Remarks welcoming general Tommy R. Franks and an exchange with reporters in Crawford, Texas

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Dec 31, 2001

We will destroy the Al Qaida terrorist network inside Afghanistan. We will take care of the screening and the work that needs to be done with all these detainees--fingerprinting, DNA work, photography, screening, interrogation. We'll determine which ones need to be brought out and need to be handled in some form of legal process.

How long will that take? I think the President said it immediately after the 11th of September, and I think many of us have said it about every day since then: It will take as long as it takes.

Interesting to me, the fact that these young people standing at Kandahar Airport a few nights ago, in the middle of the night, watching a USO show, showed me absolutely no desire to leave their mission at all. And so, I think that it's best for all of us to recognize that we will not be hurried; we will not be pressed into doing something that does not represent our national objectives; and we will take as long as it takes.

And a very short answer to the business of the helicopter: I have been told since I took that helicopter ride that someone took a shot at the helicopter. I didn't see it when it happened, and I believe it may have happened, but then again, this is Afghanistan, and we have pockets of Taliban still in that country. And that's one of the reasons that we're going to stay there until we have mopped all that up.

Q. Mr. President

The President. Yes. It's your big day, Scott, two questions.

Q. A one-part question this time, I promise.

The President. Four questions, excuse me. [Laughter]

Usama bin Laden

Q. Would you prefer to see bin Laden captured and questioned about the attacks and possible future attacks?

The President. You know, dead or alive is fine with me.

Argentina

Q. Mr. President, you mentioned Argentina, and you talked about you support more technical assistance from the IMF for them. Would you support more money for Argentina from the IMF, or has the well kind of run dry there?

The President. Well, it depends upon what Argentina decides to do. The key for Argentina is to get her fiscal house in order, get monetary policy in order, and to develop a plan that will show sustained economic vitality and economic growth. But it's up to Argentina on how to develop the plan. As you know, there's an interim government in place; there will be elections in a couple of months. And the point we've made to the Argentinean Government, as well as to our friends in the region, is that we will be willing to help them develop the plan, if they ask for technical advice. It will all be done through the IMF.

But the first order of business is for the Argentineans to develop a plan to show us how they're going to get their house in order. They've got a lot of work to do, but--and all of us that are concerned about Argentina are willing to work together to get the job done. There was near unanimity on my phone calls to the other leaders in the region that--of the course of action that I just laid out.

Military Tribunals

Q. Have you decided that anybody should be subjected to a military tribunal?