International Response: U.S. and Allies Crack Down on Terrorist Funds

The United States and its anti-terrorism allies launched raids and other actions yesterday to shut down al-Barakaat and al-Taqwa financial networks. U.S. officials said the networks help fund al-Qaeda, the terrorist organization run by Osama bin Laden, suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

U.S. Customs and the FBI seized records and arrested one man yesterday during several raids in five states as authorities blocked the assets of 62 organizations and individuals allegedly associated with the two networks. 

U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill said more raids would follow and another 962 accounts in the United States were under investigation.

“Today’s action interrupts al-Qaeda’s communications.  It blocks an important source of funds.  It provides us with valuable information and sends a clear message to global financial institutions: You are with us, or you’re with the terrorists.  And if you’re with the terrorists, you will face the consequences,” U.S. President George W. Bush said yesterday.

International Efforts

Several countries joined U.S. efforts to crack down on the two networks.  Swiss police detained two financiers suspected of associations with al-Qaeda for six hours of questioning.  The Group of Eight countries and the United Arab Emirates froze the networks’ assets in their countries.  Police in Liechtenstein, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy and Switzerland raided the networks’ offices and, in some cases, seized documents and property.

Serious Blow to al-Qaeda

U.S. officials said the operation struck a serious blow to al-Qaeda’s finances, although they declined to offer much evidence, saying information was mostly classified.  Officials said al-Barakaat was one of al-Qaeda’s major funding channels and has moved tens of millions of dollars a year for al-Qaeda.  Al-Barakaat is a hawala financial system, a traditional method of transferring money that involves few records.  Officials have said that although hawala often makes legitimate transfers, its informal nature makes it an easy tool for terrorists.  New U.S. anti-terrorism legislation passed last month (see GSN, Oct. 26) requires hawalas to register with the U.S. Treasury Department and to report suspicious activities. 

Al-Barakaat has been involved in several legitimate businesses that provided a front for its financial transfers to terrorists, Treasury officials said.  It was founded in 1989 by Ahmed Nur Ali Jim’ale—who the United States suspects is a bin Laden associate—and is based in the United Arab Emirates, U.S. officials said.  Al-Taqwa is a smaller association of banks based in Switzerland that provides investment advice to al-Qaeda members, the officials said (Milbank/Day, Washington Post, Nov. 8).

Ali Jim’ale, who lives in Dubai, denied all charges against al-Barakaat today (Ward Pincus, Associated Press/RealCities.com, Nov. 8).

U.S. Arrest

Authorities in Boston took Mohamed Hussein into custody on charges of running an illegal financial business.  Liban Hussein was also charged but was in Canada.  He told the Toronto Star he was innocent.

Obstacles

The two networks are not the only funding routes for al-Qaeda.  The Treasury Department said last month it believed three honey-related businesses in Yemen were secretly moving money to the organization.  Other officials said al-Qaeda might be profiting from the illegal diamond trade in Africa and the opium trade in Afghanistan. 

Members of Congress called for more international cooperation to fight terrorist financing.  “What we really need is a system that operates relatively seamlessly where all of the countries cooperate in the course of an investigation.  And of course it doesn’t work that way.  It’s all tangled up in questions of sovereignty,” said Jack Blum, former special counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Sharon Theimer, Associated Press/RealCities.com, Nov. 8).

Britain Freezes Accounts

Britain announced today it had frozen $10.3 million of suspected terrorist assets in the last week for a total of almost $102 million frozen in the United Kingdom.  Financial institutions had been ordered to freeze the funds of 46 organizations and 16 individuals linked to al-Qaeda, British officials said (Reuters, Nov. 8).

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Afghanistan: Brahimi Endorses Post-Taliban Role For Zahir Shah; More

Senior U.N. Afghanistan envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, ending a Central Asian tour during which he began to coordinate plans for a post-Taliban government and peacekeeping in Afghanistan, met yesterday in Rome with deposed Afghan King Zahir Shah and Italian officials including Foreign Minister Renato Ruggiero (U.N. Newservice, Nov. 7).

"His majesty is willing to help very unselfishly.  He does not want anything for himself," Brahimi said after meeting with Shah, whom numerous players have proposed as a useful figurehead for post-Taliban political reconstruction.  "He's willing to help in the manner that is useful and acceptable by everyone.  And we believe that he can play the role of being at the center of the kind of arrangements that need to be made to take Afghanistan out of the divisions and the fractures that have affected Afghan society for very long."

The ex-king's role "will emerge as we go along," Brahimi added.  "There is still a lot of discussion to have with a lot of Afghans.  This is a fractured society."  The envoy promised that a U.N. Security Council meeting this month will yield more details (Antonio Denti, Reuters/Boston Globe, Nov. 8).

