British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed horror and sent condolences
to U.S. President George W. Bush. "There have been the most terrible,
shocking events taking place in the United States of America within the last
couple of hours," Blair says. "We can only imagine the terror and carnage
there and the many, many innocent people who have lost their lives." This
was "perpetrated by fanatics who are utterly indifferent to the sanctity of
human life, and we, the democracies of this world, are going to have to
come together to fight it and eradicate this evil completely from our world."
Queen Elizabeth II said she was watching developments in "growing
disbelief and total shock." | 
Blair: "Fanatics" |
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told Americans "Our hearts are with
you and we are ready to provide any assistance at any time." Israel
declared Wednesday a day of mourning and set up a blood bank for the
injured. "This is a war between good and evil and between humanity and
the bloodthirsty," said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. He added that the
attacks would be "a turning point in the war against international terror." | 
Sharon: "Good & Evil" |
French President Jacques Chirac expressed outrage, and assured the
United States of France's support and sympathy. "France is deeply upset to
learn of the monstrous attacks that have just struck the United States,"
says Chirac. "In these terrible circumstances, all French people stand by the
American people. We express our friendship and solidarity in this tragedy." | 
Chirac: "Monstrous" |
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a news conference and expresses
deep sympathy to the American people, calling the incidents a "terrorist
act, this terrible tragedy." Russian President Putin added, "the entire
international community should unite in the struggle against terrorism . . .
this is a blatant challenge to humanity." | 
Putin: "Unite" |
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said "There can be no doubt that these attacks
are deliberate acts of terrorism, carefully planned and coordinated and as such I condemn them
utterly. Terrorism must be fought resolutely wherever it appears." |
Chinese President Jiang Zemin sent a message to Bush, and expressed condolences to the
family members of the victims of the attacks. He also expressed "grave concern" for the safety
of Chinese in the United States. |
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said: "the German people stand by the United States
of America at this difficult hour." "I want to express to you my deep condolences and my
unlimited solidarity to you and the American people. Our sympathy goes to the victims and
their relatives." Schroeder said, "They were not only attacks on the people in the United
States, our friends in America, but also against the entire civilized world, against our own
freedom, against our own values, values which we share with the American people."
Calling Tuesday's attacks a threat to peace and freedom everywhere, he said, "We will
not let these values be destroyed – in Europe, America or anywhere in the world." |
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien calls the attacks "a cowardly
act of unspeakable violence . . . It is impossible to fully comprehend the
evil that would have conjured up such a cowardly and depraved assault."
Chrétien was one of the first world leaders to speak to President Bush.
Fearing additional attacks, all planes in the sky on the morning of September
11, 2001 were ordered to land at the closest airports, and Canada became
an emergency landing site for hundreds of international and domestic flights
bound for the USA. For several hours the Canada-US border was closed. | 
Chrétien: "Cowardly" |
Mexican President Vicente Fox said: "Today the whole world and here in Mexico began the
day with this high-impact news, this criminal act of terrorism, which we reject along with
all forms of violence. We want from here to express our solidarity and our support to all the
victims of these acts of terrorism and their family members. We reiterate our complete,
emphatic rejection of all forms of violence and all forms of terrorism." |
Japan's Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, said "this outrageous and vicious act of
violence against the United States is unforgivable." |
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak called the attacks in New York and Washington "horrific"
and added in a televised statement: "Egypt firmly and strongly condemns such attacks
on civilians and soldiers that led to the deaths of a large number of innocent victims." |
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said "I send my condolences, and
the condolences of the Palestinian people to American President Bush and
his government and to the American people for this terrible act," Arafat told
reporters in Gaza. "We completely condemn this serious operation. . . . We
were completely shocked . . . It's unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable,"
says a visibly upset Arafat. Sheik Ahmed Yassin, whose Islamic militant
Hamas group has carried out a series of suicide bombings in Israel, said he
was not interested in exporting such attacks to the United States. "We are
not ready to move our struggle outside the occupied Palestinian land. We
are not prepared to open international fronts, however much we criticize
the unfair American position," Yassin told reporters in Gaza City. | 
Arafat: "Unbelievable" |
In Colombia, the government of President Andres Pastrana, struggling
with its own decades-old civil war, "condemn and reject the cowardly and
villainous terrorist attacks committed today against the American people."
Pastrana was awaiting the first visit by U.S. Secretary of State Colin
Powell, scheduled to arrived in Bogotá later that day for a two-day visit.
That trip was cancelled as Powell left a meeting of the Organization of
American States he was attending in Lima for Washington. | 
Colin Powell leaves
Lima Peru for U.S. |
In a rare afternoon television address, Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian urged the
public to stay calm, saying the island must "stick together when facing a possible change
in the international situation." |
North Korea called the attacks "tragic," adding that it "is opposed to all forms of
terrorism." The U.S. State Department lists North Korea among seven national "sponsors
of terrorism." |
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad Mahathir expressed sadness, but urged
the U.S. government not to seek revenge. "Retaliation will lead to the deaths of many
people and will be followed by more counter-strikes," he was quoted as saying. |
Addressing parliament, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said the Group of Eight –
the seven leading industrialized nations and Russia – "are considering the possibility of
holding a summit which can undertake concrete steps." |
At a special meeting, European Union foreign ministers asked "all Europeans to observe
three minutes of silence" on Friday, Sept. 14th at 6 a.m. EDT. They declared Friday a
"day of mourning" in all 15 EU nations because the attacks were "not only on the United
States, but against humanity itself and the values of freedom we all share." The EU ministers
said in a statement "There will be no safe haven for terrorists and their sponsors, the Union
will work closely with the United States and all partners to combat international terrorism." |
NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson said "An attack on one is an attack on all," after
the alliance's 19 ambassadors decided to invoke Article 5 of the NATO charter for the first
time in the alliance's history. "At the moment this is an act of solidarity," Robertson said,
adding that the declaration "in no way" binds the United States "against taking action on its
own." In a later statement, the NATO allies said "in the event of attacks ... each ally will
assist (the United States) by taking such action as it deems necessary. Accordingly, the
United States' NATO allies stand ready to provide the assistance that may be required as
a consequence of these acts of barbarism." |
Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, whom the United States has accused of backing
international terrorism, called the attacks "horrifying" and urged Muslim aid groups to
offer help "regardless of political considerations or differences between America and the
peoples of the world." Gadhafi said, "Irrespective of the conflict with America it is a human
duty to show sympathy with the American people, and be with them at these horrifying
and awesome events which are bound to awaken human conscience." |
Syrian President Bashar Assad sent a condolence message to the White House, calling
for "world cooperation to eradicate all kinds of terrorism." |
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, a moderate who is struggling for power against
the country's hard-line Islamic leaders, expressed "deep regret and sympathy with the
victims" and said "it is an international duty to try to undermine terrorism." |
President Gen. Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, one of three countries then recognizing
the Taliban's government (Sept. 11), condemned the attacks and called for cooperation to
combat the "modern-day evil" of terrorism.
|
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