13 - 19 September 2001
Issue No.551
|
Al-Ahram Weekly Online 13 - 19 September 2001 Issue No.551 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
'Unbelievably horrifying'
Within hours of the attacks on key commercial and state targets in New York and Washington, President Hosni Mubarak held an emergency meeting with part of his cabinet Tuesday evening to review the developments and their implications for the region, reports Nevine Khalil. Attending the meeting were the prime minister as well as the ministers of foreign affairs, information, defence and the interior.
Mubarak, speaking at a press conference following the meeting, said that the attacks appeared to be the act of highly organised terrorists. "No one expected or imagined this could happen," Mubarak told reporters, adding that "terrorism is dangerous and we condemn it no matter what its pretext." He added that terrorism was spreading throughout the world and that this type of precise, high-profile targeting was "beyond belief." "One might anticipate limited explosions in Israel, or elsewhere, but explosions on such a large scale were unimaginable."
He would not comment, however, on how the attacks might influence the situation in the Middle East. "I cannot discuss this issue now. [The US] is in crisis. We will talk when things settle down and they clarify their position," said Mubarak.
He recounted how he watched television reports "in disbelief" as the events unfolded. "I could not believe it as I watched one plane after another crash into the World Trade Center towers, then other explosions, the Pentagon, the towers collapsing... It was unbelievably horrifying."
Mubarak sent a message of condolence to US President George W Bush, expressing his "sorrow and grief" over the "criminal attacks" against US targets. "We feel very sorry for the civilians who fell in these attacks," Mubarak said.
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
Recommend this page