Top ministers: al-Qaida still a threat
Despite the destruction of most of its bases in Afghanistan, the al-Qaida terror network remains a serious threat, with sleeper cells and agents who “are always ready to act,” the world’s top justice and interior ministers said tonight.
“Terrorism continues to present both a pervasive and global threat to our societies,” ministers from the G8 nations said in a statement after a Paris summit.
They also warned of a risk that terrorists may use chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in attacks.
“We must address ways to anticipate and respond to such threats,” the statement said.
On al-Qaida, the ministers said the network still appeared to have terrorist bases.
“The threat from the al-Qaida network remains serious,” the ministers said. “In spite of the elimination of most of its bases in Afghanistan, it seems that other camps have been reactivated in other areas.”
The statement gave no details. But French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said it appeared that al-Qaida had set up new operational bases in the restive former Soviet republics of Chechnya and Georgia.
The ministers said al-Qaida’s “abilities have been shaken” by recent arrests, but added: “Dormant individuals and cells are always ready to act.”
Home Secretary David Blunkett agreed with Sarkozy that the terrorist threat remains undiminished. But he said the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime had dealt terrorism a blow.
“Whilst we’ve removed one threat in relation to Iraq, a rogue state, and we’ve obviously damaged the morale of those who were able to draw on the tacit support of the regime, the network out there remains a problem,” he said.
The G8 ministers said they were determined to strengthen cooperation between their police forces and intelligence services to thwart terrorist attacks.
“We don’t expect to lower our guard for a long time,” said Sarkozy, host of the meeting of the Group of Eight in Paris.
“All the G8 countries have a similar analysisthe terrorist threat is real, it’s still present and apparently, alas, for a long time to come,” Sarkozy said.
He dismissed concern that a bitter transatlantic dispute between France and the United States over the war in Iraq may have undermined international cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
“French-American cooperation never stopped because it concerns the security of our citizens,” he said. “Those disagreements are real but that does not necessitate disaccord on the fight against terrorism.”
US Attorney General John Ashcroft attended the meeting but was not present at a post-meeting press conference.
Sarkozy said the ministers also agreed they would work towards using biometric data – such as fingerprints and iris scanning – to prevent the forgery of travel documents and passports.
“We agree that biometrics are indispensable and urgent,” he said. But, he added, ministers could not immediately agree on which type of biometric data would be most practical and effective.
In a sign of continued cooperation despite the Iraq spat, Sarkozy said France and the United States will co-chair an inquiry into which biometric techniques would be most suitable.
