Blair vows to support US 'without hesitation'
( 2001-09-21 09:59 ) (7 )

British Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed on Thursday to support the United States "without hesitation" in its campaign to root out international terrorism in the wake of the most devastating terrorist attacks on US soil.

"We stand side by side with you now without hesitation," Blair said after talks with US President George W. Bush at the White House.

The two leaders discussed ways to mount a worldwide campaign against terrorism in the wake of last week's attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon building outside Washington that have left more than 6,800 people dead or missing.

Britain has become one of the victims of the attacks carried out by a group of hijackers who commandeered four commercial airliners, crashing two of them into the twin towers of the center.

About 250 British citizens, who worked in the center or were visiting it at the time of the explosions, remain missing and are feared dead in the ruins, according to New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

Speaking to reporters after talks with Bush, a visibly moved Blair said the struggle against terrorism concerns the whole of the democratic and civilized world.

"We have to bring to account those responsible, and then we have to set about at every single level and every way that we can dismantling the apparatus of terror and eradicating the evil of mass terrorism in our world," he stressed.

The British prime minister expressed confidence the United States, Britain and other NATO allies would stand united together in their effort to eradicate terrorist activities around the world.