Text: Ambassador Taylor Terms Choking Off Terrorist Funding Critical
(Says counterterrorism effort requires international cooperation)
(0000)
State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism Francis Taylor says
that choking off fund-raising and international money transfers by
terrorists and their networks requires a concerted international
cooperative effort.
"Funding is a critical element in these large-scale terrorist
operations and in the recruiting of supporters," Ambassador Taylor
said. "We need to choke it off."
Current law makes it a crime for U.S. citizens and organizations to
knowingly contribute funds or other material support to groups
designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, Taylor noted. That law
also allows the president to freeze a designated group's assets and
deny visas to members as well as leaders of terrorist organizations.
Taylor, in testimony September 25 to the U.S. House International
Relations Committee, said that the September 11th attack on the United
States by Usama bin Laden and his al-Qaida network does not represent
a new trend in terrorism as much as an "increase in the terrorists'
sophistication, planning and willingness to cause large scale
destruction and loss of life."
In the 1970s, he said, terrorism directed against the United States
and its allies was supported largely by state sponsors such as Libya,
Syria, Iran and Iraq. However by the early 1990s sponsorship began
shifting from states to radical fundamentalist groups, who raised
funds independently and relied on charitable contributions, he said.
Taylor said bin Laden's objectives are to remove the U.S. presence
from Saudi Arabia and other Islamic nations "and to create an Islamic
utopia in what is now the Islamic world."
"While some attacks associated with al-Qaida were aimed against
specific U.S. military targets, such as USS Cole in Yemen, others were
aimed at civilians, such as the bombing of the World Trade Center in
1993 and the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya
that killed over 200 Africans, as well as 12 Americans," Taylor said.
He said the terrorists now appear marked by a "willingness to kill
large numbers of innocent people in suicide attacks without claiming
responsibility or stating a measurable demand."
Following is the text of Taylor's prepared remarks:
(begin text)
Testimony to the Committee on International Relations, House of
Representatives, by Ambassador Francis X. Taylor, Coordinator for
Counterterrorism, United States Department of State
Washington, D.C.
September 25, 2001
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:
I appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and discuss the
terrorist threats facing the United States and the world. We need to
work together in the task of confronting the heightened terrorist
challenge and deterring terrorists and their supporters in the future.
Your Committee's support for our programs in the fight against
terrorism has been very helpful in the past and I look forward to
working closely with you as we begin our campaign to rid the world of
the terrorist menace that threatens all the world's nations. With your
permission, I have a more detailed statement to submit for the record.
My remarks will highlight my statement for the record.
Before we begin, I want to express my condolence to the families of
the thousands of Americans and citizens from more than 80 other
nations who were killed, injured, or terrorized by these horrific acts
against humanity. I also want to thank the thousands of police
officers, firefighters, emergency service and medical personnel and
many others who responded so magnificently and have worked tirelessly
to save lives and avert greater tragedy. Their efforts in these
extraordinary circumstances demonstrate the indomitable American
spirit. We are proud of them all and what they represent.
The events in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001 were not
just an attack on America and Americans. The World Trade Center
bombing claimed victims from some 80 nations -- from our close
neighbors Canada and Mexico to countries as far away as Australia and
Zimbabwe, and large numbers from Britain, India, and Pakistan. For
many countries, including ours, this attack claimed the lives of the
largest numbers of their citizens in a terrorist incident. These
terrorist attacks may have been conceived as a blow against America
but in reality they were attacks against all civilized people.
There is no excuse, no justification, no rationalization for these
acts of mass murder against innocent people. Those who try to excuse,
condone and support groups involved in this activity are no better
than the terrorists as their support encourages even more horrific
acts like these. Our campaign will go after terrorist groups and their
supporters and eliminate them as a threat to civilization.
President Bush said bluntly in his address to Congress last Thursday:
"Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you
are with us, or you are with the terrorists."
This Administration is mobilizing an international coalition against
the terrorists and those who support them. From around the world,
countries have come forward, both individually and through their
multilateral associations, to condemn these acts and to offer support
for our campaign. While the ability of countries to contribute may
vary, each recognizes that the attack against the World Trade Center
is an attack against all nations, and future attacks must be deterred.
