Publication - Six Months Later President Bush Calls For Unity

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Introduction

President Bush's Remarks at the White House

Ambassadors' Remarks

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Six Months Later President Bush Calls For Unity

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY NIGERIAN AMBASSADOR JIBRIL AMINU; SOUTH KOREAN AMBASSADOR SUNG-CHUL YANG; AND TURKISH AMBASSADOR FARUK LOGOGLU AT WHITE HOUSE CEREMONY HONORING THE SEPTEMBER 11 VICTIMS

THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, D.C.

AMBASSADOR AMINU: President Bush, distinguished ladies and gentlemen: Mr. President, it's a tremendous honor to share this podium with you, and I thank you immensely for the privilege. I bring you fraternal greetings from President Olusegun Obasanjo, the people of Nigeria and, indeed, from Africa.

The terrible events of September 11th, 2001, lie fresh in our minds six months on, as if they were yesterday. Those who perished therein will never be forgotten, nor will those who have given their lives in the aftermath �� nor, for that matter, the grief of their families. Our sympathies and solidarity are with you in the struggle against international terrorism.

The vice of September 11, 2001, brought out the best of American virtues. We admire how the country achieved instant social mobilization and how all closed ranks, forgot their differences and renewed their patriotism with the homeland. The community spirit and sacrifice have been very touching. The systematic steps taken to build an international coalition and to secure United Nations support for the actions you are taking are also laudable.

In all these, Mr. President, you've demonstrated outstanding leadership, which has been recognized and appreciated by the American people. You and America have discovered each other in the dark shadows of September 11th, 2001. Mr. President, you are well-equipped to offer this leadership, and let me mention one or two of the many enabling attributes you are blessed with, which help you along.

Your commitment and the first lady's commitment to education mean that you believe in equality and opportunity for everyone, because education is the efficient human-resource lever, the great social leveler and the fountain for dispensing social justice anywhere.

Mr. President, in addition to your own nuclear family, you have what many leaders in your position must have wished they had: both parents alive and well, with firsthand knowledge of the task you face, always praying for you and always there for you. Prayers from parents do not fall flat.

Besides, your faith-based initiative is an indication of your deep faith in the Supreme Being, who in everything just says "be," and it shall be. He is the one whom we all worship in our various dignified ways, and from whom only does come true guidance and true victory. God's victory is the sweetest, because it is universal, just and everlasting.

Mr. President, even as you are doing what has to be done on the war front and on domestic security, it is reassuring that you are also sensitive to the need to move on, so that the unpleasant past will not be allowed to oppress and retard the future. We will need to return to the outstanding global issues �� the promise of world peace, human rights, and social justice on Earth, respect for all peoples and nations, promoting friendship and trade, as well as scientific and cultural cooperation to improve the standard of living for all and to make the world a better place for all �� a world where the strong give a lending hand to the weak, and where those who have share with those who have not.

America, by the grace of God, as the leading nation on Earth, will no doubt continue to bravely assail the endless challenges and burdens of leadership with grace and restraint, promoting justice to and hope for all, and building people-to-people friendship. America needs, as you are planning to do, to send out its young people to all parts of the world, bearing the message of peace and friendship, not only so that the young shall grow, but so that the young shall grow together, and so that people meet not only in palaces and conference halls and boardrooms, but in stadia, markets, restaurants, dorms, around family dining tables.

Even on this occasion, on this solemn occasion, Mr. President, one can be forgiven for mentioning our continent, Africa, which we hope you will be able to visit very soon. Africa has experienced more than its share of disasters imported from outside the continent �� one-way cruises from Goree Island, colonialism, the Cold War, compound interest debt burden, HIV/AIDS, and international terrorism. It should now enjoy some of the other imports as well �� education, health, trade, investment, infrastructure, and technological development.

Africans, even as they help themselves, as they must do, desperately need to be assisted to be part of the world's economy, to dare to hope for a better future, to afford democracy, and to be saved from becoming the next terrorist den.

But in cooperating with Africa, the benefits will not be one-way. America will find in Africa a reliable ally against war and terrorism, a worthy strategic partner in defense and in energy security, and an inspiring friend who smiles in even the face of so much suffering.

