment. What did he mean by that, and to what extent
does that reflect where the talks are between the U.S. and Britain right
now?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that, again -- and I talked about it a little
bit later that day -- the commission that Prime Minister Blair led, in
terms of Africa, addresses many different issues. And I think there are
many areas on that commission where we agree. We want to make sure that the
aid that is being directed to Africa is focused on achieving real results,
that it's focused to countries that promote good governance, that promote
rule of law, that are committed to democratic institutions. We believe
that's very important when it comes to providing aid, as well, because we
know that democratic countries are committed to improving the quality of
life for their people, and we want to make sure that that aid money is
going to achieve its intended result, which is to help people in the region
and to help those countries move forward and develop. And that's what we're
committed to doing.

So there -- we have a shared goal here, and I think sometimes that might
get lost when there's discussion going on on various issues. But it's a
shared goal. We've worked very closely with Prime Minister Blair on those
efforts, and we will continue to do so. We look forward to doing so at the
upcoming G8.

But again, there was an Africa Action Plan that was outlined at the 2002
G8. It was adopted by that G8 Summit. That's the basis for us for moving
forward. We need to make sure that we're implementing that Africa Action
Plan. The United States is fulfilling our commitments under that plan. And
we want to see other countries work with us and join us in meeting their
commitments, as well. And so that's something that we will, I'm sure, talk
about as we get closer to the upcoming G8 Summit.

Q Scott, you're not signing on to Blair's proposal on the doubling. Is that
right?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well remember, we have significantly increased aid to
Africa, and it's important -- I think it's important that as you look at
that aid that's going to Africa, that you make sure that, one, that those
countries have the capacity to take that aid in, and, two, that those --
that aid is going to countries where it's going to achieve real results on
the ground and promote some of the priorities that we share. And I think
that's one of the priorities that was in the commission for Africa plan
that the United Kingdom outlined, which was talking about making sure that
countries are committed to good governance and committed to free markets
and committed to rule of law and things of that nature.

Q But we're accurate in saying we're not yet ready to sign on, as other
European countries have, to the doubling?

MR. McCLELLAN: We are committed to a shared goal. And the United States is
moving forward on fulfilling the commitments we have made to Africa. And we
look forward to working with other countries to make sure that all of us
are meeting our commitments and implementing the Africa Action Plan that
was adopted. I think that's an important place to focus as we move forward.
It's also important that we continue to encourage leaders in Africa to be
at the forefront of these efforts. And I think that's one of the things
that the Commission for Africa Plan -- or the Commission for Africa
outlined, as well. So there are many areas of agreement, and we'll look
forward to discussing how we can continue to move forward on our shared
goal.

Q Scott, on Syria, do you believe that it was just an accident that those
scud missiles were fired? That's apparently what the Turkish foreign
minister was reassured by the Syrians, that it was just an accident. What
do you think?

MR. McCLELLAN: We're aware of the missiles that were launched, and I think
I'll just leave it at that.

Q Do you think it was just an accident?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think I'll just leave it at that. I don't think we have
anything further to add to it.

Q Do you have anything on the assassination of the Lebanese journalist?

MR. McCLELLAN: Sure. We strongly condemn the brutal assassination of Mr.
Kassir. He was a prominent journalist who long advocated Syria's withdrawal
from Lebanon. And this heinous act was clearly an attempt to intimidate the
Lebanese people and undermine their efforts to build a free and democratic
future. I think it reflects an environment of political repression created
by Syria's long military and intelligence presence inside Lebanon. And we
continue to call on Syria to comply fully with United Nations Security
Council Resolution 1559, which calls for Syria to withdraw all its
intelligence operatives from Lebanon, in addition to the military forces.

Under Secretary of State Burns is also at the United Nations today, and I
think he will be talking about this while he is there. We would like to see
the United Nations Security Council expand its mandate for a United
Nations-led investigation into the assassination of Prime Minister Hariri
to include an investigation into the assassination of Mr. Kassir.

