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WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 2, 2008) - President Bush will emphasize
during next week's G8 summit in Japan that the war against violent
extremism is a long-term struggle while urging continued support in
Iraq and Afghanistan, he told reporters today.
Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, Bush said he'll also
encourage participants at the Group of Eight's annual summit in
Hokkaido, Japan, to keep up pressure on Iran so it abandons its
nuclear weapons development plans.
Bush said he strongly disagrees with those who consider
extremists simply "a bunch of disgruntled folks who occasionally
come and hurt us" rather than a very real long-term threat to the
United States and its interests.
"That's not the way I feel about it," he said. "This is an
ongoing, constant struggle to defend our own security and, at the
same time, help people realize the blessings of liberty."
Bush said he intends to discuss operations in both Iraq and
Afghanistan at the G8 summit and to ask participants to continue to
help.
The president conceded that U.S. casualty rates in Afghanistan
are up, but insisted coalition and Afghan security forces are
making important headway. "It's been a tough month in Afghanistan,
but it has also been a tough month for the Taliban," he said. "One
reason why there have been more deaths is because our troops are
taking the fight to a tough enemy."
Extremists don't like the fact that the United States is denying
them the safe haven they once enjoyed in Afghanistan, he said.
"America is pressing an ideology that is opposite of theirs, and so
of course there is going to be resistance," he said.
Bush expressed confidence that the strategy in Afghanistan,
which includes not only confronting the Taliban and al-Qaida, but
also promoting the growth of a free society with good economic,
education and health policy, will succeed.
"We are constantly reassessing to see if we need to change
tactics in order to achieve our objective," he said.
Meanwhile, Bush noted that the number of Afghan and coalition
troops there has doubled over the last two years. The United States
is "constantly reviewing troop levels" to ensure they're adequate,
he said.
The president expressed condolences to families who have lost
loved ones in the fight in Afghanistan as well as Iraq. "I am so
appreciative that in a time of danger, Americans are willing to
step up and volunteer and sacrifice," he said.
Asked about Iran's continued interest in securing nuclear
weapons, Bush insisted that that world community must stick
together and continue applying pressure to discourage Iran's
efforts.
While "all options are on the table," Bush said, the best way to
deal with the issue is through diplomacy. Together, the world
community needs to send Iran the message that it will be isolated
and suffer economic hardship if it continued trying to enrich
uranium, he said.
"I've also made it clear that you can't solve a problem
diplomatically unless there are other people at the table with
you," Bush said. "And that is why we have been pursuing
multilateral diplomacy when it comes to convincing the Iranians
that the free world is sincere about insisting that they not have
the technologies necessary to develop a nuclear weapon."
Bush said progress is being made, and he added that he's
encouraged to see world leaders "stand up and speak out about the
need to keep the coalition active and keep the pressure on."
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