Bush says violence in Iraq not civil war

Xinhua
Nov. 29, 2006

RIGA, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush said on Tuesday that the resurging violence in Iraq is not civil war, claiming that Al-Qaida is to blame for the escalating bloodshed in this war-torn country, reports reaching here said.

;"What you're seeing on TV has started last February. It was an attempt by people to foment sectarian violence," he told a news conference with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves in Tallinn, Estonia.

"There's a lot of sectarian violence taking place, fomented in my opinion because of the attacks by Al-Qaida causing people to seek reprisal," he added.

Vowing to work with the Iraqi government to defeat violence, Bush said "It's in our mutual interest that we help this government succeed."

Referring to the situation in Afghanistan, the U.S. president urged NATO countries to accept difficult assignments in Afghanistan, adding that members must provide the forces NATO military commanders require.

A two-day NATO summit will open on Tuesday evening in the Latvian capital of Riga. The bloc's transformation and its anti-insurgency missions in Afghanistan is set to top the agenda.

During his visit to Estonia on Tuesday morning, Bush also met with Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip. He later arrived in neighboring Latvia for the NATO summit.