Former U.N. Ambassador Young supports Afghan war, with caution

MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA - Former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young said Thursday he backs President Bush&#39;s military action in Afghanistan, but he worries about a wider war inflaming the Middle East. <br> <br> Young, a former Atlanta mayor speaking at an endorsement for Democratic Senate candidate Julian McPhillips, said the president properly liberated Afghanistan from Taliban ``hoodlums.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> ``When I see the Afghan citizens, particularly the women, when I see them teaching and acting as physicians, I see that the war in Afghanistan was right,&#39;&#39; Young said. <br> <br> But he expressed concern that a spread of American military action into Iraq and the Philippines could be a disaster, especially with tensions between Israel and the Palestinians running high. <br> <br> ``You have to push for peace diplomatically,&#39;&#39; he said. ``We have to realize how much our economy depends on the Middle East. I would hate to see the Middle East in flames.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Young served as the United States ambassador to the U.N. under President Carter from 1977 to 1979. He was a chief lieutenant of Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement and mayor of Atlanta from 1982 to 1990. <br> <br> Young resigned from his U.N. post in 1979 upon reports that he held unauthorized meetings with members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. At the time, the U.N. was considering a resolution that would have recognized Israel&#39;s right to exist in exchange for a Palestinian state, similar to a land-for-peace deal recently suggested by Saudi Arabia. <br> <br> ``People didn&#39;t understand how desperate the situation was,&#39;&#39; Young said, using a wooden cane as his 70th birthday approaches Tuesday. ``You had that situation deteriorating over 20 years and now it&#39;s completely out of hand.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> McPhillips, a Montgomery attorney, is running in the Democratic primary for the seat held by Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions. State Auditor Susan Parker and Wayne Sowell of Birmingham are also Democratic candidates. <br> <br> The event at McPhillips&#39; home wasn&#39;t without its share of partisan politics, despite Young&#39;s support of Bush&#39;s handling of the Afghan war so far. <br> <br> ``I happen to like George Bush, but I don&#39;t always agree with him,&#39;&#39; Young said. ``I don&#39;t want to trust the economy with the people who were hooked up with Enron.&#39;&#39;