Bush Warns of Worsening Violence in Iraq, Afghanistan

President Bush warned on Saturday that deadly guerrilla violence in Iraq and Afghanistan could worsen in the coming weeks as the two countries move toward national elections.

But days before he was due to speak to the U.N. General Assembly, Bush used his weekly radio address to challenge international leaders to help the United States "create a safer world" in an effort of common security.

More than 200 Iraqis have been killed in recent days by bombings and other violence that have cast doubt on plans to hold elections in January.

Doubts also surround elections due Oct. 9 in Afghanistan, where U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai survived an assassination attempt on Thursday.

"Terrorist enemies are trying to stop the progress of both those countries, and their violent and merciless attacks may increase as elections draw near," Bush told radio listeners.

"But all the world can be certain: America and our allies will keep our commitments to the Afghan and Iraqi people."

With his own election contest against Democrat John Kerry entering its final six weeks, the Republican will speak at the United Nations on Tuesday and host a series of meetings with foreign leaders including Karzai, Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

On Thursday, the president has scheduled a news conference with Allawi in the White House Rose Garden.

"Never in the history of the United Nations have we faced so many opportunities to create a safer world by building a better world," Bush said in his radio address.

"For the sake of our common security, and for the sake of our common values, the international community must rise to this historic moment. And the United States is prepared to lead."

Voters give Bush high poll ratings for leadership on international security issues. But next week’s foray onto the international stage comes at a gloomy time for the administration’s Iraq policy.

As insurgent attacks escalated, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said this week that the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq violated international law and cast doubt on whether elections could be held in January.

A classified CIA report, leaked to the media, offered a bleak assessment of Iraq’s future with civil war as the worst-case scenario and continued instability as the best.

Another report by U.S. weapons inspector Charles Duelfer concluded that stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, a main justification for the war, would not be found in Iraq. (Reuters)

http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/380018|top|09-18-2004::10:27|reuters.html