Terrorist attacks on U.S.: the international reaction (10/07/01)

Terrorist attacks on U.S.: the international reaction

Special from RFE/RL Newsline

Ukraine, U.S. finalize details of flights

KYIV - Kyiv and Washington on September 28 agreed on details regarding the use of Ukrainian airspace by American military transport planes, Interfax reported, quoting Mykola Palchuk from the Ukrainian armed forces' General Staff. Mr. Palchuk said U.S. aircraft may fly over Ukraine at an altitude of no less than 9,100 meters and use three military air fields and several air corridors. "[The U.S. planes] may leave us in any direction and use the corridors for return flights," Mr. Palchuk said.

Russian general speaks for CIS

MOSCOW - General Anatolii Kvashnin, the chief of the Russian General Staff, said on October 2 that no special forces from the Commonwealth of Independent States countries will take part in any military actions on the territory of Afghanistan, polit.ru noted. The website pointed out that until recently, Russian military officials spoke only about what Russian forces will or will not do. Now they openly talk about CIS forces as a unit.

U.S., Kazak officials discuss measures

ASTANA - U.S. Ambassador to Kazakstan Larry Napper on September 28 urged Zharmakhan Tuyaqbaev, speaker of the Mazhilis, the lower chamber of Kazakstan's Parliament, to expedite ratification of international conventions of the fight against terrorism, RFE/RL's Kazak Service reported. The same day, Kazakstan's Foreign Affairs Minister Yerlan Idrisov met in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to discuss Kazakstan's contribution to the international anti-terrorism coalition, ITAR-TASS reported.

Putin: CIS must unite against terrorism

MOSCOW - Speaking to a meeting of the prime ministers of the member governments of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), President Vladimir Putin on September 28 said that the CIS must unite to fight terrorism, Russian and Western agencies reported. For the first time in his presidency, Mr. Putin called the CIS countries Russia's "brothers," noting that they share with Russia a common heritage as "multicultural and multireligious" states, and that they all are committed to fighting terrorism, not Islam. The prime ministers in attendance approved a resolution condemning international terrorism and pledging expanded cooperation. Mr. Putin asked the CIS countries to make the CIS Anti-Terrorist Center a reality and added that Moscow will pay 50 percent of the center's budget, RTR television reported the same day.

Moscow pleased by shift on Chechnya

MOSCOW - Presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembskii on September 27 said that Moscow is pleased by Washington's shift in its comments on Chechnya, Russian agencies reported. Meanwhile, other officials suggested that the United States now sees the Chechens as terrorists and that the U.S. is prepared to provide Russia with materials on Chechnya in exchange for information about Afghanistan, Interfax reported on September 28.

Ivanov: U.S. may play role in Chechnya

BRUSSELS - Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said in Brussels on September 26 that he is open to the possibility that the United States and Russia may cooperate in the struggle against what he called "terrorists" in Chechnya, Interfax reported. He said that if the international community did cooperate to deny the militants funding, weapons and other supplies, the counterterrorism operation there would be over "in 15-40 days."

Russian mafia linked to bin Laden

MOSCOW - The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry on September 27 issued a statement criticizing a report in The Washington Times that said there have been links between Russian organized crime and terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, and that these links were exploited in an apparently failed attempt by Mr. bin Laden to purchase Russian weapons of mass destruction, RIA-Novosti reported. The ministry said that such reports are clearly intended to undermine Russia's cooperation with the international anti-terrorism coalition by casting aspersions on Russia. But at the same time, the ministry said that "if these reports have any basis in fact, then this information should be sent to Russian security services via special channels."

Lithuania OKs use of airspace

VILNIUS - Responding to a U.S. request, the Lithuanian government on September 26 agreed to allow the United States overflight rights as part of the campaign against terrorism, the BNS news agency reported. Deputy Foreign Minister Giedrius Cekuolis told reporters after a meeting with U.S. defense attaché Lt. Col. Albert Zaccor that this action demonstrates Lithuania's political will as a loyal ally of the United States and NATO. Lithuania also granted the right for American transport or military planes to use Zokniai airport near the city of Siauliai, whose runways are sufficiently long enough to be used by all planes.

Armenia permits U.S. overflights

YEREVAN - A spokeswoman for President Robert Kocharian told RFE/RL's Armenian Service on September 26 that the U.S. had asked for and has been granted permission for its military aircraft to overfly Armenia's territory.

Georgia opens airspace to U.S.

TBILISI - The Georgian government has acceded to a U.S. request for cargo planes to transit Georgian airspace within the parameters of the expected anti-terrorist strikes against targets in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Irakli Menagharishvili told journalists on October 1, according to Caucasus Press.

Uzbekistan offers its airspace

TASHKENT - Branding terrorism as "the plague of the 21st century, Uzbek President Islam Karimov told a meeting of senior Uzbek security officials on October 1 that his country "is ready to make its airspace available" for participating military aircraft in the event of strikes against terrorist bases in Afghanistan, Reuters reported.

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