*EPF101 09/09/2002
Transcript: White House Briefing, September 9
(Bush phones world leaders on Iraq, Bush bilateral meeting in Detroit with Canada's Prime Minister/U.S.-Canada border security, Bush Sept. 12 UN speech, UN Security Council resolutions on Iraq, Bush Sept. 11 speech to the nation, threat level) (1830)

White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer briefed reporters on Air Force One as they accompanied President Bush on a day trip to Detroit, Michigan.

Following is the transcript:

(begin transcript)

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary (Detroit, Michigan)

September 9, 2002

PRESS GAGGLE WITH ARI FLEISCHER

Aboard Air Force One En Route Detroit, Michigan

9:02 A.M. EDT

MR. FLEISCHER: I'm ready to give you a report and to answer your questions. The President this morning began with an intelligence briefing, followed by an FBI briefing. And before he left the White House he started working the phones, calling leaders around the world to discuss Iraq and his speech to the U.N.

The President spoke already today with Prime Minister Sezer of Turkey, with U.N. Security General Kofi Annan, with the presidency of the European Union and the Prime Minister of Denmark Rasmussen. He will also before the day is over call Lord Robertson, President Mubarak of Egypt, and Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The President is calling as part of his ongoing consultations with leaders around the world about the situation in Iraq, and he's also urging them to listen carefully to his speech at the United Nations.

Upon arrival in Detroit, the President will depart for the Cobo Conference and Exhibition Center. He'll have a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Canada. And then during the tour portion of the trip, the President will view a demonstration and praise the progress that's been made on the U.S.-Canada Smart Border Declaration and Action Plan. He'll highlight two important border initiatives, the Free And Secure Trade program, otherwise known as FAST; and the Nexus Alternative Inspection program.

FAST is a new initiative to improve both the safety and efficiency of cross-border commercial truck traffic. Companies that participate in FAST must secure their supply chains, electronically transmit their shipment manifest to Customs in advance, and submit their truck drivers to security background checks. In exchange, those companies enjoy the benefits of a dedicated border FAST lane for their trucks. The President will enjoy a demonstration of how FAST trucks clear the border.

In addition, he's going to view what's a milestone and another important Smart border development, and that's an expansion of the Nexus program. Nexus provides a dedicated FAST lane for preapproved low-risk travelers. By agreeing to finger-printing and security background checks, frequent border crossers receive an electronic identity card and access to a dedicated border lane. The President will observe a demonstration of how Nexus allows passengers to clear the border in seconds, allowing border inspectors to focus scrutiny on higher-risk travelers.

And then the President will return to the White House this afternoon. He'll work on his two upcoming speeches, the September speech and the September 12th speech. And then he'll depart this evening for the JFK Center for Performing Arts.

Q: The last name on the list of people that he talked today already after the EU, what was that? I couldn't hear you./

MR. FLEISCHER: Prime Minister Sezer, Secretary General Kofi Annan, and the presidency of the EU, Prime Minister Rasmussen of Denmark. He'll also talk to Lord Robertson, President Mubarak, and Crown Prince Abdullah.

Q: -- did the President think of French President Jacques Chirac's idea of two U.N. resolutions, the first one with a three-week deadline for letting the inspectors back in, and then if Iraq refused, a second one on the use of military force? Is he willing to consider a two-step process like that?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the President will, on Thursday, indicate exactly what it is he believes should be done. Let me say this -- one thing that's clear as a result of the President's consulting and of the President's reminding the world of Iraq's flagrant violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions, it does appear that a movement is budding to put some force to previous U.N. resolutions.

The President welcomes other leaders weighing in -- and that's not an indication that he agrees with this specific case -- but the President welcomes other leaders weighing in. It's clear that both the Congress and the U.N. are returning to an issue that had not gotten sufficient attention in recent years, and now some muscle looks like it's being put at least rhetorically into the deliberations of the world's leaders.

Q: Do you see Chirac as taking a step in your direction?

MR. FLEISCHER: I'll just say the President is going to give a speech Thursday. He'll get into what he specifically calls for. But the world needs to focus on Saddam Hussein's violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Q: Would you say that the President has been pleased that other leaders have expressed a desire to back up previous U.N. resolutions with force -- is that what you said?

MR. FLEISCHER: I said in terms of a little muscle into the U.N. Security Council --

Q: -- is hearing, that's what he's hearing, is what you're saying?

MR. FLEISCHER: That's correct.

