Excerpts: Syria defines terrorism. Question bin Laden involvement.
Terror--ultimately caused by the US. Egypt condemns terrorism -- but! 17
September 2001

+++ JORDAN TIMES 16 Sept.'01: "Syria says world anti-terror campaign must
target Israel"

QUOTES FROM TEXT: "any global anti-terrorist campaign should also be
directed at Israel"

"the Jewish state sees `a golden opportunity to kill more Palestinians
without the world interfering."

"Syria is on the State Department's list of countries accused of backing
terrorism."
=======================

EXCERPTS: DAMASCUS (AFP) - The official Syrian press said Saturday that any
global anti-terrorist campaign should also be directed at Israel ... . . . .
"The world must be reminded as it heads for a fight against terrorism that
Israel carries out large-scale terrorism" ... the government daily Tishrin
wrote.

... Sharon is "one of the biggest symbols of terrorism,"... . . . . "To wipe
out terrorism also requires the establishment of peace and world security,
which is difficult to put in place if one does not take into consideration
the situation of the Arab world and the dangers emanating

from Israeli aggression," Tishrin said. . . . Al-Thawra [daily] also sought
to draw Washington's attention to Israel's

"exploitation" of the attacks in the United States because the Jewish state
sees "a golden opportunity to kill more Palestinians without the world
interfering." . . . US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday he was
pleased that Syrian President Bashar Assad had sent "a very strong letter of
support towards the efforts against terrorism" to President George W. Bush.

That statement was followed by a telephone converstation between Powell and
his Syrian counterpart Farouq Sharaa, who reiterated his country's
condemnation of terrorism.

Syria is on the US State Department's list of countries accused of backing
terrorism. It rejects the accusation, saying the Palestinian organisations
it harbours, and the Lebanese Hizbollah which it supports, are merely
resisting Israeli occupation.

+++ AL-AHRAM WEEKLY 13-19 Sept.'01:"Jumping the gun"

QUOTES FROM TEXT: "bin Laden was quoted by the Taliban mouthpiece Awsaf --
as saying that although he supports the attacks, he denies responsibility.
He was also quoted by the Pakistani newspaper Khabarian as saying that the
terrorist attack was `the action of some American group; I have nothing to
do with it.' "

"America had succeeded in making 'many enemies' in Europe, Latin America and
inside America itself. `So why are US extremist organisations excluded?' "

"brutal attacks like Oklahoma City and Tuesday's attacks are the normal
outcome of irrational policies, both domestic and international, adopted by
the US government."
===

HEADING:" Islamist leaders warn the West not to point fingers too quickly,
reports Jailan Halawi

EXCERPTS: Although no one has claimed responsibility for the wave of suicide
attacks ... US officials have strongly indicated that the highly
sophisticated operation has all the hallmarks of the style adopted by Saudi
dissident Osama bin Laden. . . . Hours after the attack, bin Laden was
quoted by the Taliban mouthpiece Awsaf -- as saying that although he
supports the attacks, he denies responsibility. He was also quoted by the
Pakistani newspaper Khabarian as saying that the terrorist attack was "the
action of some American group; I have nothing to do with it."

{IMRA: Could the "American group" be non-Americans based in America?}

In a telephone interview from his London office, Yasser El-Serri, who runs
the London-based Islamic Observation Centre, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the
United States "should not resort to pre-conceived accusations against bin
Laden or any other Islamic groups so long as they do not have evidence."
El-Serri noted that America had succeeded in making "many enemies" in
Europe, Latin America and inside America itself; "So why are US extremist
organisations excluded?" El-Serri demanded. . . . El-Serri suggested that
brutal attacks like Oklahoma City and Tuesday's attacks are the normal
outcome of the irrational policies, both domestic and international, adopted
by the US government. On Wednesday, Afghanistan's Taliban warned that it was
too premature to talk about extraditing bin Laden. Previous US requests for
the extradition of bin Laden have received the stock response that the
Taliban would consider doing so if any proof were presented against the
dissident.

Meanwhile, Germany said on Wednesday that its intelligence agencies agreed
with those of France, Britain and Israel that bin Laden was probably behind
the attacks on the US, but admitted that they did not have hard evidence.
"The repetition of the attacks on the World Trade Center suggests in several
ways that the assailants are indeed linked to the network of bin Laden,"
German Chancellery Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.

+++ JORDAN TIMES 14 Sept.'01:Editorial: "Reach back and give fairness a
chance"

QUOTES FROM TEXT: " `Terrorism is not new... I am surprised that something
similar had not happened earlier.' "(Abdullah)

"the opportunity for drawing the hardest of lessons and reassessing of
pre-attack attitudes should not be wasted by the US.
========================

EXCERPTS: AS THE waves of shock, disbelief and horror continue to
reverberate around the world ... King Abdullah could not have been more
clear in urging the closing of ranks to rout out terrorism. . . . "Terrorism
is not new ... I am surprised that something similar had not happened
earlier."

