Terrorist attacks on U.S.: the international reaction (10/14/01)

Terrorist attacks on U.S.: the international reaction

Special from RFE/RL Newsline

Kyiv backs anti-terrorist strikes

KYIV - President Leonid Kuchma on October 8 said Ukraine "politically, diplomatically and morally" supports the U.S. air strikes against terrorists in Afghanistan, Interfax reported. Mr. Kuchma did not rule out that Ukraine's special services may render intelligence assistance to the United States, but stressed that Ukrainian troops will not take part in warfare in Afghanistan. The president added that Ukraine may resume arms supplies to Uzbekistan, which is reportedly facing an attack from Afghanistan's Taliban.

Communists, Socialists are opposed

KYIV - The Communist Party of Ukraine on October 8 condemned the U.S. anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan as an action aimed at unleashing a new world war, Interfax reported. The Communists want the Verkhovna Rada to pass a resolution confirming Ukraine's neutral, non-bloc status as well as to revoke Kyiv's decision allowing U.S. military cargo planes to use Ukrainian airspace. The Socialist Party of Ukraine called on the United States to limit its operation in Afghanistan to strikes targeted on terrorist bases, adding that "an escalation of the military operation will not resolve all problems."

Crimean Tatar leader backs U.S. action

SYMFEROPOL - Crimean Tatar Mejlis head Mustafa Jemilev on October 9 said the U.S. military action in Afghanistan is an appropriate reaction to the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. "The U.S. is not aiming at enslaving the Afghan people as was the case during the Soviet occupation. On the contrary, Afghanistan is being freed from bandits in the Afghan leadership," STB Television quoted Mr. Jemilev as saying. The station said Taliban threats to start a war with Uzbekistan may cause a wave of emigration of Crimean Tatars from Uzbekistan. It is estimated that some 300,000 Tatars resettled from Crimea by the Stalin regime are still living in Uzbekistan.

U.S. planes use Ukrainian air corridor

KYIV - Interfax reported on October 10 that U.S. military cargo planes have already taken advantage of Kyiv's permission to use Ukrainian airspace in connection with the U.S. operation in Afghanistan. Kyiv also agreed that U.S. planes may land in emergency situations at selected Ukrainian airfields.

Putin backs strikes against Taliban

MOSCOW - In a speech carried by Russia's national channels on October 8, President Vladimir Putin said Russia welcomes and supports the launch of the U.S.- led military operation against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. Putin said that the terrorists had seriously miscalculated and did not expect "such consolidation of the international community in the face of a common enemy." He added that he is confident that the United States is doing everything it can to minimize civilian casualties. Mr. Putin said that Moscow plans to increase its cooperation with "our European and American partners" in fighting terrorism and providing humanitarian assistance. The Russian president also said that the U.S. had the right to respond because of the horrific losses the terrorists inflicted in New York and Washington on September 11, which he said were "twice the number the Russian Federation has lost during all ground operations against terrorists in Chechnya since 1999." Mr. Putin's remarks were preceded the day before by a Foreign Affairs Ministry statement in support of the American strikes. "It is time for decisive action" against the evil of terrorism, the statement said, adding that "terrorists wherever they are - in Afghanistan, Chechnya, the Middle East, or the Balkans - should know that they will be brought to justice," ITAR-TASS reported.

Belarus silent on U.S. air strikes

MIENSK - Belarus has not issued any official statement on the beginning of the U.S. anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan, RFE/RL's Belarusian Service reported on October 8. "[Belarusian President Alyaksandr] Lukashenka has now found himself in a difficult, ambiguous situation. He has always striven to present America as an enemy that is threatening Belarus. So it is difficult for him to abandon this line immediately. The ambiguity and absurdity of his policies is now obvious," opposition political expert Alyaksey Karol told RFE/RL, adding that Mr. Lukashenka is baffled by Russia's support for the U.S. anti-terrorist strikes. Meanwhile, Syarhey Kastsyan, head of the Commission for International Affairs in the Chamber of Representatives, commented that the United States has launched a "fascist aggression" that he said will embroil the entire globe in a "bloody slaughter."

Armenia hails military action

YEREVAN - In a statement released on October 8, the Armenian Foreign Ministry expressed its support for the previous day's air strikes against targets in Afghanistan, describing them as a necessary measure to combat the threat of international terrorism, RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported.

Georgian president notes support

TBILISI - In Georgia, President Eduard Shevardnadze expressed support for the strikes during his traditional Monday radio interview, Prime News reported.

Kyrgyzstan backs anti-terror campaign

BISHKEK - In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Affairs Ministry said the country's leadership backs the ongoing "large-scale international anti-terrorist action," but stressed that such actions must not be regarded as a war against either Islam or the Afghan people, ITAR-TASS reported.

Tajikistan supports action in Afghanistan

DUSHANBE - Tajikistan's Foreign Ministry in Dushanbe issued a statement supporting the air strikes, according to Reuters. The government said that "the Republic of Tajikistan has declared its readiness to open its airspace to the U.S. air force and, should it prove necessary, its airports for carrying out measures against terrorism," Reuters and Asia Plus-Blitz reported. But a Defense Ministry spokesman told Reuters the same day that no Tajik troops will participate in any kind of international action in other countries. However, on October 10, days later, Tajik Security Council Secretary Amirqul Azimov told journalists that Tajikistan may provide "support" for the Northern Alliance if asked to do so, Asia Plus-Blitz reported. "Tajikistan has always come out for the stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan. If we want our participation in the operation against terrorism to be effective, it is necessary to provide support for the Northern Alliance," Mr. Azimov said. He did not explain what that support might involve.

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