Taliban must turn over bin Laden 'immediately': Bush
( 2001-09-21 09:59 ) (7 )

US President Bush has demanded Afghanistan's Taleban authorities immediately turn over Osama bin Laden and the leaders of his al-Qaida militant group. In a nationally-televised speech before a joint session of Congress on Thursday, President Bush blamed the Saudi exile and his group as those behind last week's deadly terror attacks in the United States.

He said the Taleban must also close al-Qaida militant camps. He said his demands are not open to negotiation. If these demands are not met, President Bush warned that the Taleban will "share in the fate" of the terrorists.

President Bush declared that America is, "A nation awakened to danger and called to defend freedom." He said the United States will "meet violence with patient justice - assured of the rightness of our cause, and confident of the victories to come."

He also named Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge to become a new cabinet member in his government in charge of the newly created Office of Homeland Security. It will coordinate government agencies in the fight against terrorism and report directly to the president.

Addressing foreign countries, President Bush said other governments must choose whether they stand with the United States or with the terrorists. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, New York Governor George Pataki and New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani were among the guests at the Capitol. Due to extreme security precautions, Vice President Dick Cheney did not attend and was kept in a secret location during the speech.