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U.S. Will Aid Nations Combating Terrorism Within Their Borders

Rumsfeld says all avenues will be used to keep WMD from terrorists

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the United States will use all elements of national power to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction and to aid friendly nations combating terrorism within their borders.

The terrorists that the United States and a coalition of 85 nations are battling are willing to wait long periods of times between attacks, the secretary told an audience at the Washington National Press Club February 2. While terrorists who have attacked U.S. and allied interests may have been weakened by collective efforts, they still "lurk in [the] shadows," he added, waiting to use violent means to capture media headlines.

Speaking some 52 months after the September 11 attacks against New York and the Pentagon, Rumsfeld said al-Qaida is both "global in scope" and "ruthless in purpose." And, he said, another 18 loosely related terrorist organizations in places such as Israel, Indonesia, Russia, Algeria, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan want to support a vision to take over existing governments extending from North Africa to South Asia. As evidence of their plan, Rumsfeld said the terrorists have distributed a map on which national borders have been erased, giving way to what he described as a "global extremist Islamic empire."

What is transpiring today is not a war between the West and the Muslim world as some extremists have incorrectly suggested, the secretary said, but a war primarily within the Muslim world.

The opportunity now exists, he said, to take action before extremist groups grow stronger and "gain even more adherents." It is up to this generation to listen, learn and act upon this opportunity, Rumsfeld said, "or be prepared to pay severe penalties" in the future.

The secretary quoted Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf as saying terrorism must be fought by finding ways to prevent extremists from turning into terrorists "by showing them a different way of life."

Achieving that means working with partner countries around the world, the secretary said, and by attracting those who would otherwise be caught up in the vision offered by radical Muslim schools. Rumsfeld said ways must be found to diminish the attraction of a militant ideology that promotes beheadings and suicide bombings, and to offer those individuals who would look elsewhere the opportunity to acquire useful productive skills.

Asked when he thought the long war against terrorism might end, Rumsfeld said the "prolonged and complex struggle" will end gradually after a sustained effort as more and more countries prove successful in counterterrorism efforts.

The secretary also answered questions about Hamas, Kuwait and North Korea.

The secretary said the newly elected Hamas government in the Palestinian Territories must decide how it will use its elected power: in a responsible manner, or, to promote the goals of a terrorist organization. Hamas has a free choice, Rumsfeld said, and the decision it takes will determine the level of cooperation it receives on financial assistance and other matters. (See related article.)

Rumsfeld said he did not expect the U.S.-Kuwaiti relationship to change in any way with the appointment of a new emir. He said he expects similar continuity of leadership from Shaykh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al Sabah. (See related article.)

On North Korea's nuclear ambitions, the secretary said Russia, Japan, China, South Korea and the United States are working diligently on the diplomatic front to persuade North Korea's leaders to follow the example of Libya and give up nuclear weapons. It is entirely possible, he said, that North Korea might decide to follow Libya's constructive path. (See U.S. Policy Toward North Korea.)

Source: U.S. Department of State