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| Powell sez anti-terror campaign isn't directed at Islam |
| 2001-10-03 |
A frustrated Secretary of State Colin Powell insisted Wednesday that the US-led anti-terrorism campaign was not directed at Islam despite persistent reports in the Arab and Muslim world to the contrary. At the same time, however, he would not say the campaign, aimed first at Afghanistan-based Osama bin Laden, would stop after bringing the exiled Saudi militant to justice and dismantling his al-Qaeda network. "We are focusing on al-Qaeda and focusing on Afghanistan and that is the first phase of this operation, and I obviously cannot comment on what might happen in the future," Powell told reporters. "We are not seeing this as anti-Arab, anti-Islam," he said after meeting Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani. "It's anti-terrorism ... We are not looking for conflict with other nations." In Riyadh and Cairo, Saudi and Egyptian officials said late Wednesday they were "sure" after discussions with visiting US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that Washington would not strike at Arab countries in retaliation for the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. But US officials including Powell have refused thus far to publicly rule out any option and Tuesday denied a report that Jordan's King Abdullah II had gotten assurances during a recent trip to Washington that all Arab nations were safe from potential strikes. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |