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Actions taken internationally as United States plans retaliatory moves
By The Associated Press
International actions and events connected with the U.S. campaign to find and punish those responsible for attacks on New York and Washington.
EUROPE:
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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."
___ 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. President Jacques Chirac meets Bush at the White House on Tuesday.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ ICELAND: Foreign Minister Halldor Asgrimsson said the airport at Keflavik was available for any U.S. operations.
___ 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."
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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."
___ NORWAY: Strongly condemned "evil put into a system" and backs its ally the United States through NATO.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ SLOVENIA: President Milan Kucan, in a letter to the U.S. president, declared his country's support in the fight against terrorism.
___ SPAIN: Defense Minister Federico Trillo said U.S. forces could use Spanish military bases for any retaliation.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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."
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ BURUNDI – President Pierre Buyoya expressed his condolences to all Americans, especially those living in Burundi.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ ETHIOPIA: Offered condolences and condemned the attack.
___ 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.
___ GUINEA: President Lansana Conte expressed sympathy over the attacks on a visit to the U.S. Embassy, where security was tightened.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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."
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ MAURITANIA – Government spokesman Rachid Ould Saleh condemned "these horrible attacks."
___ 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.
___ 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."
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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."
___ 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.
___ 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."
___ SOMALIA: President Abdiqasim Salad Hassan expressed his condolences for the attack.
___ 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.
___ 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."
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ 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.
___ ZAMBIA: President Frederick Chiluba promised his country would "stand with the United States to fight international terrorism for preservation of Christian values and democracy."
___ 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."
___ 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."
___ 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.
___ IRAN: Iran, an opponent of Afghanistan's Taliban leaders, closed its 562-mile border to prevent Afghan refugees from crossing in the event of U.S. attacks. The U.S. State Department has said it would consider welcoming Iran into an international coalition to fight terrorism. Iran has not indicated that it would join.
___ IRAQ: Said attacks resulted from aggressive U.S. policies, and said Americans should feel and learn from the pain they have inflicted on other people, including Iraqis and Palestinians. Saddam Hussein urged United States to use wisdom, rather than force, in responding to attacks.
___ ISRAEL: President Bush pressured Israel to hold truce talks with the Palestinians as America seeks to build an international anti-terror coalition that would include Arab countries. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon compared Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to Osama bin Laden and said he would permit high-level talks only after 48 hours without violence. Sharon said Monday that Israel had been invited to join the anti-terror coalition.
___ KUWAIT: Defense minister Sheik Jaber Mubarak Al Sabah pledged to work "hand in hand" with Washington to eliminate terrorism. Politically strong Muslim fundamentalist groups also condemned the attacks but said the world should not forget the "suffering of our Palestinian brothers from Jewish terrorism."
___ LEBANON: Has condemned the attacks, from President Emile Lahoud down to leaders of political and religious groups. Prime Minister Rafik Hariri said Wednesday he would support U.S. action against those proven to be the perpetrators. The Hezbollah guerrilla group has expressed regret for the loss of life, but warned against "taking advantage of the attacks to practice aggression and terrorism against those who committed aggression and terrorism."
___ OMAN: Oman's leader, Sultan Qaboos, condemned the attacks and said his country would stand "side by side" with the United States to fight terrorism. A Foreign Ministry statement said Oman is ready to cooperate in the U.S. effort, but did not say what type of cooperation it would offer.
___ QATAR: Foreign Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani said in a telephone call Friday with Secretary of State Colin Powell that Qatar condemned the attacks and is willing to cooperate in fighting terrorism. However, Qatar has not said whether it would join any anti-terrorism coalition,
___ SAUDI ARABIA: Said it will cooperate fully with the United States on its investigation into the attacks. It has condemned the attacks, but said they are partly the result of U.S. foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East.
___ UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: The United Arab Emirates has condemned the attacks, has offered to help the United States fight terrorism and has launched an investigation to determine whether an Emirati national, Marwan Alshehhi, is the same man that German police have said is one of the 19 suspects in the attacks. Emirates President Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan warned in a letter to NATO ambassadors that without a solution to Middle East conflict, terrorism cannot be eradicated.
___ YEMEN: Foreign Minister Abubakr al-Qirbi said his country rejects terrorism "and Yemen will cooperate in fighting terrorism." Yemen has said it would be willing to join an international coalition to fight terrorism, but only under the umbrella of an international organization such as the United Nations.
SUBCONTINENT/CENTRAL ASIA
AFGHANISTAN: The Muslim fundamentalist Taliban rulers discuss conditions for possibly extraditing Osama bin Laden to a country other than United States, a Pakistan government source says hours after the Taliban urged Afghans to prepare for a holy war. All foreigners were ordered to leave, and many Afghans began to flee.
___ ARMENIA: Condemned the attacks and offered to send salvage experts to the United States. Armenian officials have called for coordination of international efforts to fight terrorism.
___ AZERBAIJAN: Azerbaijani President Geidar Aliev denounced the attacks as "the most monstrous event in modern history," ordered a nationwide mourning for its victims and offered his nation's help in tracking down the organizers of the attacks.
