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E.U. lists 11 more 'terrorist' groups

By Batuk Gathani

BRUSSELS MAY 3 . In an unprecedented move, the European Union today moved to block the assets of 11 non-European terrorist organisations and seven individuals.

Under the E.U.'s common position on combating terrorism, all 15 member-States are bound to freeze the assets of those on the list.

Three groups operating in India, including the Lashkar-e-Taliba, are on the list.

In attempts to combat post-September 11 terrorism, European and American security agencies are cooperating closely. Agencies on both sides of the Atlantic are committed to giving the "widest possible assistance" to investigations and legal proceedings against those named on the latest list, which is subject to review every six months.

Apart from Muslim groups, the list includes organisations from Spain, Peru, Japan, and Columbia, against whom U.S. authorities are expected to take simultaneous action. Kurdish separatists in Turkey and Iraq-based guerillas fighting the Iranian Government have also been added to it.

Officials have stated that the U.S. does not want to be alone in `designating' such terrorist groups, and as one said, "the U.S. wholeheartedly welcomes this international cooperation and multilateral bodies will continue to take the lead in identifying terrorists and their supporters". American and European perceptions about terrorism differ, however, over distinctions between legitimate political organisations and violent militants. The first E.U. list was issued in October, after the attacks in the U.S., and included 27 groups and individuals linked to Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network. The E.U. has now taken the initiative to freeze the assets of 11 more organisations.

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