Countries Take Action on US Attacks

International actions and events connected with the U.S. campaign to find and punish those responsible for attacks on New York and Washington.

EUROPE:
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ALBANIA: Declared it stood on the side of the United States and its Western allies in the fight against terrorism, offered use of Albanian airspace, ports and airports to the United States and its allies.
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AUSTRIA: Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel said his country would allow the use of Austrian airspace and provide whatever support it can, but Austrian soldiers would not become involved in military action because that is banned by Austria's constitution.
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BELARUS: President Alexander Lukashenko, who had often lashed out at the United States, sent his condolences to the American people. Belarus did not join Russia and other European nations in observing a moment of silence last week, and some officials said the terror attacks had been prompted by arrogant U.S. policies.
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BELGIUM: Organized an anti-terrorist sweep following the attacks, holding two suspects on charges of possible involvement in planning an attack on U.S. interests in Europe. As current president of the European Union, it has also played host to emergency meetings of EU foreign ministers to show support for the United States.
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BOSNIA: Stepped up security for U.S. citizens and property. ``This country will offer any kind of assistance the United States government may ask for,'' said Foreign Ministry spokesman Amer Kapetanovic.
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BRITAIN: Urged its citizens to leave parts of Pakistan amid fears that U.S. retaliation might target neighboring Afghanistan. Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has pledged British support for U.S. action against the terrorists, called President Bush's handling of the attack and its aftermath ``absolutely right'' and praised the U.S. administration's consultations with allies.
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BULGARIA: Prime Minister Simeon Saxcoburggotski pledged support for an international campaign against terror. Foreign Minister Solomon Pasi said his country, which is applying for NATO membership, was ``ready to act as a (virtual) NATO ally'' in the campaign.
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CROATIA: Supports United States against terrorism. However, Prime Minister Ivica Racan expressed concerns Monday that the European Union countries may now seek to impose tougher measures on their borders to prevent entry of potential terrorists, isolating non-members, including Croatia.
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CZECH REPUBLIC: Security was increased at the country's airports and other sensitive points such as nuclear power plants and dams. All unscheduled flights were forbidden. The government expressed its full support to the United States for military action against the terrorists.
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DENMARK: As a NATO member, Denmark supports a joint action against terrorism, and the government asked intelligence agencies to track down possible supporters in Denmark.

The Faeroe Islands and Greenland, both semiautonomous Danish territories, sent letters of condolence late Tuesday and held two minutes of silence on Friday.
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ESTONIA: Was quick to condemn the airborne attacks, and the Foreign Ministry said the nation was ``prepared to provide to the United States any assistance within the scope of its capabilities.'' Estonia and its Baltic neighbors Latvia and Lithuania also expressed concerns that the crisis might put NATO enlargement on the back burner.
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FINLAND: Has beefed up security at borders, airports and outside embassies and increased air surveillance. Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen said ``the likelihood of terrorist attacks against Finland or Finnish targets abroad is very small.''
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FRANCE: Defense Minister Alain Richard said France was confident the United States would react responsibly to last week's terror attacks, but he cautioned against using force alone to retaliate. ``We must use it in a way that doesn't provoke other elements of instability,'' he said.
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GEORGIA: Officials have said they were ready to offer any help to the United States in its efforts to find and punish the perpetrators of the attacks.
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GERMANY: Interior Minister Otto Schily called for a review of ``our entire intelligence strategy'' after three men who lived quietly in Hamburg for years were implicated in the terror attacks in the United States.
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GREECE: Pledged its full support to American and European Union actions to combat terrorism. Greece plays host to a large U.S. Navy base on the island of Crete. Ministers and officials have also begun re-evaluating security measures for the 2004 Olympics, to be held in Athens.
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HUNGARY: Expressed solidarity with the people of the United States and full support for the fight against terrorism. ``The essential thing is that the political readiness is there; we are supportive of the victims and will do our part in the struggle to eradicate terrorism,'' Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi said.
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ICELAND: Foreign Minister Halldor Asgrimsson said the airport at Keflavik was available for any U.S. operations.
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IRELAND: Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has said America would be justified in retaliating, so long as the military action fell within the United Nations' definition of self-defense. He said a large-scale attack on Afghanistan would be wrong: ``It's an easy thing to bomb territories where people are in famine. But that will not do much to crush international terrorism.''
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ITALY: Has vowed an ``all-out battle against terrorist organizations,'' adding, ``we must concentrate our forces now in the Atlantic Alliance ... and the European Union.'' Italy's Supreme Defense Council ? consisting of the country's president, prime minister and top Cabinet ministers ? convened an emergency session Friday for the first time since Libya fired missiles toward the Sicilian island of Lampedusa in 1986.
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LATVIA ? Condemned the attacks, and has said it will back any U.S. response. Defense forces were put on alert and security was tightened around the U.S. and Israeli embassies.
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LIECHTENSTEIN: The Banking Federation said it will consider setting up a task force to investigate whether the country's financial institutions were used by anyone with terrorist links, but it says there is no evidence of this so far.
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LITHUANIA ? President Valdas Adamkus, a former American citizen, was visiting Washington during the attacks and spoke on national television about seeing the Pentagon burn. He said his countrymen had to think about how they could aid the United States. ``Until now, we have always tended to think only that America needed to protect us,'' Adamkus said.
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THE NETHERLANDS: Dutch police, with the Belgians, stepped up a joint operation against suspected members of Muslim radical groups. Rotterdam police took four men into custody on Thursday. Prime Minister Wim Kok, while lending full support to the fight against terrorism, was one of the first to caution the U.S. administration to be mindful of ``democratic values.''
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NORWAY: Strongly condemned ``evil put into a system'' and backs its ally the United States through NATO.
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POLAND: President Aleksander Kwasniewski and Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek have appealed for a concerted international effort in fighting terrorism, and pledged to fully participate in any NATO action.
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PORTUGAL: Has pledged total cooperation with the United States in all areas, including military support for a retaliation. Portugal next year takes over the presidency of the 55-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and says the fight against international terrorism will be a priority. Portugal has tightened security at airports, embassies and U.S. companies.

