02 October 2001

NATO Finds that Terrorist Attacks Against U.S. Were Directed from Abroad

Washington - President Bush welcomes the determination made by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States "were directed from abroad, thereby reaffirming NATO's September 12 decision that the attacks should be considered an attack against all NATO allies," White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters at his October 2 briefing.

At a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels earlier in the day, NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson stated that there was "clear and compelling evidence" that the attack came from abroad, Fleischer said. "His words speak for themselves -- 'It is clear that all roads lead to al Qaeda and pinpoint Osama bin Laden as having been involved in it,'" Fleischer said.

He noted that NATO had reaffirmed Article V of its charter that states that an attack on any one member of NATO is an attack on all members of the alliance.

The United States, Fleischer said, "has been meeting privately with allies from around the world, talking about different information and sharing that information."

Asked why the information cannot be shared publicly with the American people and the people of the world, Fleischer said "if there was a way to share that information ... without it being conveyed outside to the terrorist organizations that would benefit from knowledge of how we acquire the information we have, we'd like to find a way to do that. But that's not immediately possible."

"So it's a quandary of how to share that information with the public, with the press, yet not let it be available to terrorists who would benefit from that knowledge," he said.

"But again, the United States is very satisfied that the conversations it's been having around the world with our allies and with friends in the Middle East and others," he said.

Fleischer was asked whether President Bush agreed with comments by Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair that the "Taliban must surrender the terrorists or surrender power." Blair made the comments in an October 2 speech to his Labor Party in Brighton, England.

President Bush did not know in advance what Blair was going to say, Fleischer said, but "the United States has been working very closely with the British government on a common approach to combating terrorism and responding to the attacks. And the President welcomes the Prime Minister's comments and his firm commitment to combating terrorism in the wake of the attack."

Bush and Blair have virtually "the exact same message. We are united, we stand strong together. Britain has been a wonderful, valuable ally and friend, and continues to be," Fleischer said.

President Bush "has said repeatedly that the United States will act decisively to protect the United States and our friends from all terrorist attacks ... and those nations that harbor terrorists," Fleischer said.

He "has been very clear on what the Taliban must do to avoid any type of military action," Fleischer said. "They must hand over Osama bin Laden and other terrorists, destroy the terrorist camps, ensure that the territory of Afghanistan will no longer serve as a base for terrorist operations, and allow the United States access to those terrorist camps to make certain that they've been destroyed."

Bush "has made crystal-clear that he will take action against those who carried out the attack and those who harbor -- continue to harbor terrorists," Fleischer said.

Asked to comment on British press reports implying that military action against the Afghani Taliban is imminent, Fleischer said he would not discuss "the timing of any military actions."

The fact that that so many of the people of Afghanistan are fleeing indicates that the Taliban regime is in disunity, Fleischer said.

"And clearly, the Taliban seizing food from the Afghani people, depriving the people of Afghanistan from the means to survive, the repressive nature of the Taliban regime is all a reflection of a regime that lacks strong support," he said.

"The United States is not going to choose who rules Afghanistan. But the United States will assist those who seek to create a peaceful, economically-developing Afghanistan that's free from terrorism," Fleischer said

"There's no question that the United States is very concerned about the humanitarian plight in Afghanistan. ... [T]he United States is the world's largest donor of food to the people of Afghanistan. And the President will continue his efforts to make certain that we can do everything possible, working through relief organizations and others, to get food to the people of Afghanistan in the future."

Earlier in the day, following a meeting with leaders of the U.S. Congress at the White House, Bush said "the Taliban must turn over the al-Qaida organization living in Afghanistan and must destroy the terrorist camps. They must do so, otherwise there will be a consequence. There are no negotiations. There is no calendar."

In another development, Fleischer said that Department of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is going to the Middle East "for information-sharing and for consultation with friends."

Bush also announced that Washington's Reagan National Airport will reopen October 4 under tight security. Bush went to the airport, directly across the Potomac River from the nation's capital, to make the announcement. It has been the only major U.S. airport remaining closed since the September 11 attacks.

Bush used the announcement to urge Americans not to shrink from the threat of terrorism. "There really is no greater symbol that America is back in business than the reopening of this airport," Bush said. "Terror will not stand."