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CNN Live Saturday

First Lady Delivers Weekly Presidential Radio Address

Aired November 17, 2001 - 18:07   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Back in this country now, if you heard the president's weekly radio address this morning, you did not hear the president. For the first time, the first lady Laura Bush delivered the entire speech. Major Garrett not far from the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas now joins us live -- a bit of history today, Major.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Bill, and the first lady carried a message that the United States and all of its coalition partners are going to be pounding away at the days ahead. That is to say that the Taliban and the al Qaeda terrorist network abuse women and children in Afghanistan.

And the first lady went out of her way in her radio address to say that nevertheless, even though, rather, there have been substantial military gains in Afghanistan and it appears the Taliban are on the run, that the Taliban and the al Qaeda network that operates in many other countries around the world are so closely linked that the campaign against them must continue, if for no other reason, that the women and children they seek to abuse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Because of our recent military gains in much of Afghanistan, women are no longer imprisoned in their homes. They can listen to music and teach their daughters without fear of punishment. Yet the terrorists who helped rule that country now plots and plan in many countries and they must be stopped. The fight against terrorism is also a fight for the rights and dignity of women.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GARRETT: In addition to the first lady's radio address, the State Department released a report today chronicling the plight of women and children under the Taliban's cruel and harsh Islamic regime. Among the statistics the State Department compiled showing what the status of women was in the early 1990's before the Taliban seized power.

Seventy percent of the schoolteachers in Afghanistan were women. Fifty percent of the government workers and university students also women, and 40 percent of the nation's doctors were women. But after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, all access to work denied; all access to higher education denied; women forced to wear burkas (ph) and stay in their homes; even beaten publicly for doing something as simple as laughing out loud.

First lady and Cherie Blair, the wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair -- she will speak on this topic later on this week. It's part of a broad-based coalition effort to bring this issue to the forefront as international community tries to forge a new post Taliban government in Afghanistan -- Bill.

HEMMER: Major, you've been there for most of the week. When is the first couple back in Washington?

GARRETT: Returns tomorrow night to Washington. The president is looking forward on Monday to signing that airline security bill and has other events planned throughout the week.

HEMMER: Major, thanks down there in Crawford, Texas.

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