Terjemahan iseng-iseng beberapa bagian oleh Sato
Sakaki.
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 14, 2006
President Discusses Foreign Policy During Visit to
State Department The State Department
Washington, D.C.
Fact sheet In Focus: Global Diplomacy
3:40 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. Today I met with
members of my national security team, both here at the
State Department and at the Pentagon. I want to, first
of all, thank the leadership of Secretary Condi Rice
and Secretary Don Rumsfeld.
During those discussions we talked about the need to
transform our military to meet the threats of the 21st
century. We discussed the global war on terror. We
discussed the situation on the ground in three fronts
of the global war on terror -- in Lebanon, and Iraq,
and Afghanistan.
"Friday's U.N. Security Council resolution on Lebanon
is an important step forward that will help bring an
end to the violence. The resolution calls for a robust
international force to deploy to the southern part of
the country to help Lebanon's legitimate armed forces
restore the sovereignty of its democratic government
over all Lebanese territory. As well, the resolution
is intended to stop Hezbollah from acting as a state
within the state."
(Resolusi DK PBB hari Jumat mengenai Libanon merupakan
langkah maju penting yang akan membantu mengakhiri
kekerasan. Resolusi itu menyarankan pasukan
internasional yang kuat untuk ditempatkan di bagian
selatan negara itu guna membantu angkatan bersenjata
Libanon yang sah memulihkan kedaulatan pemerintahnya
yang demokratis di seluruh wilayah Libanon. Dan juga
resolusi itu dimaksudkan untuk menghentikan Hizbullah
bertindak sebagai negara di dalam negara.)
We're now working with our international partners to
turn the words of this resolution into action. We must
help people in both Lebanon and Israel return to their
homes and begin rebuilding their lives without fear of
renewed violence and terror.
America recognizes that civilians in Lebanon and
Israel have suffered from the current violence, and we
recognize that responsibility for this suffering lies
with Hezbollah. It was an unprovoked attack by
Hezbollah on Israel that started this conflict.
Hezbollah terrorists targeted Israeli civilians with
daily rocket attacks. Hezbollah terrorists used
Lebanese civilians as human shields, sacrificing the
innocent in an effort to protect themselves from
Israeli response.
(Teroris Hizbullah menggunakan warga sipil Libanon
sebagai perisai manusia, dengan mengorbankan warga tak
berdosa dalam upaya melindungi diri mereka dari
pembalasan Israel.)
"Responsibility for the suffering of the Lebanese
people also lies with Hezbollah's state sponsors, Iran
and Syria. The regime in Iran provides Hezbollah with
financial support, weapons, and training. Iran has
made clear that it seeks the destruction of Israel. We
can only imagine how much more dangerous this conflict
would be if Iran had the nuclear weapon it seeks."
(Yang juga bertanggungjawab atas penderitaan rakyat
Libanon adalah Iran dan Syria, negara-negara yang
menjadi sponsor Hizbullah. Rezim di Iran memberi
Hizbullah dukungan keuangan, senjata dan pelatihan.
Iran telah menyatakan dengan terus terang bermaksud
menghancurkan Israel. Kita hanya dapat membayangkan
betapa berbahayanya perang ini seandainya Iran
berhasil memiliki senjata nuklir.)
"Syria is another state sponsor of Hezbollah. Syria
allows Iranian weapons to pass through its territory
into Lebanon. Syria permits Hezbollah's leaders to
operate out of Damascus and gives political support to
Hezbollah's cause. Syria supports Hezbollah because it
wants to undermine Lebanon's democratic government and
regain its position of dominance in the country. That
would be a great tragedy for the Lebanese people and
for the cause of peace in the Middle East."
