Operation Infinite Justice!
By: Nagilum
Posted on 09/19/2001 3:18:18 PM PDT by Clinton's a liar
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- The White House on Wednesday ruled out negotiating with the ruling Taliban militia in Afghanistan over the fate of Osama bin Laden, the administration's prime suspect in terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, as Afghan leaders played for time, demanded evidence and delayed a meeting of religious elders who will weigh bin Laden's fate.
"It's time for action, not negotiations," a White House official said, repeating calls for bin Laden's surrender.
Eight days after the attacks, and despite endlessly repeated rhetoric of solidarity with the United States, the Bush administration was having trouble rallying its global coalition against terrorism. Hundreds of deaths have been confirmed and more than 5,000 people are missing as a result of the Sept. 11 hijacking of a series of commercial jetliners, two of which were flown into the World Trade Center in New York and another hit the Pentagon near Washington.
A total of 19 hijackers were identified by the FBI and U.S. officials said they have linked the plot to bin Laden, who has been harbored in Afghanistan for years.
"This is a war not against a specific individual, nor will it be war against solely one organization. It is a war against terrorist activities," President Bush said Tuesday, as if to correct his administration's earlier focus on bin Laden and on Afghanistan.
As prices fell sharply again on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday, the world was falling into three main camps. On the one side stood the United States and its closest allies in NATO -- including Germany where the Bundestag on Wednesday passed a bill permitting military support to U.S. with an unprecedented margin of 567-40 votes, as Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder pledged to back America "whatever it takes, including casualties."
On the other stood few countries, but an increasingly militant chorus of Islamic clerics, like the fundamentalist leaders in Pakistan who urged their followers to observe a nationwide general strike on Friday to challenge their government's decision to support the U.S. campaign.
In the middle were large numbers of countries, possibly even a majority, urging caution on Bush, calling for the presentation of persuasive evidence against bin Laden and for some role for the United Nations and questioning the broad brush approach of the White House in vowing to punish countries that harbored terrorists.
Perhaps most exposed was Pakistan, whose self-appointed president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, addressed his people Wednesday to urge them "choose wisdom over emotion." He went on to note that in bowing to U.S. requests to made Pakistani air space available he was "choosing the lesser of two evils."
Russia will not join the United States in launching strikes on Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia, army Gen. Anatoly Kvashnin, chief of the General Staff, said on Wednesday while in Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe, where he had security talks with the leaders of the small for Soviet republic on Afghanistan's northern border. Tadjik bases, and the support of the 25,000 Russian troops based there, could be critical to any U.S. military operations in the region.
Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, in a broadcast Monday night, urged the United States to take "no action that might kill innocent civilians or divide Christians and Muslims."
China's President Jiang Zemin spoke Tuesday with Britain's Tony Blair, France's President Jacques Chirac and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in each case urging caution.
China's foreign ministry Tuesday also warned the United States not to apply double standards, suggesting that the price of China's support would be "for the United States to give its support and understanding in the fight against terrorism," which in Beijing's view include the Muslim separatists in western China.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Wednesday that Japan would send its self-defense forces for logistical support of any U.S. military action against last week's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The logistical support would be in the form of medical, transport and fuel support.
The strongest attacks on the American policies come from Islamic clerics.
"There is no legal or moral justification for the U.S. attack which we call terrorism," Pakistani Islamic leader Sami al-Haq toId a news conference in Rawalpindi Wednesday. "This attack will destabilize the whole region. The American attack is simply a pretext, as the United States did in the Gulf 10 years ago, to conquer all of central Asia, including China."
The turbaned cleric leads Pakistan's Jamiyat Ulemai Islam party, which has strong links with Afghanistan's ruling Taliban movement. Several Taliban leaders have studied at seminaries run by Haq.
India's leading Muslim cleric on Wednesday warned that any U.S. attack on Afghanistan "will be treated as an attack on the entire Muslim world," which would result in a severe backlash. The imam of Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Shah Bukhari, said he told Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee "that India should not allow its soil to be used by the United States for strikes against Afghanistan." He blasted India for offering its "unconditional" support to the United States.
