World shock over U.S. attacks

[Guest guest]

World shock over U.S. attacks

September 11, 2001 Posted: 1:06 PM EDT (1706 GMT)

LONDON, England -- LONDON, England -- World leaders have reacted with

revulsion to the aircraft attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and

on the Pentagon in Washington.

A sombre and visibly shaken British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the

world's democracies must " fight this evil " perpetrated by suspected

terrorists in the U.S..

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed deep sympathy to the people of

the U.S. " in connection with this terrorist act, this terrible tragedy, "

the Kremlin quoted spokesman ei Gromov as saying, Reuters said.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat condemned the attack, saying he " sent his

condolences and those of the Palestinian people to Bush and the American

people. "

EU External Relations Commissioner Patten told Reuters. " This is an

act of war by madmen. "

He compared the attack with that deployed by the Japanese at the U.S. naval

base Pearl Harbor in 1941.

" It is the worst attack on the United States since Pearl Harbor, " he added.

" This is one of those few days in life that one can actually say will

change everything. "

NATO Secretary-General on called it an " intolerable

aggression against democracy, " Reuters reported.

The Italian and EU flags flew at half-mast at the office of prime minister

Silvio Berlusconi, who said Italy joined the U.S. in condemning " these

monstrous criminals who have demonstrated a vile and brutal affront against

humanity, " The Associated Press said.

French President Jacques Chirac, in a live televised address, condemned the

attacks as " monstrous " and expressed his solidarity with the American

people, AP reported.

" France has just learned of these monstrous attacks -- there is no other

word for it -- that have hit America, " Chirac said from Rennes, in the

western region of Brittany.

Prime Minister Lionel Jospin talked of his " sadness and horror, " before

calling a security crisis meeting.

Israeli Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer told Israel's Army Radio it

was " simply a tragedy, " Reuters reported.

" All I can say is I sympathise with the American people. We don't have any

more details than what has been reported on CNN. It's simply a terrible

thing. "

Guy Verhofstadt, the prime minister of Belgium, which currently holds the

chair of the EU, expressed " deep shock and dismay " on hearing of the attacks.

" On behalf of the European Union, [Verhofstadt and foreign minister Louis

Michel] condemn in the strongest possible terms this type of cowardly

attack on innocent civilians. "

European Union foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting on

Wednesday to consider their response to the attacks.

A spokesman for the German foreign ministry said: " The foreign minister is

dismayed and shocked by the reports from New York. "

The British prime minister cancelled the speech he was due to give at a

meeting of the Transport and General Workers' Union in Brighton, southern

England.

Blair said: " I am afraid we can only imagine the terror and the carnage.

Many, many innocent people will have lost their lives. "

He went on to describe mass terrorism as " the new evil in our world today. "

Blair said these sort of attacks were " perpetrated by fanatics, utterly

indifferent to the sanctity of human life. "

He added that the world's democracies must come together to " fight this

evil and eradicate it from the world. "

Queen II sent a message of condolence expressing her " disbelief

and total shock. "

The world is it's own magic!

< lll

> :*)~

< lll

*mmmeeeooowww*

*ppppuuuurrrr*