Delegates Welcome Abdullah’s Proposal

Javid Hassan, Arab News

RIYADH, 7 February 2005 — Crown Prince Abdullah’s proposal for establishing an international center to counter terrorism has been received favorably by delegates attending the ongoing Counterterrorism International Conference here.

Welcoming the proposal, British Ambassador Sherard Cowper-Coles said his country supports the initiative as it could go a long way in the fight against terrorism. “We look at it positively. A lot is going on on the sidelines of the conference. But I am not going into the details.”

He said the Saudi proposal in general and the overall thrust of the four-day conference have moved in the positive direction. “The conference has been making real progress in exchanging views. We shall also be making some suggestions to the plenary of the conference tomorrow. It is very much a market place of ideas, a souk of experience. The great thing about this conference is that there are no politicians attending it. We have only practitioners talking about their real experience in dealing with terrorism.”

Dr. Khalil Al-Khalil of Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University said the proposal to set up an anti-terrorism center has been viewed favorably by all the delegates attending the conference.

“It is not only in the interest of the West but also in the Middle East’s interest to have such a center. The starting point of this exercise could be in terms of feasibility studies for establishing such a center. We also have to raise the level of awareness of the people about the threat they face from terrorists. This has to be done without violating the human rights and the sovereignty of other countries.”

Dr. Khalil said there are regional centers around the world for combating terrorism, but there is none at the international level. “Interpol has, therefore, supported the initiative since the proposed anti-terrorism center will have international dimensions.”

Dr. Salvatore Guglielmino, a delegate from Italy, said his country could offer its experience in dealing with terrorism. In this context, he referred to the Mafia which has become notorious for engaging in organized crime.

“Prince Abdullah has made a good suggestion for tackling terrorism. We are interested in the proposal. Of course, there are already other initiatives around the world. So the proposed anti-terrorism center should take its own path. To start with, we have got to know what it seeks to accomplish and how we go about it.”

Dr. Salvatore said Italy, like other countries in the European Union, has set up an anti-terrorism center. The US has also established a similar center.

US Homeland Security adviser Frances Townsend, who leads the US delegation, said: “The (proposed anti-terrorism) center would not end the need for bilateral exchange of information... Nothing would.”

Townsend said, however, that anything done to increase sharing of intelligence “is a net gain” in the fight against terrorism.

A diplomat attending the conference said a final decision about the proposal cannot be reached during the conference as such a matter would have to be referred to the governments concerned.

The head of the German delegation said there were “a lot of issues not entirely clear about the proposed center,” wondering if it would be a center with a regional role as opposed to an international center or an agency under UN umbrella.

“There will be ‘an’ international center, not ‘the’ international center, as long as it is financed by the interested parties,” said Georg Witschel.

An Italian delegate said the Saudi initiative needed “in-depth discussion ... It is very valued but should not overlap with other initiatives worldwide.”

Saudi Arabia has been fighting its own war against domestic terrorism blamed on sympathizers of the Al-Qaeda network. Shootings and bombings have claimed many lives since May 2003.

Townsend praised the performance of Saudi security forces, saying that “the world cannot defeat terrorism without Saudi Arabia defeating terrorism on its own grounds.”