In conversations with Ruggiero and others, Corriere della Sera reports, Brahimi said any peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan would be infinitely more difficult than the current multinational effort in Kosovo, where thousands of NATO soldiers have been trying to keep the peace in an area that is small and lightly populated by comparison with Afghanistan.  As there is no peace to maintain, Brahimi added, discussions of peacekeeping in Afghanistan are not realistic.

Brahimi stressed that the Taliban still controls 90 percent of the country, has not suffered from mass desertion and shows no sign of giving up power.  He called on parties to remember that, "in reality, there are two ongoing wars" in the country:  the Taliban-Northern Alliance civil war and the U.S.-led campaign, which he said "is not directed at the Afghan populace, but is having consequences on the Afghan populace" (Maurizio Caprara, Corriere della Sera, Nov. 8, UN Wire translation).

A senior U.S. official told Agence France-Presse yesterday that Washington wants Brahimi to take the lead in forming a new government in Afghanistan.  "The United States is not forming a transitional government for Afghanistan," the official said.  "The formation of a follow-on government is not the responsibility of the U.S.  It's something that obviously will require a lot of cooperation, but Mr. Brahimi has the lead on this, not the Security Council."

"The first thing that has to happen is Mr. Brahimi has to come back and tell us what he thinks," the official added.  The official stressed the importance of the U.N. General Assembly high-level session beginning Saturday, saying Afghanistan's future will be a main topic of discussion (AFP, Nov. 8).

French President Jacques Chirac, who has met in the United States this week with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and U.S. President George W. Bush, echoed the U.S. official's endorsement of a U.N. lead role in Afghanistan.  The United Nations will "naturally" play a major role in building a new government, Chirac said Tuesday night at U.N. headquarters.

Chirac stressed the political aspect of the current campaign, criticizing the Taliban for failing to ensure human rights and women's rights and for allowing the Afghan people to live in misery.  He confirmed, following media reports in recent days, that Paris and London are preparing a Security Council resolution on Afghanistan ahead of the council's debate on the country Tuesday (U.N. Newservice II, Nov. 7).

In a report released yesterday, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights Kamal Hossain warned that a security vacuum in Afghanistan could lead to human rights abuses.  Hossain warned of possible massacres, calling for "critical steps" to prevent a vacuum (U.N. Newservice III, Nov. 7).

European Union and Iranian officials met yesterday in Brussels to discuss Afghanistan's future.  Iran is a major backer of the opposition Northern Alliance (Judy Dempsey, Financial Times, Nov. 8).

Musharraf Calls For End to Bombing

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said today in Paris that U.S. strikes on Afghanistan should stop for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins late next week.  Citing a growing international sentiment that U.S. bombing amounts to a war against poor, innocent Afghans, Musharraf said he plans to ask Bush for the suspension.  The two leaders are expected to meet outside the General Assembly session starting this weekend (Reuters, Nov. 8).

According to a spokeswoman for Chirac, who hosted Musharraf at a dinner last evening, the French president praised the Pakistani leader for his "courageous choice" in supporting the U.S.-led campaign despite opposition at home (CNN.com, Nov. 8).

Karzai Asks World for Help

Anti-Taliban Afghan tribal leader Hamid Karzai called today on the international community for military and humanitarian assistance to Afghans as he and others attempt to unseat the Taliban.  "I want these foreign terrorist elements out of my country.  I want this country to belong to Afghans," said Karzai, who is in Afghanistan attempting to stir up revolt.

"I am asking now in very strong terms for international assistance to help the Afghan people get rid of the foreign terrorist enemies of Afghanistan," he said.  "I'm asking for help from the U.S., Europe and Muslim countries to help the Afghan people to regain independence, regain peace and once again live among the nations of the world as a dignified, honorable nation" (Andrew Marshall, Reuters/Yahoo! News, Nov. 8).

Taliban Makes Arrests, Begins Closing Karachi Consulate

The Taliban has arrested 16 Afghans in eastern Afghanistan on suspicion of spying for Washington, Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press reports.  Those arrested could face the death penalty under a religious edict on punishment for helping the United States (Reuters/Yahoo! News, Nov. 8).

Also according to Afghan Islamic Press, Pakistan yesterday ordered the Taliban to close its consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, giving the regime three days to comply.  The Taliban has already begun to prepare its departure from the city, the agency reports.

The move follows Pakistani attempts this week to rein in Taliban Ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Salam Zaeef, who has used his embassy as a platform for anti-U.S. propaganda.  The Karachi closure leaves the Taliban with an embassy in Islamabad, the capital, and consulates in Quetta and Peshawar (AFP/La Tribune, Nov. 8, UN Wire translation).