Mr. President, as we renew our solidarity with the United States and our sympathy for the grieving families and peoples, may we be gathering to celebrate and smile, observing happy events instead of the very sad events of last September, the type of which we must all work and pray never to witness again.

I thank you, Mr. President.

AMBASSADOR YANG: Mr. President, Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: Six months ago, the whole world witnessed the unprecedented atrocities of September 11th. On behalf of the Republic of Korea and the Korean people, I would like to once again express my deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the victims, families and friends afflicted by these horrors.

More than half a century ago, brave soldiers from the United States and 21 nations collectively defended South Korea against communist aggression. The Americans alone lost 33,746 precious lives during the Korean War. Today we are confronting yet another global challenge �� terrorism, the enemy of humanity. As we then fought side by side and shoulder to shoulder, now the Korean people actively support the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism and will do so until it is eradicated.

Terrorism is the scourge of mankind. It has nothing to do with religion or culture, and everything to do with death and destruction. It must not and will not be tolerated under any circumstances. As President Kim Dae-jung, the Nobel peace laureate, emphatically stated, and I quote: "Terrorism is undeclared. Terrorism has no face. Terrorism kills innocent civilians. It is the most cowardly and cruel act of provocation. It is a barbaric crime that cannot be justified under any pretext. It must be rooted out at all cost."

One lesson we all learn from the events of September 11th is that no nation is impregnable or invulnerable from such heinous crimes. The eternal vigilance against all kinds of terrorism is the only safeguard against our inherent insecurity. Let us remember the motto on the Korean Memorial here on the Washington Mall: Freedom is not free. In remembering the past, we must be constantly on guard against the present and future intruder of liberty, the universal value of man and society. The march toward liberty and human dignity is neither linear nor stationary. History proves time and time again that this perpetual march prevails over all irrational impulses and inhuman forces.

God bless America, Korea, and all the freedom-loving people around the world. Thank you very much.

AMBASSADOR LOGOGLU: Mr. President, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen: It's a privilege for me to address this meeting. Six months ago on this day, we were all devastated by the loss of thousands of innocent civilians, most at the prime of their lives. Our hearts go out to them and their families. We pray for them and for the brave firemen and policemen who perished in the line of duty. We once again condemn those terrorist attacks and remind their perpetrators that justice will be done, no matter what it takes.

September 11th taught us lessons: that terrorism has no limits; that it knows no religion or ideology; that it's not confined to any geography or nationality. But one lesson stands above others: that the war on terrorism requires sustained solidarity by the civilized world, unrelenting long-term struggle on many fronts. Let's be aware that any relaxation, any wavering in this war will be exploited by the terrorists.

Mr. President, you and the American people have responded to September 11th with dignity and determination. You showed that the spirit of this great nation could not be broken, even under intolerable adversity. We know how the American people feel, because we have ourselves been victims of terrorism. The Turkish people empathize deeply with the American nation. We also never forgot that your country understood our own fight against the terrorists. As a friend of America and as a major ally, we have given our firm and broad support to the international effort you mobilized for the war on terrorism. We have today troops in Afghanistan. We are prepared to do more in that country with continued support from the international community.

Turkey's presence in Afghanistan is one proof that the war on terrorism is not against Islam. Turkish society itself is living testimony to the proposition that Islam, democracy and modernity are compatible. Our secular society is one where civilizations do not clash but where, indeed, they embrace.

This is best symbolized by the Istanbul spirit of dialogue and harmony that emerged at a unique meeting recently held between the West and the East in that historic city. As we fight terrorism, we must at the same time strive for inclusion and participation, trying to win the hearts and minds of people everywhere for the values we together cherish.

We must, however, remain vigilant and be prepared to crush terrorism wherever it appears. There are still dangers and many countries that have yet to put their houses in order. It's our right to expect that all countries tread the proper line against terror.

Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, on this day of remembrance, our sympathies and prayers are with the American people and the victims. We stand united in our condemnation of terrorism. Let us also stay united in our resolve to defeat it.

Thank you.