Ain-Al-Yaqeen - February 4, 2005

		February 4, 2005

FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR THE FIRST GLOBAL ANTI-TERRORISM CONFERENCE.
HAMAD IBN MOHAMMED AL RASHDI, OMANI MINISTER OF INFORMATION, SAYS THE ISSUE OF DETENTIONS IN THE SULTANATE CONCERNS THE SECURITY OF THE COUNTRY AND IS AN INTERNAL MATTER.
KUWAIT'S FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND INTERIOR MINISTER SHEIKH NAWAF AL-AHMAD AL-JABER AL-SABAH: SECURITY COOPERATION WITH SAUDI ARABIA IS EXCELLENT.
GERMANY DETAINS AN IRAQI SENT BY BIN LADEN TO RECRUIT SUICIDE BOMBERS.
AN AMERICAN WARNING FROM A TERRORIST ATTACK AGAINST THE US.

Nearly 300 delegates from about 49 countries including the US, Britain, France, Germany and Russia will participate in the first global anti-terror conference in Riyadh on Feb. 5-8.

The four-day event at the recently built King Abdul Aziz Convention Center will be opened by Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz.

Saudi Arabia, which has been hard-hit by terrorists since May 2003, sought to host the conference.

Discussions at the forum will focus on four topics root causes of terrorism, relationship between terrorism and drugs, the culture of terrorism and the relation between terrorism and arms smuggling/money laundering.

Osama Nogaili, director of Media Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described the conference as non-political and does not aim to disseminate any official views of the Saudi government on terrorism.

The conference is a specialized scientific platform to exchange and explore various views on terrorism and how to combat this menace, he said.

The Kingdom has invited ministers and experts to discuss counterterrorism in this first ever conference, he said.

He said the Kingdom will also organize a two-week national campaign, the 13th of its kind on counterterrorism. It is focused on educating people, particularly the students highlighting the negative aspects of terrorism and ways to eliminate it.

Interior Minister Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz, in published remarks, said: We hope the level of representation in the conference will be high. It might be higher than the level of interior ministers.

Prince Naif said the Kingdom aims to show that it is working positively and effectively, in partnership with other countries, to combat terrorism and uproot it.

The international conference is one manifestation of the Kingdom's persistent efforts to combat this global scourge, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz had said in a message to more than 2.5 million Muslims performing the annual pilgrimage.

Brig. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the Kingdom has taken security measures to ensure the safety of the conference s participants.

The objectives of the four-day conference also are to highlight the relationships between terrorism, money laundering, narcotics, and arms smuggling.

The conference will identify the structural aspects of terrorist organizations, their composition and working patterns.

At the concluding session the conference will issue practical suggestions to support international efforts in fighting terrorism.

A number of heads of state and leaders of international organizations are expected to take part in the conference for exchange of information and experience and to foster cooperation.

Prince Turki Ibn Muhammad, undersecretary for political affairs at the Foreign Ministry, has invited to the conference nations that have suffered from terrorism and that all have agreed to take part in it.

Non-Arab Asian countries like Japan, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iran and the Philippines are also expected to send their own delegates, who might also discuss the situations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kashmir and share their own experience in the fight against terror.

Prince Mohammed Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of the Eastern region, will patronize on Saturday the national solidarity campaign against terrorism, which aims at combating terrorism and projecting horrors of terrorism and its destructive outcome in addition to the positive role of the security men in confronting terrorism.

Meanwhile, Prince Mohammed Ibn Fahd will open the publications show, due to be organized on the fringes of the campaign. A number of governmental authorities and companies will participate in the show.

Prince Fahd Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Governor of Tabuk Region stressed that the phenomenon of terrorism is dangerous for the world societies necessitating that all peoples should be united against it.

On the occasion of holding the International Conference for Combating Terrorism in the Kingdom on Saturday, he said that the Kingdom has been one of the countries suffering from terrorism and it was in the forefront of countries that called for international cooperation to combat terrorism.

Prince Fahd Ibn Sultan noted that the participation of more than 50 Islamic, Arab and friendly countries in the Conference clearly demonstrates the Kingdom's remarkable position in the world community.

He indicated that Islam is the religion of love, justice and peace.

Saleh Al-Asheikh, minister of Islamic affairs and endowments, called upon religious scholars, intellectuals, academics and writers to stand together with the government in its fight against terrorism and extremism.

"You have a great responsibility in enlightening the youth on confronting deviant thoughts," the minister said on the occasion of the international anti-terrorism conference in Riyadh and the nationwide anti-terror campaign.

