US seeks to marshal broad international anti-terror coalition
( 2001-09-13 11:23 ) (7 )

The United States moved on Wednesday to marshal a broad international coalition of partners to combat terrorism, with President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell and others working the phones to lobby foreign leaders to support the cause.

Officials said the effort would be raised at various international venues and was aimed at more than just retaliating against the perpetrators of Tuesday's audacious terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

"We will rally the world," Bush vowed at the White House.

"We're building a strong coalition to go after these perpetrators, but, more broadly, to go after terrorism wherever we find it in the world," Powell said.

"It's a scourge not only against the United States but against civilization, and it must be brought to an end."

A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington was going to demand countries flatly renounce terrorism or suffer, adding that it would stiffen its standards in judging cooperation.

"The expectations are going to be higher; the tests are going to be stronger," the official said.

"The world has a right to expect and we have a right to expect everybody to take sides, to stand up and be counted either as a country that supports peace and freedom or a country that tolerates terrorism. We will judge accordingly. It's time for people to say what they are and to act like it."

Shortly after Powell and the senior official spoke, the diplomatic initiative scored its first victory as NATO's governing board agreed to invoke the alliance's collective defense clause if Washington determines that Tuesday's terrorist attacks were masterminded from abroad.

That decision followed numerous phone calls between Bush and other NATO leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

It also followed multiple calls from Powell to his alliance counterparts, including the organization's secretary general, Lord George Robertson.

In comments to NBC television, Powell said he was "very, very satisfied" at support from NATO and European countries (and) from our friends here in the Western Hemisphere."

But Powell stressed the effort would not be limited to North America and US allies in Europe, insisting that rival powers and Muslim countries must also be brought into the fold.

"It should include Muslim nations," he said, noting that he had already spoken with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and would speak shortly with others in the Arab world.

"Muslim nations have just as much to fear from terrorism that strikes at innocent civilians," Powell said, before telephoning Jordan's King Abdullah II, and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

The State Department said he had also telephoned Osama al-Baz, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's top political adviser, but clarified later that the call had not gone through and he would speak to al-Baz later.

Washington is also seeking strong support for its battle from the United Nations, the European Union, China and the Group of Eight industrialized nations, officials said.

In addition to speaking with Blair and Chirac, Bush also placed calls to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin -- completing his telephone tour of leaders of the four other permanent member nations of the Security Council.

Powell said he had spoken with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and thanked him for his help in winning the passage on Wednesday of resolutions condemning the attacks in the council and the General Assembly.

Powell said he had discussed the anti-terrorism drive with Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU, and Italian Foreign Minister Renato Ruggiero, whose country currently chairs the G8.

Meanwhile, the State Department warned Americans worldwide to remain vigilant and keep a low profile in the wake of Tuesday's deadly terror attacks which authorities fear may have killed thousands.

"The situation remains fluid and American citizens should be aware of the potential risks and to take those into consideration when making travel plans," the department said in a statement.