Brussels, 31/07/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday in Brunei, a new initiative aiming to strengthen the fight against funding terrorism was endorsed by around twenty countries. This took place at the annual Regional Forum on Security in the Asian-Pacific zone (ARF), which brings together the EU, USA, China, Russia, Japan, Australia, Canada and ten ASEAN countries. The Union was represented, as usual, by the Presidency-Council-Commission Troika, led by High Representative Javier Solana, the only diplomat of Ministerial rank in the team, indicated Brussels. The final declaration commits the 23 signatories to individually and collectively work to prevent terrorists and their associates access the financial systems or use them and to stop abusive use of the informal banking networks by immediately freezing their assets and by rapidly creating in each country a financial intelligence unit in order to optimise exchanges of information. "These measures will stop these funds from nourishing terrorist organisations", explained Mr Solana. The meeting which accompanies a week of Ministerial meetings in Brunei, has also facilitated a review of the current political situation, including the situation in Kashmir, Indonesia and the Korean Peninsula, as well as plans for the International Criminal Court.