___ INDIA: Intelligence officials said they have given the United States information about Islamic extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including evidence describing how bin Laden and other Muslim militant leaders were financing guerrilla groups and running training camps.
___ KAZAKSTAN: Kazakstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, has condemned the attacks and sent condolences to Washington. But officials have been nervous about possible U.S. strikes in Afghanistan, fearing they would destabilize the region and trigger a flow of refugees.
___ KYRGYZSTAN: Kyrgyzstan, separated from Afghanistan by a thin swath of mountainous Tajikistan, expressed condolences to the United States and called for stronger action against international terrorism. Officials have made no commitments to assist the United States.
___ PAKISTAN: Declared its "full support" for U.S. retaliation against the Taliban, and was sending a high-level delegation to Kandahar on Monday to demand the Taliban hand over bin Laden to the United States or risk a massive retaliatory assault. Hard-line Muslims, who oppose Pakistani cooperation with the United States, demonstrated nationwide.
___ TAJIKISTAN: Ruled out the possibility of launching any Western-led reprisal attacks from its territory, which borders northern Afghanistan. Prime Minister Akil Akilov had indicated he might consider a U.S. request to provide air corridors, but only with approval from Russia and the international community.
___ TURKMENISTAN: Turkmenistan, which borders Afghanistan, has condemned the terror attacks and offered support to the United States. However, President Saparmurat Niyazov has been noncommittal about any possible assistance to the United States for staging strikes on Afghanistan.
___ RUSSIA: Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a nationwide moment of silence for victims of the attacks 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.
___ UZBEKISTAN: The Foreign Ministry said Monday that it was ready "to discuss any form of cooperation in the struggle against international terrorism in our region, including the deployment of U.S. forces." The predominantly Muslim nation, which borders Afghanistan, has itself faced attacks by Islamic extremists allegedly linked with the Taliban.
ASIA/PACIFIC
AUSTRALIA: Agreed to a U.S. request to keep its frigate HMAS Anzac stationed in the Persian Gulf for eight days longer than planned. It had been due to leave the area, where it had been enforcing sanctions against Iraq, on Sunday. Australia has invoked its defense treaty with the United States, clearing the way for military participation in any U.S. retaliatory strikes.
___ BRUNEI: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, absolute ruler of the tiny, oil-rich enclave on Borneo island in Southeast Asia, expressed shock and sent a message of condolence to President Bush.
___ CHINA: President Jiang Zemin called Bush a day after the attacks to express condolences and say China wanted to collaborate with the United States on anti-terrorism activities. A deputy foreign minister said China wanted to be consulted before Washington or NATO countries took any military action outside their territories.
___ INDONESIA: President Megawati Sukarnoputri condemned the attacks before she left Monday for the United States to meet Bush and address the U.N. General Assembly. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, where some hard-line Islamic groups are waging separatist conflicts that threaten the secular government.
___ JAPAN: The Japanese government pledged to help the United States in its war against terrorism "in whatever way we can." The nation's pacifist constitution prohibits it from engaging in offensive military action, but Tokyo has promised help with transport and medical operations.
___ MALAYSIA: Security has been tightened at the world's tallest buildings, the Petronas Twin Towers, after a bomb scare. Government officials promise to investigate reports that one of the hijackers who crashed a plane into the Pentagon met a suspect in the USS Cole attack at the Kuala Lumpur's airport in October. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad warned against retaliatory violence, saying the result will be more terror.
___ SOUTH KOREA: Observed a national day of mourning on Friday. South Korean President Kim Dae-jung said the two Koreas should issue a joint statement against terrorism in reconciliation talks now under way in Seoul. The North has not commented on the proposal.
___ TAIWAN: President Chen Shui-bian offered to "provide any necessary assistance" to the United States against terrorism. Chen ordered security to be stepped up at airports, ports and nuclear plants, and appointed a panel to study how the attacks would affect the world's economy.
___ THAILAND: Pledged to help the United States "just as we did in the past." During the Gulf War against Iraq, Thailand was used by U.S. military aircraft as a refueling stop. The government has pledged to exchange intelligence on terrorists and will support any United Nations resolution against terrorism.
___ VIETNAM: President Tran Duc Luong sent a message to Bush expressing shock at the attacks. "Vietnam consistently rejects terrorist actions which cause loss of life and suffering to civilians," he said.
THE AMERICAS
ARGENTINA: The only South American country with a special status in NATO has fully backed the United States in its promised war on terrorism. Argentina committed troops to the Gulf War a decade ago, but has not yet specified what form of support it would provide.
___ BOLIVIA – The Bolivian government issued a statement offering its support to the United States after the terrorist attacks. Most Bolivians condemned the attacks, though certain union leaders, including Indian leader and former guerrilla Felipe Quispe, have said that the "imperialist" politics of the United States led to them.
___ BRAZIL: Proposed that the Organization of American States formalize support for the United States under a 1947 treaty that considers an armed attack on any member as an attack on all. Foreign Minister Celso Lafer said that for now the support was diplomatic and not military, but he declined to say whether Brazil would endorse an eventual U.S. military response.
