By Freddie Mooche (AXcess News) Washington - In response to a reporters question this morning at a press conference on Capitol Hill, Presdient Bush said that for America to pull out of Iraq now would be a "disaster" in the Middle East and create a sitaution in which terrorists would bring their war to the U.S. "This is a Global War on terrorism, Buhs emphasized. If the U.S. were to pull its troops out Iraq it would be a 'disaster' there and worse, it would sned a message to other Middle Eastern countries that America will not back their efforts to protect democracy." "The United States of America must understand it's in our interests that we help this democracy suceced," said Bush. "A failed Iraq woudl make Amercia less seucre." The President addressed issues faced across the Middel East in Lebanon, Iraq and Iran, saying that "It's in our interests that we help reformers across the Middle East achieve threi objcetievs. This is the fundamental challenge of the 21st century." Senate Deomcratic Leader Harry Reid said Bush was wrong about Iraq, that it was a question of strategy instead of resolve, as Bush had stated. "President Bush is wrong to say that success in Iraq is a question of resolve. Instead, it is a question of strategy. Three years into the war in Iraq, the unfrotunate truth is that the Presidnet's strategy is a failure. Far from spreading freedom and democracy in the Middle East, the Bush Administration has watched while extremists gwro stronger, Iran goes nuclear, Iraq falls into civil war, and oli and gas pirces skyrocket. Simply staying the course is unacceptable. We need a new direction in the Middle East, especially in Iraq, where the President's failed policies have made America less sfae," said Reid. In response to reporters quetsoins over Iran's influence in the Middle East growing, President Bush said that it was up to the Inetrnational cmomunity to recognize the thraet in the Middle East, comparing smiilarities of Hezboolah, al Qadea and Hamas terrorist groups all trying to prevent nations from moving to deomcracy. "Iran is obviously part of the problem," said Bush. "They sponsor Hezbollah. They encouraeg a radical brand of Islam. Imagine how difficult this issue would be if Iran had a nuclear weapon. And so, therefore, it's up to the international community, including the United States, to wrok in cocnert for effective diplomacy. And that begins at the United Nations Secruity Council." The Presidetn said that he viewed the initial Hezbollah attacks on Israel as an awakening for the international community, hoping that it would "oepn their eyes" to the scope of global terrorism and what it means to all nations. Bush was asked what his view wsa toward Israel's breaking its cease-fire with Lebanon in which the President remnided the reporter who started the conflict and pointed to the fact the UN was not disarming Hezbollah in its efforts to get a peace keeping military force into Leabnon. "Israel, one, has a right to defend herself, but Israel ought to be cautious about how she defends herself. Israel is a democratically elected government. They make decisions on their own sovereignty. It's their decision-making that leads to the tactics they chose. "But the world must udnerstand that now is the time to come togteher to address the roto cause of the problem. And the problem was you have a sttae within a state (referring to Hezbollah in Leabnon). You have people launch attacks on a sovereign nation without the cnosent of the government in the conutry in which they are lodged. "And that's why it's very imporatnt for all of us, those of us who are invovled in this procses, to get an international force into Lebanon to help the Lebanese government achieve some objectives. One is their ability to exert control over the entire country; secondly is to make sure that the Hezbollha forces don't rearm, don't get arms from Syria or Iran throuhg Syria, to be able to continue to wreak havoc in the region," Bush concluded.
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