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U.S. Deploys Forces, Rallies Coalition
WASHINGTON, Sept 19 (News Agencies) - The United States readied for war Wednesday, deploying military forces as President George W. Bush rallied a multinational coalition and told Afghanistan's ruling Taliban to hand over Osama bin Laden or face the consequences.
"There are movements and we will see more movements," Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said Wednesday as the Pentagon refused to give details of the force movements, declining to comment on a Cable News Network (CNN) report that more than 100 warplanes were ordered to the Gulf, including B-52 bombers, F-16 fighter jets and AWACs radar planes.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf confirmed the United States had requested the use of airspace over his country in the event of an attack against neighboring Afghanistan, and offered "full cooperation".
Earlier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier set sail from Norfolk, Virginia, for the Mediterranean and "points east" at the head of a 14-ship battle group that includes some 2,000 marines capable of mounting special operations, navy officials said.
As military preparations were under way, Bush vowed to track down bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network, blamed for the deadly September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States.
"We'll do what we need to do to achieve the first objective of a long campaign, and the first objective is to bring people to justice," said Bush.
"I would strongly urge the Taliban to turn over the al-Qaeda organizers who hide in their country," he said during a joint White House appearance with his Indonesian counterpart Megawati Sukarnoputri.
The warning came as the Taliban signaled it would sooner face a massive military onslaught than surrender bin Laden, the chief suspect in the airborne attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon last week.
As more than 1,000 clerics, or ulema, from all over war-ravaged Afghanistan met in Kabul to discuss the possibility of handing over bin Laden, the Taliban's supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar Wednesday issued a defiant statement that appeared to quash hopes of an extradition deal.
Omar said bin Laden would not be extradited without clear evidence linking him to the terror strikes that left 5,800 people dead or missing and dismissed U.S. allegations against the Saudi-born dissident as a pretext to wage war on Islam.
Bin Laden has likewise denied involvement in the attacks.
In Washington, Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell worked to broaden support for the global anti-terrorism campaign.
"Help us round-up these people. You can play a constructive role," Bush urged reluctant nations during his meeting with Megawati.
"Some nations will be comfortable supporting overt activities, some nations will be comfortable supporting covert activities, some nations will only be comfortable in providing information, others will be helpful and only feel comfortable helping on financial matters. I understand that," he said.
Megawati sharply condemned the terrorist attacks but was also expected to caution Bush against taking any hasty reprisals that could be interpreted as revenge against Muslims.
Like other Muslim nations that have pledged support for the United States, Indonesia braced itself for possible conflict within its own borders.
Some Indonesian groups threatened to raid U.S. facilities and expel Americans nationwide if Washington attacked Afghanistan, while Pakistan's leading Islamic body, the Ulema Council, issued a
fatwa (religious ruling) calling for a struggle against the United States and its allies if they attack Afghanistan.
Bush scheduled talks with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov later Wednesday, while Powell was to meet with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Saud al-Faisal.
The Saudis will likely be asked to take a lead role in curtailing financial and other support to bin Laden, son of one of the country's wealthiest families, as well as provide intelligence and logistical support should a military response be ordered.
Arab support is considered crucial for the U.S.-led coalition, and Bush Wednesday urged Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to back up a condemnation of terrorism "with action".
He also said he felt "a sense of optimism" about progress towards Middle East peace, where Israel and the Palestinians have implemented a ceasefire.
The September 11th terror strikes "may shake up the attitudes of the Middle East where people would end up resolving to show the world that there could be peace there as well. And progress is being made," said Bush.
Bush and Powell also spoke with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, who offered his country's support. "We are ready to be part of this anti-terror coalition," he told reporters, adding: "We do not rule out any option."
Bush already had a meeting Tuesday with his French counterpart Jacques Chirac, who said that while military cooperation was conceivable, Paris must first be "in agreement on the aims and methods of an action."
British Prime Minister Tony Blair was expected on Thursday after a diplomatic shuttle to boost European support for the U.S.-led coalition.
In Japan, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi vowed to take immediate steps to allow Japanese troops to provide logistical support in any U.S. retaliation for the terror attacks. Koizumi may visit the United States as early as Thursday to hold talks with Bush, Jiji Press news agency said.
China, however, has proved a reluctant conscript, with leaders insisting that the U.N. Security Council - in which China, Russia, France and Britain, as well as the U.S., hold vetoes as permanent members - play a deciding role.
The Security Council already has called on the Taliban to "immediately and unconditionally" hand over bin Laden.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation expanded the list of people wanted in connection with the attacks to nearly 200, as the Central Investigation Agency pored over reports that one of the suspects in the plot met an Iraqi intelligence official in the run-up. Iraq has denied any role.
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