U.S. Response:  Federal Law Officers Get Radiation Detectors

The United States has equipped most of its federal law enforcement officers with small radiation detection devices, United Press International reported Wednesday (see GSN, June 4).

The devices, which look like pagers, can detect radioactive material and some dangerous chemical agents within 50 feet.  U.S. Customs inspectors have worn the detection devices for three years voluntarily, but their use is being expanded to other federal agencies, including the Secret Service.

In a speech this month, President George W. Bush said the union representing Customs agents opposes mandatory use of the devices, illustrating his need to circumvent organized labor in the proposed homeland security department (see GSN, Oct. 4).  The National Treasury Employees Union which represents the Customs agents said is has never opposed mandatory use of the devices but has asked that agents receive proper training with the devices (Michael Kirkland, United Press International/Washington Times, Oct. 9).

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Threat Assessment:  White House Finishing Critical Infrastructure List

In an effort to sharpen defenses and focus a response to terrorism, U.S. officials have nearly completed a list of the most critical infrastructure sites in the country, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, Sept. 23).

The list of infrastructure sites, described as “supercritical” by Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, is divided into 13 categories:  agriculture, food, energy, transportation, water, government, public health, emergency services, chemical facilities, defense industrial base, information and telecommunications, banking and finance and postal and shipping services (see GSN, Sept. 20).

Officials have said they plan to release only general information on the study — not the full list — and to deliver only broad recommendations to the public.

“We certainly don’t want to be telegraphing our defenses to the enemy,” Ridge said.

Ridge also plans to make recommendations on public and private sector steps that are needed to increase security at critical sites.  The report is to address the best way to mobilize government and industry resources in the event of a threat, calling on public and private sectors to coordinate responses to an attack (see GSN, Aug. 15).

The report is based on one of the most extensive studies of U.S. infrastructure ever completed, according to the White House.  White House officials gathered information for the list through studies and analysis from government experts and seven workshops this year with industry leaders.

“There’s no easy way to go about the process of methodically and comprehensively taking a look at systems and determining where you have greatest vulnerability,” Ridge said.  “It’s a time-consuming and very demanding process” (Bill Miller, Washington Post, Oct. 10).

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International Response:  U.N. Counterterrorism Committee Lacks 17 Reports

The U.N. Security Council yesterday called on 17 remaining countries to submit reports on their counterterrorism measures as mandated last year in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks (see GSN, Oct. 7).

Martin Belinga-Eboutou of Cameroon, which holds the rotating presidency of the council, called on the remaining countries to join 174 member states in submitting the reports to the year-old counterterrorism committee (see GSN, April 16).

The committee “calls on the 17 member states which have not yet submitted a report to do so urgently,” Belinga-Eboutou said.

Six of the 17 countries — Chad, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Swaziland — have not yet contacted the committee (U.N. release, Oct. 8).

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International Response:  U.N. Counterterrorism Cooperation Improves

By Jim Wurst
Global Security Newswire

UNITED NATIONS — One year after a counterterrorism committee was established to help governments comply with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1373 on counterterrorism measures following last September’s attacks on the United States, the council Friday reviewed progress on the efforts (see GSN, April 16.

British Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, who has chaired the committee since its inception, said Friday that the council has “enjoyed unprecedented support from the U.N. membership for its efforts to turn the global consensus on fighting terrorism into practical action.”

Resolution 1373 called on states to adopt national laws to deny safe haven to terrorists, to halt the international transfer of money for terrorist activities and to ratify the 12 anti-terrorism treaties.  “Governments throughout the world have responded to the challenge ... [to] prevent and suppress terrorism,” Greenstock said.  “In almost every case, parliaments have begun to consider or adopted new laws and governments have reviewed the strength of their institutions to fight terrorism.”

Greenstock said more than 180 states have “reported to the CTC on the action taken and planned.  And the dialogue has continued. … To date, the total number of reports received by the CTC stands at 265.  Awareness of what we are doing, and of what we need to know, is close to universal.”

He added, “As required by the resolution, states have looked again at the 12 international conventions and protocols related to terrorism.  Ratifications have gone up significantly since July a year ago.  A year ago, only Botswana and the U.K. had ratified all 12 instruments.  Today, 24 states have done so.  We want the pace to accelerate further.”

Greenstock also told the council, “There is still much more to do before terrorists find that there is no safe haven because the bar against terrorism has been raised in every country.  The CTC will continue to offer encouragement, advice and guidance to states on the implementation of 1373.”

Secretary General Kofi Annan told the council the United Nations has a three-prong strategy for countering terrorism:  dissuasion, denial, and cooperation.  Dissuasion means “setting effective norms and implementing relevant legal instruments,” he said.  “To achieve effective dissuasion, it is essential to remember that the fight against terrorism is above all a fight to preserve fundamental rights and sustain the rule of law.”

Regarding denial, Annan said, “We must deny would-be terrorists the opportunity to commit their dreadful acts” by supporting the CTC, “by greater efforts to achieve disarmament — especially through strengthening global norms against the use or proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and by giving technical support to states seeking to curb the flow of arms, funds, and technology to terrorist cells.”

Annan described the U.N. role in cooperation as “encouraging subregional, regional, and global organizations to join forces in a common campaign.”

“Just as terrorism must never be excused, so must genuine grievances never be ignored simply because terrorism is committed in their name,” Annan said.  “It does not take away from the justice of a cause that a few wicked men or women commit murder in its name. … As the United Nations unites to defeat terrorism in the months and years ahead, we must act with equal determination to solve the political disputes and long-standing conflicts which generate support for terrorism.  To do so is not to reward terrorism or its perpetrators; it is to deny them the opportunity to find refuge, in any cause, any country.  Only then can we truly say that the war on terrorism has been won.”

The debate, which continued throughout the day Friday, resumes tomorrow afternoon.  At the conclusion, the council is expected to issue a statement calling on states to focus on ways to further implement Resolution 1373, to ratify the anti-terrorism conventions and to pass national legislation to strengthen laws against terrorism.

For more details of the session, click here.

For more information, see:

U.N. Counterterrorism Committee

U.N. Security Council Resolution 1373

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