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America At War:
The United States and the World
With Philip Reeker
Deputy Spokesman of the Department of State
Friday, Oct. 12, 2001; 3 p.m. EDT
U.S. and British forces began a series of strikes in Afghanistan targeting al Qaeda training centers and the country's ruling Taliban on Sunday, Oct. 7. President Bush described the strikes as a "sustained, comprehensive and relentless" campaign against terrorism.
Philip Reeker will brief readers of washingtonpost.com on the latest news from the State Department just as he briefs reporters in Washington on a regular basis. He will present and explain the U.S. government's position on the latest developments regarding Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the U.S. military strikes on Afghanistan.
Reeker, deputy spokesman since May 2000, oversees the Offices of Press Relations, Regional Media Outreach, and Foreign Press Centers in the State Department. He joined the Foreign Service with the U.S. Information Agency in March 1992, serving in Budapest, Hungary and then Skopje, Macedonia.
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Philip Reeker: Hi, folks, I'm glad to be back here on WashingtonPost.com. I like this forum, because it is a great way to get feedback and hear the concerns of people from around the country--even if we don't have time to answer every question. Representing the State Department to the public is a significant part of my job, and so I frequently speak to groups, conferences and college classes. In talking with so many different groups, I get to hear a wide variety of views and questions. Just this week I was in Columbus, OH, for a town hall meeting. (We will have more town meetings: Monday, October 15 - Raleigh, NC "U.S.-Mexico Relations" with a focus on cross-border health issues; and Thursday, November 8, Orlando, FL "International Security Issues") See our website "www.state.gov/r/pa/pil/index.cfm?id-4371 for more information.)
A few weeks ago on washingtonpost.com we had a good session with lots of interesting questions. There were many, many more questions than I didn’t get a chance to answer. One person asked how they could voice their opposition to "spending any tax-payer money on this war." Well, your opinion has been voiced, and I would like to take a moment to respond. There is a cost to this campaign against global terrorism. But we have to weigh the costs of our action against the costs of not acting. Our nation has been attacked, and we are now acting in self-defense against the very real threat of future attacks. Protecting our nation, our infrastructure, our freedom, and our citizens is worth the expense.
Washington, D.C.:
What is the status of the State Dept. of a recent MSNBC report that there was a letter delivered with a powdered substance?
Philip Reeker: It's amazing how quickly news travels in our world! The white powder reported to be found in the State Department earlier this afternoon has been examined by the FBI's hazardous materials team. They have determined that it's not a risk.
Annapolis, Md.:
Good Afternoon Mr. Reeker,
Can you please discuss with us the State Department's view of the return of the Saudi prince's donation by Guiliani? I have heard differing reports regarding this and would like to know the whole story. It seems that the Prince was calling for a revieew of policy, not saying we were to blame for what happened, but I may have misunderstood the various reports I read and saw. Is the State Dept. concerned that this will affect our relationship with Saudi Arabio?
Thanks
Philip Reeker: Prince al-Waleed presented the Twin Towers Fund with donation of $10 million. Following comments made by Prince Waleed in a written statement, Mayor Giuliani returned the donation. The Twin Towers Fund is an organization affiliated with the City of New York; whether to accept or reject charitable donations is not a decision for the U.S. Department of State. But we object to Prince Waleed's remarks and find them highly inappropriate. We do not expect this to affect our relations with Saudi Arabia, with which we are very satisfied. Prince al-Waleed is not an official representative of the Saudi government. I will address the Middle East issues another question.
St. Paul, Minn.:
Why doesn't Secretary Powell do an interview with Al Jazeera since it has such a wide reach in the Arab world? Is there a concern that if the U.S. tries to make a case that the problems of Arabs are due largely to their own regimes that information would be ignored or, if not, be somehow destabilizing for those regimes and therefore injurious to our interests? How can the misinformation that is apparently so rampant among young Islam fundamentalists be countered?
Philip Reeker: Secretary Powell HAS done an interview with Al Jazeera (an Arab language satellite news network, based in Qatar). He gave a lengthy interview on September 17. Other U.S. government officials have appeared on Al Jazeera, and will continue to appear. In addition to Secretary Powell, among those who have already been interviewed are the Administrator of the U.S Agency for International Development, Andrew Natsios, the State Department's Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Amb. Frank Taylor, and Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs, William Burns. Public Diplomacy efforts, reaching out to foreign audiences, are an important part of this campaign against terrorism. We strive to tell the truth and present the facts about what America is, and what America stands for. Those that perpetrate these terrorist crimes are afraid of the freedom and opportunity provided in our society. They have attempted to twist the facts about America, and we will continue to reach out to all media around the world to set the record straight.
