Under Obama, aim will be to marginalize Osama bin Laden

Washington, Jan.15 (ANI): Incoming US President Barack Obama has said that as far as Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden is concerned, his administration's policy will be to marginalize his influence, and not necessarily seek to capture or kill him.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric, Obama said: "I think that we have to so weaken his infrastructure that, whether he is technically alive or not, he is so pinned down that he cannot function. My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him. But if we have so tightened the noose that he's in a cave somewhere and can't even communicate with his operatives, then we will meet our goal of protecting America."

As far as the withdrawal of American troops was concerned, he said: "My job is to withdraw in a responsible way from Iraq and stabilize the situation there. But our real focus has to be on Afghanistan, the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. And we have to put as much pressure on them as possible."

"And, I'm confident that we can keep them on the run, and ensure that they cannot train terrorists to attack our homeland. That's my number one priority as President of the United States," he added.

On Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip to neutralize and eradicate the Hamas, Obama said that he would reveal his action after President Bush leaves office. He, however, said that secretary of state designate Hillary Clinton has already revealed how his administration would deal with the issue once it assumes charge.

"We're gonna have to take a regional approach. We're gonna have to involve Syria in discussions. We're gonna have to engage Iran in ways that we have not before. We've gotta have a clear bottom line that Israel's security is paramount. But that also we have to create a two-state solution where people can live side by side in peace," Obama said. (ANI)