International Response:  U.N.  Studies Shows Some Antiterrorism Efforts Are Ineffective

The U.N. Security Council’s travel and arms embargo on individuals linked to al-Qaeda is not stopping the global terrorist network from carrying out attacks, according to a 42-page, unpublished U.N. draft report cited in Saturday’s Washington Post.

According to the report, since the sanctions were imposed after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, no terrorist or weapon covered by the measures has been detained or seized at an international border.

“Despite the travel ban,” the report reads, “members of the al-Qaeda network have retained a high degree of mobility and have been able to carry out and contribute to terrorist attacks in several countries around the world.”

The report indicates that a U.N. list of over 220 people and groups said to be linked to al-Qaeda contains many misspellings and errors.  Thirty-four suspects are identified by a single name, and translations from Arabic to English vary. Also, the United States and other countries have reportedly refrained from releasing certain names to the United Nations because of concerns about compromising their own investigations.

The report indicates that efforts against al-Qaeda have been successful in some areas, with a number of senior al-Qaeda members having been arrested over the last year, but that recent attacks in Casablanca, Morocco, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, show that terrorists are “still willing and able to strike at targets of their choosing.” The group that carried out the attack in Casablanca is not directly linked to al-Qaeda, but according to the report, the incident demonstrates the organization’s ability to recruit new adherents.

Terrorists still have access to millions of dollars, according to the draft. The United States and other countries, the report indicates, are unable to freeze some al-Qaeda-related assets, allowing al-Qaeda members to “acquire adequate quantities of weapons and explosives where and when they need them” (Colum Lynch, Washington Post, June 21).

Back to top

U.S. Response:  U.S. Company to Begin Producing New Radiation Detector

The U.S. company ORTEC is set to begin production of a handheld radiation detector developed by the U.S. Energy Department’s Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Energy Daily reported today (see GSN, March 3).

Laboratory officials yesterday signed an agreement with ORTEC representatives on commercializing the RadScout radiation detector, which laboratory officials have said is both portable and easy to use.  In addition to detecting radiation, the detector uses software to identify what materials are likely producing the radiation, according to the laboratory’s Michael Dunning.

The RadScout is primarily designed to detect gamma rays and X-rays, but it also is equipped with a small neutron detector, Dunning said.  “This will address the vast majority of radioactive materials,” he said (Energy Daily, June 20).

Back to top

U.S. Response:  U.S., Industry Representatives Meet to Discuss Chemical Plant Security

More than 400 U.S. and industry chemical and transportation security experts met yesterday in Philadelphia for the start of a three-day “summit” on improving security at U.S. chemical plants, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (see GSN, May 13).

“Let me be very, very clear.  If we do not talk about the actions we are taking, and publicly illustrate our commitment, then we will allow our detractors to attack this industry and erode the effectiveness of our efforts,” Greg Lebedev, chief of the American Chemistry Council, said during his keynote address.

Representatives from the U.S. Homeland Security Department urged chemical companies to make plant security improvements a higher priority.

“You and your employees must understand what’s at stake,” said Sally Canfield, a Homeland Security policy director.  “That’s half the battle.  Too many companies believe security is a low priority, if it’s a priority to them at all,” Canfield said.

During the first day of the summit, many chemical industry executives agreed that many of the largest — and potentially most dangerous — chemical plants lacked intensive security measures, such as armed guards, the Tribune-Review reported.  Industry executives said, however, that they have made some improvements in protecting both plant workers and area residents.

“The chemical industry recognizes it has a responsibility,” said Joseph Acker, president of the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association.  “We know we have to act quickly and we’ve come a long way,” Acker said (Carl Prine, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, June 18).

Back to top

U.S. Response I:  Customs Official Defends Cargo Screening Policy

CongressDaily

WASHINGTON — President Bush’s top customs official yesterday defended the administration’s strategy to safeguard against terrorist attacks through cargo entering the United States, in the face of criticism from Democratic members of a House panel who charged the plan left serious breaches in the nation’s security (see GSN, June 12).

Robert Bonner, commissioner of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection in the new Homeland Security Department, touted agreements with the host nations of 19 of the 20 largest-shipping ports to U.S. shores that allow U.S. Customs agents stationed overseas to prescreen containers identified as high-risk, in a hearing of the House Homeland Security Infrastructure and Border Security Subcommittee.

Senior subcommittee Democrat Jim Turner (Texas), however, charged that Customs was not vigilant enough in questioning entrants to the United States across its Mexican and Canadian borders, citing findings from GAO in which investigators were able to enter this country with forged identification.

Representative Edward Markey (D-Mass.) assailed Bonner because Customs does not screen U.S.-bound cargo traveling on passenger jets before it enters the United States.  Bonner replied that this was the jurisdiction of the Transportation Safety Administration, not Customs.

Of the 20 largest ports, the exception that has not signed an agreement under Custom’s Container Security Initiative is Kaohsiung, China, according to the Customs bureau.  In addition, Customs has no agreements with Latin American countries, but these might be targeted in a second phase of the program announced by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge last week, Bonner said.

Back to top

U.S. Response II:  National Emergency Alert System Needs Improvements, Experts Say

Experts have said the United States needs to develop a better national emergency alert system to inform Americans about dangerous situations, such as a terrorist attack, USA Today reported today.

“If you get warned, it’s as much luck as anything else,” said Kenneth Allen, executive director of the Partnership for Public Warning, an organization of government emergency managers and industry executives.

The well-known Emergency Alert System, which broadcasts alerts via radio and television, is outdated and only functional in a small number of states, according to experts.  While the president has the ability to access thousands of television and radio stations to issue national warnings, the emergency alert system is less effective for state and local emergencies, according to USA Today.  Even if the president were to activate the system on a national level, which has never been done, it would only reach those people tuned in to a television or radio network that was broadcasting the alert.

“We live in a much more complex, diverse, mobile society, and we face threats that our grandparents never faced,” Allen said.  “They didn’t have chemical-truck spills or nuclear accidents or terrorists,” he said.

The Partnership for Public Warning and a U.S. Federal Communications Commission advisory committee have urged the development of a more advanced national alert system, USA Today reported.  For example, alert information could be delivered via cell phones, pagers and computers, along with television and radio.  In addition, computer chips could be installed in televisions and radios to make them automatically switch on when an alert is broadcast. 

The FCC advisory committee is expected to vote this week on recommendations for a more advanced system (Mimi Hall, USA Today, June 17).

Back to top

About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines

HOME  |  CONTACT US  |  GET INVOLVED  |  SITE MAP