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U.S. Allies Cautiously Support Plans for Retaliation
PARIS, Sept 15 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The unprecedented coalition of international support built by the United States since the devastating attacks on its cities warily eyed the wounded giant Saturday as it prepared to strike back, news agencies reported.
U.S. President George W. Bush has vowed to use aggressive actions to punish the perpetrators now assumed to have carried out the strikes on Washington and New York, winning support from both U.S. lawmakers and foreign allies.
In Washington, Congress granted Bush overwhelming approval to use military force against the perpetrators, and approved a $40 billion package to finance such a strike, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
By a vote of 420-1, the U.S. House of Representatives late Friday approved a resolution authorizing Bush to use force against those responsible for "terrorist attacks on U.S. soil".
The U.S. Senate unanimously (98-0) passed a similar measure earlier in the day, giving Bush the authority to strike back at those involved in Tuesday's attacks.
Moreover, the Pentagon announced that U.S. military planners have assigned allotments for 35,500 defense troops. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld requested authorization to activate up to 50,000 National Guard and Reserve troops, which Bush approved. The Army will supply 10,000, the Air Force 13,000, the Marines 7,500, the Navy 3,000 and the Coast Guard, 2,000.
The specific units will be named, according to Pentagon sources, by the individual services, which are still formulating plans.
According to the Pentagon, "These reservists are being called upon to provide port operations, medical support, engineer support, general civil support and homeland defense."
Rumsfeld requested the "call-up" as part of a Bush Administration plan of reaction to Tuesday's attacks on the Pentagon and New York's World Trade Center.
But, allies are cautioning that their support for military action does not amount to a carte blanche for Washington to lead their men on an "ill-focused crusade", AFP reported.
Support for Bush's stance was strongest in Europe, particularly in Britain, which sees itself as America's closest ally and partner in the U.S.'s grief; hundreds of Britons are thought to have been among the thousands slain in New York.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has offered Bush his full support, but insisted Friday that any retaliation "must and will be based on hard evidence".
Britain has its military on standby - a large armada of troopships was already on its way to the Middle East for exercises when the attacks took place - but Blair's spokesman reiterates that the support does not amount to a "blank check".
France's Prime Minister Lionel Jospin said that his government's "solidarity does not deprive us of our freedom of judgment" and Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder admitted: "I will have to make one of the most difficult decisions of my life next week."
Despite the unprecedented vote by the NATO Council to put the Alliance at the disposal of their injured ally, Europe can only offer slim practical military support - beyond intelligence input - analysts say, AFP reported.
Analysts claim that Bush's biggest challenge will be to balance the Alliance's mission to avenge what they called "the world's worst ever terror attack" with the need to maintain friendships and stability in the Middle East and Asia, and Russia.
On Saturday, Russia signaled that it would back U.S. action against training bases in Afghanistan, with Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov saying, "In the fight against terrorism, we cannot rule out the use of force."
Russian President Valdimir Putin agreed that "evil must be punished," but both men warned that an attack must be carefully thought through. "We must not let ourselves be provoked by terrorists," Putin said.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has signaled that from now on, foreign states will be judged on "their attitudes toward terrorism".
"I am not threatening so much as I am saying that this has become a new benchmark, a new way of measuring the relationship," Powell said, warning that "unresponsive" states would face a variety of consequences, up to and including military attack.
On Friday, Powell spoke to leaders in Algeria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Tunisia, hoping to "build the coalition".
Philippine President Gloria Arroya said Saturday that the Philippines would offer "all-out support" to the growing coalition.
China's President Jiang Zemin said China was ready to "strengthen dialogue and cooperation with the U.S. and the international community in combating all manner of terrorist violence."
Allied support could involve measures such as opening international airspace and bases to U.S. forces.
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