Bush works on softer US side in war on terrorism

WASHINGTON, Oct 13 (Reuters): With angry Muslims protesting from cape town to Karachi, president George W Bush worked to do "a better job" of defining US humanitarian and military goals in Afghanistan.

White House aides said Bush had been astonished by the vitriolic hatred among Muslim protesters for America following air raids on Afghanistan in response to the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington and that the president wanted to make his case that the United States was a compassionate country.

"He will talk about the fabric of our culture .The love he has seen in the country since the eleventh and again call on the children of America to send a Dollar to help the children of Afghanistan," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

Bush also planned to use his Saturday radio address to renew his request.

Taking his cue from president Franklin Roosevelt who, in 1938, appealed to American youngsters to each donate a dime to help eradicate polio, Bush asked at a news conference on Thursday evening that they earn or give a Dollar to help more than ten million starving and malnourished children survive war and winter in Afghanistan.

His request came on a fifth consecutive night of US,led military strikes on Afghanistan where the ruling Taliban is sheltering Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden and members of his Al Qaeda organization, Washingtons prime suspects in the attacks last month that killed about 5,400 people.

"After years of war, drought and rule by the repressive Taliban regime, Afghanistan faces a major humanitarian crisis," the White House said in a statement.

"Americans are concerned about the welfare of Afghan children and wish to reinforce the fact that Americas actions are focused on destroying a terror network and are not directed against the innocent people and children of Afghanistan." Democratic Sen.

Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts said after meeting Bush on Friday that there was wide support for the military component in Afghanistan.

"But, I think all of US are impressed, and hopefully the Afghan people, by the presidents strong commitment to the humanitarian help and assistance, by reaching out to those people," he told reporters.

As angry Muslims took to the streets in Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh for anti-American protests, the Taliban said the allied aerial offensive had killed almost 300 people.

Bush said he was "amazed" that there was such "misunderstanding of what our country is about." "I just cant believe it because I know how good we are and weve got to do a better job of explaining to the people in the middle east, for example, that we dont fight a war against Islam or Muslims," he said at the news conference.

After the first round of strikes on Sunday, US planes dropped food packages, hoping they would reach thousands of hungry Afghans, many of whom are fleeing the rugged and mountainous central Asian country.

Bush has announced 320 million Dollars in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan.

The United States also was considering a 600 million Dollars assistance package for Pakistan, a key ally in the hunt for bin Laden and Al Qaeda, according to congressional sources.

United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson, speaking after the world body won the Nobel Peace prize, called for a suspension of the air strikes in order to provide aid to hungry civilians before the onset of winter.

Britain said aid convoys into Afghanistan must be doubled in the next six weeks as the world races to stave off famine before winter sets in.

US officials have begun "thinking and talking about" Afghanistans future once military action is over, but the White House was cool to the idea of using US troops to help rebuild the country.

"The purpose of the military in Afghanistan is to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda," Fleischer said yesterday, identifying the United Nations as the key player in a post-Taliban Afghanistan.

Bush indicated that winning the peace in Afghanistan was likely to be as important as winning the war if terrorism cells believed responsible for the attacks on the United States were not to reappear once war ended.

"Weve got to work for a stable Afghanistan so that her neighbours dont fear terrorist activity again coming out of that country," Bush said.