Russian Senator: America Prepared For Lengthy War Against International Terrorism

America is prepared "for a lengthy war of between five and ten years" against international terrorism, Mikhail Margelov, deputy chairman of the international affairs committee of the Federation Council (upper house of parliament), said in a RIA Novosti interview on Monday. Margelov noted that he had come to this conclusion after the conversations he had the other day during his visit to the US with representatives of America's executive and legislative branches. Margelov took note of the fact that America dealt a strike at terrorist bases in Afghanistan not in "hot pursuit", but after thorough preparations and an analysis of intelligence information, including that received from Russian secret services. "This indicates that the US is indeed prepared to act in a balanced way," he said. Speaking of Russia's position, the Senator noted that "in countering international terrorism Russia's and USA's national interests in general coincide".