Thinking Globally, Acting Locally

Participating in a nationally televised “town hall” meeting, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Thursday that countries around the world are standing in solidarity with the United States in its fight against terrorism.

“There can be no doubt that the recent terrorist attacks have affected us all,” Annan said. “Terrorism can strike anywhere, and at any time. This attack has wounded the entire world.”

As Annan sought to express a global view from New York, a panel of state and city officials broke off into their own discussion in Los Angeles.

The local panel, which included Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo and state energy czar S. David Freeman, called for diligence and tolerance on the home front.

“We need to proceed with a sense of hope instead of fear,” Delgadillo said.

The televised talks, aired on Adelphia Cable in Los Angeles, were intended to give Annan and local officials in 10 locations throughout the country a chance to ask questions and air their views via satellite.

In his opening remarks, Annan told Americans that the United Nations is providing the framework for a broad international coalition.

In a taped statement aired during the segment, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell praised the U.N. for seeking to mobilize the international community to combat terrorism in an effort to promote international peace and security.

“The U.N. is helping to send a message that while the world condemns [Osama] bin Laden and his vicious network and the Taliban regime, it has great compassion for the people suffering in Afghanistan,” Powell said.

Responding to questions from audience members across the country, Annan said the U.N. will work to “tackle the root causes and conditions that breed desperation and sometimes encourage young men and young people to become terrorists.”

It was a sentiment echoed by members of the Los Angeles panel, which also included women’s rights activist Mavis Leno and U.N. humanitarian affairs coordinator Phyllis Lee.

Baca called for officials to work together to address the underpinnings of violence of all kinds.

“If we can get to the bottom of that, we might be able to stop terrorism,” Baca said.

The secretary-general also said he hopes the U.N.’s 189 member nations will play a critical role in preventing future attacks by freezing the assets of terrorists.

“We need to fight them on a wide range of fronts,” Annan said.

He added that the U.N. is seeking to play a humanitarian role in Afghanistan by delivering food and other supplies. As for the home front, he urged Americans to exercise tolerance against Muslims.

President Bush “has been very clear in telling the population not to take the law into your own hands,” Annan said. “Do not go after Islam. This is not the way of Islam.”

After Annan’s question-and-answer session, the dialogue continued for more than an hour in Los Angeles.

Freeman sought to assure the audience that the state’s water supply is safe from attack. However, he said, Californians need to work to secure alternative means of transportation to ease consumers’ dependence on oil from the Middle East.

He also said it’s important that the nations of the world reach out to the poor.

“The only way to dry up the swamp that feeds terrorism is by giving people around the world hope and food,” Freeman said.

Cable television host Bill Rosendahl led the session among the local panel members and an invitation-only audience gathered at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The audience--largely brought together by local U.N. associations--included business people, academics, civic leaders, youth and clergy.