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FLORIDA TODAY, Thursday, Sept. 1 3, 2001 1 7 A mlfisi? syiiisi Attack on America: The world reacts European Union proclaims no safe haven for terrorists les tend to irowsie 7'. Si art, In the event of attacks each ally will assist (the United States) by taking such action as it deems necessary. Accordingly, the United States' NATO allies stand ready to provide the assistance that may be required as a consequence of these acts of barbarism. NATO allies Pi'' 1 i ,4 I 'I 1 -f 'r 1 i 4 3 V1 Associated Press BRUSSELS, Belgium In a strong show of support, Washing-ton's NATO allies declared Wednesday that the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington can be considered an attack on the whole alliance if they were directed from abroad.

"An attack on one is an attack on all," NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson said after the alliance's 19 ambassadors decided to invoke Article 5 of the NATO charter for the first time in the alliance's history. The decision obliges America's allies to provide support for any military operation against those responsible if Tuesday's attacks were committed by foreigners, he said. "The country that is attacked has got to make the decision and has got to be the one that asks for help," Robertson said. "They have not reached that judgment as to who did it and why they did it." Shortly before the announcement, Secretary of State Colin Powell said invoking the principle would not necessarily mean using NATO force against terrorists and their protectors. It could include anything from opening up air space and providing intelligence to contributing troops and equipment.

Powell telephoned the leaders of the United Nations, NATO and the European Union on Wednesday in search of support for a coordinated response to the attacks on the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon. He made two calls to Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and also spoke with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and top officials from Germany, Canada and Italy, among other countries. At a special meeting, EU foreign ministers asked "all Europeans to observe three minutes of silence" at 6 a.m. EDT Friday. They declared Friday a "day of mourning" in all 15 EU nations because the attacks were "not only on the United States, but against humanity itself and the values of freedom we all share." "There will be no safe haven for terrorists and their sponsors," the EU ministers said in a statement.

"The Union will work closely with the United States and all partners to combat international terrorism." NATO officials stressed there was no discussion of military intervention at this point. "At the moment this is an act of solidarity," Robertson said, adding the declaration "in no way" binds the United States "against taking action on its own." A senior German official, meanwhile, said German, French, British and Israeli secret services consider Saudi exile Osama bin Laden as the prime suspect behind the attacks. "The way it was carried out, the choice of targets, the military approach, the highly professional preparation and the presumably large financial resources (all) mean there are many points that indicate we should look for the perpetrators among those around Osama bin Laden," Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's chief of staff said. Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Germany expects the United States to launch strikes against whomever it determines carried out the attacks. The notion of an attack against one ally being considered an attack against all dates back to the alliance's founding in 1949.

In a statement, the NATO allies said "in the event of attacks each ally will assist (the United States) by taking such action as it deems necessary. Accordingly, the United States' NATO allies stand ready to provide the assistance that may be required as a consequence of these acts of barbarism." i AP Ethnic Albanian rebel, front, patrols the road Wednesday as Ital- 21 miles west of Skopje. NATO forces will continue today to col-ian NATO soldiers guard heavy weapons in Otilja, Macedonia, lect weapons of Albanian rebels. Some Arabs feel glory, grief toward U.S. a We have to reflect on why we, as Arabs and Muslims, have sunk so low as to glorify violence and destruction.

Yes, we can differ with U.S. policy. Yes, the U.S. way of life may differ. But there's no way for me as a human being to accept violence.

J' Ahmed Bishara, Kuwaiti political activist While Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat condemned the attacks Tuesday, about 4,000 people poured into the streets chanting, "God is Great." Still, even nations long at odds with the United States Libya, Syria, Sudan and Iran denounced the attacks. "Irrespective of the conflict with America, it is a human duty to show sympathy with the American people," Libyan leader Moam-mar Gadhafi said. poverty and factional fighting in south Lebanon. Ein el-Hilweh's 70,000 residents blame America's military and diplomatic support of Israel for preventing them from returning to homes they or their parents fled when the Jewish state was founded in 1948. "I felt sorry for the victims of the New York attacks, but, regrettably, America feels no sorrow for those who are killed with U.S.

weapons," said Ebtissam Shaaban of Ein el-Hilweh. Others say it is America that should take notice. "If American policy-makers are wise, they are going to try to get to the bottom of this American indifference," said Gamal Nkrumah, a writer living in Cairo. "A lot of people feel that the U.S. couldn't care less about the suffering of three-quarters of mankind." Few Americans would recognize the portrait of their country in places like Ein el-Hilweh, a Palestinian refugee camp gripped by and Jordan and the coffee shops of Iraq and Egypt, where revelers fired rifles in the air and distributed soft drinks at news of Tuesday's attacks.

"We have to reflect on why we, as Arabs and Muslims, have sunk so low as to glorify violence and destruction," said Ahmed Bishara, a Kuwaiti political activist. "Yes, we can differ with U.S. policy. Yes, the U.S. way of life may differ.

