2001 US press briefings
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
2:12 P.M. EDT
MR. FLEISCHER: The President made three phone calls today I want to fill you in on, and then I'll give you a walk-through on the President's schedule. He spoke with United Nations -- Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, this morning. The Secretary General condemned the terrorist attacks of September 11th unequivocally, expressed his condolences to the American people.
The President and the Secretary General agreed that the attacks were against all freedom-loving people and that all nations should join in the fight against terrorism. The Secretary General also expressed appreciation to the President for his message of tolerance which the President conveyed yesterday at Washington's Islamic Cultural Center.
The President also spoke with President Cardoso of Brazil this morning. President Cardoso expressed his condolences and solidarity and said that this has been an attack against Western civilization, against all of humanity.
The President thanked President Cardoso for his statements on behalf of the American people, and he said that we are facing a different kind of war that will require patience and cooperation.
And, finally, the President spoke again today with Prime Minister Chretien of Canada. The President expressed heartfelt appreciation for Canada's solidarity with the United States and for everything that Canada has done to assist.
Let me just recap the President's day and fill you in a little bit about what he's going to do this afternoon. In addition to the phone calls to world leaders, the President convened a meeting of his National Security Council to continue the planning.
The President met earlier today, as you know, with a group of charitable organizations that are doing everything they can to make it easier for the American people's outpouring of generosity to be easily met. They have set up a special web site, LIBERTYUNITES.ORG, and the President urges all Americans who want to help to give to the charity of their choice, or to log on. It will contain information where they can go to volunteer, to help, as well as to give financially, if any individual Americans seek to do so.
On the personnel front, the President has a meeting today with his personnel team. These are part of the regular routine meetings of the White House. The President will have another one today as he continues to focus on the personnel appointments to the government.
He will have a meeting later this afternoon with his economic team to discuss other types of action that may or may not be required to help the economy. And then this evening he will meet with and have dinner with President Chirac of France.
One update on the schedule: General Ashcroft -- Attorney General Ashcroft will brief at 2:30 p.m. The head of FEMA will brief at 3:00 p.m. And Treasury Secretary O'Neill will brief at 4:00 p.m., as we continue to fill the American people in on all events that are going on.
I'm sorry? That will be a closed meeting.
Let me give you an update, too, on some of the activities around the administration, and then I'll be happy to take questions. Secretary Paige will be holding an interactive satellite town meeting from the Newseum to discuss talking with children about last week's disasters, as well as parental involvement in their children's education.
At the Environmental Protection Agency, Administrator Whitman announced today that results from the Agency's air and drinking water monitored near the World Trade Center and the Pentagon disaster sites indicate that vital resources are safe. The Administrator also announced that EPA has been given up to $83 million from FEMA to support EPA's involvement in the clean-up activities and ongoing monitoring of environmental conditions in New York City and the Washington, D.C. areas.
At the Small Business Administration, the Administrator is in New York City today to talk about SBA's plans to assist those in need through its disaster loan program. The SBA offers low-interest long-term financial assistance to help victims with their disaster-related losses.