WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Tuesday warned for the first time that Osama bin Laden's network was seeking nuclear weapons, rallying European allies to fight what he called a threat to "every nation and, eventually, to civilization itself."
Speaking via satellite to a summit in Warsaw, Poland, Bush told leaders of Eastern European nations, once under the yoke of Soviet domination, that their "freedom is threatened once again" -- this time by bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorism network.
After meeting with French President Jacques Chirac at the White House, Bush said nations that fail to take action against terrorism would be "held accountable," adding: "You're either with us or you're against us."
The United States has accused bin Laden of masterminding the Sept. 11 hijack attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and says his network operates in more than 60 nations, including some in Central and Eastern Europe.
Bush said al Qaeda's goal was to "destabilize entire nations and regions" and was "seeking chemical, biological and nuclear weapons."
"Given the means, our enemies would be a threat to every nation and eventually, to civilization itself," Bush told leaders from Poland and 16 other states.
Asked to elaborate on the nuclear threat after meeting with Chirac, Bush cited bin Laden's own statements, adding: "I believe we need to take him seriously."
Bush vowed to "do everything we can" to keep bin Laden from acquiring weapons of mass destruction. If he obtains them, Bush said, "We'll make sure he doesn't deploy them."
"This is an evil man that we're dealing with, and I wouldn't put it past him to develop evil weapons to try to harm civilization as we know it," Bush told reporters at the White House. "That's why we work hard to keep our coalition bound together, and that's why we're going to keep relentless military pressure on him in Afghanistan."
Bush came close on Tuesday to blaming al Qaeda for a string of anthrax attacks that have killed four people. U.S. investigators have yet to publicly blame bin Laden's network for spreading anthrax through the U.S. mail, and White House spokesman Air Fleischer said: "We still do not know the source -- whether it was foreign or domestic."
While appealing to U.S. allies to step up the fight against terrorism, Bush also made a direct appeal to Afghans, fed up with Taliban rule, to help the United States track down bin Laden, the elusive Saudi-born militant.
Bush's speech to Eastern European leaders and his meeting with Chirac were part of a broader diplomatic offensive aimed at shoring up support for Washington's military campaign in Afghanistan, which has drawn increasing fire in Europe and elsewhere as the civilian death toll has risen.
Chirac said afterward that 2,000 French military personnel were already taking part in the U.S.-led operation. Germany has also agreed to mobilize up to 3,900 troops.
Bush will hold talks later this week with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a staunch ally, and the leaders from Kuwait, Yemen, India, Brazil and Ireland.
On Thursday, Bush was to reach out to Americans rattled by the anthrax outbreak, with a speech in Atlanta, Georgia, about homeland security. "Our people are responding to this new threat with alertness and calm," the president said.
Previewing a speak he will deliver to the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Saturday, Bush ratcheted up pressure on nations to support the war on terrorism, saying: "A coalition partner must do more than just express sympathy. A coalition partner must perform."
PRAISE FOR EUROPEAN ALLIES
Bush praised his European allies for backing the anti-terror drive and called for continued transatlantic cooperation. "For more than 50 years the peoples of your region suffered under repressive ideologies that tried to trample human dignity," he told the summit.
"Like the fascists and totalitarians before them, these terrorists -- al Qaeda, the Taliban regime that supports them and other terror groups across our world -- try to impose their radical views through threats and violence."
"We see the same intolerance of dissent, the same mad global ambitions, the same brutal determination to control every life and all of life," he said. Listening in Warsaw were leaders from Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Yugoslavia.
Bush told the leaders the United States would not relent in its hunt for bin Laden and his foot-soldiers. "We're determined to fight this evil and fight until we are rid of it," he said.
In addition to meeting with Chirac, Bush huddled with congressional leaders who said final negotiations would begin as early as Tuesday on legislation to beef up security at U.S. airports. They also held out hope for a compromise on an economic stimulus package aimed at heading off a recession.
