Homeland Security

DATE=05/17/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=BUSH - MOROCCO (S-only)

NUMBER=2-303334

BYLINE=SCOTT STEARNS

DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: President Bush has condemned the terrorist bombings in Morroco and offered U-S help in hunting down those responsible. VOA's Scott Stearns has the story.

TEXT: President Bush says the bombings show that the fight against terror goes on as terrorism respects neither boundaries nor borders. Casablanca, he says, is a city well-known for tolerance and diverse ethnic and religious communities.

In a written statement, Mr. Bush extended condolences to the families of the victims and hopes for a quick recovery to those injured.

He said Morocco is a "close friend" of the United States and offered assistance in helping to track down those responsible and bring them to justice.

The Casablanca violence follows Monday's bombings in Saudi Arabia where suspected al-Qaida terrorists attacked expatriate housing compounds.

In his Saturday radio address, President Bush said nearly half of al-Qaida's senior operatives have been captured or killed since the September 2001 attacks in New York and Washington. From Pakistan to the Philippines, to the Horn of Africa, Mr. Bush says U-S forces will remain on the hunt for al-Qaida until all its members are brought to justice.(SIGNED)

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