(Sponsor Hizbullah lainnya adalah Syria yang
mengizinkan persenjataan Iran melewati wilayahnya
masuk ke Libanon. Syria mengizinkan para pemimpin
Hizbullah beroperasi dari Damaskus dan memberi
dukungan politik pada mereka. Ini karena Syria ingin
merongrong pemerintah Libanon yang demokratis agar
dapat kembali mendominasi negara itu. Ini akan
merupakan tragedi bagi rakyat Libanon dan bagi upaya
perdamaian di Timur Tengah).
"Hezbollah and its foreign sponsors also seek to
undermine the prospects for peace in the Middle East.
Hezbollah terrorists kidnapped two Israeli soldiers,
Hamas kidnapped another Israeli soldier for a reason.
Hezbollah and Hamas reject the vision of two
democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living
side-by-side in peace and security. Both groups want
to disrupt the progress being made toward that vision
by Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas and
others in the region. We must not allow terrorists to
prevent elected leaders from working together toward a
comprehensive peace agreement in the Middle East."
(Hizbullah dan negara-negara asing sponsornya juga
berusaha hendak merongrong prospek perdamaian di Timur
Tengah. Teroris Hizbullah menculik dua prajurit
Israel, Hamas menculik seorang prajurit Israel
lainnya, dengan tujuan. Hizbullah dan Hamas menolak
visi dua negara demokratis, Israel dan Palestina, yang
hidup berdampingan secara damai dan aman tenteram.
Kedua kelompok ingin mengacaukan kemajuan menuju visi
itu yang telah dibuat Perdana Menteri Olmert dan
Presiden Abbas serta lainnya di kawasan itu. Kita
tidak boleh membiarkan teroris merintangi para
pemimpin yang dipilih rakyat bekerjasama mewujudkan
perjanjian perdamaian yang komprehensif di Timur
Tengah.)
The conflict in Lebanon is part of a broader struggle
between freedom and terror that is unfolding across
the region. For decades, American policy sought to
achieve peace in the Middle East by promoting
stability in the Middle East. Yet the lack of freedom
in the region meant anger and resentment grew,
radicalism thrived and terrorists found willing
recruits. We saw the consequences on September the
11th, 2001, when terrorists brought death and
destruction to our country, killing nearly 3,000 of
our citizens.
(Konflik di Libanon adalah bagian dari pertarungan
yang lebih luas antara kebebasan dan terror yang
bergelar di seantero wilayah itu. Selama beberapa
dekade, kebijakan Amerika berusaha mencapai perdamaian
di Timur Tengah dengan menganjurkan stabilitas. Namun
ketidak-adaan kebebasan di wilayah itu menyebabkan
kemarahan dan kebencian bertambah, radikalisme tumbuh
subur dan teroris mendapatkan rekrut baru. Kita
melihat konsekwensinya tanggal 11 September 2001,
sewaktu teroris menebar kematian dan kehancuran pada
negara kita, menewaskan hampir 3000 warganegara kita.)
So we've launched a forward strategy of freedom in the
broader Middle East. And that strategy has helped
bring hope to millions and fostered the birth of young
democracies from Baghdad to Beirut. Forces of terror
see the changes that are taking place in their midst.
They understand that the advance of liberty, the
freedom to worship, the freedom to dissent, and the
protection of human rights would be a defeat for their
hateful ideology.
(Karena itu kita meluncurkan strategi maju bagi
kebebasan di Timur Tengah. Dan strategi itu telah
membantu membawa harapan pada jutaan orang dan
membantu kelahiran demokrasi baru dari Bagdad sampai
ke Beirut. Kekuatan terror melihat perubahan yang
berlangsung di tengah-tengah mereka. Mereka memahami,
kemajuan kebebasan, kebebasan beribadah, kebebasan
untuk berbeda pendapat, dan perlindungan hak asasi
manusia akan merupakan kekalahan bagi ideologi
kebencian mereka.)
But they also know that young democracies are fragile
and that this may be their last and best opportunity
to stop freedom's advance and steer newly free nation
to the path of radical extremism. So the terrorists
are striking back with all of the destructive power
that they can muster. It's no coincidence that two
nations that are building free societies in the heart
of the Middle East, Lebanon and Iraq, are also the
scenes of the most violent terrorist activity.