Arlington, Va.:
This may sound like a really elementary question, but I would like to know how definition of the Department of State's role within the Federal Government. With all of the inter-relationships between Department of Defense and the Department of State, I sometimes get confused as to who is doing what and why.
Philip Reeker:
As the lead U.S. foreign affairs agency, the Department of State helps to shape a freer, more secure and more prosperous world through formulating, representing, and implementing the President's foreign policy. Secretary of State Colin Powell is the ranking member of the Cabinet and the President's principal adviser on foreign policy. We maintain the lead in contacts with other nations, conduct negotiations and conclude agreements. We work very closely with the other elements of the President's National Security apparatus: the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community, and others, under coordination of the National Security Council.
Springfield, Va.:
The anthrax report at State: By "not a risk", do you mean that the substance does not contain anthrax (and/or other harmful agent), or do you mean that the substance has been isolated and is not a risk to the public or State employees due to FBI intervention?
Philip Reeker: The FBI is still examining the unidentified substance, but believe it may be talcum powder or something similar. It is not hazardous, either chemically or biologically. It's not anthrax.
Oron, Maine:
President Bush suggested last night that he does not want to meet with Yassar Arafat. Does the Administration really believe that it can find a way forward in the Middle East while refusing to even meet with one of the major players in the conflict?
Philip Reeker: I want to correct the impression you have. At his press conference last night President Bush did NOT say he does not want to meet with Chairman Arafat. The President said, "if I am convinced that a meeting with a particular party at this particular time will further the process, I will do so." The President and Secretary Powell have continued to make the Middle East a priority in our foreign policy. Secretary Powell has continued to be in touch with Prime Minister Sharon, Foreign Minister Peres, and Chairman Arafat in recent days, including today.
Arlington, Va.:
Americans are at heart a profoundly generous people, and we must make the world see this. So far the only confirmed civilian casualties are four Afghans who worked for the U.N., but everyone realizes that more such deaths are inevitable. This is a war for hearts and minds and we must be prepared to head off the negative impact -- and we should also consider that some of those hearts and minds are right here in America, not just in the Middle East. Americans will rightly feel better about what we are doing if we demonstrate our big hearts as well as our big bombs.
To preempt these casualties, President Bush should consider making an explicit point of offering aid -- not general countrywide aid, but specific assistance to individuals or families who can demonstrate, or perhaps even simply present the slightest evidence, that they suffered the loss of loved ones. We have the money and the power to offer such assistance with virtually no pain, and we should not hesitate to do so. An announcement like this could bring about a sea change in our perception in the "Arab street."
What is your opinion of this proposal?
Philip Reeker: Let me refer you to President Bush's closing remarks at his press conference last night, where he asked the children of America to join in an effort to help the children of Afghanistan. As we have noted, Afghanistan has been through a great deal of suffering, from drought and civil war. There is threat of famine; one in three Afghan children is an orphan. The United States has been the largest donor of humanitarian aid, including tremendous amounts of American food, to the people of Afghanistan. Even as the Taliban regime has used food as a weapon against those people. So the President has asked every child in America to earn or give a dollar that will be used to provide food and medical help. You can send it in an envelope marked "America's Fund for Afghan Children," to the White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC.
You are right that we are a profoundly generous nation, and we will continue to be.
Bethesda, Md.:
Can you confirm or deny the reports that the Taliban leader is suffering from some mental issues?
Philip Reeker: No, I can't really confirm or deny this.
Harlingen, Texas:
Is there any approximate count of World Trade Center fatalities by nationality?
Shortly after the attack, there were one or two stories indicating that a significant percentage of those missing and presumed dead were not American citizens.
If so, has this played any role in post-attack diplomacy?
Philip Reeker: I don't have specific, definitive numbers by country, but some 80 countries lost citizens in the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. For some nations, like Great Britain the numbers are believed to be in the hundreds. Significant numbers of Pakistanis, Germans, Canadians and citizens from dozens of other lands lost their lives. These were innocent civilians--men, women and children; of many faiths, races, ethnicities. In this regard, it was truly an attack on the civilized world. That's reflected in the overwhelming support we have received in the coalition against terrorism.
