President George Bush has set himself a stiff schedule this week and next of meetings with world leaders in a bid to shore up the international coalition against terrorism. Despite strong continuing support at home, evidenced in a USA Today poll yesterday, Administration officials have noted with concern polling evidence of growing unease in the populations even of western European allies like Germany and France.
Yesterday the President spoke by satellite to a conference of former Soviet bloc countries in Poland, warning of Osama bin Laden's desire to procure nuclear weapons, and met both France's President Jacques Chirac and the Serbian Prime Minister, Mr Zoran Djindjic.
He meets the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, today, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, tomorrow, and by the end of the week will also have met leaders from India, Brazil, Algeria and Pakistan's Gen Musharraf. On Saturday he will address the UN General Assembly. Next week he hosts a summit in Texas with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.
"No nation can be neutral in this conflict," Mr Bush told the leaders and officials from 20 countries of eastern Europe and the Balkans. He said terrorists behind the September 11th attacks are seeking chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, posing a threat "to civilisation itself". And, speaking to journalists with Mr Chirac on the lawn of the White House, Mr Bush warned that in his speech to the UN he would be demanding of allies more than words. While he accepted that not all could contribute military assistance, "coalition partners must perform . . . Over time nations will be held accountable for inaction," he said.
To complement the diplomatic offensive senior officials are also giving interviews to Arabic stations - the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Brig Gen Dick Myers to the Qatari-based Al Jazeera, following in the footsteps of the National Security Adviser, Ms Condoleezza Rice, and the Secretary of Defence, Mr Don Rumsfeld, while the Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, appeared yesterday on Egyptian TV. The State Department is planning a more extensive campaign, possibly involving sports and arts stars.
The poll in USA Today showed Mr Bush's approval rating for the international campaign running at 87 per cent, and for the domestic campaign at 85 per cent. The public was less supportive on the economy with his approval at "only" 71 per cent; 83 per cent said they were confident or very confident the Taliban would be removed from power, while 68 per cent said they believed Osama bin Laden would be captured.
In Afghanistan US bombers continued to pound Taliban front lines, cave complexes and command and control facilities, the Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chief, Gen Peter Pace told journalists. He admitted that the US has twice used the huge, 15,000lb "daisycutter" bomb which explodes three feet from the ground with devastating effect on troop concentrations. The level of sorties is again high - over 100 on Monday - helped by special forces spotters on the ground. Their numbers have more than doubled over the weekend and more are waiting to go in.
Mr Rumsfeld confirmed that the US had resupplied with weapons a key opposition figure, Mr Hamid Karzai, a Pashtun tribal leader who was working with a small number of troops in the south of the country. Mr Karzai had also been airlifted out of the country by US helicopter to Pakistan over the weekend for "consultations".
Gen Pace also strongly defended the US attack on the village of Chuker on October 22nd where, the Taliban has alleged, there were a number of civilian casualties. The village had been studied for two weeks, Gen Pace said, and was clearly a significant Taliban base with military buildings and tents for troops. The attack was "valid and validated".
Meanwhile, the US military has activated more than 50,000 reserve and National Guard troops in a mobilisation authorised by Mr Bush in September to combat terrorism at home and aboard, the Pentagon said.