Q Scott, there was a published report this morning that the President had
decided to return $4,000 in campaign contributions he received from Tom
Noe, the rare coin dealer in Ohio who is under investigation, but that he
did not plan to return some $100,000 in other people's contributions that
Mr. Noe had helped raise. Is that true, and why draw the distinction
between them?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think that there are some serious allegations that have
been raised against this individual. They have raised concerns with people
in Ohio, they have raised concerns with the White House. And the President
felt it was the right thing to return those contributions that came
directly from him.

Q But why not the additional contributions that Mr. Noe had raised?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, those are from other individuals, and in the past, I
think the campaign, if you'll go back and look, has returned contributions
from individuals that maybe have been convicted of crimes, and so forth.
And this one is certainly a unique situation that raises some very serious
allegations and we felt it was the right thing to do to return the
contributions that he had made to the campaign.

Go ahead, David.

Q Scott, you mentioned proliferation before as a concern with Prime
Minister Blair. There's a report out from UNMOVIC, their quarterly report
about the situation in Iraq, and they have found evidence of additional
sites that have been completely looted, including sites related to the
production of missile propellants and other missile technology which had
been programs Saddam had running for some time.

MR. McCLELLAN: Right.

Q It looks like most of this looting happened after the American occupation
began. Can you explain to us why it is that there's been so much
difficultly in securing, in the aftermath of the invasion, more than two
years ago now, sites that the U.N. had clearly marked before the invasion
as related to missile technologies?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm not sure that I necessarily agree with your assessment,
but I would encourage you to go back and look at the Duelfer report,
because he talked specifically about some of these issues. But in terms of
our coalition forces and the Iraqi government, the transitional government
now, we have been working closely with the government in Iraq to ensure
that Iraq's former weapons of mass destruction personnel and proliferation
materials do not contribute to proliferation programs in other countries.
So we have worked to make sure that there is priority put on sites and that
those work to -- work with the transitional government to make sure that
those sites are secure and safe.

Now in terms --

Q The report seems to suggest that 85 percent of those are already gone.

MR. McCLELLAN: Hang on. Hang on, let me back up, let me back up, because I
think you should go back and read what Charles Duelfer said, because he
talked about it in his report and said that his sense was that any looting
was the work of uncoordinated elements. Now remember, the former regime had
sites all across the country where they were hiding materials. And it was
Duelfer's sense, as he reported, that any looting was the work of
uncoordinated elements rather than directed at an effort to try to export
equipment to a country that might obtain or have a weapons of mass
destruction program.

And he went on to say in his report that if -- and this is a quote -- "If
Iraq could get this equipment, then other countries could, as well, and
would you buy a used piece of equipment from a country which had just been
invaded in that war? Probably not," is what his assessments were -- his
assessment was. So you might want to go back and look at his report. These
are quarterly reports by UNMOVIC, and -- as you indicated at the top. These
are items -- those items that are not on any of the international control
list, in particular, could easily be obtained elsewhere. So I think you
ought to look at what his assessment was.

Q One additional question if I could. Secretary Rumsfeld is going to be
speaking on China in a few hours.

MR. McCLELLAN: Can I add a -- can I add a couple other things of what we
did to work to -- in regards to what I was saying with the transitional
government and the government before that. We removed low enriched uranium
and radioactive sources, We secured other materials and also offered
employment to individuals with proliferation-sensitive information to
address those issues. And we also assisted Iraq in establishing an
independent radioactive source regulatory authority and took other steps to
make sure that sites were secured and safe.

But obviously, yes, there are a lot of sites -- there were a lot of sites
across the country.

Q But the priority sites in this case were missile sites, and had been
identified prior to the invasion.

MR. McCLELLAN: And I think you ought to look --

Q And about 85 percent of that missile system is gone, the report seems to
suggest.

MR. McCLELLAN: I think you ought to look back at what the Duelfer report
said in response to some of those issues.

Q One other quick thing on China. Secretary Rumsfeld is going to be
speaking on it sometime soon, I think in the next few hours. Is there a
reassessment underway within the administration about the degree to which
we should be concerned about the Chinese military build up? And do you
expect the tone in the administration to change on this subject?

