site.btaSeptember 11, 2001: Terrorist Attacks in US as Reported by BTA News Service

On September 11, 2001, nineteen men affiliated with the Islamist extremist group al-Qaeda, carried out four coordinated terrorist suicide attacks in the US that left 2,977 dead and between 6,000 and 25,000 injured. The terrorists rammed three airliners into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. A fourth plane crashed during a passenger revolt before reaching the fourth target - the White House or the US Capitol in Washington, D.C.

The September 11 attacks changed life in the USA and in much of the rest of the world, and led the US to start a global war on terror.

The BTA English-language service reported the first repercussion from the attack in Bulgaria. Here are two stories on the reactions by the country’s political elite:

Political Forces in Bulgaria Condemn Terrorist Acts

Sofia, September 11 (BTA) - The political forces in Bulgaria issued declarations condemning the terrorist acts in the United States. A special statement of Parliament is expected on September 12.

The MPs of the ruling Simeon II National Movement (SNM) condemn the terrorist attacks that took the lives of thousands of innocent people, says a declaration received at BTA. They express their condolences to the families and friends of the victims in the attacks against public and government buildings, and voice readiness to help the combat against any forms of terrorism.    

A declaration by the opposition Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) voices solidarity with the American nation "in this unprecedented tragedy in time of peace". UDF urge the Bulgarian Government and all political forces in the country to condemn the terrorist acts and support the efforts of the US Government. UDF leader Ekaterina Mihailova told the press that she had talked to President Peter Stoyanov. She has also talked with US Ambassador Richard Miles to offer her compassion and express her fears.    

The Socialist party "was shocked by the news for the series of terrorist attacks in the US". A statement by socialist party leader Georgi Purvanov says that they condemn the "attacks with their unprecedented cruelty , scope of damage and number of  victims".   

"Terrorism and  violence, regardless of the motives and the perpetrators, are absolutely unacceptable in the modern world and there is no political or moral cause that justifies the taking of innocent human lives," the Socialists' declaration says. They further voice fears that the attacks in Washington and New York might prove to be just an element in a new spiral of violence where the victims will be innocent people.

The leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Ahmed Dogan, came to the Parliament building to make a statement for the press. He said that what happened in the US is "shocking and borders on terror". "These attacks obviously seek to destabilize the US and the world order", he said. 

UDF leader Ekaterina Mihailova and floor leader Nadezhda Mihailova send messages to US President George W. Bush and State Secretary Colin Powell respectively, expressing sympathies for the victims of "the unprecedented terrorist act that shocked all mankind". "This is not just an attack against the US: it is a challenge to democracy and the whole free world, of which your country is a symbol," Nadezhda Mihailova says in the message.

Parliament Urges UN to Declare September 11 World Day of Terrorism Victims

Sofia, September 12 (BTA) - In a declaration adopted Wednesday in connection with the terrorist acts in the US, the Bulgarian National Assembly urged the UN to declare September 11 World Day of the Victims of Terrorism. The declaration was adopted by 192 MPs in the 240-seat Parliament, two MPs of the Bulgarian Socialist Party-dominated Coalition For Bulgaria abstained, and no one voted against. 

The text of the declaration was drafted by a working group in which all parliamentary forces were represented. 

The National Assembly condemns sharply and categorically the terrorist acts and views them as an open aggression against modern civilization, reads the document. Parliament appeals to the international community to join forces in the decisive fight against all forms of terrorism, and voices readiness to support the steps undertaken by the Bulgarian government in this direction.    

The declaration insists on identifying and punishing harshly the perpetrators and the instigators of Tuesday's attacks. The National Assembly expresses sympathy for, and solidarity with American people. Parliament reiterates its belief in the mainstays of world democracy and the leading role that the US plays for its development.

During the debate, Georgi Pirinski of Coalition for Bulgaria said that members of the Cabinet should have attended the Parliament sitting Wednesday to describe the steps they intend to take in the future. In his words, no country is distanced from, or unaffected by, what is happening in the US. Pirinski proposed that the National Assembly leadership determine in what way the Parliament should deal with the aftermath of the attacks.

Valentin Vassilev of the United Democratic Forces said that the state institutions should come up with a position concerning air traffic and the future economic measures because what is happening at the international markets cannot but have an impact on Bulgaria.

At the beginning of the plenary sitting, the MPs observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims.