Aug 6, 2007 3:40 pm US/Central
Bush: Good Intelligence Vital To Finding Al Qaeda
CAMP DAVID, Md. (CBS News) ―
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President George W. Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai walk past an honor guard Aug. 5, 2007 upon his arrival at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
President Bush said Monday he is confident that with the right intelligence the U.S. and Pakistani governments can take out al Qaeda leaders, and he declined to rule out consulting first with Pakistan before ordering U.S. forces to act.
"With real, actionable intelligence, we will get the job done," Mr. Bush said.
He was asked whether he would wait on permission from Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf before committing the U.S. military to move on "actionable intelligence" on the whereabouts of terrorist leaders in Pakistan. He did not answer directly.
Pakistani lawmakers, meanwhile, began a long awaited debate Monday on the country's foreign relations policy — an internal conversation which could highlight the increasingly difficult task facing Musharraf; maintaining good ties with Washington while surviving politically at home.
Mr. Bush was at the presidential retreat at Camp David for two days of meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The two held talks on the rash of crises confronting Afghanistan: civilian killings, a booming drug trade and the resurgence of the Taliban.
Karzai said he and Musharraf, who are meeting this week in the Afghan capital of Kabul, would discuss how to tackle the problem of lawlessness and extremists hideouts along Pakistan's border area with his country.
Mr. Bush and Karzai put a positive spin on Afghanistan's progress since the 2001 defeat of the repressive Taliban regime. But they stressed the serious problems at hand.
"There is still work to be done, don't get me wrong," Mr. Bush said. "But progress is being made, Mr. President, and we're proud of you."
Karzai acknowledged that a resurgent Taliban is a problem in Afghanistan. But he said they are not a threat to his government. Karzai is Afghanistan's first democratically elected president.
"We have a long journey ahead of us, but what we have traveled so far has given us greater hope for a better future, for a better life," Karzai said.
Mr. Bush and Karzai also likely discussed Afghanistan's distrustful relationship with neighboring Pakistan. Karzai said the flow of foreign fighters from Pakistan into his country is a concern he will address soon with Musharraf.
Karzai said he is investigating reports that Iran is fueling violence in Afghanistan by sending in weaponry such as sophisticated roadside bombs. Yet he also praised Iran as a partner in peace and against narcotics. "So far, Iran has been a helper," he said.
Violence has been rising sharply in Afghanistan, led by different Taliban groups with various links to tribal leaders and residual al Qaeda forces.
As U.S. and NATO forces target Taliban insurgents, the civilian deaths associated with the attacks have enraged the Afghan population and eroded Karzai's authority. He has repeatedly asked military commanders for more caution and lashed out at foreign forces aiding his nation.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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