Yearender: 2002 Sees Intensified Global Anti-terror Campaign

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 24, 2002

Yearender: 2002 Sees Intensified Global Anti-terror Campaign

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Facing an increasingly complex and volatile security situation triggered by the threat of terrorism, the international community intensified efforts in the past year to combat the common scourge by working more closely and adopting concrete measures. In spite of the momentum gained so far, the war against terrorism is yet to be won.

To safeguard their national security, many countries across the world stepped up measures to crack down on terrorism, including introducing laws and issuing regulations on anti-terrorism, setting up anti-terrorism mechanisms as well as adjusting military strategies.

Stressing that the United States needed a agency to provide a united front against terrorist threat, President George W. Bush signed into law legislation creating a cabinet-level Department ofHomeland Security, the largest reorganization of the federal government in more than half a century.

In the Philippines, the government adopted 10 concrete measureson anti-terrorism. Indonesia issued two government regulations in lieu of laws to counter terrorism. Russia made significant adjustments to its national security apparatus.

To prevent terror attacks, many countries raised their early warning capabilities. The United States, Britain and France enhanced their intelligence gathering and established effective early warning systems on terrorism.

In the fight against terrorism, the international community strengthened cooperation and coordination in hunting for terrorists on the run.

The masterminds behind the Bali bombing, which killed nearly 190 people, have been arrested. Some fugitive members of the al-Qaida terror network are also in custody. After the massive hostage-taking in Moscow, Russia beefed up its military operationsin Chechnya in a bid to clean up remaining rebels. In Malaysia and Singapore, cells of extremists linked to the al-Qaida network were smashed.

Challenged by the common threat, countries worldwide have reached a broader consensus on the security issue and worked closer at bilateral, multilateral and regional levels.

The Shanghai Cooperation Group, comprising China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikstan, signed on Sept. 11, exactly one year after the terrorist attacks on the United States, an agreement on setting up a permanent regional anti-terrorism agency.

The main function of the agency, headquartered in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek, is to coordinate the activities of the member nations against terrorism, separatism and extremism.

The leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum issued a statement, entitled "APEC Leaders' Statement on Recent Acts of Terrorism in APEC Member Economies", on Oct. 27 at their 10th meeting in the Mexican resort of Los Cabos. They reaffirmed their support for regional counter-terrorism efforts and pledged to crack down on any terrorist financing activities.

A declaration from the 8th summit of leaders of the Associationof Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which groups Brunei, Cambodia,Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, on Nov. 4 voiced their determination to takespecific measures, collectively and individually, to counter international terrorism.

The leaders vowed to step up efforts to prevent, counter and suppress the activities of terrorist groups in the region. They also decided to set up a Regional Counter-Terrorism Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Apart from the above-mentioned measures, some countries also intensified military cooperation.

During the past year, the United States and the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore held a series of joint anti-terrorism military exercises. Russia and other member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States followed suit. Troops from China and Kyrgyzstan joined forces in exercises near the borders of the two countries aimed at countering incursions by terrorist groups. It was the first bilateral anti-terror exercise carried out within the framework of the six-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

For its part, China, a peace-loving and responsible country, has continued to abide by its principled stance on anti-terrorism and expanded its role in international counter-terrorism cooperation over the past year. China's stance on international counter-terrorism is clear and persistent: China supports the fight against all forms of terrorism.

On multi-lateral cooperation, China has supported the leading role of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and Security Council in international counter-terrorism, facilitated the passing of relevant anti-terrorism resolutions in the two bodies and consistently abided by the resolutions.

At the bilateral level, China and the United States have set upa consultative mechanism on medium and long-term anti-terrorism cooperation, and a working group on anti-terrorism has been established between China and Russia. Similar cooperation have also been worked out between China and Pakistan, India, Britain, France, Germany and others.

One significant achievement of the international communities' strengthened cooperation was the addition in September of "The Eastern Turkishtan Islamic Movement", which has carried out a large number of violent attacks both inside and outside China, to the UN list of international terrorist groups.

The global anti-terrorism war unleashed after the catastrophic attacks against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001 dealt a heavy blow to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network in Afghanistan, but the worldwide terrorist attacks, instead of being effectively curbed, still happened from time to time.

Recent events such as the deadly bombings in Indonesia's holiday island Bali, the bombing of a French oil tanker off Yemen and the Moscow's massive hostage-taking by Chechen rebels even indicated that terrorist activities are running rampant in some regions.

The war against terrorism is long-term and complicated and needs a sustained effort from the international community. A comprehensive strategy to address the root causes of terrorism is vital to winning the war.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

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