*EPF102 01/07/2002
White House Report, January 7: Economy; India-Pakistan; Secret Service agent
(Bush met with reporters at White House prior to economic team meeting) (540)

BUSH MEETS WITH ECONOMIC ADVISORS AT WHITE HOUSE AFTER RETURNING TO WASHINGTON

President Bush met January 7 at the White House with his top economic team and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan.

As the group assembled in the Cabinet Room, Bush told reporters that "we're making good progress in winning the war in Afghanistan, and we've got to make good progress about helping people find work."

Bush said he was "optimistic that 2002 is going to be a better year than 2001. And we will discuss ways here to make -- to figure out how government can make that happen. One thing I will do, after the course of these discussions and some discussions later on this week, will be to put in my budget an economic stimulus package," he said.

Bush said he is "tired of partisan bickering" and hopes that when Congress returns to Washington both parties will unify around some sensible economic policy.

Bush met with his economic team soon after returning to the White House from a twelve day holiday visit at his Texas ranch in Crawford.

First Lady Laura Bush is remaining in Texas for a few more days. She plans to return to Washington on the weekend.

BUSH COMMENTS ON INDIA-PAKISTAN SITUATION

The situation between India and Pakistan "is still serious" and "it's very important" that Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf "make a clear statement to the world that he intends to crackdown on terror," President Bush told reporters in a question and answer session with them January 7 that preceded his meeting at the White House with his economic advisors.

"And I believe that if he does that and continues to do what he's doing, it will provide the -- it'll provide relief...on a situation that's still serious. I don't believe the situation is defused yet, but I do believe there is a way to do so, and we are working hard to convince both the Indians and the Pakistanis there's a way to deal with their problems without going to war," Bush said.

BUSH COMMENTS ON TREATMENT OF SECRET SERVICE AGENT

Bush said an investigation is continuing into the reasons why a U.S. commercial airline pilot would not permit a U.S. Secret Service agent of Arab descent to board his airplane.

"If he was mistreated because of his ethnicity, I'm going to be pretty hot -- that means angry," the President said. "I know the man, I'm most appreciative of his service to me and my wife. He's an honorable fellow. But I don't know much about the details of this particular incident."

Bush said he would "be surprised if he (the agent) was hostile, but I wasn't there so it's hard for me to comment on something I did not see."

The agent, who was armed, was not permitted to board an American Airlines Flight on Christmas Day from Baltimore to Dallas. He was on his way to guard the President and First Lady at their Texas ranch. He was removed from the flight after the captain questioned his credentials, but was permitted to fly on a later flight.

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

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