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SLOVAKIA: Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda has condemned the terrorist attacks and expressed Slovakia's determination to support the United States and NATO in all actions against terrorism around the world.

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SLOVENIA: President Milan Kucan, in a letter to the U.S. president, declared his country's support in the fight against terrorism.

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SPAIN: Defense Minister Federico Trillo said U.S. forces could use Spanish military bases for any retaliation.

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SWEDEN: Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson canceled the so-called Progressive Summit of 14 center-left leaders that was to have been held in Stockholm on Sept. 14-15. The Swedish government also has expressed concerns about a backlash against Muslims, meeting with Islamic leaders and stepping up security around Stockholm's mosque.
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SWITZERLAND: Switzerland, which had already frozen all bank accounts linked to Afghanistan's ruling Taliban, said one of the suspected hijackers of the planes used in Tuesday's attacks bought two knives in Switzerland using a credit card. One Osama bin Laden's many siblings, a half-brother who has distanced himself from the exile Saudi, has lived in Geneva since 1973.
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TURKEY: Would allow the use of Incirlik air base for a possible military response. Incirlik is the base used by U.S. and British warplanes enforcing a no-fly zone over northern Iraq and was a launching pad for U.S. attacks on Iraq during the Gulf War.
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RUSSIA: Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a nationwide moment of silence for victims of the attacks, offered help in rescue efforts and called for a global effort to uproot international terrorism. At the same time, Russia, where one of every seven residents is Muslim, is unlikely to risk internal unrest by joining any U.S. retaliation. Russian officials have also made it clear that Moscow does not want former Soviet republics in Central Asia to be used as bases for such operations.
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UKRAINE: Called for a coordinated international fight against terrorism. The parliament called the attacks on the United States a ``challenge to all of civilized humanity.''
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YUGOSLAVIA: Leaders declared support for a global fight against terrorism. But with memories of the 1999 NATO air war against Yugoslavia still fresh, officials have not openly supported a possible U.S. campaign against suspected perpetrators.


AFRICA

ANGOLA: Condemned the attacks and expressed its sympathy with the victims' families. Elite police were stationed outside the U.S. Embassy in Luanda.
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BURKINA FASO ? President Blaise Compaore expressed sympathy for the American people. ``Burkina Faso condemns these terrorist attacks in the same way it condemns all forms of terrorism,'' he said.
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BURUNDI ? President Pierre Buyoya expressed his condolences to all Americans, especially those living in Burundi.
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CAMEROON ? President Paul Biya sent a letter to President Bush offering condolences over ``the horrifying tragedy.'' Security has been tightened around Western diplomatic missions in Cameroon, with traffic diverted around the U.S. Embassy.
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CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC ? The government condemned the attacks and sent two Cabinet ministers to sign a condolence book at the U.S. Embassy. Security has been tightened at the embassy and at the international airport.
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ETHIOPIA: Offered condolences and condemned the attack.
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GHANA: Said it was ready to help hunt down those responsible. ``We consider the attacks as a strike against humanity and civilization all over the world,'' Foreign Affairs Minister Hackman Owusu-Agyemang said.
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GUINEA: President Lansana Conte expressed sympathy over the attacks on a visit to the U.S. Embassy, where security was tightened.
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IVORY COAST ? President Laurent Gbagbo condemned ``with the utmost firmness these acts, which no human reason could possibly justify.'' Security was tightened at the U.S. Embassy and extra soldiers deployed at the international airport.
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KENYA ? President Daniel arap Moi offered condolences, but appealed for restraint. Security at Nairobi's main airport was tightened. Moi said Kenya would join the international fight against terrorism because of the U.S. Embassy bombing in Kenya in 1998.

