30 April 1998
(State-sponsored terrorism declines, U.S. report says) (550) By Edmund F. Scherr USIA Staff Writer Washington -- While the number of international terrorist incidents remains at a relatively lower level, a State Department report emphasizes that terrorism remains a "serious, ongoing threat around the world." The document also says there is a marked decline in state-sponsored terrorism in recent years. The US policy of bringing maximum pressure on state sponsors of terrorism and encouraging other governments to follow the same approach has "paid significant dividends," it stresses. Individual bombings and armed attacks, while fewer in number than in 1996, continue to cause "horrendous casualties," notes the annual State Department report to Congress on "Patterns of Global Terrorism," which was released April 30. The report, covering the year 1997, says that during that year there were 304 acts of international terrorism worldwide. "This figure is one of the lowest annual totals recorded since 1971." The total was six higher than 1996. More than one-third of the attacks in 1997 occurred in Colombia -- 90 of the incidents there "low level" bombings of oil pipelines that caused damage but not casualties. A senior State Department official told an April 30 press briefing on the report that the most frequent targets of attacks were business-related. He noted that government buildings and embassies around the world are becoming more secure against terrorist attacks. The report defines international terrorism as "terrorism involving the citizens or the territory of more than one country." Secretary of State Albright has designated seven governments as state sponsors of terrorism -- Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. This list is unchanged from the 1996 report. "Iran remained the most active state sponsor of terrorism in 1997," the report stressed. The official emphasized that Iran continues to support some of the world's "most deadliest" terrorist groups. When questioned whether Iran continued its terrorist activities after the August, 1997, accession of President Khatami, the official noted that the report says Iran continued to be involved in and supported terrorist activities "throughout 1997." He added that Iran's terrorist activities have continued into 1998. Iran "has not significantly changed" its level of terrorist activity since the new president took office, he said. A variety of bilateral and multilateral sanctions have been imposed and remain in place to discourage these countries from continuing their support for international terrorism. One of the most positive trends last year, the official said, was the enhanced international cooperation against terrorism. He also noted that more terrorists are being held accountable for their acts, pointing the trials and stiffer sentences for terrorists around the world in 1997. The official declined to label the activities of the Kosovo Liberation Army, when asked if it engaged in terrorism last year. He noted that the report's definition of terrorism states that terrorism means "premeditated, politically motivated violence" against noncombatants. The report emphasizes that the terrorist threat remains a high priority for the United States. The U.S. counterterrorism policy is based upon three principles: -- Make no concessions to terrorists and strike no deals. -- Bring terrorists to justice for their crimes. -- Isolate and apply pressure on states that sponsor and support terrorism to force them to change their behavior.