While the ruling-class media has been quick to blame specific nationalities and religions for the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, it has done little to publicize the statements of organizations under suspicion.
Four Palestinian groups--Hamas, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Islamic Jihad--deny responsibility for the attacks. .
"Naturally the United States position regarding our conflict with Israel is totally biased in favor of Israel, but we have nothing to do with these aircraft attacks in the U.S. because our military battle is against the Zionist enemy,'' Maher al-Taher, a PFLP politburo member, said.
"We, as nationalist Palestinian forces, are launching our struggle on our land against the Zionist aggression."
There had been an Aug. 29 report that the PFLP was planning attacks against the U.S. following the killing of the PFLP leader Abu Ali Mustafa in an Israeli missile attack on his office in the West Bank. Taher denied these reports.
The media gave wide publicity to an anonymous caller who informed Abu Dhabi television the DFLP was behind the attack. But Ali Badwan, a member of the central committee of the DFLP, told Reuters his group opposed attacks on civilians.
"Our policy calls for focusing the Palestinian efforts against the Israeli occupation forces and the armed Zionist settlers," he said.
"We are not concerned with any actions outside the Palestinian territories. Our legitimate struggle is directed against the Israeli enemy and the settler cliques," he said.
Yasser Arafat, the head of the Palestinian Authority, also criticized the attacks and expressed his sympathy with the U.S. population.
"We are completely shocked. It's unbelievable," Arafat said. "We completely condemn this very dangerous attack, and I convey my condolences to the American people, to the American president and to the American administration, not only in my name but on behalf of the Palestinian people."
"The Government of the Republic of Cuba has received with grief and sadness the news of violent surprise attacks which took place, this morning, at civilian and official facilities in New York City and Washington DC, and which have caused many casualties.
"The position of Cuba against all kind of terrorist actions is well known. We cannot forget that for over 40 years our people has been victim of such actions, promoted from the territory of the United States itself. Due to historical reasons, as well as ethical principles, the Government of our country fully rejects and condemns the attacks committed against the above-mentioned facilities, and expresses its sincerest condolences to the American people for the distressing and unjustifiable loss of human lives caused by such acts.
"In this bitter hour, our people is in solidarity with the American people, and expresses its absolute willingness to cooperate, to the extent of its modest resources, with American health and humanitarian institutions in taking care of, and rehabilitating the victims of today's events."
The South African Communist Party, the Portuguese Communist Party, the Belgian Workers Party, the Philippine organization Bayan, the Calcutta-based All India Anti- imperialist Forum, Sinn Fein and many other liberation or communist groups expressed condolences with the U.S. population. Many of these groups also warned of the dangers that the Bush administration would either embark on new aggression against sovereign countries or would eliminate protest rights within the U.S., or both.