MR. McCLELLAN: In terms of, I'm sorry?

Q Concern about the nature of the Chinese military build up?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think -- well, you just said Secretary Rumsfeld is going
to be speaking shortly, let's let him speak and talk to it.

Q Is he speaking for the entire administration in this case?

MR. McCLELLAN: He's the Secretary of Defense.

Q Is he speaking for the entire administration in this case?

MR. McCLELLAN: He speaks for the administration as Secretary of Defense. I
haven't seen his remarks.

Go ahead, Deb.

Q In the wake of the showdown over the nuclear option in the Senate, is the
President interested in submitting a new batch of nominees at this point,
or is he anxious to test the filibuster agreement?

MR. McCLELLAN: I saw that report. It kind of seemed to imply that there
were some -- I don't know, there was some speeding up of the nominations,
or something of that nature. I don't think I would characterize it that
way. I mean, there are vacancies that exist. And any time there are
vacancies that exist, we're going to work to move as quickly as we can to
nominate people to fill those vacancies.

And there are a number of judicial vacancies that we have been moving
forward on, regardless of what's been occurring in the Senate. And those
nominees to the bench typically take some time, because you want to go
through background checks and review nominees, and the President has to
come to a decision, obviously, as well. And so those are matters that we've
been working to move forward on as quickly as we can.

Q I think that the President even said in his news conference that, in
terms of extraordinary circumstances, that we're about to find out, and
he's hinting that we were going to get a new group pretty soon?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, there are already some other nominees that are
awaiting a vote. The Senate has committed to moving forward on a couple of
those nominees that have been waiting for some time to receive an up or
down vote. And in terms of other vacancies, we continue to move forward to
nominate people to fill those vacancies.

Q There was a report in a Haitian newspaper of possible return of U.S.
Marines to Haiti.

MR. McCLELLAN: I haven't read the Haitian newspaper this morning. I don't
know anything about the report. You might want to talk to the Department of
Defense about it.

Q Can I verify two things, just because I'm not sure I can hear you. Where
was the President when he was informed about the Virgin Atlantic jet, and,
two --

MR. McCLELLAN: On the ranch, doing work on the ranch.

Q He was out doing ranch work?

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes.

Q And number two, was it -- you said it was Navy jets?

MR. McCLELLAN: It was Canadian fighter jets.

Q All of the law enforcement help was Canadian?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm sorry -- well, in terms of intercepting the plane, it
was Canadian fighter jets, and then when the plane landed, it was met by
the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and I believe the Canadian Border
Service is involved, as well. And those two entities really have
jurisdiction over it right now.

Q Scott, do you have any response to Congressman Rangel again calling for
the reinstatement of the draft?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think the President has made his views pretty clear. He
supports an all-volunteer military, and he greatly appreciates the service
of those who sign up to serve, or sign up for the military.

Q Is the President's decision on the draft a matter of just practicality
and policy, or is it a matter of principle that he doesn't think the draft
will --

MR. McCLELLAN: The President thinks the all-volunteer military works best.
It's not something that -- it's something that he's against, any reimposing
of a draft. And he does not think it would serve us well. He thinks the
all-volunteer force does serve the United States well, and we have a great
military with many men and women who do an outstanding job. And he's
appreciative for their service and sacrifice. We are a nation at war, and
there are difficult challenges that remain ahead for our military. They are
rising to the occasion and meeting those challenges and serving admirably.

Q But he doesn't view the draft as a violation of the 14th amendment,
prohibition of involuntary servitude?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know that he's ever looked at in those terms.

Q Okay.

MR. McCLELLAN: I mean, we haven't talked about it in those terms. Go ahead,
Elaine.

Q I didn't hear you very well. You said the President this morning spoke
with President --

MR. McCLELLAN: Saakashvili.

Q Saakashvili. And they discussed briefly the grenade incident?

MR. McCLELLAN: They touched on it, yes. That wasn't the purpose of the
call, but they did touch on it.

