Reactions: Bin Laden's death

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http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2011/05/20115241936984209.html

Reactions: Bin Laden's death

Global reactions to the news of Osama bin Laden's death.

Last Modified: 02 May 2011 17:33

Pakistan Foreign Office

The death of bin Laden is a " major setback to terrorist organisations around the

world " .

" This operation was conducted by the US Forces in accordance with declared US

policy that Osama bin Laden will be eliminated in a direct action by the US

forces, wherever found in the world. "

Yousuf Raza Gilani - Pakistani prime minister

We will not allow our soil to be used against any other country for terrorism

and therefore I think it's a great victory, it's a success and I congratulate

the success of this operation.

Hamid Karzai - Afghan president

The killing of bin Laden is very " important news " .

The Taliban must learn a lesson from this. The Taliban should refrain from

fighting.

The war against terrorism is in its sources, in its financial sources, its

sanctuaries, in its training bases, not in Afghanistan

Ehsanullah Ehsan - Pakistani Taliban spokesman

If he has been martyred, we will avenge his death and launch attacks against

American and Pakistani governments and their security forces.

Ismail Haniyeh - head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip

We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior. We ask God

to offer him

mercy with the true believers and the martyrs.

We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and

the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood.

Ghassan Khatib - Palestine Authority spokesman

Getting rid of Bin Laden is good for the cause of peace worldwide but what

counts is to overcome the discourse and the methods - the violent methods - that

were created and encouraged by bin Laden and others in the world.

Binyamin Netanyahu - Israeli prime minister

This is a resounding triumph for justice, freedom and the values shared by all

democratic nations fighting shoulder to shoulder in determination against

terrorism.

The state of Israel joins together in the joy of the American people after the

liquidation of bin Laden.

Saad Hariri - Lebanon's prime minister

The history of our nationalism and Islam will never forgive that man who was a

black mark for two decades, filling the minds of youngsters with ideas about

terrorism, murder and destruction.

Ramin Mehmanparast - Iran's foreign ministry spokesman

US and their allies have no more excuse to deploy forces in the Middle East

under pretext of fighting terrorism.

W Bush - former US president

This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek

peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11,

2001.

The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable

message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.

Bloomberg - New York City mayor

The killing of Osama bin Laden does not lessen the suffering that New Yorkers

and Americans experienced at his hands, but it is a critically important victory

for our nation - and a tribute to the millions of men and women in our armed

forces and elsewhere who have fought so hard for our nation.

New Yorkers have waited nearly 10 years for this news. It is my hope that it

will bring some closure and comfort to all those who lost loved ones on

September 11, 2001.

- New York police commissioner

Killing of Osama bin Laden a " welcome milestone " for the families of the victims

of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Cameron - British prime minister

Osama bin Laden was responsible for the worst terrorist atrocities the world has

seen - for 9/11 and for so many attacks, which have cost thousands of lives,

many of them British. It is a great success that he has been found and will no

longer be able to pursue his campaign of global terror.

The news that Osama bin Laden is dead will bring great relief to people across

the world.

P Chidambaram - Indian home minister

We take note with grave concern that part of the statement in which President

Obama said that the firefight in which Osama bin Laden was killed took place in

Abbottabad " deep inside Pakistan " .

This fact underlines our concern that terrorists belonging to different

organisations find sanctuary in Pakistan.

Elias Jaua - Venezuelan vice president

It is surprising to see how normal crime and killing has become and how it is

celebrated by imperial governments, although they maintain respect.

Now, the death of any individual independent of what they are accused of - not

only Osama bin Laden - but the president and the family of presidents are openly

celebrated by the heads of the governments that bomb them.

I believe that in the first place it is an ethical question from the human point

of view to celebrate death as an instrument of resolution of a problem.

Alan - Peruvian president

As I have said, [Pope II's] first miracle has been to wipe off the

face of this earth and demonic incarnation of crime, evil and hate.

I think it is great news that should be of comfort to Mr. Obama, but in some way

it vindicates W. Bush, who took the decision to punish Bin Laden and then

followed on patiently working until finally the effort has paid off.

