Bush to Mark 9-11 Anniversary in Washington D.C.

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, March 11, 2002

Bush to Mark 9-11 Anniversary in Washington D.C.

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U.S. President Bush has summoned more than 100 foreign ambassadors to the White House to help mark Monday's six-month anniversary of the terrorist attacks, an event intended to engender healing and instill patience for the unfolding war against terrorism.

In all, Bush invited more than 1,000 people to the South Lawn to commemorate the day his chief of staff whispered to Bush that the World Trade Center had been attacked, instantly transforming the White House into a wartime administration.

Among those on the list were members of Congress, some 300 victims' family members, and top administration officials.

Crews assembled an enormous stage Sunday on the White House lawn and placed a sea of folding chairs. Gusty winds forced them to delay placing flags and other decorative flourishes.

Bush planned to offer a "broad outline of what's been accomplished and where we are headed, the challenges we face as the war on terrorism continues," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Sunday.

A primary focus of his speech was an acknowledgment of the importance of Bush's global coalition against terror, Johndroe said. A tribute to victims also was planned.

Bush was to declare that the United States and its allies cannot afford to do nothing as "rogue" nations work to develop weapons of mass destruction. But the president was not expected to single out which nations he might target for the next phase.

As American forces made new advances against the last known major pocket of al-Qaida resistance in Afghanistan, Bush was to offer a more detailed outline of the administration's plans to stamp out the terrorist network.

"I realize we're in for a long struggle," Bush said last week in Florida. "I'm giving a speech on Monday that will outline where we are in this war on terror, and I'm going to remind the American people that we've still got a task at hand in Afghanistan, which is to deny sanctuary to al-Qaida killers."

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