Washington, D.C.:
We've heard that Congress now intends to allocate money to "beef up" human intelligence. Will this include the State Department intensifying recruitment efforts for Foreign Service Officers?
Philip Reeker: We often refer to diplomacy as our "first line of defense," and the State Department plays a vital role in our national security and representing Americans and American interests overseas. Even before September 11, Secretary Powell had made recruitment a priority. We're working with Congress to make sure we have the resources we need. We need to add many people to our corps of Foreign Service officers, as well as our Civil Service ranks. If you are interested, please visit our Website (www.state.gov) and check out the "employment opportunities" section. Take the foreign service exam!
Bethesda, Md.:
Have any US Embassies been closed or personnel evacuated in response to the 9/11 attack? And are security measures at US embassies around the world directed by personnel in DC or determined by security staff in the field?
Philip Reeker: All of our posts (embassies and consulates) are currently open. Several of our posts are open only for emergency services, and have scaled back staffing in response to security concerns. Those are: Embassies Ashgabat, Bishkek, Islamabad, Sanaa, Phnom Penh, Jakarta, and Skopje; and Consulates Karachi, Peshawar, Surabaya. I will leave you to match those cities with countries (a good geography exercise!). In terms of security, every Chief of Mission, with the advise of his or her "country team" is responsible for making determinations about their posts. Of course posts coordinate closely with Washington. Security for our personnel is always a top priority.
Washington, D.C.:
What are the pros and cons of a "return of the King" in Afghanistan? What do you think is the Pakistani view of this possibility? And how would other Muslim nations view Zahir Shah's return?
Philip Reeker: We do not favor any particular group or individuals for leadership roles; we are not choosing sides or picking a government for Afghanistan. That is a job for the Afghan people. We want to see an end to conflict and hunger and a rapid start of reconstruction in Afghanistan. This will require peace and stability, which can only be established for Afghanistan and its neighbors through the formation of a broad-based government that represents all geographical and ethnic backgrounds. We would expect such a government to protect human rights, permit reconstruction and end Afghanistan's use as a haven for terrorists. We have worked with Afghans, the UN and others toward that end, and will continue to do so. President Bush has pledged our continued assistance to the Afghan people; we would intend to support a new Afghan Government with reconstruction and development of their country.
Alexandria, Va.:
If the U.S. is not attempting to kill Bin Laden and the Taliban leader Omar, then should it?
There is no purpose in killing a foot soldier in Bin Laden's army if you can kill Bin Laden himself.
Philip Reeker: We have never denied saying that what we are after is destroying the al-Qaida terrorist network. Bin Laden is the head of that network, so we are after him, too. As Secretary Powell said recently, "let's not deceive ourselves into thinking that if we get rid of one individual or one network, then this campaign is over." This campaign is directed against all terrorism with a global reach, and that is why it's drawn such borad support from nations around the world. It's a long term campaign.
Columbus, Ohio:
I don't represent everyone in the Midwest, but myself and many others I know believe that the US seems to be ignoring indications that there might be other states behind the attacks on the US and it seems that the State Department is worried about a wider war. I have to ask if it's true that we're ignoring that information and if the State Department isn't ready for war after Sept 11, will it ever be? I have to say that given the evidence that this Atta character seemed to meet fairly frequently with Iraqi officials that attempts by the US to say they aren't significant sounds hard to swallow.
Philip Reeker: We're not ignoring any information--all the resources of the Federal Government are being put into action in the war on terrorism. It is a unique campaign, that will require many different tools: economic and financial; diplomatic; information and intelligence; law-enforcement cooperation; military action. As the President has said, we are beginning with a focus on the alQaida network which perpetrated the attacks of September 11. But we will continue to root out the terrorist threat; this campaign will take a long time, but the Administration--and I think the American people--are determined to regain our security.
p.s. I really enjoyed my time in Columbus earlier this week!
Philip Reeker: There are dozens of additional really good questions, so I'm very sorry that I have to run to another obligation. I will see if there is a way to hold on to some of these questions and answer more of them in coming days and weeks. Thanks to WashingtonPost.com. I wish you all a good weekend. Philip Reeker
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