"I don't know whether we should use the word 'war,' but what I can say is that now we are faced with a conflict of a completely new nature," cautioned Chirac in his meeting with Bush in the Oval Office Tuesday, promising full solidarity but deflecting questions whether French troops would fight side alongside U.S. forces.
Blair, who looks to be the solid ally for Bush, continued his mission of shuttle diplomacy aimed at galvanizing European support behind the United States while the European Commission rushed through a measure to standardize the definition of terrorism for its 15 members. The law, announced to the European Parliament by Commissioner Antonio Vitterino, defines terrorism as an act "intentionally committed by individuals or groups against one or more countries, their institutions or people, intimidating them, aimed at seriously altering or destroying their political, economic or social structures."
The crimes deemed to be terrorism include: murder; kidnapping; hostage-taking; theft; seizure of "public means of transport;" the release of contaminating substances; interference with public water or power supplies or simply threatening to commit such offenses. The measure also defined "terrorist group " as a structured organization, established over a period of time, of more than two people, acting in covert to commit terrorist offenses.
The legislation includes an end to extradition between EU-member states and the introduction of an EU-wide arrest warrant. Vitterino would also like EU member states to set similar levels of sentencing for terrorist convictions.
Also on Wednesday, the British government ordered the families of its diplomats and non-essential personnel to leave Pakistan and advised other British citizens to do likewise or avoid the country altogether.
-- Copyright 2001 by United Press International. All rights reserved. --
Posted for educational and discussion purposes only.
I've been swamped! In my "spare" time, I've been reading everything I could get my hands on about bin Laden and Hussein.
How've you been?
"This is a war not against a specific individual, nor will it be war against solely one organization. It is a war against terrorist activities," President Bush said Tuesday, as if to correct his administration's earlier focus on bin Laden and on Afghanistan.
Gee, I must have missed the memo saying that we would stop at bin Laden's crew.
On the one side stood the United States and its closest allies in NATO -- including Germany where the Bundestag on Wednesday passed a bill permitting military support to U.S. with an unprecedented margin of 567-40 votes, as Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder pledged to back America "whatever it takes, including casualties."
At least some get it.
On the other stood few countries, but an increasingly militant chorus of Islamic clerics, like the fundamentalist leaders in Pakistan who urged their followers to observe a nationwide general strike on Friday to challenge their government's decision to support the U.S. campaign.
Guess they want a target-rich environment. We can definitely oblige in speeding their trip from Earth if they wish.
In the middle were large numbers of countries, possibly even a majority, urging caution on Bush, calling for the presentation of persuasive evidence against bin Laden and for some role for the United Nations and questioning the broad brush approach of the White House in vowing to punish countries that harbored terrorists.
A few things. First, the prima facie evidence points at bin Laden's crew. Morever, we've got a few other scores to settle with the bin Laden crowd (USS Cole, the African embassies, Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, the first WTC bombing). Next, I have a role for the UN; rebuild Afghanistan when they've been pacified. Finally, if we fail, they're the next dominoes, and they're not going to stand long.
Am I hallucinating, or didn't the Germans try to weasel out of their Article 5 commitment just 48 hours ago.
Sounds like they had one of those "come to realizers" -- Hey, if it could happen in the USA, it could happen here!
I've been spending a lot of time praying! God Bless and guide our leadership and military!
I was very surprised by the margin of the vote. Outstanding!
You mean when they've been annihilated?
I went to the Pentagon last night with a good friend of mine whose best friend died on the plane. It was quite an emotional night. There's a beautiful makeshift memorial on the hill with flowers, candles, pictures and handmade signs from local schools, relatives of those lost there, and different ethnic communities voicing support for the U.S. The armed forces also have a huge framed list there of the names of those who died at the Pentagon.
We stood for a very, very long time looking at the carnage in tears. It's unbelievable.
Ohh...that's a heavy price. Let's see, I guess I'll have to think about it. For about a nanosecond!
This isn't a price, it's a privilege!
U.S.A. will annihalate!
Smootches, babe! (I just wanted to say hi!) ...FRegards
The French, however, being the French, are convinced that the Eiffel Tower and the Arc d'Triomphe are "jetliner proof".
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