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, Al-Asheikh also urged all Saudis and expatriates to support security forces in their bid to defeat the "deviant group" from realizing its nasty goals. He was referring to Al-Qaeda terror network which has carried out a series of bombings and shootings across the Kingdom since May 2003 killing more than 100 people.

Crown Prince Abdullah is scheduled to open the four-day anti-terror conference on Saturday at the newly established King Abdul Aziz Convention Center in the capital. Delegates from 49 countries, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Russia, as well as representatives of several international organizations are expected to take part.

The conference, which underlines the Saudi government's call for joint international efforts to confront and root out terrorism, will discuss ways to eradicate the root causes of global terrorism and measures to help tackle money laundering as well as drug and arms smuggling.

Al-Asheikh revealed his ministry's programs in support of the nationwide anti-terror campaign. "We have set up a working team to carry out a variety of programs including lectures and seminars to educate the public on the danger posed by the deviant group," he said.

The minister also called upon scholars delivering Juma sermons to focus on such subjects as the importance of protecting non-Muslims living peacefully in an Islamic country and the need to stop corruption on earth and killing of innocent people. The khateebs or prayer leaders have also been advised to expose the terrorist group that creates division in the Islamic nation and commits horrendous crimes.

The ministry has instructed Islamic propagation centers in various parts of the country to hold special lectures and seminars on the occasion. The lectures will deal with topics such as the need to obey rulers, moderation in Islam, peace and justice in Islam and Islamic unity.

The ministry, which has prepared a number of special radio and television programs to air during the occasion, will also distribute booklets and cassettes enlightening the public on terrorism and extremism. It has set up a website on the Internet to enhance public awareness on terrorism and extremism.

Delegates from 49 countries, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Russia, as well as representatives of several international organizations will participate in the first global anti-terror conference in Riyadh from Feb. 5 to 8.

The Foreign Ministry has completed preparations for the conference that will highlight Saudi Arabia's efforts to combat terrorism.

The conference will discuss ways to eradicate the root causes of global terrorism and measures to help tackle money laundering as well as drug and arms smuggling.

The discussions will focus on four topics: Roots of terrorism; relation between terrorism and drugs; the culture of terrorism; and the relation between terrorism and arms smuggling and money laundering.

A number of heads of state and presidents of international organizations are expected to take part in the conference aimed at exchanging information and experience and fostering cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

"We have invited all countries that have suffered from terrorism to the conference and all have agreed to take part," said Prince Turki Ibn Muhammad, assistant undersecretary for political affairs at the Foreign Ministry.

The conference underlines the Saudi government's call for joint international efforts to confront and root out terrorism and address the reasons that lead to the spread of this dangerous phenomenon and freeze its financial sources.

The participants include 14 Arab countries including Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Morocco, Jordan and Algeria and 14 non-Arab Asian countries including Japan, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iran and the Philippines.

Leading international organizations participating in the event are the United Nations, Organization of the Islamic Conference, Arab League, European Union, Gulf Cooperation Council, African Union, Non-Aligned Movement and the Makkah-based Muslim World League.

The Secretary General of the Muslim World League (MWL) condemned terrorism as a barbaric act that has no justification in Islam and only seeks to create tension between the Muslims and other people in the world.

In a foreword to the book "The Muslim World's Position Toward Terrorism," Dr. Abdullah Ibn Abul Moshin Al-Turki said terrorism is a tool being exploited by extremists to sow the seed of dissension, friction and hatred and to create tension among nations and people.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, thanked Dr. Turki and the Muslim World League for publishing such a book to clarify that Islam totally rejects terrorism and contradicts its teachings.

Dr. Turki said the world, including the Muslim community, has borne the brunt of terrorism but added that Islam's ability to curb the barbaric act and to foster peace has been remarkable.

In recent times, he said, major Islamic organizations, including the Muslim World League, the foremost among them, has stood up to fight terrorism and its purveyors.

"Terrorism is a perilous act of aggression against humanity," he added. He said that those who carefully study the two sources of the Islamic Law the Qur an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH), will discover that the Islamic doctrines do not propagate violence and any form of aggression without a just cause.

The book explained that terrorism is an outrageous attack on humanity, carried out by individuals, groups or states and includes all forms of intimidation, threats and killings without a just cause. Its main purpose is to terrify people by hurting them or endangering their lives, liberty and security.