Q: How much of the meeting today might -- will be devoted to Iraq?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the purpose of the visit is to talk about border security. There's a 30-point action plan. Have you gotten the handout -- yes, you've gotten all the handouts, so you can see the previous 30 agreements. Many of them a lot of progress has been made; on others not enough progress has been made. And so that's the purpose of the visit. And of course, on the anniversary of September 11th, it's fitting to look back and talk about how to improve border security. I'll try to give you a report after the meeting about if any other topics come up. But the purpose of the meeting is to talk about border security.

Q: He's not going into this intending to talk about Iraq?

MR. FLEISCHER: The purpose of the meeting is border security. That's the purpose of the trip. But I will try to give you a report after the meeting.

Q: Why isn't there pool access at the bilat? I think it's stills, but it's not --

MR. FLEISCHER: The pool is over at the border visit.

Q: Which is to say there's no access for people like the print types to have --

MR. FLEISCHER: The pool is at the border visits. There's going to be press pool coverage, not of every event on the schedule, but there will be pool coverage at the border events.

Q: Particularly when leaders of the United States and another country meet, you have a photo op with people in to ask questions.

MR. FLEISCHER: I'll go back and take a look at it, but that's the way the schedule was set up.

Q: Wouldn't the President want to answer questions

MR. FLEISCHER: That's the way the President the schedule has been set up.

Q: Ari, would you at all characterize what the leaders told the President today, the ones he spoke to?

MR. FLEISCHER: No -- leave it to the other leaders to characterize their own words.

Q: Is it fair to say that he's briefing them on what he plans to say on Thursday?

MR. FLEISCHER: No, the President is saying that he hopes they'll pay careful attention to what he says Thursday, that he this is the beginning of the consultative process. They share with the President their thoughts and it's part of the ongoing dialogue.

Q: How much more work is to be done on the speech for Thursday?

MR. FLEISCHER: Not a lot. It's pretty well buttoned down. He'll start -- when he will actually start practicing it. But also the Wednesday speech. Wednesday's speech is important. I know, of course, there is a large amount of focus on the Thursday speech. The President has been creating that focus in his words. But Wednesday's speech is also very important. Wednesday's speech will be of a different nature. Wednesday's speech is September 11th, 2002. And as much proper focus as there is on things that may or may not come, there is something certain coming, and that is the nation's reflections about what happened a year ago. And that's what the President is going to try to capture and share with the country when he addresses the nation on the 11th.

Q: When you say the Wednesday speech, you're talking about his address to the nation, not at the Pentagon?

MR. FLEISCHER: His address to the nation Wednesday night.

Q: It's been described as an emotional cuing up of the Thursday speech. Do you agree with that?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, in the sense that at any time the American people are reminded of the price of freedom and the sacrifices that people have made, it's an elaboration on an enduring American ideal. And Thursday the President will continue to talk about the ideals of freedom.

People will make those judgments for themselves, I guess, Martha, that listen to him on the 11th and listen to him on the 12th. My only point is, the country is about to go through something very significant on the 11th the 12th as well, but also on the 11th.

Q: Can you just talk on the speech really quickly about the Statue of Liberty as the backdrop, that story of how that got picked, and if Bush has said anything about it?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the goal is to capture in a picture America's visions and the poignancy of a deeply emotional moment. The President's speech is going to be brief, probably about 10 minutes, and the President wanted a setting that reminds America again of our moral calling, our higher purpose as the beacon of liberty and freedom for people around the world.

Q: Would you be surprised if there you don't expect any specific reference to Iraq in the Wednesday night speech, do you?

MR. FLEISCHER: No.

Q: We should not expect evidence on Thursday?

MR. FLEISCHER: No, no, his question was specific reference to Iraq in the Wednesday speech and I said, no.

Q: What's the President's sense, as the 11th approaches, of the threat level within the United States and to American interests overseas? Is there more chatter in the system?

MR. FLEISCHER: There remains a concern. Anniversaries can be occasions not necessarily always but can be occasions for heightened terrorist activity. I can't characterize the chatter level of anything out of the ordinary at this time. But just given the fact that it's a one-year anniversary, we're going to be on our toes.

Q: Any change in the threat status?

MR. FLEISCHER: No.

Q: When you say you can't characterize the chatter, is that because, as you often do, you don't want to give specifics or because there's nothing more

MR. FLEISCHER: -- I said as out of the ordinary.

Okay, thank you everybody.

(end transcript)

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

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