Foreign leaders were to start arriving in Washington yesterday for a flurry of talks on US efforts to mount a global anti-terrorism campaign aimed initially at Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda network.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said the coalition was "coming together" ahead of the arrival yesterday of French President Jacques Chirac, who was to meet US President George W. Bush.
Top US officials are also set to meet their counterparts from Britain, Germany, Italy, the EU, South Korea, China, Russia and Saudi Arabia in the coming days -- as they press traditional friends, allies and rivals for support.
In addition, Washington will look to Indonesia -- the world's most populous Muslim country -- for help in the new war on terrorists sparked by the devastating Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington.
Powell on Monday spoke by telephone with UN chief Kofi Annan and Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to discuss the coalition, and said Saleh had told him that he and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is now in Yemen, would issue a joint statement condemning the strikes and pledging their help.
The backing of both countries is of particular interest to Washington, as the State Department lists Syria as a "state sponsor of terrorism" for support of anti-Israel activities and Yemen was the site of last year's suicide attack on a US warship, the USS Cole, which is also blamed on bin Laden.
"I am pleased that the coalition is coming together," Powell told reporters. "I think everybody recognizes that this challenge is one that went far beyond America."
The coalition "will be conducting a campaign that will have many parts to it: legal, political, diplomatic, law enforcement, intelligence collection and military as appropriate," Powell said.
Today will also mark the arrival in Washington of Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri who has condemned the attacks and said her country would join the battle against terrorism.
Tomorrow, British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be in Washington for meetings with Bush on the coalition. Blair has declared that Britain is "at war" alongside the US against terrorism and pledged full support.
On Friday, Powell will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan (
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source