15 October 1998
(Conference to be in Argentina Nov. 23-24) (500) By Eric Green USIA Staff Writer WASHINGTON -- The Organization of American States (OAS) will hold a "specialized conference" on terrorism in Mar del Plata, Argentina November 23-24 with the goal to prevent violent acts that are said to affect the rule of law and endanger the stability of democratically-elected constitutional governments. One of the outcomes at Mar del Plata may be the creation of an Inter-American Commission on Terrorism (CICTE), to aid OAS member states in the fight against terrorism. CICTE would be funded by voluntary contributions of OAS member states, OAS permanent observer states, and the cooperation of other states and financial institutions, particularly the Inter-American Development Bank. CICTE would be charged with helping in the exchange of information about terrorist groups and organizations, as well as their various methods, sources of finance, countries in which they obtain asylum, their links to other crimes, as well as on trafficking of weapons, ammunition, explosives, materiel and other substances that can be used to commit terrorist acts. Another outcome of the conference may be passing a resolution urging OAS member states "which have not yet done so" to "promptly" sign, ratify, or accede to, "in conformity with their respective domestic legislation," international conventions on terrorism adopted by the United Nations. A draft proposal by Argentina, which the United States called "outstanding," calls on the OAS at Mar del Plata to reiterate its "most emphatic condemnation and repudiation of all terrorist acts," which it recognizes as "serious common crimes that erode peaceful and civilized coexistence ... and affect the rule of law and the exercise of democracy." This will be the second OAS specialized conference "to prevent, combat, and eliminate terrorism." A prior conference, held in Lima in April 1996, determined that it "was essential to adopt all bilateral and regional cooperation measures necessary to prevent ... by all legal means, terrorist acts in the hemisphere." Argentina said "new impetus to the struggle against this scourge" of terrorism was expressed by the 34 democratically-elected national governments of the hemisphere attending the Second Summit of the Americas, held in Santiago in April. The United States, in response to an invitation for OAS member states to comment on the Mar del Plata meeting, noted that the OAS has proposed cooperative measures that the hemisphere should undertake if a terrorism incident in one country belonging to the OAS affects the citizens or interests of another OAS member. Those measures "may include ... assistance with weapons detection and deactivation, hostage negotiations, hostage rescue, intelligence gathering, communications systems, search and rescue for victims, consequence management, and criminal investigations." The measures also say OAS countries "will, as appropriate, take into account the need to keep the other member countries informed on a regular basis of the threat, occurrence, or status" of a terrorist incident.