Bush: Fighting Terror Will Bring Peace
By Scott Stearns
White House
23 September 2006
In his speech to the U.N. General Assembly this past week, President Bush spoke of a more hopeful world beyond terrorism, where voices of moderation are empowered and extremists are marginalized by a peaceful majority.
President Bush addresses the 61st session of the UN General Assembly at UN headquarters, Tuesday, September 19, 2006
In his weekly radio address, Mr. Bush repeated those themes, saying all nations, especially those in the Muslim world, are bound together in a struggle between moderation and extremism.
"In the broader Middle East, the world faces a straightforward choice: We can allow that region to continue on the course it was headed before September 11, and, a generation from now, our children will face a region dominated by terrorist states and radical dictators, armed with nuclear weapons; or we can stop that from happening by confronting the ideology of hate, and helping the people of the Middle East build a future of hope," he said.
President Bush says he remains committed to a two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian violence, praising Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as a man, who, he says, is working hard to oppose violent extremists.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during a press conference, after his meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, 23 Sept. 23, 2006
"By supporting moderate leaders, such as President Abbas, the United States can help Israelis and Palestinians build a more hopeful future, and achieve the peace we all want in the Holy Land," he added.
Mr. Bush says Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are also working to defeat terrorism and extremism.
He says it is in America＇s interest to help President Musharraf, because he is building modern democratic institutions in Pakistan that could provide an alternative to radicalism.
Mr. Bush says President Karzai is building a safer and brighter future for Afghanistan with forces from more than 40 countries fighting alongside Afghan troops against Taleban militia.
President Musharraf and President Karzai have had their differences, accusing each other of not doing enough to stop violence in the remote border regions over which their central governments have little control.
President Bush will bring the two leaders together at the White House in the coming week to try and soothe some of those tensions, and better coordinate the fight against terrorism.
|
|
