ISLAMIC LEADERS REJECT IMPERIALIST WAR Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit source - cana11@juno.com ISLAMIC LEADERS REJECT IMPERIALIST WAR by Luis Martin October 10, 2001 Foreign ministers of Islamic states met today in an emergency meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference issuing statements critical of the manner in which the U.S. is conducting the war against terrorism. Muslim leaders questioned whether the evidence gathered by the U.S. government on the September 11 attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon supports the attack on Afghanistan and whether innocent civilians are paying the price of retaliation. Qatar's Emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani said retaliation "should not extend to any but those who carried out those attacks. This requires providing conclusive evidence against the culprits." In an apparent rebuke of George W. Bush, he added: "The Islamic world was among the first to have called for the dialogue of civilizations... instead of falling into conflicting sects, camps and clashing dichotomies based on the principle of 'If you are not on my side, then you are against me.'" Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat warned at the meeting that the world should not focus solely on the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks and forget about the Palestinian-Israeli violence. Alluding to the Palestinian cause, Sheik Hamad called for a distinction to be made between terrorism and a people's "legitimate right to defend their freedom and self-determination." The ministers ended their meeting expressing in the final communique the Islamic conference's willingness to participate in a U.N.-led effort "to define terrorism without selection or double standards and by treating its causes and eradicating its roots." (Earlier in the week, the Carlos Balin~o Institute issued a similar call in reference to Cuba appearing on list concocted by the U.S. government of countries that support terrorism). The communique also rejected "targeting any Islamic or Arab state under the pretext of fighting terrorism" and expressed its concern over the death of Afghan civilians as a result of the U.S. strikes. Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa told The Associated Press that targeting Arab or Muslim states is "forbidden." "It was reaffirmed that the conference rejected outright targeting of any Arab or Muslim state and this means that all Arabs and Muslims will stand with the country that is attacked," he said. The communique for foreign ministers of the 56-member Islamic conference also rejected "linking terrorism to the Arab and Muslim people's rights, including the Palestinian and Lebanese people's right to self-determination, self-defense and resisting Israeli and foreign occupation and aggression." (It is hoped that the Arab leaders are not just reacting to fear of their own people and that they will back up their words with strong initiatives to halt the imperialist war). -- Luis * AP via The New York Times - October 10, 2001 http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Attacks-Islamic-Conference.html Islamic Conference Questions U.S. Attacks By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 4:33 p.m. ET DOHA, Qatar (AP) -- Leaders of Islamic nations called on the world to address the roots of terrorism and expressed concern Wednesday over the death of Afghan civilians in the U.S.-led bombing campaign. Ending a special session of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the foreign ministers from the world's Muslim nations also said that Palestinians and Lebanese fighters "resisting" Israel cannot be called terrorists. As the U.S.-led airstrikes continued Wednesday, Afghanistan's Taliban rulers sent a letter to the conference in Doha, Qatar, appealing to Muslim leaders to "stop this tragic attack by America." But Qatari diplomats said the letter was not received and it was not addressed in the final conference statement. In the session's final statement, the 56 OIC members did not directly condemn the U.S. air campaign, instead expressing concern over the death of Afghan civilians. They appeared more concerned with the prospect of the United States expanding its attacks with strikes against an Arab nation. Washington has said it may target other countries -- though it has not named them -- in the fight against terror, and it lists several anti-Israeli groups based in Arab nations as terrorist groups. In the final statement, the foreign ministers rejected "targeting any Islamic or Arab state under the pretext of fighting terrorism." Qatar's Emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, addressing the gathering's opening, condemned the Sept. 11 attacks. But he said retaliation "should not extend to any but those who carried out those attacks." The United States has said it seeks to avoid civilian causalities in its assault. The Taliban say dozens have been killed, though only four civilian deaths have been independently confirmed. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, speaking at the Doha meeting, said the world should not forget about Palestinian-Israeli violence. "While the world is busy with the American tragedy, the Israeli government is using its military might to escalate its aggression against our people and to reoccupy our land," Arafat said. Sheik Hamad also urged the United States to show evidence who was behind the attacks last month on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Some ministers said they were not yet convinced by U.S. claims Osama bin Laden was behind them. The conference had set the date for the session late last month as it became clear the United States was preparing military strikes against Afghanistan, where the Taliban harbor bin Laden. The Taliban have observer status at the OIC but did not send a representative to the meeting. The ministers expressed willingness to participate in a U.N.-led effort "to define terrorism without selection or double standards and by treating its causes and eradicating its roots." The statement did not elaborate, but Arabs have argued that anger and frustration over America's Mideast policies could lead to extremism. They say that America favors Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians. Qatar offered to contribute $10 million to aid Afghans, while Saudi Arabia donated $10 million, the United Arab Emirates $3 million and Oman $1 million. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan sent a message of support to Doha, saying the Organization of the Islamic Conference "has a central role in devising an effective strategy to combat terrorism, not least because your member states have themselves suffered from terrorism." ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytas-10.13.01-00:22:58-4333