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LIBERIA ? Liberia said it was prepared to join an international coalition against terrorism and declared three days of national mourning. ``Today the hands of evil have struck America,'' President Charles Taylor said at a prayer service. ``Tomorrow it could be any other nation.''
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LIBYA: Leader Moammar Gadhafi condemned the attacks, called on Muslim aid agencies to offer support for the victims and said the United States had the right to take revenge, but asked ``will this put an end to the problem?'' ``There is nothing in Afghanistan,'' and if the United States occupies Afghanistan, ``it will not be in its interests,'' he said.
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MADAGASCAR: Prime Minister Tantely Andrianarivo condemned the attacks, saying the people of Madagascar stand in solidarity with the American people and its government. Madagascar has provided additional police and military security personnel to help protect U.S. government buildings.
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MALAWI: President Bakili Muzuli, a Muslim, described the attacks as acts of ``barbarism'' and said they went against the teachings of Islam. ``We all worship God to go to heaven and we cannot kill in order to go there,'' he said.
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MAURITANIA ? Government spokesman Rachid Ould Saleh condemned ``these horrible attacks.''
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MOZAMBIQUE: Mozambique condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the United States. President Joaquim Chissano urged the United States to think first before reacting and to be responsible in its actions.
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NAMIBIA: President Sam Nujoma condemned the ``cowardly terrorist attack,'' and said the world should reaffirm its commitment to peace and ``to strengthen the fight against all forms of international terrorism.''
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NIGERIA ? While a few radical Muslims initially celebrated the attacks, most Muslim and Christian groups mourned the U.S. deaths. President Olusegun Obasanjo promised support for measures to bring the terrorists to justice.
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REPUBLIC OF CONGO ? President Denis Sassou-Nguesso offered to help bring those responsible to justice. ``All people of the world have to organize themselves to fight terrorism and enable the values of peace, freedom and development to triumph,'' he said.
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RWANDA ? President Paul Kagame expressed ``deepest condolences'' to Americans, their leaders ``and the families who lost their loved ones, at this hour of profound national catastrophe.''
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SAO TOME and PRINCIPE: The two-island nation off West Africa encouraged the United States to fight the perpetrators of the ``barbaric'' attacks. Elite troops were placed on guard at the port, airport and Voice of America offices.
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SIERRA LEONE: President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah said his government and people ``hope and pray that the almighty God will give the injured people speedy recovery and the bereaved families succor and solace in this period of grief.''
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SOMALIA: President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan expressed his condolences for the attack.
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SOUTH AFRICA: President Thabo Mbeki offered humanitarian support to help the United States. Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said the United States' reaction should be focused and should not entail war against countries. Countries should instead work together to root out terrorism, he said.
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SWAZILAND: Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini condemned the ``monstrous acts'' and sent condolences to the victims. ``But as in war ... we must carry on in our work, striving to ensure that good triumphs (over) evil.''
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SUDAN: President Omar el-Bashir's Islamic government has been treated as an international pariah for the last 10 years, but was quick to condemn the attacks on Washington and New York. A Foreign Ministry statement said Sudan ``rejects all kinds of violence.'' El-Bashir said the attacks showed that no nation, even the powerful United States, was completely secure.
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TANZANIA ? President Benjamin Mkapa condemned the attacks, and the Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying, ``We sincerely hope that the perpetrators of this heinous crime will be tracked down, apprehended and brought to justice.'' In 1998, Tanzania was the site of one of the twin U.S. Embassy bombings linked to bin Laden.
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UGANDA ? President Yoweri Museveni offered condolences and condemned the attack. ``The Ugandan government has always been warning the world about the actions of terrorists which are always either cowardly or misguided,'' he said.
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ZAMBIA: President Frederick Chiluba promised his country would ``stand with the United States to fight international terrorism for preservation of Christian values and democracy.''
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ZIMBABWE: President Robert Mugabe wrote to President Bush expressing horror at the attacks and his people's solidarity with America. The attacks appeared to be the work of ``the most remorseless and hardened enemies of the United States government and people, and indeed, of all the peace-loving people of the wider world,'' he wrote.

MIDDLE EAST

BAHRAIN: The crown prince, Sheik Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa condemned the attacks as ``unjustifiable under any conditions.'' The island nation, home base to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, has close ties to the United States. Sheik Salman said Bahrain hasn't received any requests from Washington, but ``in a time of need, we stand by our friends.''
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CYPRUS: President Glafcos Clerides has expressed support for action against terrorists. Government protested formally to the United States that a claim by former NATO commander Wesley Clark that Cyprus sheltered terrorists ``is absolutely unfounded and violates truth and real facts.''
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EGYPT: President Hosni Mubarak denounced the attacks as ``horrible and unimaginable,'' and that they ``led to the deaths of many innocent civilians.'' Mubarak also repeated his call for holding an international conference for combating terrorism. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher reiterated Egypt's full cooperation with United States in the investigation.

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