M A I N   N E W S

NATO draws plan on Bin Laden

Brussels, September 13
The 19 NATO allies, in a powerful message of solidarity with the United States of America today agreed to invoke the collective defence clause of the North Atlantic Treaty, if Washington determined that yesterday’s terrorist attacks were masterminded from abroad.

BEIJING: NATO should consult countries outside Europe before launching action following the terrorist attacks in the United States of America, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Wang Guangya said today maintaining anything done beyond Europe “will have implications” elsewhere.

“Any action taken will have its implications for other regions, so it’s better that consultation be conducted,” said Wang, answering questions at a press conference in Beijing on a separate issue.

“NATO is a regional military organisation within Europe, so if action is taken beyond Europe, it will have implications. So that’s why I think consultation is needed.”

In a powerful message of solidarity with the USA yeseterday, the 19 NATO members agreed the alliance would support any US response to the attacks under the terms of Article five of the Washington Treaty.

This states that an armed attack against any ally in Europe or North America should be considered an attack against them all.

LONDON: NATO is drawing up an emergency plan for a possible massive attack on Afghanistan if evidence emerges that Osama bin Laden and his network were responsible for the attacks on New York and Washington, Britain’s Guardian newspaper said in its edition today.

The newspaper said Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban would come under intense pressure from Washington to hand over Bin Laden, the Saudi-born dissident now living there, “or face the consequences”.

Quoting NATO defence sources, the Guardian said that under contingency plans being prepared, an assault would involve tens of thousands of ground troops.

Such a taskforce, which could take weeks to assemble, would not preclude an initial US cruise missile attack, it quoted the sources as saying.

Any multinational offensive would require the active support of Russia, but the NATO countries appeared confident of securing it, the paper said.

British forces would almost certainly be involved in such an attack, it said.

NATO yesterday invoked its mutual defence clause for the first time in its 52-year history, opening the way for a possible collective military response.

Senior US officials have said initial evidence points to the organisation of Osama bin Laden, who is blamed for bombing two US Embassies in East Africa and other anti-American attacks.

The Guardian said intelligence sources ranging from the CIA to Britain’s MI6, the French, Germans, Russians and Israelis were unanimous “in pointing the finger of suspicion at supporters of Osama bin Laden’’, though they stressed that they did not have proof.

In Kabul, Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban said it was premature to talk about extraditing Bin Laden until evidence was presented.

The Urdu-language Khabrain daily in Pakistan said Bin Laden had told the newspaper through “sources close to the Taliban’’ that he was not involved in the attacks on New York and Washington. AFP, Reuters

Bin Laden’s network being probed in Britain
Sanjay Suri

Recruits of Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden are seen training in this frame from an undated training video at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. Stalls in Pakistan have been selling VCDs issued by Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda which show Muslim youths being trained to fight. Recruits of Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden wave their guns and display Korans in this frame from an undated training video at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. — Reuters photos