Russia to Aid Anti-Terror Effort

President Bush won key support for his anti-terrorism coalition Monday as Russian President Vladimir V. Putin announced that Moscow will cooperate--and even take a limited part in any U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan.

Putin said Russia will provide intelligence and open its airspace for deliveries of humanitarian aid to the region.

In a brief speech to the nation, made after Putin consulted with parliamentary leaders, the Russian president said Moscow also would not object if its allies in Central Asia provided air bases for U.S. military operations.

Putin’s announcement ended days of feverish speculation in Moscow.

Asked in Washington about the degree of cooperation from Putin, Bush hailed his Russian counterpart, saying that Putin “clearly understands that the Cold War is over and that the United States and Russia can cooperate.”

Early today, Saudi Arabia--one of only two nations that still had diplomatic ties with the Taliban--broke off all relations, leaving the hard-line Islamic regime almost totally isolated.

“Because the Taliban government did not pay attention to all the contacts and attempts made by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to persuade it to stop harboring criminals and terrorists . . . the government of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia announces cutting off all its relations,” the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

Pakistan, the only nation that still recognizes the Kabul government, confirmed Monday that it had withdrawn its last 12 diplomats from Afghanistan.

Also on Monday, Bush signed an executive order that froze the financial assets of 27 entities suspected of having ties to Osama bin Laden.

And Bush backed away from statements made over the weekend by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell that the administration plans to make public a detailed analysis of the evidence against Bin Laden.

As the U.S. military buildup continued in Central Asia and the Persian Gulf, Bush conferred with world leaders as he sought to solidify support for his effort to shut down Bin Laden, his Al Qaeda organization and other terror networks. Bush now has pledges of support in varying degrees from a broad range of nations, including Russia, members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and several nations that surround Afghanistan.

He talked by phone Monday with Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister of Thailand, and met at the White House with Prime Minister Jean Chretien of Canada to discuss immigration and border issues.

The Chretien meeting came amid concerns that the porous U.S.-Canada border, along with Canada’s more lax immigration policies, could facilitate terrorists’ entry into the United States.

But the leaders apparently chose not to meddle in each other’s domestic affairs.

Bush told Chretien that each country should pass its own immigration laws, without pressure from the other, a Canadian government spokesman said.

A White House National Security Council official confirmed the statement, saying that the leaders agreed to “work together to keep terrorists from entering either country” but that Washington would not “press U.S. [immigration] standards and policies on Canada or turn the border into an obstacle to trade.”

Mindful that he may have ruffled feelings by neglecting to thank Canada for its support in his speech to Congress last week, Bush downplayed the omission.

“I didn’t necessarily think it was important to praise a brother; after all, we’re talking about family,” he said. “There should be no doubt in anybody’s mind about how honored we are to have the support of the Canadians and how strong the Canadian prime minister has been.”

As for releasing the detailed evidence against Bin Laden, Powell had said on television Sunday that “in the near future we’ll be able to put out a paper, a document, that will describe quite clearly the evidence that we have linking him to this attack.” White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer insisted Monday that Powell had been misinterpreted.

Bush made it clear that some details would be kept confidential.

“I want to assure the American people that in taking this action and publishing this list, we’re acting based on clear evidence, much of which is classified, so it will not be disclosed,” he said.

Appearing with the president, Powell added:

“Most of it is classified, and as we look through it, we can find areas that are unclassified and it will allow us to share this information with the public; we will do so. That would be our intent. But most of it is classified.”

The issue of making public any evidence linking Bin Laden to the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon could be vital in winning and sustaining the support of governments and people who otherwise may question Washington’s motives, particularly some Muslim and Arab nations.

In Moscow, Putin said Russia also will step up its assistance for the Northern Alliance, the anti-Taliban fighters based in Afghanistan near the border with the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan.

Russian forces also will “take part in search and rescue operations,” he added.

And Putin hinted that if Russia is treated with respect, the cooperation could become more extensive over time.