(Tetapi mereka juga tahu negara-negara demokrasi baru
itu rapuh dan bahwa ini mungkin merupakan kesempatan
terbaik dan terakhir bagi mereka untuk menghentikan
gerak maju kebebasan dan membawa negara yang baru
bebas
menuju ekstremisme radikal. Karena itu para teroris
memukul balik dengan segala daya hancur yang dapat
mereka himpun. Bukanlah kebetulan kalau dua negara
yang sedang membangun masyarakat bebas di jantung
Timur Tengah, Iraq dan Libanon, juga menjadi ajang
aktivitas teroris yang paling keras.)
Some say that America caused the current instability
in the Middle East by pursuing a forward strategy of
freedom, yet history shows otherwise. We didn't talk
much about freedom or the freedom agenda in the Middle
East before September the 11th, 2001; or before al
Qaeda first attacked the World Trade Center and blew
up our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in the 1990s;
or before Hezbollah killed hundreds of Americans in
Beirut and Islamic radicals held American hostages in
Iran in the 1980s. History is clear: The freedom
agenda did not create the terrorists or their
ideology. But the freedom agenda will help defeat them
both.
(Sejumlah orang mengatakan Amerika menjadi penyebab
ketidakstablian di Timur Tengah sekarang ini dengan
menjalankan strategi maju bagi kebebasan, namun
sejarah menunjukkan sebaliknya. Kita tidak berbicara
mengenai kebebasan atau agenda kebebasan di Timur
Tengah sebelum 11 September 2001; atau sebelum al
Qaida pertama kali menyerang World Trade Center dan
meledakkan kedutaan-kedutaan kita di Kenya dan
Tanzania tahun 1990-an; atau sebelum Hizbullah
membunuh ratusan warga Amerika di Beirut dan kaum
radikal Islam yang menyandera Warga Amerika di Iran
tahun 1980-an. Sejarah jelas: Agenda kebebasan tidak
menciptakan teroris ataupun ideologi mereka. Tetapi
agenda kebebasan akan membantu mengalahkan teroris dan
ideologi mereka itu.)
Some say that the violence and instability we see
today means that the people of this troubled region
are not ready for democracy. I disagree. Over the past
five years, people across the Middle East have bravely
defied the car bombers and assassins to show the world
that they want to live in liberty. We see the
universal desire for liberty in the 12 million Iraqis
who faced down the terrorists to cast their ballots,
and elected a free government under a democratic
constitution. We see the universal desire for liberty
in 8 million Afghans who lined up to vote for the
first democratic government in the long history of
their country. We see the universal desire for liberty
in the Lebanese people who took to the streets to
demand their freedom and helped drive Syrian forces
out of their country.
The problem in the Middle East today is not that
people lack the desire for freedom. The problem is
that young democracies that they have established are
still vulnerable to terrorists and their sponsors. One
vulnerability is that many of the new democratic
governments in the region have not yet established
effective control over all their territory.
In both Lebanon and Iraq, elected governments are
contending with rogue armed groups that are seeking to
undermine and destabilize them. In Lebanon, Hezbollah
declared war on Lebanon's neighbor, Israel, without
the knowledge of the elected government in Beirut. In
Iraq, al Qaeda and death squads engage in brutal
violence to undermine the unity government. And in
both these countries, Iran is backing armed groups in
the hope of stopping democracy from taking hold.
The message of this administration is clear: America
will stay on the offense against al Qaeda. Iran must
stop its support for terror. And the leaders of these
armed groups must make a choice: If they want to
participate in the political life of their countries,
they must disarm. Elected leaders cannot have one foot
in the camp of democracy and one foot in the camp of
terror.
The Middle East is at a pivotal moment in its history.
