Newsletter: 04/21/02

1. Africa
2. Americas
3. Asia Pacific
4. Europe
5. Middle East
6. South Asia
7. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
8. Finance
9. Human Rights
10 Law and Legal Issues
11. Narco-terrorism
12. Transportation
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
14. Recently Published

FEATURE ARTICLE:
The IRA/FARC Connection

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

1. Africa

In the Comoros first election held under the new constitution, the former military ruler Colonel Azali Assoumani is leading in the presidential vote. The elections have been beset with a low turnout, violence, and opposition boycotts. Observers have stated the results are not free and fair.

Peace talks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, mediated by South African President Mbeki, have stalled over the details of creating a transitional government in which leaders of the main rebel groups would participate. This breakdown in negotiations makes renewed fighting far more likely.

The border between Ethiopia and Eritrea, whose dispute claimed over 70,000 lives, has been determined by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. In a lengthy and confusing decision, the town of Badme that sparked the 2-year war was awarded to Eritrea, while the province of Badme went to Ethiopia.

Liberia claims that it has largely complied with United Nations requirements to stop supporting rebels in Sierra Leone and that UN sanctions (a boycott on inbound arms and outbound diamond sales) should be lifted. A decision is expected soon.

Madagascar's rivalry between incumbent President Didier Ratsiraka and self-declared President Marc Ravalomanana may be on the road to a peaceful resolution in an agreement that calls for removal of Ratsiraka's blockade of the capital, a referendum, and a transitional government.

In a settlement with Swiss authorities, Nigeria will recover $1billion in funds that had been looted by the former dictator, Sani Abacha.

Zambian opposition leader Michael Sata ("King Cobra") has been arrested on charges of theft andcorruption.

Geoff Nyarota, editor of Zimbabwe's only private newspaper, The Daily News, has been arrested for publishing a story saying that the recent elections had been falsified.

2. Americas

In its first case against computer hacking, a judge in Argentina has ruled that current law does not protect a web site and therefore the X-Team, that had altered a Supreme Court web site, was innocent.

In Colombia, election violence continues. A bomb directed against the front-runner in the presidential campaign, Alvaro Uribe Velez, killed three, though not Mr. Velez. Current President Andres Pastrana has appealed to the US for aid in its fight against terrorism. Previously, aid was limited to efforts against the narcotics trade. It is alleged that Colombian rebels have established operations in Venezuela and that several militant Islamic organizations had established operations in neighboring countries. Read this week's Feature Article to understand some of the issues the US Congress is taking into account in responding to Mr Pastrana's request.

In Panama, a new fee has been instituted to cover the costs of security for the Canal.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has put northeastern banks on a terrorist alert, possibly linked to al Qaeda. In other financial news, in Washington DC, the US hosted a meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank -- and tens of thousands of protestors.

The US Department of Defense has announced a reorganized command structure, designed to support the "war on terrorism". In Congress, new rules on borders and visas are moving towards rapid approval. It is possible that limitations on the areas of study available to foreign nationals could be imposed. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has begun a new initiative to sweep up illegal aliens, focusing on middle Eastern countries, and including raids on homes. The possibility of making the Office of Homeland Security a cabinet-level position is under discussion.
Secretary of State Colin Powell made his way to Israel and the occupied territories, where he made no discernable progress in resolving the conflict. While he was away, President Bush renewed his call for action against "rogue states" and the "axis of evil".

Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, was joyfully greeted by his supporters on his return to office after the rapid failure of a coup against him. He has taken a conciliatory tone, recognizing the complaints of those who supported the coup. US involvement in the 48-hour coup, demonstrating their tacit support, though no active engagement, has led many to question what seems to be selective support of democratically elected governments

3. Asia Pacific

A bombing in Burma near the Thai border killed seven. It is suspected that one of the ethnic rebel groups is responsible.

The winner of East Timor's first presidential election seems to be the former guerrilla leader Zanana Gusmao. Comments from election observers praised the peaceful and secure voting, and the high turnout. East Timor assumes full independence next month.

Malaysian police have arrested 14 suspects under suspicion of links to al Qaeda and various terrorist attacks.

As 2,700 more US troops arrive to continue efforts against Abu Asyyaf, a bomb in the southern Philippines has killed at least 10. Suspects in the bombing include the Indigenous People's General Army, Muslim rebels, or local criminals. Meanwhile, Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi, an Indonesian arrested last month and suspected of ties to al Qaeda, has had a fraudulent passport charge added to his conviction for illegal possession of explosives.

