Terrorist attacks on U.S.: the international reaction (09/16/01)

Terrorist attacks on U.S.: the international reaction

Special from RFE/RL Newsline

UKRAINE

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma sent a telegram to U.S. President George W. Bush, expressing sympathy with the families of the victims and the American people in connection with the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, Interfax reported. "We expect that the perpetrators of these terrible crimes will not avoid just punishment," President Kuchma stated.

POLAND

WARSAW - Speaking on Radio Zet on September 12, President Aleksander Kwasniewski described the carnage and devastation caused by the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, as a "crime of genocide," the DPA news service reported. "I believe that Americans will not react blindly... to appease public opinion, but that the reaction will be directed against the centers of world terrorism," President Kwasniewski added. The previous day, Mr. Kwasniewski said he sent Washington a message of "full solidarity with families of the victims, the American people and with U.S. President George W. Bush" regarding these "unfathomable acts of terror."

RUSSIA

MOSCOW - Via both a telegram and a telephone call addressed to U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice, President Vladimir Putin on September 11 expressed his sympathies to President George W. Bush and the American people for what he called "these terrible tragedies" of terroristic acts in New York and Washington, ITAR-TASS reported. He and other Russian officials offered whatever assistance they could to help the United States find and punish those responsible. "There is no doubt that such inhuman actions must not remain unpunished," President Putin said.

In a speech carried on ORT television that same day, the Russian president said what happened in the United States "goes far beyond the borders of the U.S." He underlined that the incident is a clear challenge to all of humanity, and "this yet again underscores the importance of Russia's proposals to unite the forces of the international community in the struggle with terror, with this plague of the 21st century."

An adviser to the president, Serge Yastrzhembskii suggested to the press in Moscow that the attacks would force many to see terrorist acts wherever they occur as "links" in a common chain and thus as phenomena that require a common approach. Meanwhile, President Putin convened his top security officials at the Kremlin and ordered them to take all measures necessary to counter any threat against Russia.

BELARUS

MIENSK - President Alyaksandr Lukashenka sent condolences to U.S. President George W. Bush and the American people over the September 11 terrorist attacks in two U.S. cities. "On behalf of the Belarusian people, I extend heartfelt sympathy to the families of the victims, and express solidarity with the United States and the world community in combating international terrorism and crime," said President Lukashenka in his message, according to the Belapan news agency.

ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA,
KYRGYZSTAN, UZBEKISTAN, KAZAKSTAN

WASHINGTON - The presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan sent messages of condolence to President George W. Bush of the United States following the terrorist attacks on September 11 in two American cities. President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan sent a note to the U.S. ambassador in Tashkent, and Kazakstan's Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement condemning these "acts of barbarism."

| Home Page |