Powell Eyes Eventual Expansion to Iraq

The campaign could eventually expand to Iraq, which like Afghanistan is accused by Washington of sponsoring international terrorism, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said yesterday after meeting with Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister Sabah al-Sabah.  Powell said that after defeating the al-Qaeda network of suspected terrorist sponsor and Taliban guest Osama bin Laden, the United States will "turn our attention to terrorism throughout the world, and nations such as Iraq which have tried to pursue weapons of mass destruction should not think that we ... will not turn our attention to them" (Koppell/Labott, CNN.com, Nov. 7).

Two defectors from Iraqi intelligence yesterday said Baghdad has since 1995 run secret camps to train terrorists, the New York Times  reports.  The defectors, one of which the Times says was among the Iraqi intelligence service's highest officials, said they worked at the camps but did not know whether the terrorists are linked to al-Qaeda (Chris Hedges, New York Times, Nov. 8).

U.S. officials said yesterday that the Bush administration will before the end of the year try to impose new sanctions on Iraq through the Security Council (Koppel/Labott, CNN.com II, Nov. 7).

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U.S. Response: High Alert Continues, Ridge Says

Federal, state and local security personnel in the United States remain on high alert against terrorist attack, Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge said yesterday. The FBI warned on Oct. 29 that terrorists were plotting to attack the United States (see GSN, Oct. 30), and that warning has not expired, Ridge said.

There have been no new sources of information since the warning was first issued, and law enforcement and emergency teams are battling fatigue, according to the Washington Times.  Federal officials nonetheless believe that the threat to U.S. interests is significant, Ridge said. “We’re still on alert,” he told reporters at the White House. “For the time being, we believe America should stay on alert” (August Gribbin, Washington Times, Nov. 8).

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U.S. Response: Congress Debates Federal Aid to Insurance Companies

Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives agreed yesterday on a framework for providing financial assistance to the insurance industry (see GSN, Oct. 26) but left several issues unresolved.  The House Financial Services Committee adopted a bill in which private insurers would pay a deductible of $1 billion on claims resulting from terrorist attacks, and the government would cover about 90 percent of claims thereafter.  Committee members said the deductible could increase after negotiations before the bill goes to a full House vote.  Additionally, insurers would have to repay the government according to a schedule included in the plan.

Meanwhile, the Senate Banking Committee has been working on a competing proposal that features a $10 billion deductible and 90 percent government coverage thereafter but would not require insurers to repay the government’s money.

Lawmakers also were divided yesterday over whether to protect insurers from punitive-damage claims and whether insurers should get tax breaks for paying terrorism claims (Jackie Spinner, Washington Post, Nov. 8).

Congress members agreed they should move quickly to pass legislation to assist the insurance industry, according to the Associated Press.  Insurance companies have said they could pay the claims resulting from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States but said without government assistance they would face a crisis in the next year.  Reinsurance companies, which insure insurance companies, have said they would drastically increase rates or not renew terrorism-related insurance after Dec. 31, when most insurance policies expire. 

Lawmakers have expressed serious concern that crisis in the insurance sector would damage the economy in several areas, such as construction.  “The consequences could be catastrophic for the economy next year,” said Representative Paul Kanjorksi (D-Pa.) (Jesse Holland, Associated Press/RealCities.com, Nov. 8).

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Threat Assessment:  Bin Laden Hunting for Nuclear Weapons, Bush Says

U.S. President George W. Bush said yesterday that suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organization are trying to obtain weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear arms (see GSN, Oct. 15).  “They are seeking chemical, biological and nuclear weapons,” Bush said.  “Given the means, our enemies would be a threat to every nation and, eventually, to civilization itself” (U.S. State Department transcript, Nov. 6).

Bush’s reference to nuclear weapons was based on information previously gathered by the CIA, and not on any new threat, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.  “The president believes there are no lengths to which these people will not go if they can get their hands on any type of weapons, whether they are biological, chemical, nuclear,” Fleischer said, and added that the United States would defend itself against any terrorist act using weapons of mass destruction (Merzer/Hutcheson, Miami Herald, Nov. 7).  Bush said he would not be surprised if bin Laden was behind the anthrax incidents.

In his speech via satellite to East European leaders at a conference in Warsaw, Bush compared al-Qaeda to fascists and totalitarians.  “We see the same intolerance of dissent, the same mad global ambitions, the same brutal determination to control every life and all of life,” Bush said.  “We have seen the true nature of these terrorists and the nature of their attacks” (Reuters/New York Times, Nov. 6).   In his speech, Bush called the assembled East European leaders “partners” and thanked them for strengthening anti-terrorism programs in the region.  The leaders had agreed to a plan that would clamp down on the money laundering, drugs and arms trafficking that help to finance terrorist groups (Agence France-Presse/South China Morning Post, Nov. 7).

