World joins with US in preparing for response

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said on Wednesday that Bush was very pleased with the reactions of leaders around the world.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw yesterday said Britain was ready to back the US with deeds as well as words in pursuit of the perpetrators.

But Germany's ambassador to NATO, Gebhardt von Moltke, said that the alliance did not plan any military action, against Afghanistan or anyone else at present, following the terror attacks in the US.

"Such a step would require the request of the United States. That has not yet been made," said von Moltke at an event in Brussels.

Russia steps up

At the same time, NATO and Russia united yesterday in declaring that the perpetrators of Tuesday's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington shall not go unpunished.

"NATO and Russia are united in their resolve not to leave unpunished those responsible for such inhuman acts," said a joint statement issued after a special meeting of the NATO-Russia permanent council.

Yesterday's meeting followed an unprecedented decision by NATO ambassadors to consider Tuesday's terrorists attacks in New York and Washington as attacks on the entire alliance, if it is determined the attacks were planned outside the US.

That puts America's allies in a position to automatically support -- but not necessarily participate directly in -- any US military action against the alleged perpetrators of the attacks.

By uniting so publicly with NATO, Russia is opting to be seen at the front and center of the broad international coalition that the Bush administration is putting together in advance of US military retaliation, analysts said.

The China connection

Also yesterday, Chinese President Jiang Zemin (江澤民) offered to join the international war on terrorism during a phone call with his US counterpart, state China's state media reported.

Beijing wants to be seen as a responsible member of the international community and is anxious to rebuild ties with the US after a string of clashes over defense and human rights early this year.

Jiang told Bush "China is ready to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with the US and the international community in combating all manner of terrorist violence," the official Xinhua news agency reported.

But the report gave no details of what role China could play in a US-led war against international terrorism, not saying, for instance, whether Jiang offered the help of China's intelligence service.

Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya said yesterday that China would back the fight against terrorism through the UN Security Council and regional groups like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization -- a Central Asian security forum.