Standing Up to Al-Qaida

This is the official view of the U.S. government. European leaders have rejected the so-called truce proposal from Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader of Al-Qaida. The man believed to be bin Laden suggested in an audio tape broadcast by Arab television stations that terrorist attacks on European countries should stop if they withdraw their soldiers from Muslim countries. French President Jacques Chirac stated that any deal with terrorists is impossible. Jean-David Levitte, the French ambassador to the U.S., said that Europe is not the only region threatened by terrorism; we will remain united in this war against terrorism because it challenges not only our values but also the values of the Islamic world. These are forces of destruction and devastation, and all governments want to build a better world, a world of dialogue, a world of peace. German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder rejected the Al-Qaida leader's proposal as an attempt to create a rift in Europe. He stated that Europe must respond to this threat with one voice. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi recently visited Iraq, where about three thousand Italian soldiers are serving. He said there should be no doubt that Italy will remain committed to its obligations in Iraq. British Prime Minister Tony Blair stated that we will not back down against attacks against us or against civilians and defenseless people. President George W. Bush said he and Mr. Blair are committed to restoring sovereignty to the people of Iraq by June 30. The Prime Minister and I have chosen our path. Iraq will be a free and independent land and a peaceful nation. We will never waver. Mr. Bush stated that terrorists are clearly on the defensive, and they know it themselves. Terrorists have lost the Taliban's sanctuary and training camps in Afghanistan. They have lost safe havens in Pakistan, an ally in Baghdad, and Libya has turned its back on terrorism. They have lost many of their leaders in an unrelenting international pursuit. President Bush stated that the progress of freedom and reform in the greater Middle East is the most terrifying development for terrorists.