The threat of global terrorism is akin to “a threat to the planet Earth from outer space,” Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma said during the Warsaw conference.  “That is why the whole of mankind should defeat it” (Gerstenzang/Holley, Los Angeles Times, Nov. 7)

Acquiring Nuclear Weapons is a “Religious Duty”

Bin Laden tried to obtain nuclear weapons components as early as 1993, according to a U.S. federal indictment.  A criminal complaint against Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, a top bin Laden lieutenant, charged that in 1993 bin Laden had approved an attempted purchase of enriched uranium (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace analysis, Nov. 6).  Bin Laden himself expressed a desire to obtain weapons of mass destruction.  “If I seek to acquire such weapons, this is a religious duty,” bin Laden said in 1998.  “How we use them is up to us.”  Such threats need to be taken seriously, Bush said. 

Recently, bin Laden may have bought several suitcase-size nuclear bombs from Russia that have not been used only because they need a signal from Moscow to be activated, said the Russian media, according to the Los Angeles Times.   (Gerstenzang/Holley, Los Angeles Times).

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Afghanistan: Brahimi Seeks Zahir Shah Meeting

Lakhdar Brahimi, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's main Afghanistan envoy, said yesterday in Iran he hopes to meet with deposed Afghan King Zahir Shah before returning to New York.  Brahimi said he plans to stop in Rome, where Shah lives, "to see, I hope, the former king and the people who have been working with him in this so-called Rome process."

The king and others in Rome have been working on one of several plans for peacekeeping and governing in Afghanistan if the country's Taliban rulers fall from power following U.S.-led attacks.  Brahimi said he is drafting a text containing proposals for a broad-based post-Taliban Afghan government.  He stressed the need for reconstruction following the devastation Taliban rule and the current bombing have wrought on the country, adding that the international community has pledged "substantial resources" to the cause (U.N. Newservice, Nov. 6).  Brahimi said the United Nations should play a "pivotal role" in Afghanistan's future, but called an Afghan force the "most desirable" peacekeeping option.

The envoy is expected to seek General Assembly and Security Council resolutions endorsing his proposals next week (Guy Dinmore, Financial Times, Nov. 7).  Meeting in New York yesterday with Annan, French President Jacques Chirac said France and the United Kingdom are preparing a Security Council resolution based on Brahimi's recommendations.  The resolution stipulates "a provisional authority" in the country with the ex-king as a "symbolic figure" of power, Le Monde reports.

"It is essential that Afghanistan have a regime other than the Taliban, a representative regime, a regime that has good relations with all neighboring countries, a regime that, little by little, implants democracy," Chirac said (Afsane Bassir Pour, Le Monde, Nov. 7, UN Wire translation).

Japan is organizing a meeting of countries supporting Afghan reconstruction, Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka told former U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata yesterday (Xinhua News Agency/ReliefWeb, Nov. 6).  Meanwhile, the opposition Northern Alliance is organizing a force to police  Kabul after the Taliban's fall (William Branigin, Washington Post, Nov. 7).

The former king's son, Mir Wais Zahir, yesterday called on his father to give "frustrated" supporters the order to rise up against the Taliban (Reuters/Kuala Lumpur Star, Nov. 7).  In related news, a key Shah backer -- slain former mujahideen commander Abdul Haq's nephew, identified only as Izzatullah -- was killed yesterday by the Taliban, family members said (MSNBC.com, Nov. 7).

Powell Suggests No Iraq Hits as Strikes Continue

In an interview broadcast yesterday on Egyptian television, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Washington has "no plans at the moment to undertake any other military action" outside Afghanistan.  "We will see where we are as we go forward, but the concerns like the kind that you have just raised are not concerns that should worry anybody seriously, in any serious way," Powell told a reporter who asked about the potential for strikes against Iraq (Washington Times, Nov. 7).

As strikes continued yesterday, opposition forces claimed their first significant advances, saying they have taken three villages near Mazar-e-Sharif.  U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he wants to "let the dust settle" before weighing in on the reported advances (Scott Shepard, Cox News Service/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Nov. 7).

The Wall Street Journal reported that foreign troops are at the heart of Taliban resistance.  Afghanistan's rulers are increasingly dependent on Arab forces loyal to suspected terrorist sponsor and Taliban guest Osama bin Laden, and Arab commanders are in charge on several fronts, according to the Journal (LeVine/Cummins, Wall Street Journal, Nov. 7).  U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday that the Taliban has "virtually merged" with bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist network (Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Nov. 6).

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U.S. Response: Pentagon Spending Bills in Jeopardy

U.S. President George W. Bush threatened yesterday to veto the Defense Department’s appropriations bill if it includes emergency funding beyond the $40 billion suggested after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.  Bush delivered his message at a White House meeting with leaders of the U.S. House and Senate appropriations committees.

