Rumsfeld, 18 Allies Discuss War on Terror

[Rose Siding]

ABOARD THE USS JOHN F. KENNEDY - In a cramped war room below deck, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Saturday joined 18 of his counterparts from an unusual collection of U.S. partners in the terrorism fight in discussing the way ahead in Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites).

On a hot and hazy day in the central Persian Gulf, Rumsfeld thanked the defense chiefs for their support. They also held a live, two-way video teleconference from the aircraft carrier with Army Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq. Casey described the U.S. goal of bringing all of Iraq under friendly control.
.........
"Throughout this entire process," he said, referring to the drive toward democracy in Afghanistan, "there have been people who said this could not happen. There are always naysayers and doomsayers and people who are faint of heart. But the people who have been determined and steadfast have been proved correct."

The rest of the session was closed to reporters. Rumsfeld's spokesman, Lawrence Di Rita, said afterward that Casey explained in general terms the U.S.-Iraqi plan to use a combination of negotiations and military force to break the insurgents' grip on Fallujah and other important cities before the elections.
...........
It was one of the most usual groups of defense chiefs ever to assemble on an American aircraft carrier.

They came from Gulf nations such as Qatar and Bahrain; NATO (news - web sites) allies, including Hungary, Poland and Romania; aspiring alliance members such as Albania and Azerbaijan; former Soviet republics such as Estonia and Lithuania; and new U.S. partners in the terrorism fight, including Macedonia and Georgia.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=721&e=7&u=/ap/20041009/ap_on_re_mi_ea/rumsfeld

[Kimber Scott]

1. What? A summit? nt

[ps1074]

2. This ain't no summit. Chimpy does not like summits

It might look like a summit but it is not.

Black is white. Left is right.

[MichiganVote]

3. Getting off their dead asses are they?

Must be counting on a win. Whose vote will they steal this year?

[daleo]

4. That is an unusual collection of allies

For example, Estonia and Lithuania are near Finland in the far north. What exactly do they have to do with Falluja? This sounds like Rumsfeld cobbled together a group for the sake of claiming he and the chimp are consulting allies, just like Kerry advised them to do.

[Iceburg]

5. What happened to the "30" countries -- did we lose another 12 since

the last debate?