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Skriven 2006-08-13 01:52:44 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (060812) for Sun, 2006 Aug 13
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President's Radio Address
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 12, 2006

President's Radio Address


ÿÿÿÿÿ Audio ÿÿÿÿÿ In Focus: Homeland Security ÿÿÿÿÿ

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, America received a stark reminder
that terrorists are still plotting attacks to kill our people. Beginning on
Wednesday night, authorities in Great Britain arrested more than 20
individuals who we believe were plotting to detonate liquid explosives
aboard flights from the United Kingdom to the United States. If these
terrorists had succeeded, they could have caused death on a massive scale.
The plot appears to have been carefully planned and well-advanced. They
planned to bring the components of their explosives on board in their
carry-on luggage, disguised as bottled drinks and electronic devices.

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We believe that this week's arrests have significantly disrupted the
threat. Yet we cannot be sure that the threat has been eliminated. So as a
precaution, on Thursday, the federal government took several steps to
increase security at our airports and aboard our planes.

First, the Department of Homeland Security has raised our Nation's threat
warning to Code Red -- the highest level -- for flights from Great Britain
to America, in coordination with British authorities. Second, we've raised
the threat warning for all domestic and international flights landing in
the United States to Code Orange -- the second highest level. We also have
sent additional federal air marshals to Great Britain to provide extra
protection aboard flights from the United Kingdom to the United States.

This plot is further evidence that the terrorists we face are
sophisticated, and constantly changing their tactics. On September the
11th, 2001, they used box cutters to hijack airplanes and kill thousands of
innocent people. This time, we believe they planned to use liquid
explosives to blow up planes in mid-air. In response, we've adjusted our
security precautions by temporarily banning most liquids as carry-on items
on planes. I know many of you will be traveling during this busy summer
vacation season, and I ask for your patience, cooperation, and vigilance in
the coming days. The inconveniences you will face are for your protection,
and they will give us time to adjust our screening procedures to meet the
current threat.

I'm grateful for the outstanding work of intelligence and law enforcement
officers in the United Kingdom and in our country. This week's arrests were
the culmination of hard work, cooperation, and information-sharing across
different agencies and different governments. We're dealing with a new
enemy that uses new means of attack and new methods to communicate. This
week's events demonstrate the vital importance of ensuring that our
intelligence and law enforcement personnel have all the tools they need to
track down the terrorists, and prevent attacks on our country.

Because of the measures we've taken to protect the American people, our
Nation is safer than it was prior to September the 11th. Still, we must
never make the mistake of thinking the danger of terrorism has passed. This
week's experience reminds us of a hard fact: The terrorists have to succeed
only once to achieve their goal of mass murder, while we have to succeed
every time to stop them. Unfortunately, some have suggested recently that
the terrorist threat is being used for partisan political advantage. We can
have legitimate disagreements about the best way to fight the terrorists,
yet there should be no disagreement about the dangers we face.

America is fighting a tough war against an enemy whose ruthlessness is
clear for all to see. The terrorists attempt to bring down airplanes full
of innocent men, women, and children. They kill civilians and American
servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they deliberately hide behind
civilians in Lebanon. They are seeking to spread their totalitarian
ideology. They're seeking to take over countries like Afghanistan and Iraq
so they can establish safe havens from which to attack free nations. These
killers need to know that America, Great Britain, and our allies are
determined to defend ourselves and advance the cause of liberty. With
patience, courage, and untiring resolve, we will defend our freedom, and we
will win the war on terror.

Thank you for listening.

END

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