{IMRA: The underlying message is that the US is ultimately responsible and
that Islamic culture does not ask why the grievances were addressed in such
a manner.} . . . "If the US had resolved the problems in the Middle East,
notably the Israeli-Palestinian problem, I seriously doubt that they (the
terrorist attacks) would have taken place," ... .

While the enormity, the brutality, the inhumanity and the depth of the wound
inflicted on the American people by these terrorist attacks, leave no space
for recrimination, and while the dust of this outrageous disaster continues
to spew, the opportunity for drawing the hardest of lessons and reassessing
of pre-attack attitudes should not be wasted by the US. . . . The people of
the US have every right ... to recognise the depth of their pain and the
intensity of their anger. It is indeed a boundless disaster. . . . The
danger now lies in allowing their anger to engulf them in the very vicious
cycle where terrorism hides.

Let us leave no doubt that terrorism should be condemned and eliminated

from our fragile world. The bitter truth is that injustices long prevailing
in our region have led to extremism and as such, the battle against
terrorism should address such injustices.

+++ JORDAN TIMES 16 Sept.'01: " Mubarak opposes anti-terrorist coalition
outside UN auspices - report"

QUOTES FROM TEXT: "Egypt would not be `part of any coalition and that the
fight against terrorism must be done as part of an international conference
of the UN or Security Council..' "

"Asked whether Egypt could in any way assist US retaliation against the
terrorist attacks on Tuesday, Maher said the question `has not been
broached'."

"the country's newspapers expressed sympathy for Americans after the
terrorist attacks, but criticised the country's policies and leaders."

" `These decisions serve American interests abroad, and those also of
Israel' "

" `The celebrations in the certain Arab cities were the best gift that we
could have offered the American media, which have mobilised to disfigure the
image of Arabs and Muslims' "

=
EXCERPTS: CAIRO (AFP) - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak opposes any
anti-terrorist coalition to confront the attacks on the United States that
is not under the auspices of the United Nations, an official newspaper said
Saturday.

"A coalition grouping a select number of countries must not be formed since
that will not permit decisive and collective international action against
terrorism," Mubarak told the government-run Al Ahram daily.

{IMRA: So --the Jordan times identifies AL-AHRAM as "government-run". Its
not a Zionist originated tag.}

"It would be better to hold an international conference against terrorism
under the auspices of the United Nations to adopt binding resolutions for
all the countries of the world," he said. . . . Mubarak called Friday for a
UN conference on terrorism, and several years ago urged a similar summit
after his country was hit by a wave of attacks by Islamic fundamentalists
during the 1990s. . . . Foreign Minister Ahmad Maher, also quoted by Al
Ahram, said Egypt would "not be part of any coalition and that the fight
against terrorism must be done as part of an international conference of the
UN or Security Council."

Asked whether Egypt could in any way assist US retaliation against the
terrorist attacks on Tuesday, Maher said the question "has not been
broached."

Egypt... is the second largest beneficiary of US aide in the Middle East
after Israel, with $1.3 billion of annual military aid.

Meanwhile, the country's newspapers expressed sympathy for Americans after
the terrorist attacks, but criticised the country's policies and leaders.

"We do not rejoice in the suffering of a people who are friends," said the
government daily Al Akhbar, which also published an editorial on the errors
of successive US administrations.

"It is not a secret that the United States elicits hate and resentment of
numerous governments and people in the world because of its political
decisions taken in a unilateral way," said the paper's editor-in-chief
Ibrahim Saada.

"These decisions only serve American interests abroad, and those also of
Israel," he said.

The Al Ahram editor called on the United States to "show lots of wisdom" to
redeem a reputation tarnished in the eyes of Arabs, but also said it
"sympathised with the sorrow and anger" of the nation.

"US credibility is especially in doubt in the Middle East over the bloody
clashes between the Palestinians and Israelis," said Ibrahim Nafie.

{IMRA: Nafie is AL-AHRAM's chairman and Mubarak's favorite journalist.}

Others commented on the initial approval of some Egyptians of the horrific
Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, and the celebrations that erupted in
the Palestinian territories and their refugee camps in Lebanon.

"The celebrations in the certain Arab cities were the best gift that we
could have offered the American media, which have mobilised to disfigure the
image of Arabs and Muslims," said Daoud Al Sherian, an editorialist with the
Arab-language Al Hayat daily.

{IMRA: Had there been no `celebrations', the media would have had nothing to
show.}

Dr. Joseph Lerner, Co-Director IMRA