The death and destruction we see shows how determined
the extremists are to stop just and modern societies
from emerging in the region. Yet millions of people in
Lebanon, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and elsewhere are
equally determined to live in peace and freedom. They
have tired of the false promises and grand illusions
of radical extremists. They reject the hateful vision
of the terrorists, and they dream of a better future
for their children and their grandchildren. We're
determined to help them achieve that dream.
(Timur Tengah berada pada saat yang sangat penting
dalam sejarahnya. Kematian dan kehancuran yang kita
lihat menunjukkan betapa kaum ekstremis bertekad
hendak mencegah munculnya masyarakat moderen di
kawasan itu. Kendari demikian jutaan orang di Libanon,
Iraq dan Afganistan dan di tempat lain sama bertekad
kuat hendak hidup di alam perdamaian dan kebebasan.
Mereka telah lelah oleh janji-janji palsu dan khayalan
besar kaum ekstremis radikal. Mereka menolak visi
kebencian teroris, dan mereka mengimpikan masa depan
yang lebih baik bagi anak-anak dan cucu-cucu mereka.
Kita bertekad untuk membantu mereka mewujudkan impian
itu.)
America's actions have never been guided by
territorial ambition. We seek to advance the cause of
freedom in the Middle East because we know the
security of the region and our own security depend on
it. We know that free nations are America's best
partners for peace and the only true anchors for
stability. So we'll continue to support reformers
inside and outside governments who are working to
build the institutions of liberty. We'll continue to
confront terrorist organizations and their sponsors
who destroy innocent lives. We'll continue to work for
the day when a democratic Israel and a democratic
Palestine are neighbors in a peaceful and secure
Middle East.
(Tindakan Amerika tidak pernah dituntun ambisi
teritorial. Kita berusaha memajukan kebebasan di Timur
Tengah karena kita tahu keamanan di kawasan itu dan
keamanan kita bergantung padanya. Kita tahu
negara-negara bebas merupakan mitra terbaik Amerika
bagi perdamaian dan satu-satunya jangkar sejati bagi
stabilitas. Karena itu kita akan terus mendukung para
reformis di dalam dan di luar pemerintah-pemerintah
yang berusaha membangun lembaga-lembaga kebebasan.
Kita akan terus menghadapi organisasi-organisasi
teroris beserta para sponsor mereka yang mencabutnyawa
orang tak bersalah. Kita akan terus berusaha sampai
datangnya hari saat negara Israel yang demokratis dan
Palestina yang demokratis hidup bertetangga di Timur
Tengah yang damai dan aman tenteram.)
The way forward is going to be difficult. It will
require more sacrifice. But we can be confident of the
outcome because we know and understand the unstoppable
power of freedom. In a Middle East that grows in
freedom and democracy, people will have a chance to
raise their families and live in peace and build a
better future.
(Jalan ke depan akan sulit. Perlu pengorbanan lebih
lanjut. Tetapinkita dapat meyakini hasilnya karena
kita tahu dan mengerti kekuatan kebebasan yang tak
dapat dihentikan. Di satu Timur Tengah dimana
kebebasan dan demokrasi berkembang, rakyat akan
memiliki peluang membangun keluarga mereka dan hidup
dalam perdamaian dan membangun masa depan yang lebih
baik.)
In a Middle East that grows in freedom and democracy,
the terrorists will lose their recruits and lose their
sponsors, and lose safe havens from which to launch
new attacks. In a Middle East that grows in freedom
and democracy, there will be no room for tyranny and
terror, and that will make America and other free
nations more secure.
(Di Timur Tengah dimana kebebasan dan demokrasi
berkembang, kaum teroris akan kehilangan rekrut mereka
dan kehilangan sponsor mereka, dan kehilangan
perlindungan aman darimmana mereka dapat melancarkan
serangan-serangan baru. DFi Timur Tengah dimana
kebebasan dan demokrasi berkembang, tidak akan ada
tempat bagi tirani dan terror, dan itu akan membuat
Amerika dan negara-negara lain lebih aman. )
Now I'll be glad to answer a couple of questions. Deb.
