Bush convinced of Pakistan commitment in terror war

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – U.S. President George W. Bush said on
Saturday he was convinced of Pakistani President Pervez
Musharraf’s commitment to the war on terrorism despite ongoing
militancy in Pakistan and the presence of al Qaeda members.

“Part of my mission today was to determine whether or not
the president is as committed as he has been in the past to
bringing these terrorists to justice,” Bush told a news
conference in the Pakistani capital with Musharraf.

“He understands the stakes, he understands the
responsibility, the need to make sure the strategy is able to
defeat the enemy,” Bush said.

Bush, who arrived in Pakistan late on Friday on the last
leg of a tour of South Asia, suggested he and Musharraf talked
about the need to improve intelligence sharing.

“The best way to defeat al Qaeda is to share good
intelligence, to locate them and then be prepared to bring them
to justice,” he said.

Bush asked Musharraf if he wanted to respond, and the
Pakistani president said he and Bush strategised on how to deal
with militants and that “if at all there are slippages” in the
effort, it had been in the implementation part of their
strategy.