Dmitry Medvedev - Russian president

The Kremlin welcomes the serious success the United States achieved in the war

against international terrorism.

Only a joint and united fight against global terrorism can achieve substantial

results. Russia is ready to step up this type of cooperation.

Mwai Kibaki - Kenyan president

The killing of Osama has taken place nearly 13 years after the terrorist

bombings in Nairobi that led to the death of over 200 people, in an act believed

to have been masterminded by Osama.

His killing is an act of justice to those Kenyans who lost their lives and the

many more who suffered injuries.

Hoshyar Zebari - Iraq's foreign minister

We, like many people in the world, are delighted to see an end to his mentality

and his devious ideology.

Thousands of Iraqis were murdered and killed because of his ideologies.

Alain Juppe - French foreign minister

Bin Laden's death is a " victory for all democracies fighting the abominable

scourge of terrorism " .

Merkel - German chancellor

Last night the forces of peace achieved a victory. But this does not mean that

international terrorism has

been defeated yet. We must all remain vigilant.

Silvio Berlusconi - Italian prime minister

This is a great outcome in the fight against evil, in the fight against

terrorism, a great outcome for the United States and for all democracies.

Yukio Edano - Japanese chief cabinet secretary

As for Japan, we have worked with Afghanistan and Pakistan to do our part in

facing the threat caused by terrorism.

We believe this to be a firm advance in the fight against terrorism and as such

welcome it and also express our respect towards the US, Pakistan and related

parties.

Beningo Aquino - Philippine president

The death of Osama bin Laden marks a signal defeat for the forces of extremism

and terrorism.

It represents the death of the efforts of one man to stoke the fires of

sectarian hatred and to promote terrorism on a scale unprecedented in the

history of mass murder.

Franco Frattini - Italian foreign minister

Bin Laden's death at the hands of US forces " is a victory of good over evil, of

justice over cruelty " .

Anders Fogh Rasmussen - NATO secretary-general

This is a significant success for the security of NATO Allies and all the

nations which have joined us in our efforts to combat the scourge of global

terrorism to make the world a safer place for all of us.

Fisk - journalist

Osama bin Laden was the founder of al-Qaeda, but to suggest that he was in

command, sitting in some computer cave, is completely rubbish.

He spent most of his time hiding, most of his time running from the US

authorities.

I never thought he would hang around long in Afghanistan but in Pakistan he had

a soft spot. He felt safer in Pakistan than he did in Afghanistan, and I think

that is correct.

You have to realise that bin Laden is a very popular mind, even with the

royalty.

He was saying things about the West, which their dictators wouldn't say, his

condemnation of the West, and he had to say it from a cave.

He is a figure who would be reflected upon.

Steve Clemons - The New America Foundation

It's game changing news.

We got used to the fact that Osama bin Laden was beyond our reach. He has

slipped off the radar screen, he was a pop culture figure with a fanatic bent.

The Muslim world are going to continue to have to deal with those who are

inspired by him but of course knocking off a symbol globally is significant.

Imtiaz Gul - political analyst

It has come as a big surprise to most of the Pakistanis, particularly the

location. Many believed that he had been long dead.

It is very close to the Pakistani military academy.

" I'd presume that the Pakistani intelligence was involved to the extent, [since]

previous [al-Qaeda members] had been captured with their assistance. "

In most cases, the Americans wouldn't tell the Pakistani security institutions

where they were headed so in this case they [Pakistani intelligence] were

probably on board but probably didn't know where they [the US] were going to.

Mark Kimmit - military analyst / US Army brigadier

This is not the end of the movement, this is not the end of the terrorism but

this is the end of the chapter

Capturing or killing bin Laden has more iconic value.

It will have symbolic value, because it has been a number of years since bin

Laden has exercised day to day control over operations. We still have an

al-Qaeda threat out there and that will be there for a number of years.

This organisation [al-Qaeda] is more than bin Laden, it may be symbolised by bin

Laden, but it definitely is more than him.