Q Mr. President, both sides are claiming victory in a
conflict that's killed more than 900 people. Who won,
and do you think the cease-fire will hold?
THE PRESIDENT: We certainly hope the cease-fire holds
because it is step one of making sure that Lebanon's
democracy is strengthened. Lebanon can't be a strong
democracy when there's a state within a state, and
that's Hezbollah.
As I mentioned in my remarks, Hezbollah attacked
Israel without any knowledge of the Siniora
government. You can't run a government, you can't have
a democracy if you've got a armed faction within your
country. Hezbollah attacked Israel. Hezbollah started
the crisis, and Hezbollah suffered a defeat in this
crisis. And the reason why is, is that first, there is
a new -- there's going to be a new power in the south
of Lebanon, and that's going to be a Lebanese force
with a robust international force to help them seize
control of the country, that part of the country.
Secondly, when people take a look-see, take a step
back, and realize how this started, they'll understand
this was Hezbollah's activities. This was Hezbollah's
choice to make.
I believe that Israel is serious about upholding the
cessation of hostilities. The reason I believe that is
I talked to the Prime Minister of Israel about it. And
I know the Siniora government is anxious that the
hostilities stop and the country begin to rebuild.
I can't speak for Hezbollah. They're a terrorist
organization. They're not a state. They act
independently of, evidently, the Lebanese government,
and they do receive help from the outside.
Andrea.
Q Thank you, Mr. President --
THE PRESIDENT: Good to see you. Thanks for breaking in
with us --
Q Thank you. Despite what you've just said, there is a
perception, a global perception, certainly in the Arab
media and in many Western media, as well, that
Hezbollah is really a winner here because they have
proven that they could, as a guerrilla force,
withstand the Israeli army. They have been the sole
source of humanitarian aid to many of the Lebanese
people in the south. So they've improved their
position politically within Lebanon, and militarily,
and globally. They've gotten an aura of being able to
stand up for so long against Israel. How do you combat
that, and the perception that we settled for less than
we originally wanted in the U.N. resolution, a less
robust force? And what actions can the United States
or this international force take if Iran, for
instance, tries to rearm Hezbollah?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. First of all, if I were Hezbollah
I'd be claiming victory, too. But the people around
the region and the world need to take a step back and
recognize that Hezbollah's action created a very
strong reaction that, unfortunately, caused some
people to lose their life, innocent people to lose
their life. But on the other hand, it was Hezbollah
that caused the destruction.
People have got to understand -- and it will take
time, Andrea, it will take time for people to see the
truth -- that Hezbollah hides behind innocent
civilians as they attack. What's really interesting is
a mind-set -- is the mind-sets of this crisis. Israel,
when they aimed at a target and killed innocent
citizens, were upset. Their society was aggrieved.
When Hezbollah's rockets killed innocent Israelis they
celebrated. I think when people really take a look at
the type of mentality that celebrates the loss of
innocent life, they'll reject that type of mentality.
And so, Hezbollah, of course, has got a fantastic
propaganda machine and they're claiming victories and
-- but how can you claim victory when at one time you
were a state within a state, safe within southern
Lebanon, and now you're going to be replaced by a
Lebanese army and an international force? And that's
what we're now working on, is to get the international
force in southern Lebanon.
None of this would have happened, by the way, had we
-- had 1559, Resolution 1559 been fully implemented.
Now is the time to get it implemented. And it's going
to take a lot of work. No question about it. And no
question that it's a different kind of war than people
are used to seeing. We're fighting the same kind of
war. We don't fight the armies of nation states; we
fight terrorists who kill innocent people to achieve
political objectives. And it's a hard fight, and
requires different tactics. And it requires solid will
from those of us who understand the stakes.
