05 February 2001 Transcript Excerpts: Bush Position On Arms Control, Missile Defense Fleischer at White House Press Briefing Following the speech in Munich over the weekend by U.S. Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld supporting deployment of a national missile defense, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, at his daily briefing for reporters February 5, was asked whether there are any conditions under which President Bush would choose not to deploy such a defense. Fleischer responded: "If you go back to September of 1999 and examine the President's statements, from the time he gave a series of defense and foreign policy speeches, it is very clear that President Bush believes very deeply that the best way to preserve the peace is through the development of a national missile defense to protect against an accidental launch or a rogue nation launch of a missile. And he intends to pursue that matter in consultation with our allies, and he will indeed pursue it. He believes it's a very effective way to protect America and our allies." Asked what Bush would do if opposition to such a defense becomes a groundswell among nations allied with the U.S., Fleischer said "I'm not going to comment on any hypotheticals like that. The President will continue to consult with our allies and friends as we proceed and move forward." President Bush at Photo Opportunity In a January 26, 2001, photo opportunity in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, during a meeting with members of the National Governors Association, President Bush answered a reporter's question on arms control: Q: Mr. President, have you responded to President Putin's letter? And do you plan to review Russian relations with the United States before you go forward in any arms control talks? The President: I have not responded to the letter yet. I will, of course. I read about it -- I might have even read about it before it hit Washington. (Laughter.) What was the second half of your question? Q: Do you plan to review the U.S. relations with the Russians before you start up on arms control talks? The President: Well, you may remember in the campaign I talked about two aspects about arms. One was that I am going to go forward with, along with Secretary Rumsfeld, about plans for a missile defense system. But I also said that I think it's important for us, commensurate with our ability to keep the peace, to reduce our nuclear arsenal on our own. And I'm going to fulfill that campaign promise. That may -- we'll see how that affects possible arms talks. My point is, is that I want America to lead the nation -- lead the world toward a more safe world when it comes to nuclear weaponry. On the offensive side, we can do so. And we can do so on the defensive side, as well. (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov) Return to the Washington File