Australia says committed to global war on terror
Australia says committed to global war on terror
Agencies, Sydney, Australia
Australia said on Sunday it had to stay committed to the global fight against terror as the country marked a day of mourning for the estimated 100 Australian victims of the Bali bomb attack.
"We must remain committed to the broad war on terrorism because this (the Bali bombings) is part of it," Prime Minister John Howard told Nine Network television.
"I don't believe in my heart this is an isolated incident specific to Indonesia. I believe, although I cannot prove, (it) is part of worldwide terrorist operation."
Howard warned there was increased risk of an attack on Australian soil following the Oct. 12 bombings on the Indonesian holiday island that killed more than 180 people, most of them foreign tourists, 100 of them Australians.
U.S. President George W. Bush, in an address to the people of Australia on Saturday, promised to help hunt down those responsible for the bombings.
"Our country grieves with you, and we suffer with you. And we send our prayers to the families who cry, and we send our prayers for a speedy recovery for the injured," Bush said in a videotaped message a week after the deadly nightclub bombings.
"This Sunday is a day of national mourning in Australia, a day in which our friends mourn the needless loss of life," Bush said.
"We remember so well after September the 11th, 2001, your prayers, your sympathies, your strong support. And we will never forget it.
"On this sad day, on this day of mourning, America is with you in spirit."
As fears grew of more attacks, the United States, Australia and several European countries issued warnings about threats to Westerners in Indonesia and the region.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell earlier urged Australia not to back away from the global campaign against terror.
"I hope that Australians will not view it that way, that in some way it was their participation in the war on terror, and therefore we should sort of back off on the campaign against terrorism," Powell told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
"You can't hide from this. You can't walk away, you can't run from it."
Britain's Union Jack flew at half mast atop Buckingham Palace on Sunday in memory of victims of last week's Bali bomb attack.
The palace flag was lowered as a mark of respect for more than 180 people, many of them Australian tourists, killed when bombs destroyed a nightclub on the Indonesian holiday island Oct. 12.
Flags also flew at half staff at British embassies and consulates around the world on Sunday, which has been declared a national day of mourning in Australia.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said on Sunday in a message marking Australia's national day of mourning the dignity and courage of the survivors of the Bali bombings were a beacon for all,
In Kuala Lumpur, terror-scarred Australia announced on Sunday the postponement of two national events planned for Malaysia, as the government here fought what it called a terrorism smear against it carried in a United Nations report.
An exhibition promoting Australia as a destination for higher education and the Australian Film Festival, both planned for Kuala Lumpur later this month, have been indefinitely delayed in the wake of the Bali bombing in neighboring Indonesia a week ago.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer denied a media report that top-level security briefings in Canberra discussed the threat of an attack on Bali five days before the bombings.
"It's not true, there was no discussion about a bomb threat in Bali at the national security committee of cabinet," Downer told Seven Network television.
The Sunday Herald Sun newspaper said a security official at the briefing confirmed a U.S. intelligence report passed onto Australian authorities identified Bali as a "high risk target".