Japan will take part in an international conference on ways to combat terrorism to be hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2005.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, Faisal Ibn Tirad Al Harthi, the Saudi Ambassador to Japan, said Japan confirmed its participation in an official letter to the hosts.

The Japanese delegation will be headed by Ambassador Shirota, who is head of International Cooperation Department of the Foreign Ministry in charge of combating international terrorism, the letter said.

Iran announced that it will participate in terrorism combating conference, due to be held in Riyadh on Feb. 5, 2005. The Iranian News Agency quoted a source at the Iranian embassy in Riyadh as saying that Ali Rabee'ei, the Advisor of the Iranian President, will represent Iran in the conference.

The conference aims at exchanging views on the phenomenon of terrorism as well as relations between terrorism and money laundering, and smuggling of weapons and drugs.

Fifty-one countries and nine international organizations, including the UN, Interpol and Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, will attend the four-day International Counter-Terrorism Conference in Riyadh next Saturday.

The conference, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represents a serious international effort on the Kingdom's part to delve into the multi-dimensional and trans-national problem of terrorism.

The participants will examine the root cause of terror, its relationship with money laundering and drug trafficking. Discussions will also center on ways of combating terrorism by identifying the link between terrorism and arms smuggling.

Workshops, where experts will interact and share their experience over four days, will underpin the recommendations to be announced at the end of the conference.

Experts in counter-terrorism, money laundering and security from many countries are scheduled to attend the conference. Ambassadors and security officials agree that terrorism is much more than a security problem and is a multi-dimensional phenomenon embracing political, socio-economic and cultural issues. However, none has defined terrorism and this promises to be a point of hot debate. Paying tributes to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its initiative, British Ambassador Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles said: "The conference is of huge importance. First, because it is living proof that the struggle against terrorism and its causes is an international one, transcending countries and continents. Second, because it recognizes that terrorism cannot be cured by security measures alone. Third, because it recognizes the links between terrorism and other forms of transnational crime, such as drugs and arms smuggling, and money laundering. The British government applauds the Saudi government's initiative in recognizing all these trends and in launching such an important conference to address them."

In a report, Arab News quoted French Ambassador Bernard Poletti as saying a high-level French delegation, led by Gilles Leclair, head of the Unit of Coordination of Terrorism Prevention (UCLAT) at the French Ministry of Interior, will participate in the conference. It will include representatives from different French anti-terror agencies.

The French delegation will co-chair one of the working groups. The ambassador said: "Defining terrorism is difficult. Social roots, education and poverty have either indirect or no links with terrorism. Quite wealthy and educated people often enter terrorist organizations, being educated enough to share political goals. Surely, oppression and humiliation reinforce this phenomenon."

Describing terrorism as "the common enemy that threatens and destabilizes the international community," Chinese Ambassador Wu Chunhua said his country will depute a seven-member delegation of counter-terrorism experts with Chen Weixiong, counselor at the International Affairs Department of Foreign Ministry as the head.

In his view, "the root causes of terrorism are complex and multiple with factors in politics, economy, culture and society. As the victim of terrorism, China suffers the same with Saudi Arabia. China opposes terrorism in all its forms. We advocate that counter-terrorism needs clear targets and sound evidence. Both the symptoms and causes of terrorism should be addressed, and especially, the hotbed fostering terrorism should be eliminated by solving the development issues and regional conflicts in the international arena."

Malaysian Ambassador Wan Mokhtar Ahmad said the roots of terrorism could be traced in the unjust policies of the major powers. He said the search of a "just solution" through "a balanced approach" could go a long way in reining in the elements of terror.

In Kuwait a Kuwaiti security source has confirmed the end of security operation carried out Monday morning in Mubarak Al-Kabeer region between the Kuwaiti security forces and a group of terrorists.

Lt. Colonel Adel Al-Hashash, the Director of Public Relations at the Interior Ministry, said four terrorists were killed, and three others, including leader of the terrorist group: Amir Khileif Al-Anazi, surrendered.

Three other terrorists were also injured during the encounter.

First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah said security cooperation with Saudi Arabia was excellent.

Sheikh Nawaf told reporters following the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee On Internal and Defense Affairs Kuwait has been in permanent contact with Saudi Arabia over handing over wanted individuals.

On the committee meeting, he said he felt the support of MPs to all measures taken by the interior ministry to face terror attacks, saying he would take into consideration the remarks given by some MPs about the law on searching for arms, noting the Council of Ministers will discuss the remarks on Sunday.

