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[EDITORIALS]Use the Security Council

U.S. President George W. Bush's speech at a joint meeting of Congress nine days after the terrorist attacks in Washington and New York reflects the demands of the U.S. people and international society. First of all, President Bush made clear the scope of the enemy; they are radical terrorist organizations and nations that house, aid and abet terrorism. His speech made it plain that the majority of Islamic states and people advocate peace and are opposed to terrorism; they are not targets of "Operation Infinite Justice." President Bush demanded that the Taleban, Afghanistan's fundamentalist Islamic regime, turn over the prime suspect of the recent terror attacks, Osama bin Laden, and his followers to appropriate authorities. He also said facilities used by terrorists must be razed, but did not give a specific deadline. This can be interpreted as giving one more chance to Afghanistan and acknowledging concerns about innocent Afghanistan civilians.

Afghani civilians, suffering from famine and civil war, would be defenseless against U.S. attacks that are inevitable if the religious leaders of Afghanistan ignore the demands of the United States to turn over bin Laden. It is up to the judgment of the Taleban to decide which choice meets the will of Allah - to be ready to take up a jihad against the United States to protect bin Laden or accept the demands of the United States. The outbreak of war is up to the Taleban.

We believe that it is premature for Mr. Bush to order the attack. As he said, a war against international terrorism will take a long period of time and should be waged by a coalition of nations that believe in freedom and peace. Forming a multinational army would be an effective way to gain the moral high ground. Therefore, the United States should take the required diplomatic actions in the United Nations Security Council and make thorough efforts to uncover the mastermind of the recent terror attacks at the same time. It will not be too late to attack Afghanistan if the Taleban regime rejects demands for bin Laden even after the United States has completed those procedures.

The whole world is watching President Bush to see if he is a leader who integrates international opinion into U.S. actions.