Bush Meets Leaders Before U.N. Address

President Bush on Friday continued an intense round of meetings with foreign leaders as he prepared to address the U.N. General Assembly today.

After speaking by telephone with the president of Nicaragua, Bush met in the Oval Office separately with the foreign minister of Morocco, the prime ministers of India and the Czech Republic and the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia.

The near-constant stream of foreign leaders to the White House since the Sept. 11 attacks demonstrates “how many nations stand with the United States in the fight against terrorism,” White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said.

Bush also had lunch with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who told reporters of “India’s complete support” for the counter-terrorism campaign.

Vajpayee’s comments were attentively awaited because, in an interview published in the Washington Post on Friday, he spoke somewhat critically of the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan, saying that “it appears America was not prepared for this kind of war.”

But in a brief joint news conference at the White House, Vajpayee said Indians “admire the decisive leadership of President Bush.”

Bush acknowledged that they held what he called a candid conversation but added, “Our coalition has never been stronger.”

The president said he “told the prime minister that we’re achieving our military objectives.”

Bush also gave another preview of his General Assembly speech, saying: “I’ll make the case tomorrow at the United Nations that the time of sympathy is over. We appreciate the condolences. Now is the time for action.”