Already the Children's World Summit, scheduled for September 19 to 21 in New York, and the World Bank and International Monetary Fund's annual meeting due to be held in Washington September 29 to 30, have been cancelled due to the attacks.

Large conferences have always been magnets for protesters, for instance the World Bank meeting was originally scheduled for eight days, but was telescoped to two days because of threats of violent protests. But British and Commonwealth security concerns have to be looked at in a different light after these particular attacks.

"Mr. John Howard, Australian Prime Minister, said yesterday that security has always been tight, but he did say that he was 'looking into it after the attacks in the US to see if what they had already planned were in keeping the highest of possible standards,'" said Joel Kibazo, the spokesperson for the Commonwealth Secretariat. "I have every confidence in the host government's security precautions."

Reaction to the bombings was strong all over England, and has been covered almost ceaselessly in all forms of media since. England's Prime Minister, Tony Blair, called the attacks on Tuesday "not just an attack on America, but on the world."

Such British solidarity during this difficult time from many Americans may be due to the fact that America is a former English colony. Or perhaps the British feel empathy in surviving aerial attacks - such as the British experienced during the fire-bombings of World War II. Decades of IRA bombs planted throughout London may also make the attacks in New York familiar to many British citizens. Or maybe it is because England is America's closest ally that it chooses to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with America in a state of crisis, in the words of England's Prime Minister.

At 11:00AM British time on Friday Tony Blair, England's Prime Minister, along with people across Europe, observed a three minute silence in respect to those who lost their lives in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The three-minute-vigil came on a day that US President George W. Bush has declared a national day of mourning in the United States. The British Royal family also held religious services at St. Paul's Cathedral for those missing and dead in America on Friday.

Early Tuesday morning in New York two hijacked American airliners were flown into the 110-story twin towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. The devastating fire resulting from the crashes caused the collapse of both towers, and a third smaller building later in the day. Almost 5000 people are feared trapped or dead under the rubble in New York. A third hijacked plane crashed, almost simultaneously, into the Pentagon near Washington DC. A fourth plane crashed south of Pittsburgh, Penn.

England, like America, has tightened its security since the attacks. "Murdered English in America are no different then murdered citizens here," said Blair at a Friday morning parliamentary debate on the potential NATO reaction to the attacks. Blair was referring to an estimated 150 British nationals who are still missing in New York. Commercial flights over central London have been diverted, and all private flights have been grounded until further notice.

Blair will be attending the Commonwealth Heads of State (CHOGM) meeting from October 5 to 9 in Brisbane, Australia. This is a bi-annual meeting. America is not a member of the Commonwealth, which has 85 member states.

Blair noted the international community's condemnation, especially that of the Arab world, of the attacks in his remarks to parliament Friday. No talks on the attacks or terrorism are scheduled for discussion at CHOGM.

"Not for one minute after hearing about the attacks did ever think 'Oh- we're not going to hold this," said Kibazo. "All governments have to take precautions, in a meeting like this with so many leaders, and I have every confidence Australia knows that and has acted accordingly. I haven't heard any talk about possible cancellations."