___ CANADA: Will be part of a "global response to a global threat," Prime Minister Jean Chretien said Monday, but he has so far refused to commit Canadian troops to any ground fighting. Opposition leader Stockwell Day of the Canadian Alliance said, "If and when the need arises for military action ... we must be willing and we must be prepared to provide it."
___ CHILE: Condemned the attacks and expressed firm support for the United States, though cautioning that any response should be within the frame of international law and avoid harm to innocent people.
___ COLOMBIA: President Andres Pastrana prayed for the victims in a chapel in the presidential palace. Just as the global drug scourge cannot be defeated without every country's cooperation, all nations have a "shared responsibility" to combat terrorism, Pastrana said. Firefighters in Cali and Medellin also marched or prayed in support of New York City firefighters.
___ COSTA RICA: Foreign Minister Roberto Rojas announced on Friday that Costa Rica, which holds the presidency of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States, will convene a meeting of the council in Washington on Wednesday to analyze the repercussions of the attacks.
___ CUBA: Cuban President Fidel Castro condemned the attacks and offered medical assistance to the United States. He also cautioned against getting "caught up in the desire" for revenge.
___ ECUADOR: Police and army intelligence are investigating the possible presence of Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda terrorist organization within the country, Foreign Minister Heinz Moeller said Monday.
___ EL SALVADOR – President Francisco Flores condemned the attack and suspended all Independence Day celebrations. The Congress declared three days of national mourning, and Flores said that "anything El Salvador can do to collaborate (in the investigations) it will do."
___ GUATEMALA – The Guatemalan government declared three days of mourning and lowered flags at government buildings to half-staff. President Alfonso Portillo condemned the attacks in his annual Independence Day speech on Saturday and said he supported the international fight against terrorism and organized crime.
___ HONDURAS – Seven Central American countries are tentatively scheduled to meet in Honduras on Wednesday to adopt a common strategy against terrorism in the wake of the New York attacks, the Honduran government announced Monday. Honduran officials said their country "is most willing to participate in the fight against terrorism."
___ MEXICO – Fresh from a visit to Washington, President Vicente Fox said his country is "ready to collaborate with all those countries in a proposed alliance to fight this evil." Foreign Secretary Jorge Castaneda told the Mexican Congress that the United States "has every right and reason to seek reprisal" and that "we can't deny them our support."
___ NICARAGUA – The Nicaraguan government said it deplored the attacks and promised to lend whatever help was necessary to fight terrorism within the framework of the Interamerican Reciprocal Assistance Treaty, a mutual defense treaty for the Western Hemisphere. The government said it also would help with the investigations in whatever way possible.
___ PANAMA: Reinforced protection of the Panama Canal, the U.S. Embassy, oil refineries and the main airport. President Mireya Moscoso sent the U.S. government a message of support and solidarity.
___ PARAGUAY – Paraguay has stepped up controls along its borders with Brazil and Argentina, a thriving trade corridor that is home to a large Arab community. The area has been suspected in the past of being a conduit for shadowy Islamic groups.
___ PERU: President Alejandro Toledo expressed support for the United States against the "demented" terrorist attacks that affect "not only the United States but also the democratic conviction of the world." Foreign Minister Diego Garcia Sayan pressed for an emergency meeting of the Organization of American States to adopt a resolution backing all measures in the fight against global terrorism.
___ URUGUAY: Foreign Secretary Didier Opertti says Uruguay "will support the collective decisions taken because it understands that this aggression is not just an aggression against the United States, but against the lifestyle of our countries."
___ VENEZUELA: President Hugo Chavez said OPEC member Venezuela would do "everything possible" to guarantee steady oil supplies. He appealed to President Bush not to wage a "World War III" that could trigger global, even nuclear, conflict. Defense Minister Jose Vicente Rangel said Venezuela could cooperate in U.S.-led military action but won't promise "carte blanche" help in a conflict with Muslim nations, with which Venezuela maintains ties based on oil.
CARIBBEAN
ANGUILLA: The British territory's Gov. Peter Johnstone sent the U.S. government a message of condolence and held a prayer service Monday. Security has been increased at the airport.
__ BAHAMAS: A U.S. and Bahamian flag are flying at half staff in Nassau's tourist district. Security has been tightened.
__ BERMUDA: The British territory's largest labor organization, the Bermuda Industrial Union, has set up a fund for victims' families. Premier Jennifer Smith condemned the "horrific acts of terrorism."
___ BARBADOS: Prime Minister Owen Arthur condemned the "horrific" attacks.
___ DOMINICA: The government has sent its condolences to the U.S. government. The leader of the small Muslim community in Dominica, Saaberah Abdullah, condemned the attack as "the work of infidels." Increased airport security is being considered.
___ DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Airport security has increased, leading to some travel delays. The government has condemned the attacks and offered condolences to the United States.
___ GUYANA: Security has been beefed up for U.S. bound flights.
___ HAITI: President Jean-Bertrand Aristide condemned the attacks on the United States but expressed hope for peace. More than 650 Haitians have signed a book expressing condolences to the American people. Airports have tightened security, with agents thoroughly searching luggage.
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