DAVOS, Jan 23: US Attorney General John Ashcroft appealed on Friday for help from the international community in the "war on terrorism", while defending the Bush administration.

Speaking at a World Economic Forum session on terrorism, Mr Ashcroft said that "we need the help of the entirety of the world community in the war against terror".

He said international organizations such as the United Nations and the Group of Seven most industrialized nations were essential in bringing countries together to show a united front in the face of the threat of terrorism.

"I am pleased to be here to reaffirm the United States' commitment to the kind of shared values that these institutions help us to protect." Dismissing criticism of the invasion of Iraq, Mr Ashcroft said President George Bush had no ambitions to take over territory and was firmly committed to peace.

"President Bush I think is more than anything else a person who seeks peace and respects freedom and if you look at the United States and its performance and where it is in the world and what it does in the world it is not an aggressor.-AFP