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Anti-terrorism alliance starts building up

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 (唐家璇), whose country has condemned the attacks and has closed its borders with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan amid fears of impending US military strikes.
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