South Korea's foreign minister Choi Sung-hong visits the US for three days of talks in which discussions regarding improved relations with North Korea will be prominently featured.

4. Europe

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, equal rights for all citizens, independent of ethnicity, has been incorporated in the constitution. This measure was imposed by the international mediator, after local parliaments had failed to implement the required reforms.

In a first-round election shocker, the extreme right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen has won a run-off place next month, against conservative President Jacques Chirac, pushing out the Socialists and virtually eliminating the Communists. This unexpected result comes in the wake of anti-Semitic violence and strained relations with immigrant Muslim communities.

French anti-terrorist police had a busy week. They have arrested five Pakistanis suspected of helping Richard Reid (the "shoe bomber") as well as senior ETA member Jose Maria Zaldua Corta, suspected of a number of bombings in the 1970s and 1980s.

Germany is working with Tunisian authorities to investigate the explosion outside a synagogue that killed 17, including 11 German tourists. A man in Duisberg, Germany was arrested on suspicion of having been in contact with the Tunisian bomber but was later released without charge. In Frankfurt, the trial of five men, alleged members of the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, accused of plotting to blow up the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Strasbourg has begun.

Millions Italian labor unionists participated in a one-day general strike and massive demonstrations to protest Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's proposed labor reforms.

Following a report by the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation on the Srebrenica massacre in 1995, the entire Dutch cabinet and the army Chief of Staff has resigned. The report found that Dutch troops, there to protect a United Nations safe zone, were neither equipped nor empowered to carry out their mandate. The courageous Dutch government has accepted responsibility for the bloodshed in which 7,500 Muslim Bosnians were slaughtered by Bosnian Serb troops.

In the ongoing investigation of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet's crimes, Spanish and French authorities have asked for information from former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger. The Spanish judge investigating this case is investigating possible money laundering and fraud charges involving the Banco Bilbao Vizcaya.

ETA claimed responsibility for a car bomb in Getxo, Spain. There were no injuries. Spanish police have arrested Ahmed Brahim, suspected of involvement with al Qaeda.

In Turkey, three members of Hezbollah have been sentenced to death for treason. Another 27 were jailed. The verdicts came after investigations uncovered corpses concealed in basements around Turkey.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey has changed its name to the Congress for Freedom and Democracy in Kurdistan (KADEK) and, continuing its disavowal of violence, intends to carry out peaceful political campaigns. KADEK will be led by Abdullah Ocalan (the imprisoned PKK leader).

In the UK, the government is pursuing a number of measures to combat financial crimes and to encourage financial transparency. To combat fraud, they are proposing eliminating jury trials in favor of a panel of experts. They are putting pressure on Jersey to comply with EU tax regulations and international reporting of offshore accounts.

British troops have joined American in Afghanistan in continuing mountain operations.
In Northern Ireland, serious sectarian violence has flared up, including a stabbing, a bomb at the police training center, and riots featuring gunfire and a bomb that set an oil tank on fire. Tensions have not been reduced by the discovery of an IRA list detailing potential targets including senior Conservative politicians, drawing a strong loyalist response.

The former commander of the Yugoslavian army has agreed to surrender to the international war crimes tribunal in the Hague, following the passage of a law in Yugoslavia that encourages this action and allows extradition.

5. Middle East

News in the Middle East is overwhelmingly dominated by the Israeli war in the occupied territories. Actions in the Jenin refugee camp have drawn particular attention because of the controversy over the actions of the military that include denying non-combatants access to medical care and basic needs. The United Nations Security Council has unanimously agreed to send a fact-finding mission into Jenin. Meanwhile, the siege on the Greek Orthodox church in Bethlehem, the interdiction of Yassar Arafat, and restrictions around Palestinian areas continues.

Another legacy of the recent violence is the weakening of the US position in the region. Confusing, contradictory statements, and a lack of leadership, underline the failure of Secretary of State Colin Powells visit to the area.

Marwan Barghouti, (member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and General Secretary of the Fatah Tanzim party), has been arrested by the Israeli army under accusations of plotting terrorist actions.

