(AP)- In a first reaction to the U.S. military response in Afghanistan, Egypt's foreign minister said Monday that the United States must have had ``solid grounds'' for strikes. But Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher refused to say directly whether Egypt shared America's belief that Osama bin Laden was behind the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. ``We are not the investigators, and we believe in the judicial system of the United States,'' the foreign minister said. ``I believe the United States and the other countries are convinced,'' he said, adding: ``I'm sure they would not have acted without solid grounds.''
Maher's hedged support for U.S. evidence on bin Laden reflected the deep unease of his moderate Arab government which shares a common enemy in religious extremists but whose citizens are not supportive of attacks on a fellow Muslim country. |