NSW: Guiliani says post-9/11 world safer
SYDNEY, Aug 14 AAP - The world is a safer place as a result of the response to theterrorist attacks on New York and Washington two years ago, former New York City mayorRudy Giuliani said today.
Mr Giuliani, who was mayor when al-Qaeda terrorists attacked the city's World TradeCentre on September 11, 2001, said the tough response of US authorities to a number ofincidents gave him confidence that the war on terror was being won.
"Every day, multiple times, things happen that remind me of September 11," he told ABC radio.
"In a way, that gives me some confidence that we're doing more things now to interceptthe kind of thing that happened on September 11 and the level of intelligence gatheringand focus on terrorist groups has improved quite dramatically.
"I think it demonstrates that we all learned something from what happened on September 11.
"We're certainly safer now than we were before September 11 ... because of all themilitary efforts, the intelligence efforts, the arrests that have taken place."
The latest incident occurred yesterday in the US state of New Jersey when Americanauthorities charged a British man with aiding terrorists by trying to sell surface-to-airmissiles to undercover agents posing as Islamic militants.
However, Mr Giuliani, who will soon be coming to Australia for a series of speakingengagements, warned that people could never feel entirely safe.
"But this is a situation where you can never feel perfectly safe because the terrorists,al-Qaeda and other groups, are trying to figure out what to do that hasn't already beenanticipated, so it's a guessing game," he said.
Mr Giuliani has been touted as a contender for the Republican Party's presidentialnomination in 2008 and is known for a close relationship with US President George W Bush.
He defended President Bush and Prime Minister John Howard against allegations theirrelationship was too close.
"I mentioned to him (President Bush) that I was going to Australia and he said howfond he was of your Prime Minister and what a good man he was, and that's a good thing,"
he said.
"World leaders should respect each other."
AAP wf/swe/sco/de
KEYWORD: GIULIANI
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