USA: President George W. Bush says fight against extremists will "determine destiny of the civilised world

With Afghanistan experiencing the most serious violence since the hardline Taliban were ousted in 2001, NATO knows its credibility as a genuine fighting force is at stake in what is the toughest combat in its 57-year history. U.S. President George W. Bush Friday (September 29) said NATO forces were involved in an ideological struggle. "I appreciate the courage of the NATO forces. I appreciate the governments of our allies in NATO understanding the importance of helping the Afghan people achieve their dream, and that is a stable country. The people from NATO must understand that they're helping a young democracy defend itself and protect its people, and in so doing, they're helping to lay the foundation of peace in the ideological struggle of the 21st century," Bush said during a speech to reserve military officers in Washington. NATO agreed on Thursday to take command of peacekeeping across all of Afghanistan next month after the United States pledged to transfer an extra 12,000 troops based in the east to its force. President Bush said that the U.S. is also counting on Pakistan and Afghanistan to help track down members of the Taliban and al Qaeda. "In both Pakistan and Afghanistan, America has strong allies who are committed to rounding out the terrorists in their midst. And with their help we've killed or captured hundreds of al Qaeda leaders and their operatives - and we've put the others on the run. Osama bin Laden and other terrorists are still in hiding. Our message to them is clear: No matter how long it takes, we will find you and we're going to bring you to justice," President Bush said. But Bush said the U.S. fight against extremists was a world-wide struggle with the "destiny of the civilised world" at stake. "From Afghanistan and Iraq, to Africa and southeast Asia, we are engaged in a struggle against violent extremists - a struggle which will determine the destiny of the civilised world. We've born these responsibilities before, and we have seen our faith in freedom vindicated by history. In this young century, new generations of Americans is being called to defend liberty, and once again the cause of liberty and peace will prevail. Thank you for coming. God bless," Bush said. The U.S. Congress on Friday moved to block the Bush administration from building permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq or controlling the country's oil sector, as it approved $70 billion for funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The restrictions, included in a record $447 billion military funding bill, were a slap at the administration, and Republicans have stripped them out of legislation in the past. Democrats and many Republicans say the Iraqi insurgency has been fueled by perceptions that the United States has ambitions for a permanent presence in the country. They have called on Bush to make a policy statement that the United States has no such plans. U.S. President George W. Bush has not said either way whether the United States wants permanent bases, but U.S. officials have predicted a lengthy U.S. military presence in Iraq.

ITN Source | September 30, 2006

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