Many of those leaders—who say more money is needed for homeland security in the wake of the anthrax incidents—sat in astonished silence listening to the president, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Under one plan congressional leaders have been considering, they would provide an additional $2.2 billion to domestic agencies and an additional $6 billion for military and intelligence services in fiscal 2002.

Bush rejected this approach, however, making it less likely that Congress would approve all the remaining spending bills on its docket before a stopgap funding resolution expires Nov. 16, according to the Journal (David Rogers, Wall Street Journal, Nov. 7).

President Bush urged the lawmakers to provide for additional needs in budget bills for fiscal 2003.  The White House is worried that any additional spending approved now will increase in coming years, possibly forcing Bush to preside over a few years of budget deficits as he prepares for re-election in 2004, according to the Associated Press (Alan Fram, Associated Press/RealCities.com, Nov. 7).

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Afghanistan: Annan Responds to Bin Laden

Following accusations this weekend by alleged terrorist Osama bin Laden that Western countries use the United Nations as a tool to advance selfish ends, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan responded yesterday through a spokesman, calling on the world's Muslims not to heed bin Laden's words and reaffirming the universal nature of the United Nations.

"Naturally, he disagrees with it and hopes that Muslims and other people around the world will not be misled by it," spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva said when asked what Annan thinks of bin Laden's statement.  "The secretary general hopes they will understand that the United Nations is an expression of the will of all its members; the membership of the United Nations is universal, as are the principles enshrined in its charter."

The spokesman also referred reporters to an interview with Annan published yesterday in Le Figaro in which Annan expressed similar sentiments (U.N. Newservice, Nov. 5).

Let Afghans Decide, Brahimi Says in Iran

Annan's senior Afghanistan envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, yesterday in Iran stressed that Afghans themselves must determine the terms of peace and the shape of a future government in their country, where the ruling Taliban is under attack by the United States for protecting bin Laden.

"One of the problems that the Afghans have been suffering from is foreign interference, with countries deciding what should take place and what should not take place," Brahimi said.  "I hope that, in the future, we will help the Afghans but make sure that it is their will that is translated into reality."

After visiting Pakistan, Brahimi is in Iran for talks with Afghans and Iranian officials.  He was expected today to meet with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami (U.N. Newservice II, Nov. 5).

Citing senior diplomats, the Financial Times  reports that the U.N. Security Council is likely next week to pass a resolution endorsing a transitional government for Afghanistan and pledging international peacekeeping support.  According to the London daily, Brahimi proposed the resolution in a draft of a document he is to submit to the council upon his return to New York.  It will also underline the Afghan government's responsibility for fighting terrorism, drug trafficking and human rights violations, the newspaper reports.

A resolution is needed in order to "emphasize the role of the U.N., and Brahimi in particular, as a midwife of such a government," said International Peace Academy President David Malone.  "In the absence of a strong vote of confidence from the Security Council, Afghanistan's political figures might be inclined to play major capitals off each other, ignoring the U.N. altogether" (Carola Hoyos, Financial Times, Nov. 6).

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi yesterday told Associated Press that the United States should be kept out of the peacekeeping picture.  Any force "should be composed of countries that do not have any specific interests in Afghanistan," he said.  Kharazi warned of a growing East-West rift if U.S. soldiers are present in a post-Taliban Afghanistan (Brian Murphy, AP/Boston Globe, Nov. 6).

U.S. Explains Ramadan Bombing to Afghans, Probes Man's Death

The United States plans to continue strikes against Afghanistan during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins late next week, despite calls for a halt.  In a statement broadcast yesterday in 53 languages by the official radio service Voice of America, Washington summed up the history of Muslim warfare during Ramadan and stressed the threat of further terrorist attacks.

"The coalition has no choice but to go to the source of the terrorism in Afghanistan and to root out terrorist groups elsewhere," according to the broadcast.  "As President [George W.] Bush put it, 'The enemy won't rest during Ramadan, and neither will we.'"

Reuters reports that 80 percent of adult males in Afghanistan listen to VOA (Elaine Monaghan, Reuters/Yahoo! News, Nov. 5).

As bombing continues, Taliban Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil has proposed a different solution to the Afghan-U.S. conflict:  a machine-gun duel involving Bush, U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taliban Supreme Leader Mohamed Omar.

"The Americans have launched propaganda that Mullah Omar has gone in hiding, so I propose that Mr. Blair and Mr. Bush should take Kalashnikovs and come to a specified place where Mullah Omar will appear with the Kalashnikov to determine as to who will run," Muttawakil said.  "Mullah Omar changes places because of security," he added.  "He effectively runs affairs of the government as in the past" (London Times, Nov. 6).

