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Bush makes surprise visit to Afghanistan
Associated Press Mar. 1, 2006 05:55 AM
KABUL, Afghanistan - President Bush, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, said Wednesday he remains confident Osama bin Laden "will be brought to justice" despite a so-far futile five-year hunt.
Bush also suggested that the United States and India, where he was headed next, have still not reached a deal over U.S. help for India's civilian nuclear program.
"People all over the world are watching the experience here in Afghanistan," Bush said as he stood side-by-side with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Amid extremely tight security, Bush made the surprise visit in Afghanistan at the onset of a scheduled visit to India and Pakistan.
"It's a thrill to come to a country which is dedicating itself to the dignity of every person who lives here," said Bush said, making his first visit to Afghanistan.
For his part, Karzai greeted Bush as "our great friend, our great supporter, a man who helped us liberate."
Asked about the search for bin Laden, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States, and of the president's call for getting him "dead or alive," Bush said the search for bin Laden and his associates continues.
"It's not a matter of if they're captured and brought to justice, it's when they're brought to justice," Bush said.
Bush flew here secretly to support the fledging Afghan government in the face of rising violence from al-Qaida and Taliban militants.
Bush's entourage flew into the city from Bagram Air Base in a flotilla of heavily armed helicopters. Two door gunners on a press helicopter fired off a short burst of machine gun fire at unknown targets as the aircraft flew low and fast over barren countryside.
Bush arrived safely at the presidential palace where he was greeted by Karzai.
The two leaders spoke with reporters during a brief news conference after their meeting.
Afterward, Bush presided over a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new U.S. embassy in Kabul. He told embassy workers they were "on the front line of freedom's march."
Before leaving Afghanistan, Bush was to give a pep talk to U.S. troops at the air base where he landed and departed.
Asked twice at his news conference about bin Laden, Bush said, "I am confident he will be brought to justice. What's happening is that we've got U.S. forces on the hunt. ... There are Afghan forces on the hunt, not only for bin Laden but also those who plot and plan with him. We've got Pakistan forces on the hunt."
Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere along the mountainous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The suspected presence of Taliban militants in Pakistan has become a source of tension in relations with Afghanistan. More than two dozen suicide attacks in recent months have fueled Afghan suspicions that militants are operating out of Pakistan.
Bush said that, when he is in Pakistan later this week, he will raise the issue of cross border infiltrations with Pakistan's president.
Of hopes to be able to announce a nuclear agreement with India, Bush said that, "This is a difficult issue. This is a difficult issue for the Indian government. This is a difficult issue for the American government."
He said officials of both governments were continuing talks, even as he headed to India.
Bush has promised to sell India nuclear technology and materials to help it with its civilian nuclear energy program, but the deal is hung up on reaching accord on how to ensure that the assistance isn't diverted into weapons programs.
"Our relationship with India is broader than our discussions about energy," Bush said. "Ours is a strategic relationship."
U.S. restrictions on providing nuclear assistance to India, slapped on after India's nuclear weapons testing, remain in place.
Bush was accompanied by his wife, Laura, who visited Afghanistan in April 2005. Vice President Dick Cheney visited there in December 2005.
"We're impressed by the progress that your country is making," Bush told Karzai. "I come as a friend and an ally."