TRENDS
Mr. Chairman, a brief understanding of history and context are
important in mobilizing for this effort. In your letter of invitation
to testify today, you asked me to comment on what this new terrorist
trend means.
To summarize, in some ways the September 11 attacks do not reflect a
brand new trend as much as a quantitative increase in the terrorists'
sophistication, planning and willingness to cause large scale
destruction and loss of life. During much of the 1970's, most of the
terrorism directed against the U.S. and our allies was supported and
funded by State sponsors - such as Libya, Syria, Iran and Iraq.
In the early 1990's, we saw the emergence of radical fundamentalist
terrorist groups that relied not on state sponsors but primarily on
funds raised independently through front companies and so-called
charitable contributions. Unlike their predecessors of the 70's and
80's, these groups were distinguished by the fact that they were
loosely knit international networks. Some had ties stemming from their
involvement in the successful effort by the Afghan people to throw out
the occupying forces of the former Soviet Union. It was from this
group that Islamic extremist "Afghan Alumni" formed the group
al-Qaida, which means "The Base" in Arabic. Al-Qaida is essentially a
holding company comprised of many terrorist groups and independent
cells. The President and CEO of this holding company is Usama Bin
Laden, the 17th son of a wealthy Saudi businessman and veteran of the
war in Afghanistan.
Bin Laden's goal is to remove the American presence from Saudi Arabia
and other Islamic Nations and to create an Islamic utopia in what is
now the Islamic world. He sees the United States as the major
impediment to his goal and has vowed to attack America and Americans
to undermine our influence on the world stage.
While some attacks associated with al-Qaida were aimed against
specific U.S. military targets, such as USS Cole in Yemen, others were
aimed at civilians, such as the bombing of the World Trade Center in
1993 and the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya
that killed over 200 Africans, as well as 12 Americans. Other major
plots to kill large numbers of people were foiled, such as an attempt
at the end of 1999 to attack a hotel and a Christian religious site in
Jordan, a plot to blow up civilian airliners in the Philippines, and a
plan to attack Los Angeles airport.
One result of the terrorists' stark "us" vs. "them" attitude is their
willingness to kill large numbers of innocent people in suicide
attacks without claiming responsibility or stating a measurable
demand. In the past, when terrorists hijacked aircraft or took over a
building, they did so in pursuit of specific and quantifiable
political goals, such as forcing governments to release previously
captured colleagues or the media to publish manifestos. The September
11 attacks were a continuation of the trend to inflict maximum
casualties, without regard to loss of life or likelihood of achieving
specific demands. The planners used a ghastly scenario of the kind
that could be imagined only by people so full of hatred that they are
beyond the civilized pale.
CHALLENGES
The challenges in meeting this threat are immense. The September 11
terrorists apparently had enough money to make their preparations many
months if not years in advance. They developed a network of cells; it
will be a real effort to root out those that remain. These groups and
perhaps others do not operate in a traditional top-down structure but
are loosely knit. We will meet the challenges. As President Bush told
Congress last Thursday night, "We will direct every resource at our
command -- every means of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every
instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence, and every
necessary weapon of war -- to the disruption and to the defeat of the
global terror network."
Our efforts include encouraging the gathering and increased sharing of
good intelligence, rooting out terrorist cells, identifying and
disrupting terrorist money flows, and assisting countries to tighten
their border security, law enforcement, and intelligence capability.
The global coalition I mentioned earlier in my testimony is a key
element. We are urging other countries to work with us. We are willing
to exert diplomatic and economic pressures against countries that do
not cooperate in counterterrorism efforts. International cooperation
is essential at all levels and for the long term.
Last week I traveled with Deputy Secretary [of State Richard] Armitage
and several other colleagues to meet with our Russian counterparts.
The trip during these busy times underscores the importance of our
efforts to cooperate with countries with which we have a mutual
interest.
TERRORIST FUNDING
There are a number of areas in which we are seeking international
cooperation; I would like to highlight one in particular.
We are encouraging other countries to join in our efforts to clamp
down on terrorist fund raising and money transfers. Funding is a
critical element in these large-scale terrorist operations and in the
recruiting of supporters. We need to choke it off.
The Executive Order signed by the President yesterday is part of that
effort.
