Brussels, 20/04/2004 (Agence Europe) - High-level officials and experts from all countries involved in the Euromed process will attend an ad hoc meeting in Brussels on 21 April to look at different policies to fight terrorism and how to fund them. The first exchanges of view on this subject took place in the late 1990s, but the problem has long been how to define the phenomenon. Some- on the Arab side- believe that there should be a distinction between terrorism and the right to resist an occupying force; others- certain EU countries- feel that certain political oppositions should not be included. Several Arab countries have also shown their irritation at seeing Paris, Brussels, London and other European cities becoming centres of activity for leaders of political followers of militant Islam, which has led in some cases to violence. The attacks in New York gave new impetus to this dialogue between the EU and its Mediterranean neighbours (including Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Syria and the Lebanon), but differences in perception remain, and are gradually building up due to the situation in the Middle East.
"The main thing, during discussions, will be to tackle the causes of terrorism rather than the symptoms", said Dr Towfig Salloum, Syria's ambassador to the EU, who added: "we all want to fight terrorism, which is a dangerous phenomenon. We condemned the attacks of 11 September in the United States and of 11 March in Madrid unreservedly, because we do not believe that people should be affected", but "the issue is whether terrorism should only be condemned if it affects a European civilian but not if it affects a Palestinian (...). We must attack terrorism in all its forms, especially State terrorism".