In Algeria, demonstrations by tens of thousands commemorated the anniversary of the 1980 Berber uprising. They called for greater democracy, and the release of imprisoned activists. The popular protests coincided with the release of an Amnesty International report that calls for an end to political killings in Algeria, encouraged by human rights provisions in a forthcoming trade agreement with the European Union.

Egyptian Mohammed Ali al-Mahdi Ibrahim Soliman has been arrested in Brazil. He is suspected of carrying out militant attacks including the 1997 Luxor temple, as part of the Al-Gamaat Al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group).

Irans leading dissident, Ebrahim Yazdi, has returned to Tehran, where he plans to continue his campaign for more democracy. He is the leader of the banned Freedom Movement.

Lebanese Hezbollah has stepped up its activities along the Israeli border, following the current Israeli campaign against the Palestinians. There is widespread concern that this could open another front in the war and rapidly broaden the scale of the conflict.

Tunisian authorities continue their investigation of the explosion outside a synagogue that killed 17, including 11 German tourists. German authorities are collaborating in the investigation, with some evidence that an al Qaeda cell may have been involved.

6. South Asia

The former Afghan king, Zahir Shah, has returned to an enthusiastic welcome as well as enormous challenges. He is working with the interim government to establish the grand assembly loya jirga in June.

In the month since launching a repatriation program with Pakistan, over 40,000 refugees have been returning to Afghanistan each week, creating an urgent need for security and more aid to help manage the influx. Earthquakes and a plague of locusts have added to the difficulties. Meanwhile, Afghanistan continues its war against opium while US and British troops are engaged in continued military operations in the mountains.

India continues to experience sectarian violence focused in the state of Gujarat. The army remains in the area, while Parliament has been unable to agree on measures to stop the Hindu/Muslim clashes, in which more than 2,000 people (mostly Muslims) have been killed. The estimated number of dead was more than doubled after an investigation by the UK High Commission.

A strike of state workers protested proposed changes in labor laws. Estimates are the as many as 10 million were on strike.

A bomb in Kashmir killed 3 and wounded 20. Muslim rebels are suspected.

Bombings by Maoist rebels have continued in Nepal, leading to many injuries and nine deaths after an attack on a police post.

In Pakistan, General Musharraf continues his efforts to gain approval for continued rule through a referendum rather than elections. The crackdown on militants also continues. Maulana Sufi Mohammad, leader of the banned Tehrik Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM) has been sentenced to seven years in jail for illegally entering restricted tribal areas.

The Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka have held open meetings for the first time in the last seven years.

7. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

Price Waterhouse Coopers has published a survey showing that the number of companies victim of hacking has nearly doubled, largely due to increased use of the Internet.

In the US, concerns over privacy have risen in reaction to security crackdowns. Efforts to protect privacy range from technical protections for wireless transmissions to legislation to enforce privacy rules in healthcare and limitations on the uses of personal information.

8. Finance

The meetings of the G7, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund have all included discussions of international efforts to eliminate terrorist financing and thwart money laundering. Suggestions include establishing an international police intelligence unit and cracking down on tax havens. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has identified seven countries (Andorra, Liechtenstein, Liberia, Monaco, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Vanuatu) who have continued to restrict information they will provide to tax authorities. They have been listed as uncooperative tax havens and may be subject to sanctions.

The Aid Organization of the Ulema and nine additional individuals have been linked to al Qaeda, and their assets frozen.

The military wing of Hamas has opened a web site to appeal for funds to support its attacks.

9. Human Rights

Amnesty International has issued their review of US policy towards the prisoners in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, concluding that international law has been violated in many ways and that these illegal actions could have widespread negative effects on the rule of law in general.

The death penalty is also under fire in the US. Ray Krone became the 100th death row inmate found innocent. In Illinois, a governors commission has released its report, finding widespread problems that have led to questions over whether it is possible to ever fairly enforce a death penalty.

Concerns over privacy in the US have risen in reaction to security crackdowns. Efforts to protect privacy range from technical protections for wireless transmissions to legislation to enforce privacy rules in healthcare and limitations on the uses of personal information.

The World Bank has issued a warning that United Nations poverty targets are not on track. The target to halve the number of people living in poverty has seen progress due to developments in China and India, but progress has been uneven and largely excluded such areas as sub-Saharan Africa.

10. Law and Legal Issues

A US federal judge has ruled that antiterrorism laws do not supercede the Algiers Accord that settled the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979. They include a clause barring any lawsuits by the hostages.

