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CNN Live Event/Special
Mayor Giuliani, Governor Pataki and the Japanese Prime Minister Hold a News Conference
Aired September 24, 2001 - 14:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Interrupting Attorney General John Ashcroft before the House Judiciary Committee to go quickly to New York, where Mayor Rudolph Giuliani speaking with reporters.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI (R), NEW YORK: ... area of the World Trade Center that was attacked. He's seen the devastation and the horror of it -- of the effects of terrorism. We've had a very good meeting with him in which we've talked about remaining united in the effort against terrorism, because what happened in New York can happen anywhere in the United States or anywhere in the free world. And we very much appreciate his time, his attention and his tremendous empathy with particularly the families and the victims, our police officers, our firefighters, our health care workers, and all of the people have been lost.
We thank him for his empathy and his concern, and we thank him very much for his unequivocal friendship to the United States of America and his very swift and strong show of support and unity with what has to be done in order to make sure that this doesn't happen again.
Governor?
GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R), NEW YORK: We are extremely grateful that the prime minister is here. Of course, close to 30 Japanese nationals lost their lives in the attack. This really was not just an attack on New York and America. Nationals of 63 different countries lost their lives there. The prime minister was telling us how he had a meeting with the families of those who are missing before he left, and the tears that they were shedding are the same as the tears of those of us in New York who lost loved ones are shedding as well. So we're grateful for the prime minister's understanding.
Tomorrow he will be going to meet with President Bush, and he has expressed to the mayor and to myself his very strong support for the president's tough efforts and tough decisions to go after terrorism wherever it may be. Of course, Japan is no stranger to terrorism, having had the sarin gas attacks a few years back.
So Mr. Prime Minister, we're grateful for your understanding of the pain we in New York feel. We're grateful for your support for the victims, and also for your strong support for President Bush as we go forward.
Thank you for being here.
JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN: Thank you very much for kind comment from Mayor Giuliani and Governor Pataki. I would like to express my sincere condolence to victims for families, for policemen, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Before I came, I met many families of victims of Japanese here, living or working in World Trade Center. But also they are very grateful to New Yorkers. New Yorkers gave very kind treatment and kind words to Japanese families of victims.
I am going to see Mr. President Bush tomorrow. I'd like to convey what I'm thinking; what the Japanese people are thinking.
Bush's speech on Congress said -- told us this terrorism is not attack on one, but attack on all. We share same indignation to terrorism. We Japanese fight terrorism together with the United States of America, and we will firmly stand by United States.
I want convey our thinking to President Bush (inaudible) I am looking forward to having a talk frankly with Mr. President tomorrow.
We are always firmly with the United States of America to fight terrorism.
Thank you.
WOODRUFF: We've been listening to Mayor Giuliani, Governor Pataki of New York there with the Japanese prime minister, Koizumi, among things saying 23 Japanese nationals still missing. We heard the governor say 30 Japanese nationals apparently among the casualties of the World Trade Center collapse.
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