Q Did the President ask the Georgian President why it took so long for
Georgian authorities to notify the --

MR. McCLELLAN: No, they didn't get into that level of detail. I mean, as
you know, it's something that's under investigation, remains under
investigation.

All right, anybody want the week ahead?

Q Yes.

MR. McCLELLAN: All right. On Monday, which we've already announced, the
President will be going to Ft. Lauderdale to make remarks at the opening of
the general assembly for the Organization of American States. That's in Ft.
Lauderdale. Then when he gets back to the White House, he'll make remarks
on the South Lawn for Black Music Month. There will be a White House Black
Music Month reception.

Then on Tuesday, the President looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister
Blair back to the White House. Following their meeting, they will
participate in a joint -- it's an afternoon meeting, they'll participate in
a joint press availability. That's scheduled for the East Room at this
point. And then I think they have dinner scheduled after the joint press
availability.

Then on Wednesday, the President looks forward to meeting with Prime
Minister Erdogan at the White House in the Oval Office, and then he will
also be making remarks on strengthening Social Security later in the day.

And on Thursday, we will travel to Colombus, Ohio. The President will make
remarks on the Patriot Act. As you are all aware, Congress is considering
legislation to reauthorize the Patriot Act right now, and they're moving
forward on that.

And then on Friday, the President will go to McLean, Virginia, where he
will tour the National Counterterrorism Center. And then he will meet with
President Roh in the Oval Office later that day.

Then on Saturday --

Q Is there a press availability with President Roh?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think it's probably a pool spray, but we'll keep you
posted. I think it's still TBD at this point.

Q No overall press?

MR. McCLELLAN: I imagine it will be pool coverage, but we're still talking
about that, so nothing is final. We'll be talking about that with South
Korea, as well.

Saturday, nothing to update on his schedule. And then on Sunday the
President will attend the Ford's Theater Gala in Washington, D.C.

Q Scott, what is the President's opinion of the new OAS Secretary General?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, he met with him with the other day. They had a very
good meeting. And he's someone that the United States was very familiar
with. And they had a good discussion the other day. And I think in terms of
Monday's remarks -- maybe you all would like a little bit on that. Let me
just kind of give you an update. I mean, one of the things -- and this is
one of the issues they talked about in their meeting earlier this week in
Washington, because the Secretary General was in town headed toward the
General Assembly meeting.

The President does look forward to addressing the General Assembly. The
President will focus on strengthening democracy in our own hemisphere. We
are seeing that freedom and democracy are advancing around the world, and
we have seen dramatic democratic advances in our own hemisphere since the
last time the United States hosted the Organization of American States
General Assembly. That was back in 1974, and there were 10 of 23 members
who attended that General Assembly -- only 10 had an elected, democratic
government at that point. Today all 34 members of the Organization of
American States are democratically elected governments. The only country in
the hemisphere that is not a democratic government, of course, is Cuba. And
I imagine he will touch on that, as well.

But what the President will focus on is that we cannot take democracy in
our hemisphere for granted. Elections and democratic rule is only the
beginning. Successful democracies are built on free institutions that
guarantee transparency and rule of law and accountability. And I imagine
the President will talk about that in his remarks.

And there are really two competing visions in our own hemisphere. One
vision is for our hemisphere to be based on hope and democracy and freedom.
The competing vision seeks to roll back the democratic progress in the
region by spreading fear and pitting neighbors against one another. And I
think that's something the President will expand on in his remarks. He will
also talk about the importance of CAFTA. The Central American and Dominican
Republic Free Trade Agreement has very strategic significance. And it's
important that Congress move forward and pass that free trade agreement to
show our continued support for young democracies in Central America. And
the President will talk about why CAFTA is so important from a strategic
perspective, as well as why it's important from -- important to our efforts
to open up markets to American products and producers and farmers.

Thank you all. Have a good day.

Q The Social Security event, where is that?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'll get you more information on it. It's in D.C.

END 12:08 P.M. EDT
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