The world got to see -- got to see what it means to
confront terrorism. I mean, it's the challenge of the
21st century. The fight against terror, a group of
ideologues, by the way, who use terror to achieve an
objective -- this is the challenge. And that's why, in
my remarks, I spoke about the need for those of us who
understand the blessings of liberty to help liberty
prevail in the Middle East. And the fundamental
question is, can it? And my answer is, absolutely, it
can. I believe that universal -- that freedom is a
universal value. And by that I mean people want to be
free. One way to put it is, I believe mothers around
the world want to raise their children in a peaceful
world. That's what I believe.
And I believe that people want to be free to express
themselves, and free to worship the way they want to.
And if you believe that, then you've got to have hope
that, ultimately, freedom will prevail. But it's
incredibly hard work, because there are terrorists who
kill innocent people to stop the advance of liberty.
And that's the challenge of the 21st century.
And the fundamental question for this country is, do
we understand the stakes and the challenge, and are we
willing to support reformers and young democracies,
and are we willing to confront terror and those who
sponsor them? And this administration is willing to do
so. And that's what we're doing.
And you asked about Iran? What did you say about them?
My answer was too long to remember the third part of
your multipart question.
Q I'm sorry. How can the international force or the
United States, if necessary, prevent Iran from
resupplying Hezbollah?
THE PRESIDENT: The first step is -- and part of the
mandate in the U.N. resolution was to secure Syria's
borders. Iran is able to ship weapons to Hezbollah
through Syria. Secondly is to deal -- is to help seal
off the ports around Lebanon. In other words, there's
-- part of the mandate and part of the mission of the
troops, the UNIFIL troops will be to seal off the
Syrian border.
But, as well, there's a diplomatic mission that needs
to be accomplished. The world must now recognize that
it's Iranian sponsorship of Hezbollah that exacerbated
the situation in the Middle East. People are greatly
concerned about the loss of innocent life, as are the
Americans -- American people. We care deeply about
that, the fact that innocents lost their life. But
it's very important to remember how this all happened.
And Hezbollah has been emboldened because of its state
sponsors.
I know they claim they didn't have anything to do with
it, but sophisticated weaponry ended up in the hands
of Hezbollah fighters, and many assume, and many
believe that that weaponry came from Iran through
Syria.
And so the task is more than just helping the Siniora
government; the task is also -- and the task is not
just America's alone, the task is the world's. And
that is to continually remind the Iranians of their
obligations, their obligations not to develop a
nuclear weapons program, their obligations not to
foster terrorism and promote terrorism.
And we'll continue working with our partners to do
that, just that.
Yes, Michael.
Q Thank you, Mr. President. Until the other day, few
Americans thought about liquid explosives when they
got on a plane. What are the other emerging or
evolving threats to the homeland that are most on your
mind? That is, what else needs to be hardened as
convincingly as cockpits have been hardened?
THE PRESIDENT: Michael, we will take the actions that
are necessary based upon the intelligence we gather.
And obviously, if we find out that terrorist groups
are planning and plotting against our citizens -- or
any other citizens, for that matter -- we will notify
the proper authorities and the people themselves of
actions that we're taking.
Uncovering this terrorist plot was accomplished
through the hard and good work of British authorities,
as well as our folks. And the coordination was very
strong, and the cooperation, interagency and with the
Brits, was really good. And I congratulate the Blair
government and the hardworking folks in Great Britain.
And, by the way, they're still analyzing, they're
still dealing with potential threats. And I want to
thank our folks, too. It was a really good effort.
But my point to you is that if we find out or if we
believe that the terrorists will strike using a
certain type of weapon or tactic, we will take the
necessary precautions, just like we did when it came
to liquids on airplanes.
Okay. Yes.
Q The U.N. resolution says that Israel must stop all
offensive action. What do you view as defensive
action? If Hezbollah --
THE PRESIDENT: Somebody shoots at an Israeli soldier.
Q They can respond in what way?
THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely.
Q Any way Israel responds to that, if they start
another ground offensive, that is all defensive?
