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Despite Promises, U.S. Warns Attacks Could Target Other Countries
WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (News Agencies) - The U.S. renewed its attacks on Afghanistan today as the U.S. sent a letter to the U.N. Security Council justifying possible hits on other countries, contradicting promises it made to Egypt and Jordan last week that no Arab countries would be targeted.
The new round of attacks came shortly after diplomats at the United Nations revealed Washington had given notice that it could strike other countries in retaliation against the terror attacks it suffered last month, news agencies reported.
"We may find that our self-defense may require further actions with respect to other organizations and other states," a letter to the U.N. Security Council Sunday said.
In its missive, the United States justified the strikes against Afghanistan by invoking a clause in the U.N. charter granting nations "the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense," diplomats said.
There was no indication of what the future targets could be.
The U.S.-led strikes made "some progress" in destruction of air defense sites in Afghanistan, according to preliminary evaluations, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Monday.
U.S.-led forces attacked the airport at the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad Monday for the second night running, the Afghan Islamic Press reported.
The campaign against international terrorism "will likely be sustained for a period of years," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Monday.
The latest statements from the U.S. contradict reports from Egypt and Jordan last week that the U.S. has assured them they would not attack Arab countries.
Egypt is "sure" that the United States will not attack any Arab country in its crackdown on terrorism, Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said last Wednesday, although Washington has not ruled out strikes on Iraq, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"We are sure the United States will not attack any Arab country, and I don't want to say any more," Maher told reporters.
The Egyptian minister was questioned on whether the United States had retracted assurances it would not retaliate against any Arab country for the September 11th terror attacks in New York and Washington.
Maher said last week that Egypt had received such an assurance.
The White House said the next day that U.S. President George W. Bush had given no promise in a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II that Arab countries would not be in the firing line.
The Jordanian monarch said he had received such an assurance, but that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell later hinted that Washington could target Iraq in a later phase of its anti-terror campaign.
Asked if Bush's administration had ruled out bombing targets in Iraq, Powell told a CBS television interviewer: "The president has focused on the first phase of the operation ...
"He has ruled nothing out with respect to the second, third or fourth phases of our campaign militarily."
The Cairo-based Arab League last week warned the United States that any attack on an Arab country would harm efforts to forge a coalition against terrorism.
"If this happens it will lead to a very serious situation across the Middle East and would harm any idea of international cooperation or alliance or coalition," Arab League chief Amr Mussa said.
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