The former Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, says the world should prepare for a long and coordinated struggle against terrorism in the aftermath of Tuesday's attacks in the United States. Mr. Barak made his comments on British television (Sky).
Mr. Barak says leaders from the United States and its chief allies should meet soon for an anti-terrorism summit. He said the time has come for the world to totally isolate what he called the "rogue states." Asked which countries he meant, he listed Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, North Korea and Libya.
The former Israeli prime minister said the fight against terrorism will be long, but eventually successful. "It won't be an easy struggle," Mr. Barak said. "There will be ups and downs. There will be a lot of painful moments on the way. It might take five or 10 years. But we are able to put an end to it and it's almost a kind of imperative upon ourselves to do it."
Mr. Barak says he has mixed feelings about Palestinian leader Yassar Arafat's condemnation of Tuesday's attacks. "I praise his condemnation, but it's in a way coming from a person that was so deeply involved in encouraging terror all along his life and including these last very months that I don't see that this is a real important event in this regard," he said.
Mr. Barak played down the view that the attacks represent a security failure. He said democratic societies are more exposed to terrorism simply by their openness.