Five EU countries launch initiatives on terrorism

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, October 21, 2003

Five EU countries launch initiatives on terrorism

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Interior ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain pledged to continue cooperating in anti-terrorist fight and tighten control of illegal immigration during their two-day meeting wrapped Monday in western France.

On terrorism, the five ministers have shared information on people that "we know have been through training camps in a number of sensitive countries such as Chechnya," French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday.

On Security, Sarkozy said his counterparts have decided to launch a reform of the Europol -- the collective police of the European Union (EU) to make it more operational and efficient.

They also agreed to include "biometric" information, such as digital fingerprints, face-scan or iris-scan in a microchip on visas for EU's Schengen area.

The implementation of this measure will be discussed in detail at a meeting of the five nations' ministers of justice, foreign affairs and interior in November.

On illegal immigration, the ministers agreed to meet every quarter to share information on networks smuggling illegal immigrants from China, eastern Europe and Africa.

They said a "three plus three" cooperation deal will be set up to have France, Italy and Spain sponsoring efforts in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia to stem the tide of people smuggling.

It is also proposed that financial criteria be tightened for foreigners looking to enter EU countries and passenger information be shared between airlines and authorities.

Sarkozy, Britain's David Blunkett, Germay's Otto Schily, Italy's Giuseppe Pisanu and Spain's Angel Acebes also pledged to expand bilateral cooperation in anti-terrorist fight, cross-border security and curbing illegal immigration.

The five ministers, whose nations represent 300 of the 377 million residents in the European Union, started their meeting Sunday in western French town of La Baule.

Sarkozy and Blunkett announced that they will meet on both sides of the Channel to discuss illegal immigration on Nov. 23.

Pinasu suggested stepped-up checks of ships in the Mediterranean region and wished that the European Union demands Asian and African countries to collaborate in curbing gangs of smugglers.

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