RIYADH, 8 February 2005 — Australia, Belgium and India have lent their support to Crown Prince Abdullah’s initiative for setting up an international anti-terrorism center, saying it could go a long way in the fight against terrorism.
However, they pointed out that the proposed center would still not bypass the need for bilateral exchange of information to keep tabs on terrorists.
Russia has called for an action plan to take the battle against terrorism on the educational front to rid young minds of extremist ideas. Russian delegates were speaking on the sidelines of the anti-terrorism conference which entered its third day yesterday.
Welcoming Prince Abdullah’s initiative, Australia’s Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism Les Luck told Arab News that it would be useful to have an exchange of information from countries that have already set up similar centers at regional levels. He was referring to anti-terrorism centers being established in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
“These centers are within the framework of the security cooperation agreement with those countries. But they could also help bring prosperity to the region,” he observed.
Speaking on behalf of his country, Dassen Koerrood of Belgium said the Kingdom has “taken a very important initiative by proposing the launch of an international anti-terrorism center. But one conference is not enough, welcome though it is. We need to have interaction on a continuing basis.”
He, however, said the Saudi government “will have to come out with a mission statement and define the core business of that center. Eventually, we’ll have to demonstrate that it is a valuable asset for the future.”
Summing up his assessment of the conference, the Belgian delegate said it is clear that “we still have a long way to go. There are still some regional and national differences. The added value of this conference is that it demonstrates where those differences are. Certainly, the Working Group II has defined ways of financing terrorism and shown us how we can overcome those gaps.”
In reply to a question, he said the mission statement of the proposed center should define terrorism in order to get the priorities right. “At the same time, the search for a definition should not paralyze the struggle against terrorism. We are already aware that there are... networks and individuals who are not working within a framework of states and who are also violating human rights through acts of violence.”
Speaking for the Indian delegation, Ambassador M.O.H. Farook said India welcomes the crown prince’s initiative. “It is a timely and important initiative. There is value in a collective effort by our countries in addressing the critical issue of counterterrorism in a systematic manner.”
Farook offered India’s help in the launch of the proposed center as far as the IT element was concerned, since India’s strength in the IT sector is internationally recognized.
The Russian president’s special envoy, Anatoly Safonov, said the international community “must completely isolate terrorists, blocking their access to financing and human resources and preventing their use of media to disseminate radical ideas.”
He announced that the Russian delegation proposed introducing this idea in the final document of the conference, “emphasizing the importance of anti-terror education of the young generation.”
“We must use all resources in order to accomplish this task. Education, culture, traditions, religions in various countries may differ, but the attitude toward terrorism and the approach toward fighting this evil must be the same. In other words, we are talking about the fight for the minds of our youth, for our future,” the Russian delegate remarked.
