*EPF403 02/28/2002
White House Report, Feb. 28: Morocco, Ireland, Terrorism, Clinton, Daschle
(Bush/Morocco, meetings in March, response to terrorism, Mideast) (1330)

White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer briefed at early morning and afternoon meetings with reporters in the White House Briefing Room.

BUSH PHONE CONVERSATION WITH KING MOHAMED VI OF MOROCCO

The Press Secretary said President Bush "this morning spoke with King Mohamed VI of Morocco. The two discussed a number of regional issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian situation and the U.N.-led effort to find a solution to the Western Sahara dispute.

"President Bush reiterated the high value that the United States places on its deep and friendly relationships with Morocco," said Fleischer.

BUSH TO MEET WITH LEADERS OF IRELAND AND LUXEMBOURG IN MARCH

Fleischer said Bush "will welcome Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker for a working visit on March 6 next week. And the President and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern will meet at the White House on March 13."

BUSH RESPONSE TO TERRORISM

Asked by the Dean of the White House Press Corps, Helen Thomas, if the United States planned to send troops and money to every country that has said it has terrorists, Fleischer responded as follows:

"Helen, in the wake of the attack on September 11th, one of the things I think you've seen around the world is how the world has stood in solidarity with the United States and has faced now the fact that terrorism does represent a threat to people throughout the world, in the various regions of the world, people from all types of governments, whether they're democracies or whether they are kingdoms, in different types of regions.

"And the President views it as a healthy and welcome sign of the multilateralism that is present in a way that people want to take this threat seriously and look to the United States for leadership, for strength and for help. And the President is pleased to help provide it.

"So the United States will work very productively and closely with the various nations throughout the world as they turn internally to deal with their terrorism, with the problems they have in their borders.

"Specifically, in Georgia, the United States will continue our helpful efforts to recognize and respect and strengthen the sovereignty of Georgia. The United States has previously provided helicopters to Georgia, as has been previously announced...

"This is an attempt to help Georgia to train and equip the Georgians to deal with internal problems in an area of Georgia that is known for its terrorist influence.

"In Yemen, President Salih is responded very positively since September 11th especially, in helping to fight terrorism. That is a serious issue in Yemen. And the Vice President will be traveling to Yemen next month, as you know, and the United States wants to work closely with the Yemenese government. President Salih has shown real leadership on this measure.

"So the long answer to your question, Helen, is yes; the United States will work directly and closely with nations around the world as they combat terrorism -- properly and proudly so."

Asked about the criteria for intervention in various countries, Fleischer said:

"The criteria in fighting the war on terrorism is going to be to continue to listen to the needs and the requests of nations throughout the world as they deal with these issues. Terrorism represents a serious threat, not only to the sovereign nations of the world, but to the international community. And it's a healthy sign that since September 11th nations have stepped up in their efforts to rout out the terrorists where they are. And the president welcomes that, is pleased with this sign of people looking to the United States to provide strength, help, and leadership, and he intends to provide it...

"The President never limited the amount of assistance the United States would give to other nations who are dealing with terrorist threats to only those nations that deal with terrorist threats of a global reach. It's been a long-standing policy of the United States to help other nations in their wars on terrorism, and Georgia is the case in point. Prior to September 11th, the United States provided helicopters to Georgia. The issue of Georgian sovereignty is an important issue and a part of America's foreign policy. So it's not limited to just that group."

FLEISCHER ON SPECIFIC TERRORIST THREATS IN GEORGIA, COLOMBIA, YEMEN

The Press Secretary outlined specific threats in this way:

"In Georgia, there is the Pankisi Gorge, which by all estimates is a lawless area. It's a area in which the borders are hard to seal and are unsealed and which people freely go back and forth between Chechnya and Georgia into the Pankisi Gorge. And this was the case prior to September 11th, as I indicated. And that's why the United States provided -- and you received notice -- helicopters were sent to the Georgian republic to assist them in their dealings to maintain their sovereignty over a area that has been hard to control as a result of the terrorist infiltration and the problems in Georgia.

"In Colombia the FARC is a listed terrorist organization.

"It traffics in narcotics, it attacks pipelines, it hijacks airplanes, it kidnaps presidential candidates and state senators. I think there's no question that the American people want to help the government of Colombia put an end to that type of violence.

"In Yemen, Yemen is a country that has a(n) area that also is very hard to patrol and to control, in the northern reaches of Yemen. And the administration is very pleased that President Salih is helping the United States.

"I think what's interesting here is that one of the accusations that was previously launched against the President is why won't he work cooperatively with other countries. Here what you have is these other countries coming to the United States and seeking our support, and the President's pleased to provide it."

ON THE MIDEAST

On the Middle East, Fleischer said, "the President is encouraged in the fact that this week the security talks have taken place. There had been a long period of time in which the security talks were not even taking place. That is the first step of the Mitchell accords. There have been meetings between the Israelis and the Palestinians to discuss security arrangements in the Middle East. The President would like to see that accelerated so that the Mitchell accord can be entered into in a more meaningful and longer-lasting way. The President will continue to press all the parties to comply with the Mitchell accords. So it's a question of time."

Later in the afternoon, Fleischer issued the following brief statement in response to other comments he had made during the briefing relating to the Clinton peace talks that were held during the year 2000:

(begin Fleischer text)

"Earlier today, in response to a question, I stated that violence in the Middle East began at the end of 2000 and accelerated in 2001. I mistakenly suggested that increasing violence in the Middle East was attributable to the peace efforts that were underway in 2000. That is not the position of the Administration. As President Bush has consistently said, he supported President Clinton's efforts, at the behest of the parties, to achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

"No United States President, including President Clinton, is to blame for violence in the Middle East. The only people to blame for violence are the terrorists who engage in it."

"I regret any implication to the contrary."

(end Fleischer text on the Clinton peace talks)

FLEISCHER THINKS MEMBERS OF CONGRESS HAVE RIGHT TO SPEAK OUT ON WAR

Asked if he thinks comments by Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (Democrat-South Dakota) and Senator Robert Byrd (Democrat-West Virginia) were damaging to unity on the war, Fleischer responded, "No, I think members of Congress have every right to speak out as they see fit."

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

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