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UNITED NATIONS, Friday (AFP) The United States called on countries with sophisticated financial centres to do more to help others develop the means to fight terrorism.

"A substantial number of countries capable of providing assistance such as training" had yet to offer their services to the counter-terrorism committee (CTC) of the Security Council, the US ambassador to the United Nations, John Negroponte, said.

"Perhaps some of the countries with expertise do not usually think of themselves as potential assistance providers," Negroponte told an open council meeting. "I have in mind sophisticated financial centres in particular."

CTC chairman Jeremy Greenstock said 160 UN member states had reported on steps taken to combat terrorism, as required by council Resolution 1373, adopted two weeks after the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Committee sources said the 29 countries which had not sent in reports were "incompetent rather than unwilling" and that most of them needed technical help.

A list published by the CTC showed that states which have failed to reply are either in Africa or are small islands in the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean or the South Pacific.

All countries designated by the United States as sponsors of terrorism -- such as Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria -- have reported to the committee.

Greenstock, who is also Britain's ambassador to the UN, said that all states which had sent in reports had been asked for extra information, and the CTC hoped to review all second-round reports by September 23.

"We intend to set out more clearly the gaps identified by our experts, together with recommendations about the action needed to improve implementation of 1373," he said. Many countries would be asked to submit a third report.

Negroponte reported that the United States had on Wednesday ratified the UN conventions against terrorist bombings and on suppressing the financing of terrorism, the only two of the 12 anti-terrorism conventions it had not yet ratified.

He urged all other countries to follow suit.

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