Sun, Sep 23, 2001 page4

• US allies applaud Bush, warn against rash response

  REACTION Most democratic nations have rallied behind the US president; others have been quick to point out that the US is now lying in a bed of its own making

  • AP
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  American allies on Friday applauded US President George W. Bush's challenge to the world to reject terrorism or else, saying the president found the perfect tone to attract broad international support.

  But many warned that Bush must now follow up his well-chosen words to the US Congress with carefully considered actions.

  

  PHOTO: APN

  "Finland no more than the [European Union] will give the United States full authority in advance to act as it wishes," Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen said in Parliament before leaving for the EU summit. "The most important thing is to demonstrate prudence. The legitimacy of any actions is also important."

  Danish Foreign Minister Mogens Lykketoft said the global coalition against terrorism will be so broad "that [the Americans] will listen to what worries the coalition will have to the means that will be used."

  But British Prime Minister Tony Blair, leader of one of America's closest allies, expressed no reservations in declaring that his country stood ready to help the US against the perpetrators of last week's attack, believed to have killed more than 6,000 people.

  "This is a struggle that concerns us all, the whole of the democratic and civilized and free world," said Blair, who watched the speech from the House gallery in a seat next to First Lady Laura Bush. "I give you, on behalf of our country, our solidarity, our sympathy and support."

  Bush emphasized that last week's jetliner attacks in New York City and Washington were not just strikes against America, but against the global community.

  "This is the world's fight," Bush said.

  Czech President Vaclav Havel said he agreed entirely with Bush's call for every nation to join in a war against global terrorism.

  This "is not a war against a state, a nation, or a religion," Havel said after meeting Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. "It is a war against terrorists."

  But Bush's forceful demands, particularly to Afghanistan's ruling Taliban to immediately surrender Osama bin Laden and his fighters "or they will share their fate," were met with derision and anger in some parts of the world.

  In Pakistan, Bush was burned in effigy as thousands of hardline Muslims protested their country's decision to cooperate against neighboring Afghanistan.

  In the Middle East, defiant voices were raised mainly in mosques as Islamic clerics called America's newly declared war an attack on Islam.

  Cleric Bakir Abdul-Razak condemned "the new crusade" as "war with a new cover" in prayers carried on Iraqi state TV.

  "By God's will, the Americans will not have an upper hand on us," the Iraqi cleric cried. "We call for jihad [holy war], and we defy you, the Americans."

  In Amman, Jordan, cleric Mussa Abu-Sweilem roared that "the Muslim people are united, just like one body."

  At a news conference in Pakistan, the Taliban ambassador said he was sorry that people had died in the suicide attacks, but appealed to the US not to endanger innocent people in a military retaliation.

  "Our position on this is that if America has proof, we are ready for the trial of Osama bin Laden in light of the evidence."

  Sergei Rogov, the head of the USA Canada Institute, a political think tank in Moscow, said Bush's speech was a "masterpiece of political rhetoric" but that he had failed to acknowledge America's own mistakes, particularly in its Middle East policy.
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