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Briefer: Deputy White House Press Secretary Tony Fratto

President’s Schedule

This morning President Bush got an update from National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and also spoke to Secretary Rice on the phone. He then received his daily intelligence briefings where Georgia was also discussed.
There have been a number of calls made to foreign leader in the last 24 hours: Yesterday, President Bush made calls from Air Force One to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Lithuanian President Adamkus, and President Kaczynski of Poland. Following last night’s statement in the Rose Garden, he also spoke with Georgian President Saakashvili. This morning, President Bush talked to Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi and Chancellor Merkel of Germany.
At 1.15 pm, the President will meet with the Coalition for Affordable American Energy.

At 11 am, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley will hold a briefing on the situation in Georgia, and there will be no regular White House briefing today.

Georgia

When asked about an assessment of the ground and the White House reaction to Russia’s saying that they are halting their attacks; Fratto said that Hadley will be able to give us an assessment at the 11 am briefing and talk about what a halt really means and whether it is taking place. Fratto is not in a position to talk about the conditions on the ground and how to read it.
Fratto was also asked what else the US can do apart from calling foreign leaders and expressing their disapproval, and he said that the there is great unity within the global community. Everyone believes that cease-fire and returning to the August 6th status is critically important, Fratto said.
When asked if President Bush has been asked to consider any military engagement to back up Georgia, Fratto said that he is not aware of any request. Right now, the US is providing some humanitarian assistance, but we have to wait for the shooting to stop in order to assess the need for the civilian population. At the request of the Georgian authority, the US was able to assist in returning their troops from Iraq.

President Bush talked to Prime Minister Putin in Beijing, and made a phone call to President Medvedev subsequent to that. When asked if there are any plans to call the Russian President now, Fratto said that no calls were planned.
When asked to state who bears the blame for the situation, Fratto replied that he is not going to get in to the position of blame, or become a fact witness of the events, as he thinks it is irrelevant question at this point. It is clear that there have been lots of provocations well before August 6th. The history between Georgia and Russia is long and complicated, and Fratto was not to make any assessments of it.
“Since August 6th… the escalation on the part of Russia was disproportioned to their stated intentions, and that is our position, “Fratto said. He continued to say that at this point Russia need to pull back, agree to a cease fire, respect the territorial integrity of Georgia, and begin a dialogue with the international mediators.

Pakistan

When asked if Fratto had any comment on Pakistan claiming that a senior Al Qaeda commander, Sheik Saeed al-Masri, has been killed, Fratto said that he saw the report just as he walked out to the gaggle and did not have a comment on it.

CPSC legislation signing

Fratto was asked if there are any plans to sign the CPSC legislation today, and he reponded that it is probably going to happen either day or tomorrow.

North Korea

When asked about a comment on today’s meeting between North Korea and Japan, Fratto said that questions regarding de-listing of North Korea requires a verification protocol and will not go forward until fulfilled. However, he also said communication between the parties is still very positive.