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Bush Lobbies Eastern European Leaders for Support
WARSAW, Nov 6 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - U.S. President George W. Bush confered via satellite Tuesday with leaders of 16 eastern European countries gathering in Warsaw in a bid to boost support for the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism, news agencies reported.
Key leaders from Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldavia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Yugoslavia began to arrive in Poland late Monday for the one-day summit, said Agence France-Presse (AFP).
After a 10-minute discussion with Bush via satellite at 1:00 p.m. (1200 GMT), the leaders are to adopt an anti-terrorism action plan and a joint statement.
The plan will include exchange of information on money-laundering, drug-trafficking, and increased bilateral and multilateral cooperation among intelligence services, according to diplomatic sources.
At the summit, eastern European countries may also agree to take more efforts to stem the flow of illegal immigration and contraband, and call for an international conference on tolerance and education on multiculturalism.
"The region has a potentially significant role to play in cutting off the supply of opium from Afghanistan to western Europe, sales of which are suspected of helping finance the Taliban regime," said AFP.
Russia, which has also joined the anti-terror coalition formed after the deadly September 11 attacks in the United States, will be represented as an observer by Vladimir Rushailo, head of President Vladimir Putin's powerful national security council.
After a meeting with Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski late Monday, Rushailo called for a worldwide system for sanctions against those who finance terrorism.
"There exists different sources of financing terrorism in different countries. Judicial problems arise as legal systems vary between countries," he told journalists.
The European Union, NATO, the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will also be present as observers - as will Belarus and Turkey.
The summit comes amid declining support in Europe for the U.S.-led attacks against suspected terrorist bases and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
A poll published Monday showed that nearly two-thirds of Poles are against sending their troops to join military action in Afghanistan, while a similar number supported such a move shortly after the strikes began on October 7.
Meanwhile, Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus said Sunday that the NATO enlargement is vital for the fight against terrorism in eastern Europe.
"We are convinced that NATO enlargement is a key precondition for the development of an effective strategy for battling international terrorism and for better coordinating the actions of the Euro-Atlantic community in this area," Adamkus told AFP.
"NATO enlargement would allow more effective control of dangers that may arise and faster reaction to manifestations of terrorism," he said in a written statement.
Via satellite link, Bush urged the 17 Eastern European leaders to keep their resolve in the fight against terror, reported BBC's online news service.
Eastern Europe is also playing a role in the investigation into the deadly September 11 attacks on America.
Poland has revealed that suspects in the attacks on the World Trade Center traveled across its territory, and the Czech Republic has said that Mohammed Atta - suspected of piloting one of the hijacked planes - met an Iraqi agent in Prague.
So far, the Czech Republic is the only country in the region that says it is preparing forces for action - an anti-chemical warfare unit.
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