With a few Islamic exceptions

With a few Islamic exceptions, world respond with horror, condemnation

Sept. 12, 2001

By Beth Gardener
Associated Press Writer

LONDON (AP) — People around the world watched in horror as images of terror in the United States filled their television screens Tuesday. On the West Bank, Palestinians celebrated but most world leaders expressed solidarity with an America that looked more vulnerable than ever.

Iraqi television played a patriotic song that begins "Down with America!" as it showed the World Trade Center’s towers falling.

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers condemned the attacks and rejected suggestions that suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden could be behind them.

In the West Bank city of Nablus, thousands of Palestinians poured into the streets to celebrate, chanting "God is Great" and distributing candy to passers-by, even as their leader, Yasser Arafat, expressed horror over the attacks.

Audiences everywhere were transfixed by the devastation, as both World Trade Center towers collapsed in New York and the Pentagon took a direct hit from an aircraft.

Key indexes sank on world stock markets and some European airlines canceled flights to the United States and recalled planes already in the air.

Canada tightened security in major cities and along the U.S. border. A Canadian Foreign Affairs spokesman said on condition of anonymity that the border had been sealed, but traffic continued to flow at a crossing point at Buffalo. The U.S. border with Mexico remained open.

Many countries beefed up security at American embassies. The U.S. embassy in the United Arab Emirates closed indefinitely and the ambassador in Egypt suspended nonessential operations at U.S. facilities there.

U.S. armed forces in Europe and Asia were put on high alert. In Brussels, NATO called an emergency meeting for 3:00 p.m. while European Union institutions took special security measures, including partial evacuations.

Israel closed its airspace to foreign flights and evacuated staff from diplomatic missions and Jewish institutions around the world.

"It is impossible to fully comprehend the evil that would have conjured up such a cowardly and depraved assault upon thousands of innocent people," said Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to the American people, calling the attacks "terrible tragedies."

"This mass terrorism is the new evil in our world today," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair. "It is perpetrated by fanatics who are utterly indifferent to the sanctity of human life, and we the democracies of this world are going to have to come together and fight it together."

Queen Elizabeth II said she watched developments in "growing disbelief and total shock" and offered her prayers to Americans. President Jacques Chirac of France called the attacks "monstrous."

"There is no other word for it," he said in a televised statement.

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and his top aides followed the events at his seaside office in Gaza City, gathered around a TV set.

"I send my condolences to the president, the government and the people for this terrible incident," Arafat said. "We are completely shocked. It’s unbelievable."

The leaders of Northern Ireland’s joint Protestant-Catholic government, Reg Empey and Seamus Mallon, also offered condolences.

"As a society that has suffered from the effects of terrorism for over 30 years, we have some recognition and understanding of the hurt being felt by the American people," they wrote. "It is hard to comprehend what could motivate anyone to cause such misery, destruction and deliberate loss of human life."

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak condemned called the attacks "horrible and unimaginable."

In Berlin, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said "my government condemns these terrorist attacks to the utmost."

Broadcasters around the world broke into programming to show images of the disaster. "It’s incredible. I thought I was watching a Hollywood movie," said Hong Kong school teacher Doris Tang.

In the Nigerian capital of Abuja, aghast hotel workers at the local Hilton stopped their chores to watch.

"If this can happen in America, then the whole world is not safe," said one, Augustine Okweche.