Germany tightens security steps

By Batuk Gathani

BRUSSELS, OCT. 30. The European Union governments are tightening the noose around terrorist groups and their activities. The E.U. governments are seen adopting a ``Panzar strategy'' by first tightening immigration and asylum laws and then gradually freezing terrorist funds in European banking and financial institutions.

Over the weekend Germany's centre-left coalition Government finalised controversial security measures to crack down on terrorism. German, Italian and British authorities are also speeding up efforts to crack down on the funds trail of Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda movement. Italy has assigned more than 600 special investigators to the task and in Germany, Britain, Switzerland and Luxembourg, authorities are making special efforts to freeze ``terrorist cash flows''. The amount involved is ``staggering'', according to bank officials.

Senior officials of leading industrialised countries are meeting in Washington to decide whether governments should take on greater powers to track down and seize terrorist funds. The meeting of the ``financial action task force'' was set up by the G-7 countries to monitor and crack down on money laundering by criminal and terrorist organisations. The Bush administration last week approved tougher anti-money laundering measures. A ``taskforce'' comprising 29 countries plus the European Commission and the Gulf Co-operation Council has been created. The taskforce has produced a list of 19 nations which have not co-operated in the fight against money laundering. These include Russia, Egypt and Israel and tax havens in the Pacific and Caribbean regions. Russia was recently removed from the blacklist after the authorities there agreed to co-operate. Security, immigration and asylum laws in major European Union countries are being revised in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The German Home Minister, Mr. Otto Scilly, has agreed to withdraw plans to expand police powers that will allow federal agents to investigate suspects before obtaining a court order. This proposal met with opposition from the Green party rank and file and was also opposed by major civil rights groups, judges, lawyers and even the federal Justice Minister.

The German authorities have now decided to introduce high-tech measures like introducing biometric data in identity papers. German federal police can now gather information nationwide without consulting the State police first. Authorities will have powers to deport immigrants who are convicted of politically motivated crimes or found endangering public security.

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Section  : International
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