The UK government proposes eliminating jury trials in favor of a panel of experts for trying complex financial cases.

In France, five Pakistanis have been arrested (one has now been released) on suspicion of having helped Richard Reid (the "shoe bomber").

In Frankfurt, Germany the trial of five men accused of plotting to blow up the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Strasbourg has begun. Aeurobi Beandali, Salim Boukhari, Samir Karimou (accused only of membership in a terrorist group), Lamine Moroni and Fouhad Sabour are alleged members of the Salafist Group for Call and Combat, trained in Afghanistan. They were arrested in December 2000 when the elite police corps raided an apartment and uncovered weapons and ammunition, bomb-making equipment, and other materials. Court opened with Maroni thrown out of court after disrupting the proceedings with threatening language. The trial is expected to uncover evidence of Islamic militants in Germany and their ties to al Qaeda.

In Turkey, three members of Hezbollah have been sentenced to death for treason. Another 27 were jailed. The verdicts came after investigations uncovered corpses concealed in basements around Turkey.

Marwan Barghouti, (member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and General Secretary of the Fatah Tanzim party), has been arrested by the Israeli army. He is accused of plotting terrorist actions.

Ahmed Brahim, suspected of involvement with al Qaeda in Spain, has been arrested. He is suspected of helping financed the 1998 embassy bombings.

Senior ETA member Jose Maria Zaldua Corta, suspected of a number of bombings in the 1970s and 1980s, has been arrested in France. This was the twelfth arrest in France this year; Spain has arrested 58 ETA suspects.

Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi, an Indonesian arrested in the Philippines last month and suspected of ties to al Qaeda, has had a fraudulent passport charge added to his conviction for illegal possession of explosives.

Maulana Sufi Mohammad, leader of the banned Tehrik Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM) has been sentenced to seven years in jail for illegally entering restricted tribal areas in Pakistan.

Geoff Nyarota, editor of Zimbabwe's only private newspaper, The Daily News, has been arrested for publishing a story saying that the recent elections had been falsified.

Issaya Nombo, a Tanzanian, was arrested in North Carolina on immigration charges but is being investigated because his name appeared on a document linked to al Qaeda found during the US operations in Afghanistan.

Defense attorneys in the trial of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheik and three co-defendants for the kidnapping and murder of journalist Daniel Pearl have successfully appealed for a new judge, one who had not been present during admissions by Sheik.

Zambian opposition leader Michael Sata ("King Cobra") has been arrested on charges of theft and corruption.

Mohammed Ali al-Mahdi Ibrahim Soliman has been arrested in Brazil. He is suspected of carrying out militant attacks including the 1997 Luxor temple, as part of the Al-Gamaat Al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group).

The X-Team, that had altered an Argentine Supreme Court web site, has been found innocent. In this first case against computer hacking, the judge has ruled that Argentina's current laws do not protect a web site.

11. Narco-terrorism

Afghanistan claims broad success in eradication of this years poppy crop.

Forthcoming feature articles in this newsletter will provide background information on the role of the narcotics trade in terrorism.

12. Transportation

Security for the Panama Canal has been stepped up. A new fee will be levied on all ships beginning June 1. It will pay for satellite identification and tracking systems, enhanced surveillance, and more patrols.

The US Customs Service have started the trial of a cooperative border crossing program using transponders at commercial cargo checkpoints.

The US Coast Guard is asking recreational boaters to participate in its Coast Watch program, to identify suspicious loitering or other activities.

13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

The US Department of Defense has announced successful tests of missile defense systems, suggesting it may be able to open its first test shield in 2004.

Nuclear arms meetings between the US and Russia next month will include verification of dismantling of warheads

14. Recently Published

Caldicott, Helen. The New Nuclear Danger: Why We Cant Afford to Let Weapons Manufacturers Dictate Foreign Policy.

Guterl, Matthew Pratt. The Color of Race in America 1900-1940. Harvard University press.

Lepard, Brian D., Rethinking Humanitarian Intervention. Penn State University Press.

FEATURE ARTICLE:

The IRA/FARC Connection

Ireland and Colombia are unlikely comrades. They are separated by economics, culture, language and thousands of miles of ocean, but they share a common experience of political violence.

In recent years, there is evidence that those committing the violence in these countries have begun to share resources. This article investigates the connections between two key organizations: the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

In 1966, FARC was established as the military wing of Colombian Communist Party, with the goal of overthrowing the ruling classes. It is supported by thousands of impoverished peasants and its primary source of funding is the narcotics trade (whose primary market is the US), which is subsidized by robberies and ransoms.

