Amid a flurry of telephone calls to Europeans, Israelis and Arabs, Powell placed a special focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan, the first for harboring Osama bin Laden and the second for its proximity to the Saudi expatriate's operations and its own record of support for the Taliban, which controls most of Afghanistan.

''I am sure that the Taliban leadership is providing protection and opportunities and facilities for Osama bin Laden,'' Powell said, ''but I don't want to get into the hypotheticals as to whether or not he is responsible for'' Tuesday's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage met with Maleecha Lodhi, the Pakistani ambassador to Washington. U.S. Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin will meet Thursday in Pakistan with that country's President Pervez Musharraf.

The State Department has accused Pakistan of permitting a terrorist group to operate there. In its publication ''Patterns of Global Terrorism,'' the department expressed concern about reports of continued Pakistani support for the Taliban and for hosting religious schools that serve as recruiting grounds for terrorists.

''As we gather information and as we look at possible sources of the attack, it would be useful to point out to the Pakistani leadership at every level that we are looking for and expecting their fullest cooperation and their help and support,'' Powell said at a news conference.

The NATO allies, meanwhile, provided help in the form of a resolution that an attack on the United States would be considered an attack on all 19 allies. Powell said that did not mean the allies would join a U.S. assault on terrorists and their protectors, but he said ''it makes it easier to obtain support in the way of overflight rights and things of that nature.''

Powell said Arab countries, particularly those in the Persian Gulf, can be helpful in finding those responsible for the attack.

''They are outraged. They are shocked. They are stunned,'' Powell said.

He acknowledged, though, that the government leaders' views might be at odds with their people's. Many Palestinians, for instance, celebrated the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.

Asked if the Bush administration would exercise the restraint it urged Israel to show in retaliating against terrorists, Powell said, ''You should respond, whether it's limited or other than limited.''

Powell said he had urged Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, as well as Yasser Arafat, president of the Palestinian Authority, in telephone calls to do everything they could to hold a high-level meeting to stop a nearly yearlong conflict and start on peacemaking.

President Bush, meanwhile, complemented Powell's telephone diplomacy with calls of his own to several world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin.