Bush says killers be brought to justice
NEW YORK: From Moscow to Washington to New Delhi and points in between, dismay and condemnation poured forth on Thursday over the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, along with concern for the stability of the volatile region.
World leaders lauded her bravery and commitment to democratic reform. US President George W Bush demanded that those responsible for the killing be brought to justice. “The United States strongly condemns this cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan’s democracy,” he said. “Those who committed this crime must be brought to justice.”
The president was speaking to reporters at a hangar adjacent to his Crawford ranch in central Texas. Bush expressed his deepest condolences to Benazir’s family and to the families of others slain in the attack and to all the people of Pakistan.
“We stand with the people of Pakistan in their struggle against the forces of terror and extremism. We urge them to honour Benazir Bhutto’s memory by continuing with the democratic process for which she so bravely gave her life,’’ he said.
Bush looked tense in delivering a statement that lasted about a minute and he took no questions. The White House said suicide bombing was a familiar tactic for al-Qaeda but declined to cast blame for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
“Whoever perpetrated this attack is an enemy of democracy and has used a tactic which al-Qaeda is very familiar with, and that is suicide bombing and the taking of innocent lives to try to disrupt a democratic process,” spokesman Scott Stanzel said. “But it’s too early at this point,” to assign blame, Stanzel said, adding: “I understand there may be claims of responsibility out there but I am sure the Pakistani authorities will be looking into the matter.”
In India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Benazir is irreplaceable, and noted she had striven to improve relations between the two nuclear-armed countries. ìI was deeply shocked and horrified to hear of the heinous assassination,î Singh said. ìIn her death, the subcontinent has lost an outstanding leader who worked for democracy and reconciliation in her country.î
Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai, who met Benazir earlier on Thursday in Islamabad, said he was ìdeeply painedî by the assassination of ìthis brave sister of ours, a brave daughter of the Muslim world.î
ìShe sacrificed her life, for the sake of Pakistan and for the sake of this region,î he said. In a letter to President Pervez Musharraf, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called the attack an ìodious actî and said ìterrorism and violence have no place in the democratic debate and the combat of ideas and programme.î
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice and for ìall Pakistanis to work together for peace and national unity.î
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev Federico Lombardi, said Pope Benedict XVI was immediately informed of the ìterrible news.î ìOne cannot see signs of peace in this tormented region,î Lombardi said.
Sarkozy said Bhutto had paid ìwith her life for her commitment to the service of her fellow citizens and to Pakistan’s political lifeî and urged Pakistan’s elections be held as scheduled on Jan 8.
In Britain, where Benazir had attended Oxford University, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said she ìrisked everything in her attempt to win democracy in Pakistan and she has been assassinated by cowards who are afraid of democracy.î ìThe terrorists must not be allowed to kill democracy in Pakistan, and this atrocity strengthens our resolve that the terrorists will not win there, here, or anywhere in the world,î Brown said.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the attack ìis clearly aimed at destabilising the country.î He beseeched Pakistanis to refrain from violence.
Italian Premier Romano Prodi said he was filled with grief and called Benazir ìa woman who chose to fight her battle until the end with a single weapon — the one of dialogue and political debate.î îThe difficult path toward peace and democracy in that region must not be stopped, and Benazirís sacrifice will serve as the strongest example for those who do not surrender to terrorism,î Prodi said.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, during a speech south of Santiago, paid ìsincere tribute to a woman … who fought her entire life for a better Pakistan.î German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the ìcowardly terrorist attack … also targets the stability and democratic process of Pakistan.î
In Moscow, Anatoly Safonov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s envoy on international cooperation against terrorism, expressed fears the assassination would trigger violent repercussions.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin condemned the attack, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported. îWe hope that the leadership of Pakistan will succeed in taking all measures for guaranteeing security in the country,î Kamynin said.
Sweden’s Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said he had felt disgust when receiving the news of Benazir’s murder, which he called ìbestial.î ìI feel a strong worry for the consequences this will have for Pakistan,î he said.
Israeli President Shimon Peres said Benazir ìfeared nothing and served her country with valour.î China expressed shock at the assassination and said it “strongly condemns” the attack, state media reported.
Foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said China “is shocked at the killing of Pakistan’s opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and strongly condemns the terrorist attack,” Xinhua news agency said.
“We also extend condolences to the families of Bhutto and other victims,” Qin said. The Arab League condemned the assassination as a “heinous terrorist crime,” the official MENA news agency reported. Amr Mussa, secretary general of the 22-member pan-Arab body, condemned the killing and “offered heartfelt condolences to the Pakistani people over the tragic development.”
Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Prof Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu condemned in strongest terms the ìoutrageousî and ìbrutalî murder.
Ihsanoglu, in a press statement issued from Jeddah, presented his heartfelt condolences to the family members of Benazir and other victims and to the people of Pakistan.
The secretary general characterised this ìblatant crimeî as an attack at the stability and peace in Pakistan and an open provocation aimed at derailing the efforts of unity, reconciliation and democratic process.
Iran condemned the assassination and urged the authorities to track down the “terrorists” responsible for the killing. “The criminal action today in Rawalpindi is strongly condemned,” said foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini.
“The Pakistan government should use all efforts to identify the terrorist group which caused this incident and punish them to prevent terrorist groups from finding opportunities to undertake such actions again,” he added. Japan strongly condemned the assassination, calling the attack “absolutely unacceptable.”
“Japan condemns the attack,” Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said. “It is absolutely unacceptable to try to solve something by the means of violence “I strongly hope that Pakistan will pave the way toward democratisation by holding fair elections,” he said.