International Response:  G-8 Pledges to Help Countries Combat Terrorism

By Mike Nartker
Global Security Newswire

EVIAN, France — The Group of Eight today agreed to increase efforts to help countries develop better capabilities to combat international terrorism.

The U.N. Security Council’s Counterterrorism Committee has outlined a number of areas for capacity-building assistance, such as counterterrorism legislation and practice, law enforcement, domestic security measures and export control measures, according to an action plan released today at the G-8 summit here.  Assistance in these areas could take the form of providing training, dispatching specialists or providing equipment as requested by other countries (see GSN, April 7).

To help countries develop improved counterterrorism capabilities, the G-8 agreed today to create a Counterterrorism Action Group.  Group members will provide funding, expertise or training facilities, and will focus their activities on the areas and countries of their expertise, according to the action plan.  The purpose of the group is to both help countries with the greatest need improve their counterterrorism capabilities and to avoid duplicating the efforts of other G-8 members, according to the plan.

The group has scheduled its first meeting July 15 and is expected to have prioritized needs and countries’ assistance requests by a second meeting scheduled for Oct. 15.

“For the peace and security of the world, it is essential for all countries, including developing countries, to enhance such [counterterrorism] capability,” the G-8 said in its action plan.

The G-8 today also agreed to further support the U.N. Counterterrorism Committee by ensuring that it is properly staffed and by outlining measures countries can take to fulfill their obligations under U.N. terrorism resolutions, particularly Security Council Resolution 1373, which was passed following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.  In addition, the G-8 members also pledged to encourage countries that are not yet members of international counterterrorism conventions to join such agreements and to urge regional organizations to do more to ensure that their members implement Resolution 1373.

The action plan calls for the G-8 to produce a report on the progress of its counterterrorism efforts in time for the group’s summit next year.

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U.S. Response:  Threat Level Lowered To Yellow

U.S. security officials have lowered the national terrorist threat level from orange to yellow, the Washington Post reported Saturday (see GSN, May 21).

Yellow represents an “elevated risk,” while orange is “high risk.”

“The U.S. intelligence community has … concluded that the number of indicators and warnings that led to raising the level have decreased and the heightened vulnerability associated with the Memorial Day holiday has passed,” Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said Friday (John Mintz, Washington Post, May 31).

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