U.S. Names Representative to Afghan Opposition

James Dobbins is the new U.S. representative to Afghan opposition groups as they seek to form a new, broad-based government, U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said yesterday.  Dobbins will work closely with Brahimi, U.S. Afghan policy czar Richard Haass and other relevant officials, according to Boucher, who called Dobbins "one of our more prominent diplomats" (U.S. State Department release, Nov. 5).

The opposition Northern Alliance today recaptured from the Taliban the Zari Bazar district near the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghan Islamic Press reports (Reuters/Yahoo! News, Nov. 6).

The Washington Post reports that the two men who assassinated Northern Alliance commander Ahmad Shah Masood Sept. 9 were planning to blow up the opposition alliance's entire leadership council, but that the plot was foiled when the men, posing as journalists, were denied a photo opportunity with the council.  The Post cites senior council members in reporting the story (William Branigin, Washington Post, Nov. 6).

Foreign Leaders Visit Bush

A number of foreign heads of state are expected this week in Washington to discuss Afghanistan and other matters with Bush ahead of U.N. General Assembly high-level talks beginning this week.  Bush received Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika yesterday, and Blair and French President Jacques Chirac are among those expected in the days ahead (DeFrank/Bazinet, New York Daily News, Nov. 6).

Bouteflika backed U.S. military action in Afghanistan but stressed also the need to alleviate the poor social conditions that feed terrorism in much of the Muslim world.  Algeria, which has been plagued by Islamic extremist violence for years, perhaps "better than anyone else can understand the suffering and the pain of the families of the victims of the attack on Sept. 11," Bouteflika said (Mike Allen, Washington Post, Nov. 6).

Chirac, who left Paris for the United States this morning, is to meet with both Bush and Annan.  He is expected to reiterate France's support for the U.S. military campaign while stressing the need for humanitarian and political solutions in Afghanistan (Agence France-Presse/La Tribune, Nov. 6, UN Wire translation).

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United Nations: Annan Builds Support for Convention

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan plans to meet with negotiators on a draft comprehensive terrorism convention before the annual General Assembly debate, U.N. legal counsel Hans Corell said yesterday.  Negotiations were close to completion but agreement was still needed on several issues, including a definition of terrorism, Corell said.  "The secretary general will follow this personally now, and the hope is, of course, that there might be a solution," he said.

The draft convention would "prohibit terrorist activities in all their forms and manifestations, and in particular to cover those offenses which are outside the scope of the specialized conventions," Corell said.  Annan's planned discussion with convention negotiators will work to further the efforts of the group drafting the convention text, he said.  "The secretary general has decided to maintain the momentum before the general debate here, so he will see some ambassadors this afternoon who represent countries who had key roles in the discussion in the working group."

The issue of defining terrorism revolves around "how to make clear the distinction between criminal acts under the heading of terrorism and criminal acts that belong to another regime of law," Corell said.  "All member states will have to agree to have as precise a definition as possible so we can settle this matter, put it behind us, and that everybody now -- all member states -- should join the fight against this scourge" (U.N. Newservice, Nov. 5).

Another item scheduled to be debated in the General Assembly next week, the "dialogue among civilizations," has gained special significance after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Giandomenico Picco, Annan's personal representative for the Year of Dialogue among Civilizations, said Friday.  "The dialogue, we believe, is philosophically at the opposite end of the spectrum from terrorism," Picco said.  "Terrorists believe that diversity is equal to enmity, and those who take the position that dialogue should be pursued believe in the opposite" (U.N. Newservice, Nov. 2).  

A special treaty event relating to terrorism will take place at the U.N. headquarters in New York from Saturday through next Friday, according to a U.N. press release.  Annan urged states to reaffirm abhorrence of terrorism by becoming party to the international conventions dealing with terrorism and hoped the planned event would strengthen the international rule of law, the statement said (U.N. release, Nov. 2).

United Nations Criticizes Proposed British Anti-Terrorism Laws

Proposed new British anti-terrorism laws should not exceed exceptional measures permitted under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the U.N. Human Rights Committee said Friday.  The new British laws would allow rapid freezing of terrorists' assets, make it a crime to incite religious hatred, and bring in "robust and streamlined" asylum procedures, according to British Home Secretary David Blunkett.

"The committee thought it useful to express general concern that these new or proposed legislative acts should not be used to go too far," said Eckart Klein, a human rights committee member.  The covenant allows countries to apply emergency measures to combat threats to security, but these should not be used as a pretext to violate human rights,  Klein said.  "It is a general warning that this should not be misused" (Dawn, Nov. 4).

New Terrorism Convention Signatories

In a gesture to the United States, North Korea clarified its decision to sign international anti-terrorism conventions Saturday, according to Agence France Presse.  North Korea was opposed to "all forms of terrorism" and "any aid to it," said a statement from the North Korean Foreign Ministry.  "As part of it we have decided to sign the 'international convention for the suppression of the financing of terrorism,' an important instrument of the international anti-terrorism struggle."

