*EPF402 12/12/2002
White House Report, Dec. 12: North Korea, Iraq/al Qaeda
(Press Secretary Ari Fleischer briefed) (790)

WHITE HOUSE REGRETS NORTH KOREA'S DECISION ON NUCLEAR FACILITY

The White House says it regrets North Korea's decision to reactivate a controversial nuclear power plant that U.S. officials say is capable of producing weapons-grade material.

"The statement that North Korea made, that it plans to resume the operation and construction of its nuclear facilities, is regrettable," White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters December 12.

"The announcement flies in the face of international consensus that the North Korean regime must fulfill all its commitments, and in particular, dismantle its nuclear weapons program," Fleischer said.

"We seek a peaceful resolution to the situation that North Korea has created. As the president said, we have no intentions of invading North Korea. The international community has made it clear that North Korea's relations with the outside world hinge on the elimination of its nuclear weapons program. The next step is for North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program in a visible and verifiable manner. We will consult with friends and allies regarding an appropriate response to this latest move by the North Korean regime.

"Finally, the United States has always been open to dialogue in principle, and was prepared for a comprehensive approach to improving U.S.-North Korean relations before the disclosure of North Korea's clandestine uranium enrichment program. However, the United States will not enter into dialogue in response to threats or broken commitments, and we will not bargain or offer inducements for North Korea to live up to the treaties and agreements it has signed," the press secretary said.

Under a 1994 agreement North Korea pledged to freeze its nuclear weapons program in exchange for shipments of oil and other energy aid.

U.S. officials say North Korea acknowledged in October that it had a secret program to enrich uranium in violation of that agreement.

COMMENT ON REPORT OF IRAQ-AL QAEDA WEAPONS TRANSFER

Asked to comment on an article in the December 12 Washington Post that alleges a possible transfer of chemical weapons from Iraq to the al Qaeda terrorist network, Fleischer said that "we have longstanding had concerns about Iraq providing weaponry to al Qaeda, and of course we know that al Qaeda is seeking it. But beyond that, I just don't get into intelligence information."

BUSH SPEAKS OUT AGAINST REMARKS BY SENATOR LOTT

In remarks December 12 in Philadelphia at a White House regional conference on faith-based initiatives, President Bush said recent comments by incoming Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (Republican-Mississippi) "do not reflect the spirit of our country."

Lott at a recent 100th birthday party for retiring Senator Strom Thurmond (Republican- South Carolina,) praised the senator by saying the nation would be better off today if Thurmond had been elected President in 1948, when he was campaigning on a racial segregation platform.

Lott has since aplogized for his remarks, saying they do not reflect his beliefs but were meant only to praise the service to the nation of the retiring senator.

Bush, in his remarks, spoke about winning the fight against terrorism. He then said, "We must also rise to a second challenge facing our country. This great and prosperous land must become a single nation of justice and opportunity. We must continue our advance toward full equality for every citizen, which demands the guarantee of civil rights for all. Any suggestion that the segregated past was acceptable or positive is offensive, and it is wrong.

"Recent comments by Senator Lott do not reflect the spirit of our country. He has apologized, and rightly so. Every day our nation was segregated was a day that America was unfaithful to our founding ideals. And the founding ideals of our nation and, in fact, the founding ideals of the political party I represent was and remains today the equal dignity and equal rights of every American.

"And this is the principle that guides my administration. We will not and we must not rest until every person of every race believes in the promise of America because they see it in their own eyes -- with their own eyes, and they live it and feel it in their own lives."

Fleischer, speaking to reporters on Air Force One as they accompanied the president to Philadelphia, reiterated that the president thought what Lott said was wrong.

"And Trent Lott has apologized," Fleischer noted. "The president feels very strongly about this. The president knows that we're a nation that has been improved as a result of the civil rights movement, the civil rights changes that were made to our country. We're a better nation. We were a worse nation when we were a segregated nation."

But asked if Bush thinks that Lott should resign from his position of majority leader, Fleischer said, "No, the president does not think that Trent Lott should resign."

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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