To fight terrorism, piracy:

G8 wants closer cooperation

ITALY: Fighting the global terrorism threat as well as the scourge of piracy calls for stronger cooperation among G8 nations, the group’s Interior and Justice Ministers said Saturday.

Despite some successes, “terrorism is still one of the most serious threats to international security,” the ministers from the Group of Eight rich nations said in a final statement after three days of talks near Rome.

Extremists have shown a “significant offensive capability” and “organisational flexibility,” they said, along with an ability to recruit and radicalise their followers, which is “a cause of great concern.”

“The counter-terrorism cooperation between G8 nations is essential” to stop the spread of such radicalism, stressed the justice chiefs of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.

“The exchange of information on the movement of funding to finance terrorist groups is a major example” of such cooperation, said Italy Justice Minister Angelino Alfano when presenting the final communique.

According to Interpol’s special anti-terrorism taskforce, there is a database of more than 8,000 suspects linked to terrorist activists and a network of nearly 200 contact officers in more than 100 countries. The head of the global police organisation spoke to the G8 ministers Friday on the rising attacks of piracy on the seas, especially off the east African coast of Somalia, saying law enforcement was the missing link in combatting this organised crime.

“There is clearly a need for a common international strategy that includes a law enforcement element to combat maritime piracy and armed robbery at sea,” said Interpol Secretary General Robert K. Noble in a statement.

“Right now, we are in a situation in which there are pirates in custody while others have been arrested and released, but there is no central system in place for collecting, exchanging and processing data to help connect the dots,” Noble said, suggesting creating an investigative prosecutorial taskforce.

Rome, Sunday, AFP