THE PRESIDENT: I'm not going to -- I keep getting
asked a lot about Israel's military decisions, and we
don't advise Israel on its military options. But, as
far as I'm concerned, if somebody shoots at an Israeli
soldier, tries to kill a soldier from Israel, that
Israel has the right to defend herself, has a right to
try to suppress that kind of fire. And that's how I
read the resolution. That's how Ms. Rice reads the
resolution.
Yes, Bill.
Q Mr. President, to much of the rest of the world, the
United States appeared to tolerate the bloodshed and
ongoing fighting for a long time before assertively
stepping in, and in the process, perhaps earned the
further enmity of a lot of people in the rest of the
world, particularly the Arab and Muslim world. What is
your thought about that?
THE PRESIDENT: My thought is that, first of all, we,
from the beginning, urged caution on both sides so
that innocent life would be protected. And, secondly,
I think most leaders around the world would give
Condoleeza Rice and her team great credit for finally
getting a U.N. resolution passed. We were working hard
on a U.N. resolution pretty quickly, and it can be a
painful process, diplomacy can be a painful process.
And it took a while to get the resolution done. But
most objective observers would give the United States
credit for helping to lead the effort to get a
resolution that addressed the root cause of the
problem. Of course, we could have got a resolution
right off the bat that didn't address the root cause.
Everybody would have felt better for a quick period of
time, and then the balance would have erupted again.
And our hope is that this series of resolutions that
gets passed gets after the root cause. We want peace,
Bill. We're not interested in process. What we want is
results. And so -- look, America gets accused of all
kinds of things. I understand that. But if people
analyze the facts, they were to find two things: One,
we urged caution, and two, secondly, that we worked on
a diplomatic process that we believe has got the best
chance of achieving a long-term objective, which is
peace.
Final question, then I got to go.
Q Mr. President, four days later, now do you believe
that the U.K. terror plot was developed by al Qaeda
leaders? Do you believe that there are terror cells
operating within the U.S.? Along with Michael's
question, what do you say to critics who say there are
giant loopholes in homeland security?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, first I would say that -- I don't
know the loophole question. Maybe you can give me some
specific loopholes. But it sounded like to me Homeland
Security did a good job, along with intelligence
services and FBI in working with the British to shut
down a major plot that could have killed Americans.
First part of the question? That's what happens when
you get 60.
Q Do you believe the terror plot was developed by al
Qaeda leaders?
THE PRESIDENT: We certainly -- I stand by the
statements that initially came out of Chertoff, which
was, it sure looks like it. It looks like something al
Qaeda would do. But before we actually claim al Qaeda,
we want to make sure that we have -- we could prove it
to you. Of course, the minute I say it's al Qaeda,
then you're going to step up and say, prove it. So,
therefore, I'm not going to say it until we have
absolute proof. But it looks like the kind of thing al
Qaeda would do, and --
Q As far as terrorist cells inside the U.S.?
THE PRESIDENT: Any time we get a hint that there might
be a terrorist cell in the United States, we move on
it. And we're listening, we're looking, and one thing
that's important is for us to make sure that those
people who are trying to disrupt terrorist cells in
the United States have the tools necessary to do so
within the Constitution of the United States.
One of the things we better make sure is we better not
call upon the federal government and people on the
front lines of fighting terror to do their job and
disrupt cells without giving people the necessary
tools to disrupt terrorist plots before they strike.
And that's what we're doing here in this government.
And that's why the Terrorist Surveillance Program
exists, a program that some in Washington would like
to dismantle. That's why we passed the Patriot Act, to
give our folks the tools necessary to be able to
defend America. The lessons of the past week is that
there's still a war on terror going on and there's
still individuals that would like to kill innocent
Americans to achieve political objectives. That's the
lesson. And the lesson for those of us in Washington,
D.C. is to set aside politics and give our people the
tools necessary to protect the American people.
Thank you.
END 4:08 EDT
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