British Prime Minister Tony Blair called Friday for tough concerted action to punish those behind the bloody terrorist strikes in the US, but caution in identifying the perpetrators.
"We have to identify with care those responsible," he told parliament in an emergency debate. Any action "must and will be based on hard evidence."
"It will be determined, it will take time, it will continue over time, until this menace is properly dealt with and its machinery of terror destroyed," he said.
"By their acts these terrorists and those behind them have made themselves the enemies of the entire civilised world."
Blair described Tuesday's suicide plane hijackings against New York and Washington, which are believed to have killed thousands, as of "epoch-making proportions."
The death toll is expected to include hundreds of Britons.
"In order to protect the world from further terror it is necessary to take action," Blair added.
"We will, as we always do, take action in a considered, careful way, but action will have to be taken."
The prime minister also warned countries harboring extremist groups that they faced a choice: "cease their protection of our enemies, or be treated as enemies themselves."
Blair praised US President George W. Bush for not lashing out immediately. "Their very deliberation is a measure of the seriousness of their intent."
He also sought to assure Muslims worldwide that the West did not consider the attacks as
"If, as appears likely, it is so-called Islamic fundamentalists, we know they do not speak or act for the vast majority of decent law-abiding Muslims throughout the world," he said.
"I say to our Arab and Muslim friends, neither you nor Islam is responsible for this.
"Whatever the cause, whatever the perversion of religious feeling, whatever the political belief, to inflict such terror on the world, to take the lives of so many innocent and defenseless men, women and children can never ever be justified” – LONDON (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
