Grief spreads around angry world

The terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center in New York may have thought they were striking at the heart of America.

In fact, they were striking at the heart of no fewer than 35 countries who have listed people as dead or missing in Manhattan.

In the past few days, leaders of countries as diverse as Britain and China, Canada and Pakistan have pledged themselves to the fight against terrorism.

Some 4972 people are listed as missing after two hijacked planes smashed into the twin towers last Tuesday (Wednesday NZ time).

Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik said 124 people were confirmed dead, 59 of them identified, but he did not explain why the figure was lower than the 184 bodies reported on Thursday.

No survivors have been found since Wednesday.

At least 189 people are believed to have died when hijackers crashed a third plane into the Pentagon near Washington.

Forty-five more died in a fourth plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.

While most of the dead will be Americans, reports from Governments, embassies, aid organisations and community groups indicate that the death toll of people from other countries is already 170.

Canada on Friday mourned those feared killed in the attacks and promised to meet any request for troops and equipment to fight global terror.

"Canadians were victims and Canada considers itself to have been a target of that attack," said Foreign Minister John Manley.

At a time of deep crisis, he said, Canada should forget its policy differences with the United States and do all it could to help its closest ally and partner.

"Whatever else Canada is, it is a firm ally of the United States and we stand ready under our Nato obligations - as well as based on our relationship with the United States - to provide whatever assistance they would like us to provide in response to the events of Tuesday," said Mr Manley.

Asked whether this included the involvement of Canada's armed forces, he said: "If they ask for it, then I don't believe we should hesitate to meet their requests."

New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says almost 100 New Zealanders are still unaccounted for after the terrorist attacks.

But a spokeswoman said all those who had worked in the World Trade Center or nearby buildings were safe.

She said there was still only one New Zealander confirmed dead - hijacked plane passenger Alan Beaven - and she was optimistic the toll would not rise.

Domestic flights within the US were resuming on a limited basis amid strict security, she said, and travellers were strongly advised to monitor developments closely.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard led Australians in a national day of mourning yesterday for victims of the attacks.

With nearly 70 Australians still missing and presumed dead in the rubble of the World Trade Center, thousands of people went to church for silent prayer or took to the streets in sombre marches appealing for peace.

Mr Howard joined a capacity 500-strong congregation at St James Anglican Church in downtown Sydney for a mass commemorating the victims.

He has pledged that Australia will participate in any military retaliation the United States launches and has invoked a clause in the 50-year-old Anzus Treaty in which an attack on US soil is considered an attack on Australia.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair told MPs at an emergency session of Parliament that Britain would stand together with the United States to find those responsible for the attacks.

Mr Blair called on Friday for a determined, global campaign against the perpetrators of the "hideous and foul" suicide attacks.

The "epoch-making" tragedy had struck far wider than New York and Washington, he said.

"This is a moment when every difference between nations ... is put to one side in one common endeavour. The world should stand together against this outrage."

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee urged all Governments to join together and use military force to crush terrorism.

The Prime Ministers of Russia, China and four Central Asian states vowed in a joint statement to fight the "terrorism" that devastated the United States.

But the muted coverage of the statement in China's leading newspaper appeared to reflect the country's ambivalence about a global anti-terrorism effort led by the US that could result in military intervention.

Argentina, a staunch US ally, said it was ready to help a United Nations-backed armed response.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi threw his country's full support behind the United States' battle against terrorism and said Tokyo was now pondering how it would turn those words into action.

Leaders of the 15 European Union nations vowed to help chase down the perpetrators of the attacks and hold any country that provided shelter to terrorists accountable.

The Malaysian Government called for a summit of world leaders to tackle terrorism.

The leaders of Mexico and Spain pledged their support to US President George W. Bush and the American people.

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