Congress meets in New York in honour of September 11th

US: The US Congress put partisan politics aside yesterday to hold a special session in New York in a gesture of solidarity to…

US: The US Congress put partisan politics aside yesterday to hold a special session in New York in a gesture of solidarity to honour the victims of September 11th.

Hundred of lawmakers squeezed into lower Manhattan's Federal Hall, site of the first session of Congress in 1789, when George Washington was inaugurated as the country's first president.

As well as paying tribute to those who died in the terrorist attacks a year ago, several speakers stressed the unity and determination of the United States to see through its "war against terrorism".

The session was held amid tight security, with New York police, boosted by Capitol Police and Secret Service agents, who had made the trip from Washington, throwing a cordon that stretched several blocks around Federal Hall.

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New York City is still struggling to come to terms with the human and economic loss of the World Trade Centre attacks.

A huge new outpouring of national unity is expected on next Wednesday's September 11th anniversary, when ceremonies will be held across the United States.

"Today we speak of the unspeakable and remember the unimaginable," said the House of Representatives Minority Leader, Mr Richard Gephardt, who paid special tribute to the firefighters and other emergency services workers.

The Senate Majority Leader, Mr Thomas Daschle, said history would record that the terrorists had failed. "The true strength of America is not steel or concrete, it is our belief in the values enshrined in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights," he said.

The US Vice-President, Mr Dick Cheney, also addressed the session. "Our freedom came at a very high price," Mr Cheney said. "We have no intention now of letting it slip away."

After lunch the lawmakers laid a wreath at Ground Zero.