The IRA was formed a few years later in 1969 as the military wing of the Sinn Fein political party. Their ideology is somewhat Marxist, its goal to reunify Ireland. Support for the organization is among thousands of republican sympathizers; including many in the US who help fund the group. Other financing comes from sympathetic governments and various organizations. From time to time it has been linked to Libya, the Basque separatist group ETA, and the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
Both the FARC and the IRA are paramilitary organizations, using a military model for their internal structure and operations.

Although the IRA has had ties to ETA (another Marxist group, formed in 1959), FARC had remained a local movement with no known external support -- until recently.
This newsletter has discussed financing of terrorism previously, but it is useful to remember that as politics and economics have changed over time, so has the financing of groups such as these. Once supported by governments during the cold war, then by oil-rich regimes, when these sources of funding dissipated, the organizations began to look for other resources.

As late as 1995 a report by Major David E. Smith of the US Marine Corps concluded that "There is no present evidence of a worldwide terrorist training apparatus. The world has fragmented into numerous competing camps and terrorist training is conducted along regional, ethnic, and religious lines. There are many similarities in the training programs of successful terrorist organizations, and the trends are towards less restraint and more violent operations." (available online at http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1995/SDE.htm)

Shortly thereafter, we began to see the rise of international networks among these different groups, with organizations collaborating along many lines.

In July, 2001, three men, on separate flights, landed in Colombia. James Monaghan, an IRA member, was convicted in 1971 of a conspiracy to cause an explosive charge. He is the purported inventor of the mortar bomb. Martin McCauley, another IRA man, had been convicted of weapons possession. Niall Connolly is a Sinn Fein party member.

In Bogota, the trio regrouped and headed for a FARC stronghold in the southern FARC-designated territory, where they spent the next five weeks. Little did they suspect their activities were being closely watched by Colombian authorities and US narcotics investigators.

On 11 August, they headed to Bogota's international airport, where they were arrested.

Initially, the Colombian authorities planned to deport the three men for travelling on false passports, but after further investigation, the attorney general decided there was enough evidence to charge them with training the FARC rebels in how to make bombs. The evidence included training material and maps used by the IRA and information provided by US intelligence operatives involved in narcotics investigations. Forensic testing detected recent bomb and drug use.

Back home, Unionist parties in Northern Ireland claimed this would derail the peace process, and again called for the exclusion of Sinn Fein from the process. In the Republic of Ireland, a campaign began to have the prisoners repatriated. Human rights groups expressed concern over their prison conditions and security. Their families denied militant involvement, joining statements by FARC commanders that the three men were visiting to see how the peace process in Colombia compared to that in Northern Ireland.

But there are good reasons why FARC and IRA would want to collaborate. FARC is a rural group and can leverage the IRA's urban experience. The IRA's experience in bomb-making, particularly the expertise of Mr. Monaghan, would also be valuable. FARC, on the other hand, is well-financed and can readily supply large quantities of arms to the IRA.

In the US, the House International Relations Committee has begun holding hearings into the connections between Sinn Fein, the IRA, and the FARC. How can this level of intervention, into an issue that seems to involve two sovereign countries alone, be justified? Several reasons are given.

First, in 2000, the US government launched Plan Colombia in which aid was provided in exchange for a crackdown on the narcotics trade, including the militant groups involved in it. Over a billion dollars in aid and practical military and intelligence help on the ground were being provided. The US Congress is one of the government bodies with oversight responsibilities for the effectiveness of this program.

Second, the US is the largest buyer of Colombian drugs and the largest supplier of financial aid to Irish republican movements, including Sinn Fein. (Note the comments of Ed Lynch, National Coordinator of Noraid, at http://www.inac.org/irishpeople/2002/feb02/lynch.html)

And finally, Colombia has been lobbying for additional aid from the US and is appealing specifically for funding in the "war on terrorism" to help secure borders and eliminate the groups within the country that have been engaging in violent activities. (FARC is the largest but by no means the only group active in Colombia -- more on that next week.)

Congressional hearings (www.house.gov/international_relations/wh/wh.htm) on U.S. Policy Towards Colombia were held on April 11. In his opening remarks, Chairman Henry Hyde drew clear links to other US interests: