First Lady Speaks Out Against Terror

First lady Laura Bush on Tuesday condemned teenage suicide bombings in the Middle East as well as attacks in Russia and Pakistan, saying the world was engaged "in a mighty struggle against the agents of terror."

In her inaugural foray into the substance of international diplomacy, reports CBS News Correspondent Elaine Cobbe from Paris, the former schoolteacher brought the message that education can change lives — not just by teaching children to read and write but by helping them learn values such as respect for human life.

"Educated children are much more likely to embrace the values that defeat terror," Bush told the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

"The nations of the world must work together to confront this threat to our peace and security."

Bush also spoke of the importance of bringing education after conflict, telling of U.S. initiatives in Afghan schools. The gift of education, she said, is the most important.

"Education opens the door of hope to all the world's children," she said.

This is the first time Bush has made a solo trip abroad as First Lady. However, it's not all business: She and daughter Jenna will also have time for sightseeing in the world's favorite tourist spot.

Still, for this first solo outing abroad, she was briefed by State Department and National Security Council personnel — right down to the names of foreign leaders' pets (French President Jacques Chirac, evidently a fan of Japanese wrestling, calls his pooch Sumo). And she is traveling with her husband's top adviser, Karen Hughes, plus a State Department helper.

French President Jacques Chirac on Monday honored those who died last week when a car packed with explosives demolished a bus in Karachi, killing 11 French naval experts, two Pakistanis and the suicide bomber.

Forty-two people were killed in a bomb blast at Victory Day celebrations in the southern Russian city of Kaspiisk last Thursday.

"The recent bombings in Russia, Israel and Pakistan, where 11 French citizens lost their lives, are tragic reminders that terror threatens lives throughout the world," Bush told an audience of about 750 dignitaries.

The first lady has previously steered clear of foreign policy issues and fought to stay out of the spotlight even after she married into one of America's best known political families 25 years ago.

But, in her speech, she echoed her husband's bewilderment at the recent phenomenon of young Palestinian "martyrs" strapping explosives to their bodies and detonating themselves in Israel.

"Every parent, every teacher, every leader has a responsibility to condemn the terrible tragedy of children blowing themselves up to kill others," she said. "Education can help children see beyond the world of hate and hopelessness."

The first lady opened a nine-day solo trip to France, Hungary and the Czech Republic with a 25-minute formal address to the OECD in which she discussed the importance of education in building free and prosperous societies.

"We all want our children to grow up in a world that is secure," Bush said. "Today, our world community is engaged in a mighty struggle against the agents of terror."

A senior administration official said early drafts of Bush's speech had "touched on the subject of young suicide bombers in the Middle East, but not in such a direct way" and that the first lady herself added the stronger language during the seven-hour flight from Washington on Monday.

She also spoke about the advances made in educating Afghan women since U.S.-led forces ousted the country's oppressive Taliban government. Under the Muslim militants, most women were denied the right to attend school.

Interviewed on U.S. television programs Tuesday, Bush discussed U.S. aid to Afghanistan, including a shipment of 10 million textbooks, tons of school supplies and a new effort called "the great uniform project."

"We are sending 550,000 yards of fabric and 200...manual sewing machines...to Afghanistan so women can go to work sewing school uniforms for girls, because girls who haven't been in school there for the last few years don't have uniforms, and women haven't even been able to work and have jobs for the last several years under the Taliban," she said.

The quiet public school teacher and librarian from Midland, Texas, who has visited 15 countries with the president but made only one overseas trip on her own, said she relished the opportunity to make her own mark abroad.

"It's a really good time for me, to have the chance to travel in Europe and thank all of the allies," she said.