CNN Newsroom: Global View

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ CNN Newsroom: Global View / CNN Newsroom: Global View.iso / wld / wlda.mi2 < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1994-05-02 | 7KB | 158 lines

<text> <title> Global Terrorism: Introduction </title> <article> <hdr> Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1991 Introduction </hdr> <body> Terrorism in 1991 was marked by three major features. First, the number of international terrorist incidents increased 22 percent, from 456 in 1990 to 557 last year. The increase is solely attributable to terrorism associated with the Persian Gulf war. Second, 1991 was the second straight year in which there was no terrorist spectacular. Third, 1991 clearly demonstrated the role of state sponsorship in international terrorism. A central part of US Government counterterrorism policy is to press countries that sponsor terrorism to cease such support. This is what the international community did last year with great success against Iraq when Saddam Hussein threatened the world with a wave of terrorism following his invasion of Kuwait. The threat failed in large part because of the firm response by the United States and its allies and cooperation among them. The expulsion of Iraqi operatives, cooperation among law enforcement and intelligence services, and enhanced security countermeasures proved effective. In April the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 687 requiring a commitment from Iraq not to engage in acts of terrorism or support terrorist groups. Another part of US counterterrorism policy is to work with other governments to identify, apprehend, and prosecute terrorists. Following a three-year investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, US and British authorities indicted two Libyan agents for planting the bomb. We are currently working to have Libya surrender the suspects so that they may stand trial in either Scotland or the United States. Consistent with those indictments, the United States and the United Kingdom announced on 27 November that Libya must surrender those charged for trial to the United States or the United Kingdom; accept responsibility for the actions of Libyan officials; disclose what it knows of this crime; allow full access to witnesses, documents, and other evidence; and pay appropriate compensation to the families. The Government of France made similar demands concerning the UTA 772 bombing for which four Libyans, including the brother-in-law of Muammar Qadhafi, are the subject of international arrest warrants. In a joint declaration, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France demanded that Libya cease all forms of terrorist action and all assistance to terrorist groups. A third part of our policy is to refuse to make deals with terrorists, and our firm adherence to this was rewarded in 1991 as the last remaining American hostages were freed from captivity in Lebanon. The United States made no concessions to obtain their release. Rather, the terrorists holding them realized that there would be no benefit--political or financial--in continuing to detain the hostages. Though training provided under the Department of State's Antiterrorism Training Assistance Program, we have improved the ability of other governments to preempt, to investigate, and to prosecute the perpetrators of terrorist attacks. The program has been extremely successful. In 1991, more than 1,190 police and security personnel from 18 countries received such training, bringing the total number of persons trained in the program to more than 12,500 from over 70 countries. The threat of terrorism, particularly state-sponsored terrorism, remains. Still, the overall trend is positive, and we continue to believe that our counterterrorism policy is working. Legislative Requirements This report is submitted in compliance with Title 22 of the United States Code, Section 2656f(a), which requires the Department of State to provide Congress a full and complete annual report on terrorism for those countries and groups meeting the criteria of Section (a) (1) and (2) of the Act. As required by legislation, the report includes detailed assessments of foreign countries where significant terrorist acts occurred, and countries about which Congress was notified during the preceding five years pursuant to Section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act of 1979 (the so-called terrorism list countries that have repeatedly provided support for international terrorism). In addition, the report includes all relevant information about the previous year's activities of individuals, terrorist groups, or umbrella groups under which such terrorist groups fall, known to be responsible for the kidnapping or death of any American citizen during the preceding five years, and groups known to be financed by terrorism list countries. Definitions No one definition of terrorism has gained universal acceptance. For the purposes of this report, however, we have chosen the definition of terrorism contained in Title 22 of the United States Code, Section 2656f(d). That statute contains the following definitions: -- The term terrorism means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience. (For purposes of this definition, the term noncombatant is interpreted to include, in addition to civilians, military personnel who at the time of the incident are unarmed and/or not on duty. For example, in past reports we have listed as terrorist incidents the murders of the following US military personnel: Col. James Rowe, killed in Manila in April 1989; Capt. William Nordeen, US defense attache killed in Athens in June 1988; the two servicemen killed in the La Belle disco bombing in West Berlin in April 1986; and the four off- duty US Embassy Marine guards killed in a cafe in El Salvador in June 1985. We also consider as acts of terrorism attacks on military installations or on armed military personnel when a state of military hostilities does not exist at the site, such as bombings against US bases in Europe, the Philippines, or elsewhere.) -- The term international terrorism means terrorism involving citizens or the territory of more than one country. -- The term terrorist group means any group practicing, or that has significant subgroups that practice, international terrorism. The US Government has employed this definition of terrorism for statistical and analytical purposes since 1983. In a number of countries, domestic terrorism, or an active insurgency, has a greater impact on the level of political violence than does international terrorism. Although not the primary purpose of this report, we have attempted to indicate those areas where this is the case. Note Adverse mention in this report of individual members of any political, social, ethnic, religious, or national group is not meant to imply that all members of that group are terrorists. Indeed, terrorists represent a small minority of dedicated, often fanatical, individuals in most such groups. It is that small group--and their actions--that is the subject of this report. Ambassador A. Peter Burleigh, Coordinator for Counterterrorism Source: United States Department of State, April 1992. </body> </article> </text>