Global acclamation over death of Laden

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HONG KONG, May 2, 2011 (AFP) - Global acclamation Monday over the death of Osama bin Laden was tempered by leaders' acknowledgement that the long war against terrorism is far from over and that Al-Qaeda could yet strike back. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari convened emergency talks with his prime minister and security chiefs in Islamabad-a mere two hours' drive from bin Laden's place of death in the town of Abbottabad. But officials in both Islamabad and Washington confirmed the dramatic operation which took place in the dead of night did not involve Pakistani forces. In neighbouring Afghanistan, the fulcrum of Bush's "war on terror" where bin Laden had found shelter in the late 1990s, President Hamid Karzai said the Al-Qaeda supremo had "paid for his actions". The news was greeted with jubilation in foreign capitals, mixed with apprehension about the possible repercussions and renewed promises of vigilance. French President Nicolas Sarkozy congratulated the United States for its "tenacity" in hunting down bin Laden nearly 10 years after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, which ignited a decade of tumult. British Prime Minister David Cameron said bin Laden's demise would "bring great relief to people across the world". Israel was fulsome in its praise of the United States, its vital security ally. The Kremlin said bin Laden's death was a "serious success" for the United States and that Russia was willing to step up its cooperation with Washington in the fight against terror. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "Last night the forces of peace achieved a victory. But this does not mean that international terrorism has been defeated yet. We must all remain vigilant." Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said the killing of bin Laden was an "act of justice" for the victims of the bombings at the embassy in Nairobi. Meanwhile: Waving US flags, thousands flooded to the White House in spontaneous celebrations early Monday after the death of Osama bin Laden, as the surprise news was welcomed by Americans across the country. American Muslim group the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) hailed the news. Even the New York Police Department, usually low key, parked a car in the middle of Times Square and stared talking to people, laughing and posing for photos. Singapore, which sits in a region where the Al-Qaeda-inspired Jemaah Islamiyah have carried out a number of large-scale fatal attacks, also cautioned that bin Laden's demise did not mean the world was safe. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told AFP in an interview Monday that the US killing of Osama bin Laden, not far from the Pakistani capital, was a "great victory".