U.S., World Mark 9-11 Anniversary

11/09/2002| IslamWeb

HIGHLIGHTS: Amid a Serious of Hysteric Tight Security Measures, a Cascade of Memorial Events Around the World Marks the Historic Occasion||U.N. Marks Sept. 11 with Fresh Vow Against Terror||Asia Marks Sept 11 U.S., British & Australian Embassies Closed in Malysia, Pakistan, Indonesia & Singapore|| STORY: America and the world remembered the unforgettable on Wednesday

A cascade of memorial events around the globe marked a moment whose echoes still resound from New York to Afghanistan, and everywhere in between - a moment that even a year later left many transfixed by the horror, burdened by sadness, plagued by fears.

"A day of tears," said President Bush, "and a day of prayer, and a day of national resolve. It also needs to be a day in which we confirm the values which make us unique and great."

It was a day, too, of jitters and heightened security. Officials issued a "code orange" alert and warned that terrorists who struck last Sept. 11 might strike again.

The anniversary of the attacks that leveled the World Trade Center, cratered the Pentagon and brought death to the Pennsylvania countryside began far away from those places, in New Zealand, with the first line of the Requiem Mozart finished in his dying days.

In the days that followed, New Yorkers became accustomed to the wail of bagpipes at hundreds of funerals for firefighters and police. Early Wednesday, bagpipers and drummers assembled for a relay - from the five boroughs, two at a time, to the World Trade Center.

Later in the day, there would be a moments of silence there - at 8:46, and at 10:28 a.m., when the second tower fell. In New York and in Washington, there would be readings of the rolls of the dead, 3,025 in all. President Bush planned stops in Washington, Pennsylvania and New York, finishing the day with a 9 p.m. speech to the nation from Ellis Island.

U.N. Marks Sept. 11 with Fresh Vow Against Terror

Warned last Sept. 11 that it might itself be a terrorist target, the United Nations marks the attacks' anniversary on Wednesday with solemn ceremonies reaffirming its commitment to fighting terrorism.

Last year's hijack attack on the World Trade Center, only a few miles south of U.N. headquarters, fell just hours before the planned opening of the U.N. General Assembly's 56th annual session.

The session was promptly canceled and the compound -- home to the 15-nation Security Council as well as the 190-nation assembly -- was evacuated shortly after the attacks and again the next day after officials received unidentified security threats.

The U.N. compound was sealed off by New York police for months after the attacks, with sand-filled dump trucks blocking every access road to fend off car bombings.

Annan is expected to remind U.N. staff that citizens of dozens of nations lost their lives in the attacks on the World Trade Center in which about 2,800 people died.

He plans to use the occasion to make the case that the world body, like its New York home, is not an isolated enclave, and that the U.N. family must press on with its global campaign against terrorism.

Annan later addresses the 15-nation Security Council along with Secretary of State Colin Powell.

That meeting is to culminate in the adoption of a statement praising New York's determination "not to give in to terrorism" and vowing to "remain steadfast against the threat that endangers all that has been achieved (by the United Nations) and all that remains to be achieved."

Asia Marks Sept 11 U.S., British & Australian Embassies Closed in Malysia, Pakistan, Indonesia & Singapore

Americans in Asia marked the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks on Wednesday as their government warned of fresh assaults and embassies in the region and elsewhere remained closed following specific threats.

The State Department said two dozen embassies and consulates around the world were closed either for security reasons or to allow staff to attend memorial ceremonies for those killed in last year's hijack air attacks on the United States.

Some airlines cut back flights to American cities. The travel industry in Asia reported no drop in bookings to other parts of the world, although some passengers said it felt strange flying on the anniversary.

In Afghanistan, a lone gunman fired at the U.S. base at Bagram, north of the capital Kabul, hours before commemoration ceremonies. A spokeswoman at the base said the man had been detained and there were no reports of any casualties.

U.S. Attorney-General John Ashcroft said fresh information suggested militants linked to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network were planning new strikes. U.S. interests in the Middle East and South Asia were particularly at risk, he said.

American missions and businesses across the region were on alert for attacks by al Qaeda, presumed perpetrators of last year's carnage in New York and Washington in which around 3,000 Americans and other nationals died.

U.S. embassies in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, in neighboring Malaysia and in Pakistan stayed closed on Wednesday because of fears of attack by bin Laden supporters. But U.S. diplomats in the mainly Christian Philippines, another potential flashpoint, said their embassy was open.

Britain, a major ally in the U.S.-led war against terrorism, closed its missions in Indonesia, Pakistan and Singapore and shut the consular and visa sections at its High Commission in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur for security reasons.

Australia closed its High Commission in Singapore for the day and shut its mission in East Timor after receiving unconfirmed reports of a generic threat to Australian and United Nations interests in the overwhelmingly Christian nation that is surrounded by Indonesia.

A U.N. official in the capital Dili said the world body had raised the alert level in the territory to "orange," the second highest on a five-point scale, but said the atmosphere remained calm.

As the region remained on alert, those catching flights were also feeling a little worried.

PHOTO CAPTION

An American flag flutters over Ground Zero in New York City Tuesday Sept. 10, 2002 as the sun sets. Tommorrow marks the one year anniverssary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. (AP Photo/CP, Tom Hanso