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CNN Live Today

United States Asking World's Nations For Support

Aired September 12, 2001 - 12:18   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The story of course affecting not just here in the U.S., but all around the world. And in fact, as we understand it, a quarter of U.S. embassies around the world are still closed today.

For more on that, let's go to the State Department and our Andrea Koppel. Andrea?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, this is really the other half of the story. While the search and rescue is going on here in the United States, the diplomats in this building, including the top U.S. diplomat, Secretary of State Colin Powell, sent out orders yesterday for all embassies to review their security procedures.

As you mentioned, the final tally as things stand right now, is that more than 50 out of more than 260 embassies and consulates around the world have now temporarily closed their doors. We are told that all of the embassies in both the Middle East, on the Arabian peninsula, and in North Africa have closed.

Now, they say that this is done really as a precautionary measure. They have no real specific or credible threats to these embassies, but they would rather be safe than sorry.

Now, while the embassies are closed, there is another effort that's underway. In the words of one state department official, Daryn, it's really a message of: Are you with us, or are you against us? That's the message Secretary Powell is sending out as he speaks with leaders around the world trying to rally the international community to the United States side. That's not a difficult effort right now, as we have heard. Calls coming in from around the world, expressing support for the United States.

And as we've already reported, right now at the NATO headquarters in Belgium, in Brussels, ambassadors there from all 19 NATO-member states are right now reviewing a draft which would give the United States up-front support, if and when it makes the decision that it knows who was behind yesterday's attacks; that all of NATO's military capability would be at the ready should the United States need it.

So right now what you are seeing is intense diplomatic effort, both within NATO, the United Nations, the European Union, with the Russians, with the Pakistanis. We understand Secretary Powell also spoke with people in that country. Why is that significant? Because they're the neighbors and supporters of the Taliban militia in Afghanistan.

Daryn, as things stand, we have more than 50 U.S. embassies that are closed and intense diplomatic efforts under way -- Daryn.

KAGAN: On that point, Andrea, I want to get this quick but I think important question in here. I imagine a lot of Americans traveling overseas that are following the story are and perhaps scared, if they are in the country where the U.S. Embassy are closed, who they are to contact if in trouble and need information?

That's a good question. If there are emergency needs that may have, they can still contact the embassy. What it means that embassy is not opened for business for things like visas and whatnot, but if an American citizen should have need for information or any advice, things of that nature, they can call their U.S. Embassy or consulate as they would do under any circumstances.

KAGAN: Very good point in clarifying exactly what closed means in terms of the embassy and business.

Andrea Koppel at the State Department, thank you.

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