Bush blames al-Qaida for Kenya terror killing

WASHINGTON -- In a grim update on terrorism's global reach, President Bush said Wednesday he believes Osama bin Laden's network was involved in last week's Kenya attacks, and he complained that terrorists have been able to "stop the peace process" in the Middle East.

Pledging anew to fight terrorism "wherever it exists," Bush sidestepped the question of whether bin Laden's al-Qaida organization has infiltrated the West Bank but said terrorism in general has left its mark on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"I am concerned that terrorists have disrupted the ability for peace-loving people to move a process forward," the president told reporters in a brief exchange about Iraq and the war on terrorism.

Bush said he understands both Israel's need to fight terrorism and the Palestinian people's desire to improve their living conditions. He pledged to continue working on both fronts.

"But the net effect of terrorism is to not only stop the peace process, but is to cause suffering amongst all the people of the region," Bush said. "And that's why our war against terror must remain steadfast and strong wherever terror exists."

Mideast peace jeopardy

Since the first days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and New York, Bush has said the war against terrorism is a global proposition. His remarks Wednesday indicated he believes the Middle East peace process will be in jeopardy until terrorism is curbed.

The remarks were made in advance of a Dec. 20 conference in Washington to plot peace moves in the Middle East. Even as they prepare for the summit of U.S., Russian and European diplomats, administration officials concede there is little chance for headway in the talks amid violence and terror attacks in the region.

Bush was asked whether he is concerned that al-Qaida, feeding off the harsh plight of many Palestinians, may be gaining a foothold on the West Bank.

"I am concerned about al-Qaida anywhere," the president replied. "I believe that al-Qaida was involved in the African bombings in Kenya. I believe al-Qaida hates freedom."

Evidence continues to mount that al-Qaida was behind the Kenya attacks -- a bombing at a hotel frequented by Israelis and the firing of missiles at an Israeli charter flight.

Experts said Monday the missiles had serial numbers similar to those on one involved in an attempted hit on a military plane in May, and al-Qaida has claimed responsibility for the hotel attack.

U.S. officials have suggested that an affiliated Islamic extremist network from Somalia, al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, may have played a role in the Kenya attacks.

"I believe al-Qaida will strike anywhere they can in order to disrupt a civil society," Bush said. "That's why we're on the hunt."

Afterward, spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush was not making a definitive statement about al-Qaida's link to the Kenya attacks. "He's sharing with you suspicions you've heard from previous quarters," Fleischer said.

On Iraq, the president said that Saddam Hussein "is not somebody who looks like he's interested in complying" with a U.N. resolution forcing him to disarm.

Questioned about world opinion, Bush said the United States is unfairly cast as waging war on Islam because "the propaganda machines are cranked up in the international community that paints our country in a bad light."

He ticked off a litany of American accomplishments in postwar Afghanistan, among them the fact that girls can now attend school.

Army Lt. Gen. Dan K. McNeil, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was at the White House earlier Wednesday and gave a briefing in the Situation Room about improved humanitarian conditions, Bush said.

"The Muslim world will eventually realize -- if they don't now -- that we believe in freedom, and we respect all individuals. And unlike the killers, we value each life in America," Bush said. "Everybody is precious, everybody counts, and to the extent we need to continue to make that message work, we will try to do so. But the best thing we can do is show results from our activities."