05 October 2001

OAU Chief Essy Meets with Top Officials During Brief U.S. Visit

By Jim Fisher-Thompson
Washington File Staff Writer

The incidents involved suicide attacks by self-proclaimed Muslim religious extremists, who hijacked four passenger planes and dove two of them into the two World Trade Center skyscrapers in Manhattan and another into the Pentagon building, U.S. military headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, near Washington. The fourth aircraft crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside after what was reported to be a struggle to the death between hijackers and passengers.

Essy pointed out that "people from 60 countries lost their lives" in the attacks, including more than 25 from African nations, and he added, "No matter what motives are advanced, there can never be any justification" for such slaughter.

The Ivorian, who was recently elected to head the OAU, spoke to the Washington File at the Malian ambassador's residence on October 6. He said he was in the United States briefly to deliver a speech on conflict resolution to the Fund for Peace, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that works on peace issues worldwide.

Essy said that during his meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Walter Kansteiner, he made the point that U.S. military action against Afghanistan -- which began the day after he spoke -- would be appropriate and was "legitimized" by recent resolutions passed by both the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council and his own more than 50-nation organization.

"Africa does not border Afghanistan," Essay noted, but he pointed out that a resolution passed by the OAU following the terrorist attacks "gave our endorsement and full support" to U.S.-led moves to force the Taliban regime to hand over Usama bin Laden, the Saudi-born Muslim extremist and head of the international terrorist network al Qaeda -- the prime suspects in the September 11 attacks.

He said he also delivered a message from Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi, who "said he wanted to see me before I left for Washington and I met him." Essy indicated that the Libyan wanted him to convey several points to officials in Washington, including "that he [Qadhafi] categorically condemned terrorism, that he himself has been a victim of terrorism, and that the United States has the right to track down and punish them who were the authors of the attacks."

Economic security for the continent was also a prime topic in the conversation with U.S. officials, Essy said. And he explained: "We believe that helping Africa [economically] is important, because if a government is not able to control its territory, for instance, or if there is discord and chaos in the country, this favors the existence of terrorism and it creates some kind of breeding ground for terrorism. That is why we think it is important for the United States to be economically present in Africa."

In that regard, he said he hoped the issue of debt relief for Africa would remain a top priority of U.S. officials interested in strengthening U.S.-African ties.

Essy also praised President Bush's reaching out to the Muslim community in America by such acts as his visit to the Washington Mosque and Islamic Center shortly after the attacks.

Essy said, "I am a Muslim and of course I'm concerned by the situation," but "I think President Bush has done well" in reassuring Muslims both in America and abroad that they are not the targets of America's attempts to bring justice to the killers of September 11.

On October 7, the day after Essy's interview, U.S. and British military aircraft and ships bombed and fired cruise missiles at selected communications and command centers of the Taliban regime inside Afghanistan. A second round of attacks by bombers and cruise missiles took place the next day.

At the same time, President Bush drove home the point that the 40-nation coalition that supports the U.S. anti-terrorist efforts was in no way making war on Islam as he ordered the delivery of $320 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan while military action was being taken against the Taliban regime. Food drops by U.S. aircraft were made to areas that are at risk of sliding into famine.

The OAU is doing its part to battle international terrorism, Essy explained, with the help of a convention on terrorism it adopted in Algiers in 1999. The problem is that while 36 OAU member nations have signed the convention, "only three have ratified it, and 15 ratifications are necessary for the convention to enter into force."

Asked if he envisioned any other opportunities for the OAU to support anti-terrorism, Essy said, "On October 10 there is the meeting in Doha of the of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and I believe that will be an opportunity for us as Muslims to express our position, and I am sure it will be the same show of support we have given President Bush."