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Wednesday, October 10, 2001
Egypt's leader gives support to U.S. attack
But Mubarak tempers his comments for his own people
By Donna Bryson
Associated Press
   CAIRO, Egypt - In his first comment on the strikes on Afghanistan, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak balanced his support of the United States with the need to answer his public's opposition to an anti-terrorism campaign many fear will unfairly target Arabs and Muslims.
   Arab foreign ministers gathering Tuesday for an emergency conference of Islamic nations in the Qatari capital expressed similar concerns, warning that the United States should not expand the scope of its attacks. The 57 members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference meet Wednesday in Doha to try to forge a consensus on the anti-terrorism campaign.
   "We are against terrorism because we have been burned by it," Mubarak said Tuesday. His security forces have cracked down hard on anti-government Muslim militants here.
   "We support all the measures taken by the United States to resist terrorism," Mubarak told reporters.
   Palestinian issue raised
   Asked about fears America will expand its war beyond Afghanistan, Mubarak did not say other countries would be spared, but said he had been assured the United States would try not to hurt "innocent civilians."
   Mubarak also linked the U.S. anti-terrorism campaign to the Palestinian issue.
   Arabs accuse America of favoring Israel in the dispute with the Palestinians, and argue this has created frustration that fuels terrorism. They also worry that while the United States is striking Afghanistan now because it harbors No. 1 terror suspect Osama bin Laden, the next target could be an Arab state.
   No 'hasty action'
   The United States has long accused three Arab states of sponsoring terrorism - Iraq, Syria and Sudan. On Monday, the United States told the U.N. Security Council that it may have to attack countries other than Afghanistan to root out terrorism.
   In Doha, the Arab foreign ministers warned against that.
   "We are concerned about any expansion in the scope of the strikes. Hasty action in addressing terrorism will harm Arabs and Muslims," Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem told reporters before the meeting.
   Taliban to attend
   A representative of the Taliban is expected to attend the OIC session on Wednesday, which gathers Arab and non-Arab Islamic nations.
   In an official statement Monday, Jordan - like Egypt a moderate Arab country seen as a U.S. partner in Mideast peacemaking - reiterated its support for "international efforts to combat terrorism."
   But it also called for dealing "with the primary reasons which are causing frustration in our region and this means a just solution to the Palestinian problem."
   The Saudi government has made no comment since the United States began bombing Afghanistan on Sunday.

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