Posted Wednesday October 31, 2001 - 10:03:47 AM EST
KUALA LUMPUR - A senior Malaysian official has labelled the United States a "terrorizing state" that should be hauled before an International Court to face charges for killing innocent Afghans, news reports said Tuesday.
Rais Yatim, minister in charge of judicial issues in the prime minister's department, said Malaysia could initiate the move to bring the U.S. before international judges by submitting a petition and proposing a resolution to the United Nations, DPA reported.
However, he said he doubted the move would get much support from the U.S.' influential allies, which have backed Washington's military strikes on Afghanistan to retaliate against the September 11 terrorist atrocities in New York and Washington.
"Many countries might not support such a move for fear that the U.S. will sabotage their business and trade," Rais was quoted as saying by the new ***Straits Times*** daily newspaper.
He said the three-week long discriminate bombing of Afghanistan had inflicted numerous civilian deaths, adding innocent afghans should not be made to suffer for the U.S.' hatred of Saudi militant Osama bin Laden, whom Washington blames for the September 11 attacks.
Muslim Malaysia has strongly condemned the attacks on the U.S., but has refused to support the retaliatory strikes on Afghanistan because of its toll on the civilian population.
Kuala Lumpur has also called on the U.S. to halt the bombings, saying that waging war against Afghanistan's Taleban leadership was not an effective way to fight terrorism nor punish those responsible for September 11.