He said seven or eight suspects have been referred to the Public Prosecution.

Asked about warnings by foreign embassies to their nationals, he said "they expect clashes with extremists and we also do." Committee Chairman MP Rashed Al-Hubeidah said the government and the National Assembly are agreed on the principle of searching arms, noting that differences revolve around some items related to the mechanism of the law implementation after approval.

Committee voting on the draft law has been postponed to another meeting to be held before the special assembly session.

He said some MPs propose a two-year period for arms searching but the majority is expected to ask for the search to be ended in one year.

In Germany German police arrested two suspected al-Qaida members who allegedly planned a suicide attack in Iraq, federal prosecutors said. One of the men - said to be a veteran of training camps in Afghanistan - also allegedly tried to obtain uranium.

Police arrested Ibrahim Mohamed K., a 29-year-old Mainz resident from Iraq, on suspicion of recruiting suicide attackers in Germany and providing logistical help to the terrorist organization. He also is believed to have tried to obtain 48 grams of nuclear material in Luxembourg.

The other suspect, a 31-year-old Palestinian who was born in Libya and has an Egyptian passport, Yasser Abu S., is believed to have planned to fake his death for insurance money and then carry out a suicide attack in Iraq, chief federal prosecutor Kay Nehm told reporters in the western German city of Karlsruhe.

The Iraqi "played a not unimportant role in al-Qaida, because he showed signs of contact with Osama bin Laden and met with Ramzi Binalshibh," one of the pilots in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Nehm said.

Nehm said that the man trained multiple times in camps in Afghanistan before the attacks. He then spent more than a year in Afghanistan after the attacks fighting American forces, he said.

During this time he had contact with high-ranking leaders of the terrorist organization, they said.

"This convinced him not to seek the original aspiration of martyrdom as a suicide attacker, but rather to recruit suicide attackers in Europe," prosecutors said in a statement.

He is believed to have recruited the Palestinian suspect - a Bonn medical student - in September for a suicide attack in Iraq, getting more than 800,000 (US$1 million) in life insurance for him, with the aim of faking the man's death in a car accident in Egypt, prosecutors said. The majority of the insurance payoff was to fund al-Qaida activities, they said.

Prosecutors said they could provide no more details on the Iraqi's effort to get nuclear material, and that so far they have not pinned down the allegations.

Authorities searched four homes in Mainz and Bonn as part of the raid, authorities said.

Nehm cautioned that "there was no independent cell in Germany and no suicide attacks planned in Germany."

Germany has cracked down on suspected terrorist and extremist activity since the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States, which were planned in part by a terrorist cell in Hamburg.

On Jan. 12, police took 22 suspects into custody during nationwide raids on a network of Muslim extremists that turned up militant Islamic propaganda and forged passports. In December, police arrested three suspected members of the Ansar al-Islam terror group who allegedly planned to attack Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi during a visit to Berlin.

In October, authorities arrested Syrian-German businessman and suspected key al-Qaida financier Mamoun Darkazanli on a European warrant. Spanish authorities accuse him of providing al-Qaida with logistical help, and the United States labeled his Hamburg-based trading company a front for terrorism.

In Muscat Hamad Ibn Mohammed Al Rashdi, minister of information, said the issue of detentions in the Sultanate had been "blown out of proportion".

He was talking to Oman News Agency about news reports on detentions being carried out in the Sultanate recently.

Rashdi emphasised that Oman "was not the only country which adopts legal procedures relating to its national security", citing this as an internal affair and saying there are some detainees, but matters should not be exaggerated or blown out of proportion.

Asked whether there were more than 300 detainees, the minister replied: "We don't want to talk on this matter as it is an internal issue and because we are not accustomed to defaming our citizens by publishing their photos in the media and highlighting their crimes and justifying the procedures taken by the government."

He added: "As we do not request others to imitate us, we are not obliged to follow suit of others, and as you know Omani society is socially and tribally linked, thus we don't want those detained to be ostracised, particularly when the crime is against public security". He said when the procedures were completed they would be referred to court.

Asked about the reasons behind the detentions, Rashdi said: "We don't want to justify the detentions for the aforementioned reasons", adding, "the reason behind these detentions was an attempt to form an organisation to tamper with national security, which is a red line that requires to be dealt with sternly".

Rashdi added: "The stability and freedom of citizens should not be touched and anyone who tries to violate public order, should expect to be subjected to law in order to apply justice", noting that "there is no leniency in issues relating to the national security". About what had been circulated by the media and on the Internet on the issue, the minister observed: "That does not deserve comment", citing it as "biased and purposely carried out to harm and confuse citizens".

