America Strikes Back

[Georgia Bard]

Bush Lays Groundwork for Military Strike
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20862-2001Sep12.html

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By Alan Sipress and Steven Mufson
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, September 12, 2001; 8:51 PM

The Bush administration moved aggressively yesterday to lay the diplomatic and military groundwork for a possible strike against Osama bin Laden and his supporters in Afghanistan, winning an unprecedented NATO commitment of support and pressuring neighboring Pakistan for intelligence and logistical backing.

As dawn was breaking on the first day after the gravest terrorist assault in American history, President Bush and his top diplomats were already lining up support across Europe, the Middle East and Asia for a response that they said would not just apprehend the attackers but retaliate against any countries behind them.

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell spoke early in the morning with NATO Secretary General George Robertson and by the end of the day had won a declaration committing the allies to back an American military reprisal. Powell said the declaration would "tee up" the invocation of the NATO charter's mutual defense clause for the first time in the alliance's 52-year history, assuring the United States of overflight rights and other forms of support if the administration concluded the terrorist attacks came from abroad.

After a morning meeting with his national security advisers, President Bush called the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon "acts of war." Congress swiftly adopted a joint resolution that officials from both Capitol Hill and the administration said freed the White House from having to seek a formal declaration of war.

U.S. officials also began high-level meetings with officials from Pakistan to insist on their help in tracking the attackers and aiding a retaliatory strike. The Pakistan government has long had the close ties with the Taliban movement in Afghanistan that shelters bin Laden. "The message to Pakistan is: there's clearly a worldwide momentum right now to stand up and be counted. Whose side are you on on terrorism?" a senior State Department official said.

Powell said he had already held several conversations with leaders from Saudi Arabia, who would have to give the go-ahead for the United States to use their crucial bases as staging grounds for any move against bin Laden. But he left unclear whether he had secured Saudi agreement. "If they can be helpful in finding those who may be responsible, we will expect that help and we will express that very, very clearly," Powell said.

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:=) Gary Swancey