NEW YORK, Nov 10: US President George Bush on Saturday asked for complete commitment of nations in the fight against terrorism, indicating that the US required of its coalition partners and other nations.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, the UN president told the many leaders gathered for the opening of the assembly’s 56th session that all terrorists, and not some terrorists, should be opposed, and the international community had a responsibility to crack down on the financial networks that sustained terrorism.
Mr Bush’s remarks have come amidst reports that the United States is not fully satisfied with the response of some nations in the mlitary campaign in Afghanistan and the overall anti-terrorism assault.
While saying he understood that it was not always easy for every country to join the fight, Mr Bush, who was making his first appearance at the UN, said courage was required at this time, and every known terrorist camp should be shut down and every terrorist arrested, with evidence being provided to the United Nations.
He agreed that there were some good causes and some bad causes, but said there could be no justification for terrorism and there was no such thing as a “good terrorist”.
Mr Bush made no reference to Osama bin Laden’s statement published in Saturday’s Dawn that “we have chemical and nuclear weapons as a deterrent and if America used them against us, we reserve the right to use them (also)”.
The president said the US would never forget Sept 11 and pursue its campaign against terrorism to the end.
Claiming that the camapign was making progress, Mr Bush said terrorists would have no place to hide and could not hide behind Islam.
He repeated his charges against the Taliban and said their days were coming to a close. He promised US support in rebuilding Afghanistan, and said his country would work with the United Nations in the formation of a post-Taliban government.
With Palestine Authority President Yasser Arafat listening, Mr Bush said the US would work to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the negotiating table, but it was important for violence to cease in the region.
In his address before 48 presidents and prime ministers and 114 foreign ministers, President Bush called for global action against terror, add agencies.
He also asked for action in the “war on terrorism” instead of sympathy for the Sept 11 attacks and issued an apocalyptic prophecy of terrorist intentions.
The US president warned the UN Assembly that “terrorists are planning more murder” and that almost any nation is “a potential target”.