North Korea also decided to join the U.N. convention against the taking of hostages, the ministry said.  "This means that (North Korea) has basically acceded to all the existing major international anti-terrorism conventions.  We will make consistent efforts to fight terrorism in the future," the statement said. 

European Union External Affairs Division Director General Percy Westerlund urged North Korea to "prove in deeds that they are actually prepared to join us in working against terrorism" (AFP, Nov. 4). 

Saudi Arabia plans to sign the U.N. convention on the suppression of finances to terrorism, local media reported today.  The decision to sign the accord came in yesterday's Cabinet meeting led by King Fahd, local newspapers said.  The Cabinet authorized Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal to sign the agreement, local papers reported, without giving a time as to when it would happen (Associated Press/Yahoo! News, Nov. 6).

Asian Efforts Against Terrorism

Southeast Asian leaders are not backing Malaysia's proposal to call for a U.N. terrorism conference because the process would take too long and not deal with such immediate problems as suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden, a Singapore government spokesman said today.   Southeast Asian leaders did condemn the Sept. 11 attacks and pledged to cooperate against terrorism in a declaration yesterday, according to AP.

Malaysia opposes the U.S. bombings in Afghanistan and wanted the U.N. conference to define international terrorism.  Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said he wanted the conference to include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Singapore did not want to be get involved with a declaration on terrorism which included "contentious issues," such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Singapore spokesman Ong Keng Yong said.  "Some countries wanted to use the declaration to include other elements of terrorism" (AP/Straits Times, Nov. 6).  

Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said yesterday that the recent Association of Southeast Asian Nations statement condemning terrorism was also supported by Japan, China and South Korea.  The ASEAN statement "unequivocally condemn[s] in the strongest terms the horrifying terrorist attacks ... as an attack against humanity and an assault on all of us," according to Straits Times.  Singapore was satisfied with the ASEAN statement, which also outlined a joint action plan against terrorism, Goh said.

Each of the 10 ASEAN nations had its own position on the U.S. bombings in Afghanistan, Goh said.  "That's an issue that's a little sensitive for some countries.  But on the whole, every country condemned terrorism in whatever from, and every country recognizes that terrorism should not be associated with Islam," he said.  "It is not.  Terrorism is terrorism.  That's nothing to do with Islam" (Lee Kim Chew, Straits Times, Nov. 6).

Eastern European Leaders Meet

Eastern European leaders met today at a summit to boost security cooperation in a show of solidarity with the West's "war on terrorism," according to Reuters.  "What afflicted the American nation could afflict any nation, anyone," said Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski.  Eastern European leaders plan to debate tightening control on movements of people, information and money to make it harder for terrorists to use the region to penetrate the West, Kwasniewski said.  "We would like to show our solidarity in this fight against evil" (Wojciech Moskwa, Reuters/Yahoo! News, Nov. 6).

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Afghanistan: Annan Describes Peacekeeping Options, Blasts Bin Laden

In a wide-ranging interview published today in Le Figaro, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan placed the United Nations on the "front line" of the fight against terrorism.  Annan outlined the possibilities for post-Taliban peacekeeping in Afghanistan, defended the U.S.-led coalition and criticized Osama bin Laden, the Saudi exile and guest of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban who is thought to be responsible for the Sept. 11 terror attacks, for insulting the developing world with his views on human rights.

"Bin Laden is wrong" when he calls democracy and human rights tools rich Westerners use to justify their selfishness, Annan said.  "The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was written by thinkers from all over the world, not just from the West.  Fifty years later, I think every society can identify with the declaration.  So when bin Laden affirms that democracy and human rights are just Western products, I find that insulting for the people of the Third World whom he claims to defend.  When a father learns that his son has been tortured, when a woman learns that her husband has been thrown in prison for no reason, their reaction is the same wherever they are.  In the West or in the Third World, they shout out the same anger, they cry the same tears."

Annan said the United Nations is on the "front line" of the anti-terror fight, citing Security Council resolutions passed in the wake of Sept. 11.  "According to these texts," he said, "governments must refuse asylum to terrorists and forbid the establishment in their countries of training camps or logistical bases.  This is not a pious vow.  Governments that disobey will expose themselves to international sanctions."

Annan outlined three possibilities for peacekeeping in the country if and when U.S.-led strikes lead to the Taliban's downfall:  a typical U.N. "blue helmet" operation; a non-U.N. multinational force that could be "exclusively Islamic or bring together Muslim and non-Muslim troops"; and an Afghan force, "synthesis of all the current militias."

Asked about the U.S.-led coalition, Annan defended the approach and stressed the U.N. role therein.  "The only way to win against terrorism," he said, "is to organize a common international action.  It does not matter whether you talk about cooperation or coalition, the main point is that the fight be led within the framework of the United Nations, on the basis of the two Security Council resolutions and the General Assembly resolutions.  The battle against the Taliban and against al-Qaeda is a short-term objective, but, against terrorism, we can only win over the long term, therefore, with the coalition."

