WASHINGTON: President George W. Bush said Tuesday he has pledged "full support" to Pakistan's new President Asif Ali Zardari in the fight against extremists while insisting Pakistan had responsibilities in the fight too.
Bush said that in a telephone call to Zardari Tuesday morning, "I pledged the full support of America's government as Pakistan takes the fight to the terrorists and extremists in the border regions."
"Defeating these terrorist and extremists is in Pakistan's interest -- they pose a mortal threat to Pakistan's future as a free and democratic nation," Bush told an audience at the National Defense University in Washington.
However, he added, "Defeating these terrorist and extremists is also Pakistan's responsibility -- because every nation has an obligation to govern its own territory and make certain that it does not become a safe haven for terror."
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