DATE=1/21/2000
TYPE=EDITORIAL
TITLE=EDITORIAL: DE-FINANCING TERRORISM
NUMBER=0-08613
CONTENT=


THIS IS THE ONLY EDITORIAL BEING RELEASED
FOR BROADCAST 01/21/2000.

Anncr:	The Voice of America presents differing 
points of view on a wide variety of issues.  Next, 
an editorial expressing the policies of the United 
States Government:

Voice:	Terrorist groups often try to raise money 
in countries where they are not active, but where 
their sympathizers can take advantage of ordinary 
people's misplaced generosity. Claiming to raise 
funds for peaceful purposes, front organizations 
turn the money they get over to the terrorist 
groups they are secretly working for.

The United Nations International Convention for 
the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism is 
intended to make this more difficult.  Nations 
that become a party to the convention are required 
to make it a crime for anyone to provide or 
collect funds for terrorism.  They must also 
extradite or prosecute offenders and cooperate in 
investigating and preventing the financing of 
terrorist activities. 
 
The United States was among the first countries to 
sign the convention.  It is a critical advance in 
counter-terrorism policy.  As Secretary of State 
Madeleine Albright said, "It is wrong to finance 
terrorist groups. . . . Every nation has a 
responsibility to arrest or expel terrorists, shut 
down their finances and deny them safehaven. . . . 
Our purpose is to weave a web of law. . .that 
will. . .deny them the mobility and sustenance 
they need to operate."

While all states criminalize acts of terrorism, 
few have prohibitions on the financing of 
terrorists. Supporters of terrorist groups ranging 
from Hizballah in Lebanon to the Tamil Tigers of 
Sri Lanka to the Armed Islamic Group in Algeria 
and the Kurdistan Workers Party in Turkey have 
been adept at raising money, supposedly for 
humanitarian or educational purposes.

The U-N convention will improve efforts by 
governments to prevent financial assets from being 
used to help terrorists.  If necessary, assets can 
be seized or frozen.  Individuals involved in 
channeling money to terrorists can be arrested.  
If they are not tried in the country where they 
are apprehended, they must be extradited to a 
requesting state to stand trial. 

Fighting terrorism requires international 
cooperation.  Most of the world's states are aware 
that they are vulnerable.  By promoting a 
collective effort to confront a common problem, 
the U-N is helping to stop this international 
scourge.

Anncr:	That was an editorial expressing the 
policies of the United States Government.  If you 
have a comment, please write to Editorials, V-O-A, 
Washington, D-C, 20237, U-S-A.  You may also 
comment at www-dot-ibb-dot-gov-slash-editorials, 
or fax us at (202) 619-1043.




20-Jan-2000 15:12 PM EDT (20-Jan-2000 2012 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.