Another important tool in countering terrorism fundraising is the
Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) of 1996, which
you helped steer through Congress as Chairman of the House Judiciary
Committee. For the benefit of those not familiar with the legislation,
it makes it a criminal offense for persons subject to U.S.
jurisdiction to knowingly contribute funds or other material support
to groups that the Secretary of State has designated as Foreign
Terrorist Organizations. U.S. law also allows freezing of the
designated group's assets and denial of visas for members as well as
leaders of terrorist organizations. Currently, 31 groups are
designated, including al- Qaida.
Mr. Chairman, an important section in the AEDPA is worth repeating for
the world at large. I refer to the finding in section 301:
"[F]oreign terrorist organizations that engage in terrorist activity
are so tainted by their criminal conduct that any contribution to such
an organization facilitates that conduct."
This is a key point. Before they make a contribution to groups
supporting terrorists, people around the world need to understand that
by doing so they are assisting criminal conduct.
Using this and other legislation as a potential model, we have
encouraged and will continue to encourage other countries to tighten
up their own laws and regulations in order to curb terrorist fund
raising and money transfers. Britain already has done so, and other
countries, such as Greece, have new counterterrorism laws or proposed
legislation in various stages of consideration. We have met with
officials of some of these countries them to discuss AEDPA and other
laws, and to exchange ideas and suggestions.
In particular, we are working with our [Group of Eight major
industrialized nations] G-8 partners to encourage international
cooperation in countering money flows to terrorists. The State
Department already developed a training course in our Antiterrorism
Training Assistance program to help other countries improve their
ability to identify and curb terrorist fund raising and transfers. We
encourage other countries with expertise to make similar efforts.
In addition, the Administration is making ratification of the
International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of
Terrorism a top priority. The Administration is now finalizing
proposed implementing legislation for this Convention, and we strongly
encourage the Senate to act swiftly and provide advice and consent to
ratification to this treaty.
The Administration last week began discussing with Congress a major
counterterrorism bill, the "Anti-terrorism Act of 2001." Although most
of the public attention has centered on criminal code provisions that
the Justice Department put forward, the State Department also offered
contributions for the combined bill. Preliminary discussions already
started at the staff level and we would be glad to work with the
Committee on provisions of mutual interest.
PROGRAMS
Mr. Chairman, there are a number of tools that we have been using to
counter terrorism, and we are sharpening and improving them in this
new struggle.
Some of the basic elements are not new. Just as old-fashioned,
painstaking work is important in fighting ordinary crimes, so fighting
terrorism requires a number of unglamorous but proven measures.
On the program front, we are utilizing training-related programs to
help combat terrorism overseas and thus also help protect Americans
living and traveling abroad. The State Department's Antiterrorism
Training Assistance (ATA) program in which we train foreign security
and law enforcement officials is a pillar of this effort. The program
provides not only training but also helps promote our policies and
improve our contacts with foreign officials to achieve our
counterterrorism goals.
Even before the September 11 attacks, we were providing policy and
working level seminars and training to assist countries in preparing
for or responding to weapons of mass destruction terrorism. We also
have developed a Terrorist Interdiction Program (TIP) which utilizes
sophisticated computer data base systems and improved communications
to help identify potential terrorists who try to cross international
borders.
The Department's contribution to the interagency counterterrorism
research and development program, the Technical Support Working Group,
also helps advance in explosives detection and other areas and bolster
our cooperative R&D efforts with Britain, Canada and Israel.
We have proposed increasing our terrorism information reward program,
including authority to offer larger rewards. The current maximum
reward is $5 million. We propose allowing the Secretary to authorize
payment of a higher reward if he determines that doing so would be
important to the national interests of the United States.
The international coalition and our bilateral programs I mentioned are
just some of the measures we are taking to meet this new challenge.
Our response to the horrific events of September 11 will be
broad-based and will not be completed in a short time. We are
committed to a long term strategic campaign, in concert with the
Nations of the World that abhor terrorism, to root out and bring to
justice those that use terrorism. We are in for a long haul. As
President Bush told the world last week, this will be a lengthy
campaign. There are no easy or quick fixes in fighting this danger
posed by international terrorism. We must be persistent, and
determined. And we will.
With the dedication of the American people, your help and that of our
allies overseas, we will succeed. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would be
happy to take any questions.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
