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Skriven 2005-01-10 23:32:58 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0501106) for Mon, 2005 Jan 10
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President Thanks USAID Employees and NGO Presidents
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 10, 2005

President Thanks USAID Employees and NGO Presidents
Usaid Headquarters
Washington, D.C.

President's Remarks
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˙˙˙˙˙In Focus: Tsunami Relief

11:32 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Please be seated. (Applause.) Thanks for the
warm welcome. Good morning. A little more than two weeks ago, the world
witnessed one of the worst displays of natural destruction in history.
Since that time, the world has witnessed one of history's greatest displays
of compassion.

Most of you are members of this great organization, the United States
Agency for International Development. Some of you are members of
non-governmental organizations. All of you are playing an important role in
that compassionate response. The world has taken notice, and the American
people are grateful.

Throughout the many affected regions the loss of life and property is
immense. People and nations throughout Asia and around the world are
working to ease the suffering brought on by this terrible disaster. The
international community has responded with generosity and compassion, and
the men and women of USAID have been at the center of that response. And
I'm here to thank you. (Applause.)

I want to thank our Secretary of State for his fantastic service to our
nation. I want to thank him for recently leading a delegation to the
affected areas to express our nation's deepest concerns. I want to thank
him for keeping my little brother straight. (Laughter.) But the Secretary
is -- anytime he represents America does so with such dignity and strength.
And, Mr. Secretary, you did so again, and the world better understands our
heart as a result of your trip, and I thank you for it. (Applause.)

And I appreciate Andrew's work. (Applause.) Andrew, you should take that as
a good sign. (Laughter.) Either that, or it's all your close relatives who
are here. (Laughter.) But I really do want to thank Andrew for not only
helping to organize the effort, but for his travels and his concern and his
willingness to put in the long hours necessary to make sure that which we
spend works.

And I want to thank you all for working along with Andrew. I know the
response disaster team of USAID is sitting behind me. Andrew tells me that
the response disaster team went into work the minute we heard about the
disaster. And since then, you've been working long hours. I appreciate it
very much.

We just finished meeting with a group of representatives and heads of
non-governmental organizations, NGOs, all of which are providing love and
compassion and help. After that meeting I must tell you my spirits were
raised even higher than they were walking into the meeting. There is no
question in my mind that the NGOs of America provide such vital, vital help
in times of disaster.

A little later on, I want to make yet another appeal for people in America
to donate money. But I do want to remind our fellow citizens, as you donate
money to the tsunami relief effort, make sure you continue to contribute to
NGOs, because those groups -- we still have problems in other parts of our
country and other parts of the world. It is essential that your
contribution not replace the ongoing contributions you're making to help
the NGOs of America. You should view the tsunami relief effort as extra
help, to help solve the problem, so that we don't short-change the
compassionate needs -- the needs for compassion elsewhere in our country
and the world.

Colin and brother Jeb earlier, and Andy came by and reported to me what
they have seen. The pictures do not do the devastation justice. They don't
tell the whole story of what we've seen on TV, what these people have seen
in person. The devastation was on a scale that none of them had ever
experienced. I think Colin referred to Banda Aceh as something the
equivalent of Hiroshima. They reported that the efforts are
well-coordinated; in other words, there's a huge problem, but the good news
is, is that the efforts -- the compassion, the money, the hope -- is
well-coordinated, and that your work is making a difference in saving lives
and helping people who need help. That's what you're here to do, and it's
working.

USAID personnel in the region responded the very day the disaster struck.
So not only did the response team get set up, but the people around the
world began to move. Your fellow colleagues and yourselves have been
working day and night, 24 hours a day, and we're grateful. It's not easy, I
know, it's hard, particularly in the time of year in which this hit. But
you're doing your job. And for that, I'm extremely grateful.

I think the intensity of the effort reflects the enormity of the task.
After all, the death toll is estimated at 150,000 people, and may climb
even higher. Among the dead are thousands of children, and as many as 5
million people are thought to be homeless or without food and clean water.
You're coordinating airlifts of relief supplies to the affected areas;
you're arranging for clean water; you're arranging for medical aid; you're
arranging for psychological help; and that's important work.

USAID has delivered food, temporary shelter, hygiene kits and supplies to
help people survive. In other words, we've been focused on the relief
effort; now we're beginning to focus on rehabilitation and rebuilding. And
as a result, USAID is arranging small loans for those whose livelihoods
have been destroyed. We were talking about the NGOs who have been working
along with USAID. I think Ruth mentioned the fact that her agency has now
provided a fishing boat. In other words, we're beginning to help rebuild
lives and help people get back on their feet.

