Leaders back Bush war plans

The Pentagon is sending more planes to the Gulf

The United States is continuing to assemble its military force amid efforts to build a world coalition to fight terrorism.

We have resolved to hold to account all of those who are responsible for aiding, financing and otherwise supporting and harbouring terrorists, we act in concert with the rest of the civilised world

Colin Powell

Secretary of State Colin Powell said the US would "act in concert with the rest of the civilised world" to hold to account all those supporting or harbouring terrorists.

Washington received the strong support of European Union leaders on Friday, who agreed that targeted US retaliation for the attacks would be "legitimate".

An American attack on Afghanistan came closer after the Taleban authorities refused to hand over the chief suspect, Osama Bin Laden.

Taleban officials said on Saturday they had shot down an unmanned spy plane over northern Afghanistan, but later told Reuters news agency it was a helicopter belonging to opposition forces.

In other developments:

• The United Arab Emirates, one of only three countries which recognise the Taleban, cut diplomatic ties with the Islamic fundamentalist movement
• The FBI expands the list of people it wants to question over the attacks, as four people are arrested in Britain
  
  

  Work at the World Trade Center could go on for six months
  
• Stars from the world of entertainment take part in a two-hour television show to raise money for the victims of the attacks
• The Pentagon says it is sending more aircraft to the Gulf in preparation for a possible retaliatory strike
• The number of missing from the World Trade Center attack in New York rises to 6,333. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani says it could take at least six months to clear the wreckage
• Four die during pro-Taleban demonstrations in the Pakistani city of Karachi
• The post-attack crisis and fears of a global recession push down share indexes, with losses on European markets, and in New York.

Backing

President Bush is due to meet his national security team later on Saturday.

Over the weekend he is also likely to sign an executive order identifying which groups are to be defined as terrorist and freezing their assets in the US.

Mr Powell has said that America has enough evidence to bring the Saudi-born dissident Osama Bin Laden to court for crimes against humanity.

Mr Powell also indicated that the US already had considerable backing for a strike against terrorists.

A joint EU statement said each of the union's 15 nations would participate in such action according to its means.

It is not the West against terrorism. It is the world against terrorism

French president Jacques Chirac

The leaders also called for a global anti-terrorism coalition under the auspices of the United Nations and endorsed a Europe-wide action plan to combat terrorism across the continent.

UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the meeting had seen "a widening and deepening of the international coalition" in support of US action in response to the attacks.

The leaders agreed to implement a Europe-wide search and arrest warrant "as quickly as possible".

Jack Straw: To visit Iran next week

That was aimed at cutting through lengthy extradition procedures, and to address different levels of anti-terrorism legislation.

They also directed their finance, justice and interior ministers to immediately take measures to fight "any form of financing of terrorist activities".

That should include adoption within the next few weeks of an extended directive against money laundering and a decision on freezing assets of suspected terrorists.

They also agreed on action to share information between police forces.

Broad support

The 34 countries of the Organisation of American States - the OAS - unanimously agreed to adopt new measures to tackle terrorism, and approved a resolution calling on all members to pursue, capture, prosecute and, if necessary, extradite anyone connected with terrorist activities.

Support was also forthcoming from countries not considered to be US allies.

Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said that Beijing and Washington would continue work already begun to combat terrorism.

And Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to share intelligence information with the Americans.

A further step towards building a world coalition is expected next week, when Mr Straw visits Iran.