But there's no way for me as a human being to accept violence." Associated Press CAIRO, Egypt Explosions and fire, gritty ash falling like a shroud on the faces of the frightened and the fleeing. Arabs watching these television images from New York and Washington saw reminders of their own wars and some said they rejoiced the United States was learning a lesson in suffering. Others condemned the celebrations in refugee camps in Lebanon Conferences, concerts canceled as world grieves with America The world reacts to tower terrorism Following Tuesday's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the leaders of many nations expressed reactions. i i fix Growing "Unspeakable horror." The pope I "A declaration of war. Gerhard Schroeder German Chancellor "Horrified." Jiang Zemin Chinese President "Terrible tragedies." Vladimir Putin Russian President "Monstrous." Jacques Chirac President of France "Horrifying." Moammar Gadhafi Libya's anti-American ruler "Horrible and unimaginable." Hosni Mubarak Egyptian President disbelief and total shock." Queen Elizabeth II A- 53 of the Obelisk stone tower at the heart of the capital.

The United Nations announced it was temporarily moving its international staff out of Afghanistan, home of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, who is among the suspects. In Geneva, European soccer's governing body UEFA postponed all its matches for this week, the first time that a soccer body has taken such a step. Eight Champions League and more than 40 UEFA Cup matches were due to be played on Wednesday and Thursday. Companies at the Frankfurt International Auto Show canceled or scaled back events Wednesday, though the show remained open. Pop star Sting canceled a concert scheduled for Tuesday night near Florence, Italy, that was to have been broadcast over the Internet.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa warned against "throwing around baseless accusations and jumping over facts" about the perpetrators' identities. But in a front-page editorial, the pro-government Egyptian newspaper, Al-Akhbar, blamed Israel for the terror. "The answer to the question of who is really responsible for this bloody tragedy is promptly and without any hesitation Israel, for whose sake Washington has sacrificed all its values and interests," Al-Akhbar said. The attacks warned of "the dangers of reluctance to resolve the problem of the Palestinian people and those people who finger under injustice," it said. Associated Press LONDON Church bells pealed, flags stood at half-staff, and conferences, concerts and sporting events were canceled Wednesday as countries contemplated a world utterly changed by a series of deadly terrorist attacks on the United States.

"Apocalypse Now" proclaimed the Belgian newspaper De Mor-gen; "Doomsday in America," ran a headline in the Jordanian daily Al-Aswaq, which denounced the attacks. "It can hardly be called an exaggeration to suppose that in the future we will say that we were confronted with a new sort of evil for the first time," said the Amsterdam-based newspaper Trouw. "This evil roughly woke the American society out of its dream of invulnerability." Amid the shock, there were calls for a measured U.S. response. "No revenge please, No World War 3," pleaded a banner hung near the American Embassy in the German capital, Berlin, where well-wishers placed flowers and candles.

Addressing his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, Pope John Paul II encouraged Americans, saying that "those who believe in God know that evil and death do not have the final say." Condolences also came from a handful of states labeled terrorist by the United States. "Irrespective of the conflict with America, it is a human duty to show sympathy with the American people and be with them at these horrifying and awesome "Completely shocked. Yasser Arafat Palestinian leader "Europeans stand together with the U.S." Romano Prodi European Union Commission president "This mass terrorism is the new evil in our world today." Tony Blair British Prime Minister "Deep regret and sympathy with the victims. Mohammad Khatami Iranian president "It was a well-organized plan and Osama has no such facilities." Abdul Salam Zaeef The Taliban ambassador in Pakistan "This outrageous and vicious act of violence against the United States is unforgivable.

Junichiro Koizumi Japanese Prime Minister "Retaliation will lead to the deaths of many people and will be followed by more counter-strikes." Mahathir Mohamad Malaysian Prime Minister "It is impossible to fully comprehend the evil that would have conjured up such a cowardly and depraved assault." Jean Chretien Canadian Prime Minister FL0RIDA TODAY AP fighters and police officers killed in the attacks. Sweden and Norway offered to send officials to help the rescue effort. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, religious figures from Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths led an outdoor prayer rally for Amer-' ica's dead, solemnly observing a moment of silence in the shadows Source: AP wire reports events which are bound to awaken human conscience," Libya's Moammar Gadhafi said. Syrian President Bashar Assad sent a condolence message to the White House, condemning the attacks and calling for "world cooperation to eradicate all kinds of terrorism." Expressions of regret and condemnation of violence also came Leon Linnartz, 51, a professor of political science, said Berliners have a special solidarity with Americans. "We have not forgotten" United States support during the city's years under communism, Linnartz said.

German-based media giant Bertelsmann announced it is contributing $2 million to help the families of the NewYork fire- from Sudan, Iran and North Korea. Mourning bells rang out in Austria and the Czech Republic and Belgium opened a public book of condolences. At the American Embassy in Berlin, hundreds of bouquets of flowers lay against a temporary' security cordon and burning candles dotted the sidewalk. -X.