White House Gaggle

By Claire Buchan
THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
(Ridley Park, Pennsylvania)

For Immediate Release
August 17, 2004

PRESS GAGGLE WITH

CLAIRE BUCHAN

Aboard Air Force One
En Route Ridley Park, Pennsylvania

1:08 P.M. EDT

MS. BUCHAN: Let me start and give you a little bit about the
President’s day today. He had his usual intelligence and FBI briefings.
He then spoke with Prime Minister Blair and Prime Minister Berlusconi. And
that was this morning. Prime Minister Blair was visiting with Prime
Minister Berlusconi in Italy, and the call was part of our continuing
diplomatic contacts with our allies and coalition partners. And the three
discussed Iraq, including the Iraqi National Conference that’s currently
underway in Baghdad.

Then the President held an NSC meeting. He’s now en route to Ridley,
Pennsylvania. The Freedom Corps greeter there will be Tom Shaffer, who
works for Boeing at the Ridley Park facility, where the President will be
visiting. He has been a volunteer for four years with the Race Against
Drugs, which is a national drug awareness and prevention program for kids.

The President will then participate in a tour of the Boeing Ridley
Park plant. He will then make remarks at the plant, continuing to talk
about our efforts to make America safer and make the world more peaceful.

The President will then fly to West Virginia, where the Freedom Corps
greeter will be Marge Ruth, who, for the past eight years, has been a
volunteer with the Literacy Volunteers of the Eastern Panhandle, where she
helps people with their GED preparation.

The President will then participate in a rally in — at the
Hedgesville High School. And with that, I’ll take your questions.

Q How long was the phone call this morning?

MS. BUCHAN: It was about 10 minutes, a little less.

Q Is this a campaign event?

MS. BUCHAN: Yes, all of them today.

Q What’s the reaction to Sharon’s plan to put a thousand more
settlers in the West Bank?

MS. BUCHAN: We’ve seen those reports, and our embassy in Israel has
been in touch with the government and has asked for some details. That’s
where it stands at the moment.

Q Will he talk about Airbus subsidies?

MS. BUCHAN: I don’t believe that’s in his remarks. But stay tuned;
he may. But I –

Q — still intend to move ahead with doing something –

MS. BUCHAN: It stands where he left it last week.

Q Did he discuss pulling the troops, the troop redeployment with
Blair and Berlusconi?

MS. BUCHAN: The specifics I have from the conversation are as I gave
them to you, that he really talked about Iraq, particularly the Iraqi
National Conference.

Getting very close to the ground here. Okay, thank you all.

END 1:12 P.M. EDT