U.S. to Target Bin Laden First, Then Other Groups

The United States will target and attempt to destroy terrorist organizations that played no direct role in the attacks on New York and the Pentagon once it finishes with Osama bin Laden and his network, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said Thursday.

“When we have dealt with Al Qaeda, the [terrorist] network, [and] Osama bin Laden, the individual, we will then broaden our campaign to go after other terrorist organizations and forms of terrorism around the world,” Powell said after meeting with top officials of the European Union. “It is a long-term campaign. It will be done in a deliberate way. It will be done in a decisive way.”

Although the administration has previously signaled that its war on terrorism would extend beyond Bin Laden’s network, Powell’s comments made clear that the initial effort is focused on Al Qaeda.

The broader effort appears to ensure a conflict that could last for years. Even the code name the Pentagon is said to have selected for the operation--Infinite Justice--seems to imply a very long haul.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday that the name probably will be changed. Islamic scholars complained it was blasphemous because only God can dispense infinite justice.

“Obviously, the United States does not want to do or say things that create an impression on the part of the listener that would be a misunderstanding, and clearly that would be,” Rumsfeld told a Pentagon press conference.

It was the second time since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that the administration’s language has run afoul of Middle East sensibilities.

Both President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney referred to the war against terrorism as a “crusade,” a term that to most Americans and Europeans means a vigorous and moral campaign. But in the Middle East, “crusade” means the invasion of the Holy Land by medieval European knights who were determined to drive the Muslims from Jerusalem and establish a Christian kingdom. The crusaders slaughtered thousands of Muslims, Jews and Eastern Orthodox Christians who stood in their way.

Meanwhile, Bush and Powell continued a painstaking and apparently largely successful effort to establish a new anti-terrorism coalition. Bush discussed the issue over dinner with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, his most vocal supporter among foreign leaders.

Earlier in the day, Powell obtained the support of the European Union, joining the world’s two strongest economies for a common cause. In a joint statement, Powell and the EU leadership pledged “a comprehensive, systematic and sustained effort to eliminate international terrorism--its leaders, its actors, its networks. Those responsible for aiding, supporting or harboring the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of these acts will be held accountable.”

The foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Saud al Faisal, also pledged the support of his government after meeting with Bush and Powell.

He told reporters that the fight against terrorism “requires a very persistent battle to remove the infrastructure that terrorism relies upon.”

In his public remarks, the prince did not mention that Bin Laden and numerous supporters were born in Saudi Arabia, many of them to prominent families. Saudi officials point out that Bin Laden’s citizenship has been revoked and that some of the hijackers had stolen Saudi identity documents. They do acknowledge that a number of Saudi citizens were involved, although all are opponents of the government.