washingtonpost.com: 55 Nations Endorse Measures to Fight Terrorism\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/p>
\n55 Nations Endorse Measures to Fight Terrorism<\/b>\n
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By Alan Sipress
\nWashington Post Staff Writer
\n\nWednesday, December 5, 2001; Page A14 \n\n<\/p>
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BUCHAREST, Romania, Dec. 4 -- The U.S.-led campaign against terrorism\r\nreceived a boost today when foreign ministers from 55 European, North American\r\nand Central Asian countries unanimously adopted a plan that includes enhanced\r\npolice cooperation and steps to choke off the international finances of militant\r\ngroups.<\/p>
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, here for the meeting of\r\nthe Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, told reporters that\r\nthe program approved by the group would give \"a new level of energy\" to the\r\ncounterterrorism effort. The plan calls on member countries to sign on by\r\nthe end of next year to all 12 U.N. resolutions related to fighting terrorism.<\/p>
\r\nIn attending the annual OSCE gathering, Powell sought to demonstrate that\r\nthe Bush administration remains committed to fighting terrorism as part of\r\nan international coalition. Some allies have complained recently that the\r\nUnited States seems interested only in waging the military campaign.<\/p>
\r\nSeveral governments, including those of Britain, France and Turkey, have\r\nbeen eager to dispatch troops to Afghanistan to serve as peacekeepers, but\r\ntheir deployment was put on hold in recent days by the U.S. Central Command,\r\nwhich oversees the war effort.<\/p>
\"Some of our allies were a little frustrated\r\nthat they didn't get into the battle right away, but I think they understand\r\nthe reasons for that and it will all sort itself out,\" Powell told reporters.<\/p>
\r\nPowell said the United States appreciates these offers of assistance and\r\nexpects that Army Gen. Tommy R. Franks, head of the Central Command, will\r\ntake them up once foreign forces fit into his plans. Administration officials\r\nhave said Franks is concerned for now that an international security presence\r\nwould encumber U.S. military operations.<\/p>
The war in Afghanistan is\r\nexpected to figure prominently in Powell's discussions in European and Central\r\nAsian capitals during a 10-country tour over the next week. The anti-terrorism\r\naction taken today by the OSCE represents a significant departure for an\r\norganization that historically has focused on resolving European conflicts,\r\npromoting arms control and fostering human rights and democracy.<\/p>
\"All\r\nOSCE participating states can and should work to sever terrorists' financial\r\nlifelines,\" Powell told his fellow ministers in Bucharest's enormous and\r\nornate Palace of Parliament. \"All OSCE participating states can and should\r\ntake additional steps to improve cooperation among law enforcement and financial\r\ninstitutions.\"<\/p>
Although the \"plan of action\" embodied few substantial\r\ninitiatives beyond those already launched at the United Nations and other\r\norganizations, diplomats said the unanimous adoption will create momentum\r\nfor carrying them out.<\/p>
The plan could also extend the high-level law\r\nenforcement cooperation within the 15-nation European Union to former Soviet\r\nrepublics in Central Asia, diplomats said.<\/p>
In a separate action, Powell\r\nannounced that the United States would support the withdrawal of Russian\r\ntroops from the former Soviet republic of Moldova, a presence that dates\r\nto the Soviet era, by contributing $14 million to help pay for the withdrawal\r\nand the disposal of munitions and small arms.<\/p>
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<\/p>\n© 2001 The Washington Post Company\n
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