The NGOs, including our faith-based organizations, had been working in
these regions for decades. As the head of the NGO or the representative of
the NGO, spoke -- said, "Well, Mr. President, we have been there for 30 or
40 years." And as a result of having been there, there's an infrastructure
in place, which is good news for those who need help.

Not only are these people, the NGOs, expressing the world's concern, the
cooperation between our government and the NGOs has been superb. And that's
important. It is important because we don't want to have a duplication of
effort. We want to make sure that we assess the needs, and make sure that
our contributions, whether they be from the public sector or the private
sector, are spent wisely. And having listened carefully to Colin and
Andrew, and the NGO heads, I can say to the American people that to the
best extent possible, we're coordinating our efforts.

We're not only coordinating our efforts here at home, we're also doing a
better job of coordinating our efforts with other governments and
international NGOs. We made an initial commitment of $350 million for
relief efforts. That's a commitment from the federal government. And the
NGOs, in turn, are using some of those funds effectively to meet the needs
of the people on the ground. In other words, what we have done is we made a
commitment at the federal level, and we said, how best to spend that money.
And the best way to spend that money is to actually spend it with people
who know what they're doing on the ground. We don't need to try to -- now
is not the time to try to come up with a new way of solving old problems.
Now is the way to use people who have been solving problems in an effective
way to help people on the ground. And that's exactly what we're doing.

Our military is doing a fantastic job, by the way. I want to thank our
commanders on the ground, and I want to thank our troops who are
representing the best of America. Navy vessels, including the USS Abraham
Lincoln, have moved into the region and they are providing food and medical
supplies and clean water. Helicopters and military aircraft are meeting
critical needs by airlifting supplies directly to the victims. After all,
many of the victims have lived in remote areas. And so many other places,
our servicemen -- like in so many other places, those who wear our uniform
are showing the great decency of America. And I thank them for that. I
can't tell you how much our government and the people of America appreciate
the good work our military is doing to help relieve the suffering from this
crisis. (Applause.)

The NGOs with which I met tell me about the incredible outpouring of
generosity here at home. And I want to thank all those who have contributed
to the NGOs. I particularly want to thank two former Presidents -- 41 and
42 -- (laughter) -- or Dad and Bill -- (laughter) -- for stepping up and
helping to raise money. It's important that Presidents Clinton and Bush do
what they have done, and I can't thank them enough for taking time out of
their busy schedules to send out an appeal to the citizens of our country.

Listen, people want to help. I repeat, make sure that this help doesn't
take the place of other help you're giving, but if you do want to continue
to help, and I ask you to do so, please go to usafreedomcorps.gov on the
web page, and that's a way to make sure your money -- shows you where to
send your money, and to make sure it's properly used. And, as well,
hopefully the legislation I sign that will allow taxpayers to deduct this
month's contribution for tsunami relief from your 2004 tax returns is
further incentive, kind of a little kick to the heart. (Laughter and
applause.)

The United States government and the NGOs that have worked so hard for so
long in the region are committed to this area of the world for a long time.
This is one of these projects that's not going to happen overnight. The
intense scrutiny may dissipate, and probably will, but our focus has got to
stay on this part of the world. We have a duty -- we have made a
commitment, and our commitment is a long-term commitment, to help these
good folks in the part of the world that got affected get back on their
feet.

Well after the immediate danger passes, USAID is still going to be in the
hard-hit areas. And I thank you for that. See, you're going to be helping
the people improve their schools and develop health services and mitigate
conflict and reinvigorate local economies, and help build institutions of
democracy, so people can live in peace and freedom.

As our government's leader in relief and reconstruction, USAID and its
predecessors have done this kind of work before. You have done big jobs in
the past, such as the Marshall Plan. And we're committed to not only
solving this problem, but we're committed to the work that goes on
year-round in nearly a hundred countries, countries that include Iraq and
Afghanistan, where you're helping to build -- to bring a better future to
millions of people who have been newly liberated, and to regions in the
world like Darfur, in the Sudan, where you're helping to reduce deaths and
violence in that troubled region.

The efforts of USAID is essential for the foreign policy of the United
States of America. Your efforts and the efforts of others, especially to
create jobs, promote markets, improve health, fight HIV/AIDS, and help
democracy take root, are instrumental to making the world a better place
and to protecting the American people.

From Sudan to Sumatra, the world has seen America at its best through the
work you do. Sometimes you don't get thanked enough. I don't know how many
times a President has been by to say thanks, but -- (applause.) But I'll
tell you this: It's my distinct honor to come by and say thanks.
(Applause.) I appreciate your compassion. I appreciate your love for your
fellow human being, and thank you for the work you do.

May God bless you all. (Applause.)

END 11:46 A.M. EST
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