Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=6/30/2005

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=BUSH / INFORMAL NEWSER (L-ONLY)

NUMBER=2-325632

BYLINE=JOE DE CAPUA

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

HEADLINE: Bush Defends 9/11 Iraq Link

INTRO: President Bush met with a handful of reporters at the White House Thursday for an informal question and answer session prior to next week's G-8 summit. Voice of America's Joe De Capua was among the reporters there and says Mr. Bush used the occasion to further explain the link he's made between 9/11 and the war in Iraq.

TEXT: Rejecting skepticism about his linking the terrorist attacks in the United States with Iraq, President Bush said the ideology of the 9/11 hijackers "is very similar to those who have now gone into Iraq to try to stop the progress." He says 9/11 was a "clear indication" that the United States is "at war with an ideology."

Regarding Iran, Mr. Bush says he would like to see Britain, Germany and France, which he calls the EU-3, take a strong stand on Tehran's nuclear program. He says, "It is very important to send a strong message" to Iran's president-elect "that the world is united in saying it should not be given the capabilities of enriching uranium, which could then be converted into a nuclear weapon."

On Africa, the focus of the G-8 summit, the president says U.S. aid to the continent has tripled since his taking office. And he says he plans to ask Congress to double it by 2010.

The administration has not endorsed British Prime Minister Tony Blair's proposal for 25 billion dollars a year for the continent. Mr. Bush says besides direct aid from the U.S. government, Americans contribute billions of dollars each year. He does say his Millennium Challenge Account has been slow to dole out money to African nations, and promises to speed the process.

The account was set up to provide aid to countries that met conditions for good governance and anti-corruption efforts.

Mr. Bush also says the best way to end the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region is to support the African Union while pressuring both the government and rebels to reach a settlement. American support for AU peacekeepers, he says, includes 16 additional base camps, maintenance services and a C-130 aircraft. (Signed)

NEB/JDC/KL/MAR