The secretary general also stressed the long U.N. experience seeking peace in Afghanistan, calling on factions to stop infighting and on neighboring countries to help out; ruled out making the country a U.N. protectorate; rejected the suggestion that Washington is getting itself into a "repetition of Vietnam"; and expressed opposition to extending the war to Iraq, saying there is "no proof of Baghdad's complicity in the events of Sept. 11" (Charles Lambroschini, Le Figaro, Nov. 5, UN Wire translation).

Bin Laden Blasts U.N.

In a videotaped message broadcast Saturday by al-Jazeera, bin Laden lashed out at the United Nations, calling the world body a tool used by the West to commit crimes against Muslims and denouncing the U.N.-supported creation of Israel in 1947.

"Those who claim to be Arab leaders and remain in the United Nations, they have become unbelievers of the revelation that was given to Mohammed," bin Laden said.  "Those who refer matters to international legitimacy have become unbelievers in the legitimacy of the Quran."

The United Nations may respond in the coming days, U.N. spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva told Agence France-Presse (AFP/ninemsn, Nov. 5).

A senior U.S. official responded, "Bin Laden must believe that the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Lebanon and even Iraq are infidels" (CNN.com, Nov. 3).  Arab League chief Ahmed Maher spoke of a "war between bin Laden and the whole world" (Nadim Ladki, Reuters, Nov. 4).

The United Kingdom called bin Laden's assertions that the United States is deliberately killing civilians a "desperate fantasy" (Nikki Knewstub, London Observer, Nov. 4).

In related news, former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal said the Taliban agreed three years ago to hand bin Laden over but that the deal was scuppered when Washington attacked Afghanistan in retaliation for the bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa (Frank Gardner, BBC Online, Nov. 4).

Brahimi Meets With Iranians, Plans 6+2 Talks On Afghan Future

Annan's senior Afghanistan envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, arrived in Tehran Saturday for talks with Iranian officials on Afghanistan's future.  He was expected to remain in Tehran through the weekend and reportedly plans to meet with the Six Plus Two group -- Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, the United States and Russia -- next Monday in New York (Islamic Republic News Agency, Nov. 3).

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi Saturday criticized the U.S. attacks on Afghanistan and expressed his country's support for a "broad-based, representative" government to replace the Taliban (CNN.com II, Nov. 3).

Former Afghan Prime Minister Abdus Samad Hamid is in Pakistan to try to bring together various anti-Taliban factions there, Dawn reports (Dawn, Nov. 5).

Taliban Meets With Iran, Claims Spy Arrests, Frees Journalist

The London Telegraph reported yesterday that the Taliban has met secretly with Iranian officials who wish to prevent the return of deposed King Zahir Shah to Afghanistan.  Iran is believed to be trying to fund the return of former Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyr, the former mujahideen and the leader of the Hizbe Islami-Gulbuddin group, the Telegraph reported (Julian West, London Telegraph/Washington Times, Nov. 5).

The Taliban claimed today to have arrested a number of U.S. spies and soldiers inside Afghanistan (AFP/La Tribune, Nov. 5, UN Wire translation).  The regime has freed French journalist Michel Peyrard, though, according to Reuters (Reuters, Nov. 3).

The Taliban has been using opponents as human blood banks, drawing their blood at will to treat Taliban soldiers while killing the donors by taking too much blood, the National Post reported Saturday.  "I saw four or five people like this," said Mohamed Atiq, a military surgeon who runs a field hospital in the country (Stewart Bell, National Post, Nov. 3).

Rumsfeld Meets With Indians, Pakistanis

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld met with Indian officials today in New Delhi, his last stop on a five-country Central Asian tour.  After meeting with Defense Minister George Fernandes, Rumsfeld said the Afghan campaign will take not "years," but "the least possible time."  Rumsfeld yesterday stressed the U.S. campaign's success so far, saying, "There is not really a government to speak of in Afghanistan today."

In Pakistan, he reportedly indicated that U.S. strikes will not stop for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts in about 10 days (CNN.com, Nov. 5).

EU Leaders Meet In London

European Union leaders met yesterday in London at the invitation of U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss the Middle East and Afghanistan.  French President Jacques Chirac said the leaders agreed on full support for the U.S.-led military action in Afghanistan (Reuters/South China Morning Post, Nov. 5).

Italian soldiers are now participating in the U.S. operation.  "Our armed forces are now an integral part of the operational elements that could be engaged by the command of operation 'Enduring Freedom,'" Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino said yesterday (AFP/Cyberpresse.ca, UN Wire translation, Nov. 4).

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