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Straw makes direct appeal to Afghan people
In a direct appeal to the Afghan people, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Osama bin Laden must be brought to justice and warned the Taliban `Those who try to shield such men from justice share their guilt.`
In a direct appeal to the Afghan people, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Osama bin Laden must be brought to justice and warned the Taliban "Those who try to shield such men from justice share their guilt."
In a radio message put out on the BBC World Service and the Voice of America on Friday, Straw insisted: "This is not a fight against Islam, it is a fight against terror." And the warnings from Britain, Washington's staunchest ally in President Bush's "war on terrorism," were stark -- the government in London said time was running out for bin Laden, prime suspect behind last month's U.S. suicide attacks.
While Prime Minister Tony Blair was in Moscow shoring up the international coalition against terrorism, Straw took the highly unusual step of making a direct appeal to the Afghan people. In his message, he said: ""While the Taliban leaders connive with foreign terrorists, the Afghan people suffer from poverty, drought and hunger."
Officials said Straw's message was read out in Pashto and other ethnic languages. They expected up to 72 percent of Pashto speakers to hear the specially timed early morning broadcast.
He said a new world consensus had taken shape against terrorism and insisted "We have no quarrel with the people of Afghanistan."
"There has been no rush to retaliate. Our interest is not revenge but justice and security," he said.
But the signals coming from London were increasingly bellicose.
Wrapping up a day-long parliamentary debate on the crisis, Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said the time was approaching for "forceful military action."
Hoon said the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington had cast a shadow over the world.
"We face a choice: to cower in the face of this threat, or to destroy it. With our allies, we are determined to eliminate terrorism as a force in international affairs," Hoon said.
He warned the Taliban that their chance to avoid military reprisal by handing over bin Laden and ending "their support for terrorism is fast running out."
Bureau Report
In a radio message put out on the BBC World Service and the Voice of America on Friday, Straw insisted: "This is not a fight against Islam, it is a fight against terror." And the warnings from Britain, Washington's staunchest ally in President Bush's "war on terrorism," were stark -- the government in London said time was running out for bin Laden, prime suspect behind last month's U.S. suicide attacks.
While Prime Minister Tony Blair was in Moscow shoring up the international coalition against terrorism, Straw took the highly unusual step of making a direct appeal to the Afghan people. In his message, he said: ""While the Taliban leaders connive with foreign terrorists, the Afghan people suffer from poverty, drought and hunger."
Officials said Straw's message was read out in Pashto and other ethnic languages. They expected up to 72 percent of Pashto speakers to hear the specially timed early morning broadcast.
He said a new world consensus had taken shape against terrorism and insisted "We have no quarrel with the people of Afghanistan."
"There has been no rush to retaliate. Our interest is not revenge but justice and security," he said.
But the signals coming from London were increasingly bellicose.
Wrapping up a day-long parliamentary debate on the crisis, Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said the time was approaching for "forceful military action."
Hoon said the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington had cast a shadow over the world.
"We face a choice: to cower in the face of this threat, or to destroy it. With our allies, we are determined to eliminate terrorism as a force in international affairs," Hoon said.
He warned the Taliban that their chance to avoid military reprisal by handing over bin Laden and ending "their support for terrorism is fast running out."
Bureau Report