Relevant to attacks on Indian Parliament: (full text of his speechgiven below)
Since September the 11th, we've witnessed a series of terrorist attacks aimedat the United States and our friends around the world: anthrax mailings here athome, suicide bombings against Israel; and only last week, an armed attack onthe Indian Parliament. The legislature of the world's largestdemocracy, a nation founded on the principles of freedom of speech, freedom ofworship, was ruthlessly attacked. The terrorists killed eightinnocent people. If their mission had succeeded, they would havekidnapped and killed many of India's elected representatives.
Last week's attack was only the most recent terrorist assault on theinstitutions of Indian democracy. More than 30 people were killed ina car bombing of the State Legislative Assembly in Srinagar on October the 1st.These attacks on India's Parliament buildings remind us that whatever grievancesor causes the terrorists may cite, their real target is democracy and freedom.
The United States condemns these terrorist attacks against India. Andwe extend our sympathies and friendship to the families of the murdered.
American power will be used against all terrorists of global reach. So todayI'm adding another terrorist organization to the list of those whose assets areblocked by my executive order. Lashkar-e-Tayiba is an extremist groupbased in Kashmir [Yeah, sure, Muridke near Lahore in Pakistani Punjab is in Kashmir, right?] LAT [he means, LeT ] is a stateless sponsor ofterrorism, and it hopes to destroy relations between Pakistan and India and toundermine Pakistani's President Musharraf.
To achieve its purpose, LAT [he means, LeT] has committed acts of terrorisminside both India and Pakistan [right, perhaps Pak spindoctors are claiming that J&K is Pakistani territory?] LAT [he means LeT] is a terroristorganization that presents a global threat. And I look forward toworking with the governments of both India and Pakistan in a common effort toshut it down and to bring the killers to justice.
Full Text of President Bush's speech at the Rose Garden:
Thank you all for coming. I'm honored to be joined by the Secretaryof State and the Secretary of the Treasury. The Secretary of Treasurywill stay over afterwards, to answer any questions you have on this particularinitiative that we'll be announcing today.
This is the 100th day of our campaign against global terrorism. Andin those 100 days, we've accomplished much. We've built a broadinternational coalition against terror, and I want to thank the Secretary ofState for his hard work. We broke the Taliban's grip on Afghanistan.We took the war to the al Qaeda terrorists. We're securing ourairways. We're defending our homeland. And we're attacking theterrorists' international financial network. And I want to thank theSecretary of the Treasury for his hard work.
Today I'm announcing two more strikes against the financing of terror. Weknow that al Qaeda would like to obtain nuclear, chemical and biologicalweapons. And we know that oftentimes they do not act alone; al Qaedahas international supporters, and some of those supporters hide themselves inthe disguise of charity.
Last year a former official of the Pakistani Atomic Energy Commission set upan organization known as the UTN. UTN claims to serve the hungry andneedy of Afghanistan. But it was the UTN that provided informationabout nuclear weapons to al Qaeda. So today I'm adding UTN, and threeof its directors, to our list of terrorists supporting financial organizationsand individuals. We're issuing orders to block any of their assetswithin U.S. jurisdiction, and putting the world on notice that anyone whocontinues to do business with UTN, and its principal figures, will not dobusiness with the United States.
Since September the 11th, we've witnessed a series of terrorist attacks aimedat the United States and our friends around the world: anthrax mailings here athome, suicide bombings against Israel; and only last week, an armed attack onthe Indian Parliament. The legislature of the world's largestdemocracy, a nation founded on the principles of freedom of speech, freedom ofworship, was ruthlessly attacked. The terrorists killed eightinnocent people. If their mission had succeeded, they would havekidnapped and killed many of India's elected representatives.
Last week's attack was only the most recent terrorist assault on theinstitutions of Indian democracy. More than 30 people were killed ina car bombing of the State Legislative Assembly in Srinagar on October the 1st.These attacks on India's Parliament buildings remind us that whatever grievancesor causes the terrorists may cite, their real target is democracy and freedom.
The United States condemns these terrorist attacks against India. Andwe extend our sympathies and friendship to the families of the murdered.
American power will be used against all terrorists of global reach. So todayI'm adding another terrorist organization to the list of those whose assets areblocked by my executive order. Lashkar-e-Tayiba is an extremist groupbased in Kashmir. LAT is a stateless sponsor of terrorism, and ithopes to destroy relations between Pakistan and India and to underminePakistani's President Musharraf.
To achieve its purpose, LAT has committed acts of terrorism inside both Indiaand Pakistan. LAT is a terrorist organization that presents a globalthreat. And I look forward to working with the governments of bothIndia and Pakistan in a common effort to shut it down and to bring the killersto justice.
I'm optimistic about the future of our struggle against terror. Iknow we've accomplished a lot so far, and we've got a lot more to do. Overthe past 100 days, we and our British allies and others in the coalition havedestroyed at least 11 terrorist training camps inside Afghanistan, terroristfactories that produce thousands of trained operatives. We've alsodestroyed 39 Taliban command and control sites.
Senior al Qaeda and Taliban officials have been captured or killed, andpotential escape routes for the survivors are constantly being blocked toprevent the cowards from running.
American, Australian and German aid workers held hostage by the Taliban havebeen liberated. We've dropped some 2.5 million humanitarian rationsto the hungry people inside Afghanistan. Our attack on terroristfinances is progressing. The assets of more than 150 knownterrorists, their organizations and their bankers have been frozen by the UnitedStates.
One hundred forty-two countries have issued freezing orders of their own. Theresult: more than $33 million in terrorist assets have been blockedinside the United States; more than $33 million more have been blocked abroad byour partners in the international coalition.
At home, we've created a new Office of Homeland Security under my friend, TomRidge; and worked with Congress to provide more than $20 billion to safeguardour territory. New airline security legislation has been signed intolaw. Our law enforcement agencies are protecting our safety, whilerespecting the constitutional rights of our citizens.
We listed the 22 most wanted foreign terrorists. We'rereorganizing the INS so it can more effectively prevent the entry into theUnited States by those who want to threaten our national security.
We arrested one of the murderers of the September 5, 1986 hijacking of Pan AmFlight 73, showing would-be terrorists and current terrorists that we have along memory, that we're patient -- that if you think you can hide, we'll comeand find you and bring you to justice.
We made the first indictment against the terrorists, those murderers ofSeptember the 11th. We and our coalition have done much in the past100 days. And with the help of freedom-loving countries around theworld, we will do much more to rid the world of evil and of terrorists.
Thank you very much.
Q Mr. President, can you tell us where you are,sir, on your deliberations over John Walker, and have you ruled out a charge oftreason?
President Bush: I'm heading into the Oval Office --