"Nevertheless, I am fully confident that citizens and many nationals are fully aware of the information brokers and that the welfare march will continue and the bats would be swollen by the daylight," he predicted.

Asked whether the prisoners will be referred to court, Rashdi said: "There is no tampering without questioning, no crime without law and no verdict without court", stressing the firmness of the rule of law, which is reaffirmed under the auspices of Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

Asked if there were any political prisoners in the Sultanate, the minister cited this expression as "stretchable, noting that tampering with security should not come in the context of politics and freedom of thought", adding, "there is no prisoner of opinion or thought in Oman thanks be to God".

Asked about the claims of human right organisations that they had put pressure on the Sultanate, the minister replied: "The human duties of these organisations is known to all as there are some people and individuals who suffer from injustice, torture and suppression, saying that some are detained just on suspicion or affiliation and there are some who remain in prison without being referred to court". He added: "Those are the ones who need care and intervention. However, the Omani citizens will remain honoured and respected before his government and others continue to enjoy rights secured by the basic law of the state".

In Washington President George W. Bush renewed his promise to continue his fight against terrorism saying: In the years since I first swore to preserve, protect and defend our Constitution, our nation has been tested. Our enemies have found America more than equal to the task. In response to attacks on our home soil, we have captured or killed terrorists across the Earth. We have taken unprecedented steps to secure our homeland from future attacks, and our troops have liberated millions from oppression.

At home, thanks to pro-growth policies and the hard work of the American people, we overcame a recession and created over 2 million new jobs in the past year alone. Now we move forward. We remain in a war the United States will continue to lead -- fighting terrorists abroad, so we do not have to face them here at home. We will strive to keep the world's most dangerous weapons out of the hands of terrorists and tyrants. And our nation will stand by the peoples of Afghanistan and Iraq as they build free and democratic societies in their own lands -- because when America gives its word, America must keep its word.

As I stated in my inaugural address, our security at home increasingly depends on the success of liberty abroad. So we will continue to promote freedom, hope and democracy in the broader Middle East -- and by doing so, defeat the despair, hopelessness and resentments that feed terror.

On the other hand Switzerland has agreed to extradite to Spain the suspected leader of a radical cell that planned a bomb attack in central Madrid, the Justice Ministry said on Friday.

But Mohammed Achraf, who Spain says was the brains behind an intended attack on Spain's High Court, site of the investigation into the March 11 train bombings that killed 191 people in Madrid, has a month in which to appeal against the decision.

"The Federal Office of Justice has ordered the extradition of Mohammed Achraf to Spain," the Justice Ministry said in a statement. "Achraf has 30 days in which to lodge an appeal," it added.

According to the Spanish government, the 31-year-old Achraf led a group called "Martyrs for Morocco" that planned to detonate a truck loaded with 500 kg (1,100 lb) of explosives.

Perpetrators of the Madrid attacks -- most of whom are believed dead or in jail -- demanded Spain withdraw its troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Spain says Achraf recruited potential holy warriors while jailed between 1999 and 2002 in Spain for belonging to an armed group. He was detained in Switzerland for immigration offences.

According to the Swiss Federal Office of Refugees, Achraf unsuccessfully sought asylum in Switzerland in 2003 saying he was Palestinian.

Meanwhile departing US Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said he believed another attack on the United States was inevitable, and warned that America should not focus just on Al Qaeda, but also on similar groups that could carry out attacks.

"I have accepted the inevitability of another attack or attacks," Ridge said in an interview on the eve of his departure from the department launched two years ago to guard against another attack like that of September 11, 2001.

"It could be Al Qaeda or it could be Al Qaeda-like organisations," said Ridge, who departs on February 1. "I do think, when we talk about global terrorism, (it is) better ... that America doesn't focus just on Al Qaeda." "There are a lot of Al Qaeda-like organisations and there are quite a few (Osama) bin Laden wannabes out there - you've got one of them operating in Iraq right now," he said, referring to Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Ridge said the other groups he views as possible threats are driven by the same ideology as Al Qaeda and they would use "terrorist attacks" as their means to that end. When asked what type of attack he viewed as the biggest threat, Ridge said a biological or nuclear attack were of concern since they could involve "catastrophic" loss of life. "I'm convinced that if they had a nuclear weapon they'd use it," he said in a joint interview with Reuters and the Associated Press.