SEDGEFIELD, England, 22 November 2003 — US President George W. Bush yesterday renewed his pledge to crush global terrorism with the help of allies like Britain, and said he would share valuable US intelligence with Turkey.
“We have got a job to do and that’s to defeat terror,” Bush told reporters as he wrapped up his three-day state visit to Britain with a trip to Sedgefield, Prime Minister Tony Blair’s constituency in northeastern England.
Standing alongside the president, Blair insisted that when faced with attack by “terrorists”, the only response was to “go out and fight with renewed strength.”
Bush said he had spoken earlier in the day with the prime minister of Turkey.
“I told him my prayers are with his people. I told him we would work with him to defeat terror,” Bush said of his conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Bush added: “Both countries (Britain and the United States) are going to help. We need to share intelligence. The best way to defeat Al-Qaeda terrorism is to share intelligence and hunt these people down.”
Asked if Turkey — a NATO ally which is also seeking European Union membership — was a new front in his “war on terror”, Bush replied: “Iraq’s a front. Turkey is a front. Anywhere the terrorists think they can strike is a front.”
Bush added: “The terrorists are trying to intimidate the free world.”
Referring to Blair, the president said: “And this man will not be intimidated and neither will I and my country.”
Blair told reporters that the alliance between Britain and the United States was “strong and enduring and we have got to continue our alliance now”.
The prime minister added: “The important thing is when these terrible terrorist attacks occur there is one of two responses.
“People can respond either by being intimidated by it, by feeling, let’s reduce our profile in this struggle.”
