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Bush urges Apec to fight `for civilised world`
US President George W Bush urged Pacific Rim leaders to maintain a stiff resolve in the face of terrorism, calling it an assault on the global economy and promising a fight `to save the civilised world`.
US President George W Bush urged Pacific Rim leaders to maintain a stiff resolve in the face of terrorism, calling it an assault on the global economy and promising a fight "to save the civilised world".
The deaths of two US soldiers involved in the US military mission against Afghanistan, and word of the first known ground operations in the campaign, brought a sombre note to Bush's appearance at the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Bush said the soldiers had not died in vain and that Americans should expect "moments of sacrifice". "In our world there is no isolation from evil," Bush told business executives at the Apec forum. "Our enemies are murderers with global reach. They seek weapons to kill on a global scale. Every nation now must oppose this enemy, or be in turn its target."
Bush said the September 11 attack on New York's World Trade Center was an assault on a free enterprise system that was the engine driving prosperity throughout the Pacific Rim, and vowed the US economy would not be shut down. "The terrorists tried to shatter confidence in the world economic system, but they failed," he said. "The terrorists hoped world markets would collapse. But the markets have proved their resilience and fundamental strength."
Seeking to calm business leaders concerned about the US economic slide, which has grown more pronounced since September 11, Bush said governments must keep on the path of economic progress, starting with freer trade. "The United States will do its part to restore economic momentum for the world. We'll keep our markets open, and our country open for business," he said. "The economic fundamentals in America are strong, and our nation will recover."
Bush's sternly delivered message on tough action came as Russia said Moscow and Beijing wanted the military phase to end as soon as possible and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad voiced concern to Bush about civilian casualties.
Bush meets Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday and then returns to Washington. The President, a self-confessed homebody, had planned to stay overnight and fly back Monday. The White House insisted the change was for no urgent reason. Bush tried to play down chances of a breakthrough arms agreement in his talks with Putin saying they were unlikely to produce any startling news.
Their planned third meeting, on the fringes of the Apec forum, comes amid speculation Bush would offer specific cuts in the US nuclear arsenal while serving notice he plans to withdraw within months from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
Putin and China's President Jiang Zemin on Saturday reaffirmed their commitment to the treaty, the cornerstone of nuclear arms control for three decades. Bush wants to abandon the accord to allow deployment of a missile defence system.
Aides nonetheless held out the possibility for some progress at the meeting, which is to set the stage for a Bush-Putin summit next month at Bush's Texas ranch.
Bush has vowed to reduce the US nuclear weapons stockpile below the 3,500 for each side set by the START 2 treaty, which has never been ratified by the US Senate. Putin has proposed a ceiling of 1,500 each. The United States has about 7,000 strategic nuclear warheads while Russia has about 6,000.
Bureau Report
The deaths of two US soldiers involved in the US military mission against Afghanistan, and word of the first known ground operations in the campaign, brought a sombre note to Bush's appearance at the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Bush said the soldiers had not died in vain and that Americans should expect "moments of sacrifice". "In our world there is no isolation from evil," Bush told business executives at the Apec forum. "Our enemies are murderers with global reach. They seek weapons to kill on a global scale. Every nation now must oppose this enemy, or be in turn its target."
Bush said the September 11 attack on New York's World Trade Center was an assault on a free enterprise system that was the engine driving prosperity throughout the Pacific Rim, and vowed the US economy would not be shut down. "The terrorists tried to shatter confidence in the world economic system, but they failed," he said. "The terrorists hoped world markets would collapse. But the markets have proved their resilience and fundamental strength."
Seeking to calm business leaders concerned about the US economic slide, which has grown more pronounced since September 11, Bush said governments must keep on the path of economic progress, starting with freer trade. "The United States will do its part to restore economic momentum for the world. We'll keep our markets open, and our country open for business," he said. "The economic fundamentals in America are strong, and our nation will recover."
Bush's sternly delivered message on tough action came as Russia said Moscow and Beijing wanted the military phase to end as soon as possible and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad voiced concern to Bush about civilian casualties.
Bush meets Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday and then returns to Washington. The President, a self-confessed homebody, had planned to stay overnight and fly back Monday. The White House insisted the change was for no urgent reason. Bush tried to play down chances of a breakthrough arms agreement in his talks with Putin saying they were unlikely to produce any startling news.
Their planned third meeting, on the fringes of the Apec forum, comes amid speculation Bush would offer specific cuts in the US nuclear arsenal while serving notice he plans to withdraw within months from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
Putin and China's President Jiang Zemin on Saturday reaffirmed their commitment to the treaty, the cornerstone of nuclear arms control for three decades. Bush wants to abandon the accord to allow deployment of a missile defence system.
Aides nonetheless held out the possibility for some progress at the meeting, which is to set the stage for a Bush-Putin summit next month at Bush's Texas ranch.
Bush has vowed to reduce the US nuclear weapons stockpile below the 3,500 for each side set by the START 2 treaty, which has never been ratified by the US Senate. Putin has proposed a ceiling of 1,500 each. The United States has about 7,000 strategic nuclear warheads while Russia has about 6,000.
Bureau Report