“Other, more profound forms of cooperation between Russia and participants in the counter-terrorist operation are also possible,” he said. “The depth and the nature of such cooperation will directly depend on the general level and quality of our relations with these countries, as well as on the mutual understanding in the sphere of fighting international terrorism.”

Putin did not mention the use of Russian ground troops in the speech. But parliamentary leaders said he promised them that Russian soldiers would not take part in any operations inside Afghanistan, where the Soviet Union was bogged down in a nasty conflict for many years.

“It is absolutely out of the question,” Defense Minister Sergei B. Ivanov said afterward. “We are not even considering it.”

Support Comes After Days of Diplomacy

Putin’s pledge of limited assistance followed days of intense diplomacy among Washington, Moscow and the leaders of the five Central Asian nations, three of which border Afghanistan.

For days, Russian officials have said that in return for helping the United States, Russia would want an end to criticism of its war against separatists in Chechnya. Russian leaders say the rebellion is financed by Bin Laden.

Putin’s remarks suggested that he had, in fact, received such assurances.

White House spokesman Fleischer seemed to soften Washington’s rhetoric on Chechnya somewhat, saying:

“The president has said repeatedly that throughout this, in all the actions we take and as we gear up for war, there are enduring American principles that will not change. And concern about human rights and life is always going to be one of those enduring principles. But you heard the president say in the Rose Garden how strong the cooperation has been with Russia, and he’s very pleased.”

In his speech, the Russian president sounded a new, harder line against the Chechen rebels, giving them 72 hours to give up their weapons and cut ties to “international terrorists and their organizations.” He did not, however, say what the consequences would be for those who fail to surrender.

Earlier Monday, two former Soviet republics--Ukraine and Kazakhstan--said publicly for the first time that they would provide airspace for U.S. flights.

At Least 100 Calls to Foreign Leaders

At the State Department, spokesman Richard Boucher said the administration is making good progress in creating a global anti-terrorism coalition.

“I would say that there’s been very, very broad and solid support around the world,” he said.

Since Sept. 11, he said, Powell has made at least 100 telephone calls to foreign leaders.

After refraining Sunday from speaking publicly at all about the terrorist attacks and the U.S. response, Bush returned to his role Monday as something of a cheerleader, as well as commander-in-chief for a still-grieving nation.

“See, these terrorists thought they could affect the United States. They thought they could diminish our soul. They just strengthened our country,” Bush said.

“And while the [economic] numbers aren’t going to look too good in the short run, we’ll be a stronger nation as a result of this. And they’ve miscalculated. They made a terrible mistake. They thought somehow they could affect the psyche of our country. They’re wrong. And not only that, we’ll prove them wrong. They have roused the ire of a great nation. And we’re going to smoke them out of their caves, and get them running. And we’re going to use every means at our disposal to do so.”

Meanwhile, the administration took several actions to provide temporary financial relief to reservists called to active duty.

Among the measures was a directive from Education Secretary Rod Paige to lenders and colleges, ordering them to provide reservists and National Guard members grace from student loan payments during their deployment. A similar dispensation was ordered by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez on home mortgage payments. In addition, Labor Secretary Elaine Chao announced an education campaign reminding employers that reservists and Guard members are entitled by law to return to their civilian jobs.

Also on Monday, the president met in private with family members of the passengers and crew who died aboard United Airlines Flight 93, the hijacked plane that crashed in western Pennsylvania short of its intended target, presumably in the nation’s capital.

It is believed that some of the passengers fought with the hijackers and caused the plane to plunge into a fatal dive, preventing additional casualties on the ground.

Bush “said everyone was a hero on the flight,” said Daniel A. Belardinelli, whose uncle, William Cashman, 60, died in the crash.

Chen reported from Washington; Reynolds from Moscow. Times staff writers Norman Kempster, Megan Garvey, Richard Marosi and John Daniszewski contributed to this report.