(6 Oct 2005)
1. US President George W. Bush walks on stage
2. Mid shot of Bush
3. US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in front row, sit down
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) George Bush, US President:
"Bin Laden has stated: 'The whole world is watching this war and the two adversaries. It's either victory and glory, or misery and humiliation.' The terrorists regard Iraq as the central front in their war against humanity. And we must recognise Iraq as the central front in our war on terror."
5. Audience
6. SOUNDBITE: (English) US President George Bush:
"Third, the militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region, and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia. With greater economic and military and political power, the terrorists would be able to advance their stated agenda: to develop weapons of mass destruction, to destroy Israel, to intimidate Europe, to assault the American people, and to blackmail our government into isolation."
7. Audience
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) US President George Bush:
"They hit us, and expect us to run. Overall, the United States and our partners have disrupted at least ten serious al Qaida terrorist plots since September the 11th, including three al Qaida plots to attack inside the United States. We've stopped at least five more al Qaida efforts to case targets in the United States, or infiltrate operatives into our country. Because of this steady progress, the enemy is wounded, but the enemy is still capable of global operations. Our commitment is clear: we will not relent until the organised terror networks and exposed and broken and their leaders held to account for their acts of murder."
9. Audience
STORYLINE:
US President George W. Bush, trying to reverse a slide in public support for the war in Iraq, said on Thursday that Islamic radicals are seeking to "enslave whole nations and intimidate the world," and called that a prime reason not to withdraw from Iraq.
In a speech before the National Endowment for Democracy, Bush said Islamic militants have made Iraq their main front in a war against civilised society.
"The militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia," Bush said.
The president has been stepping up his defence of his Iraq policy in the face of declining public support for the war and a crucial test in Iraq with the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum.
Bush likened the ideology of Islamic militants to communism.
He spoke as recent polls show declining American support for the war that has thus far claimed more than 1,940 members of the US military.
His Iraq policy faces a crucial test in Iraq's Oct. 15 referendum on a new constitution, a vote that Bush has said militants will try to derail.
Bush said the militants are aided by corrupt charities that direct money for militant activities and in nations, such as Syria and Iran.
Countering claims that the US military presence in Iraq is fuelling radicalism, Bush noted that American troops were not there on Sept. 11, 2001.
He said Russia did not support the military action in Iraq, yet the attack in Beslan, Russia, left more than 300 schoolchildren dead in 2004.
"The terrorists regard Iraq as the central front in the war against humanity. And we must recognise Iraq as the central front in our war on terror," he said.
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