Brussels, 05/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - In Berlin on Wednesday, the European Union, the United States and Russia agreed to close ranks to combat terrorism, drug trafficking and illegal immigration. 'We have agreed on a range of concrete measures,' said German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble at a press conference. The German minister, whose country is currently chairing the EU, was standing alongside high-ranking US and Russian representatives and the vice-president of the European Commission, Franco Frattini. Among the increased cooperation measures mentioned by Schauble were making Interpol more effective in tracking down people using false identities, combatting the production of opium in Afghanistan, and stopping young generations being recruited by terror groups. At the suggestion of the Russians, a high-ranking expert committee will be set up to monitor progress in the cooperation. 'We have agreed to produce a roadmap,' said Victor Ivanov, advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin. US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said that his country's concerns following the 11 September 2001 attacks had now become the concerns of the EU and Russia as well. 'We are bound by the common agenda of protecting our people from terrorism and we plan on strengthening the bonds forged by difficult times,' he explained. Russia's interior minister, Rachid Nurgaliyev, urged his counterparts to take a pragmatic approach to finding a common definition of the word 'terrorism' because the definition would also impact on the resources selected for combatting it. The politicians agreed to continue working on a common definition despite the fact that all attempts thus far have failed.
The other issue discussed in Berlin was the threat of nuclear terrorism, the subject of an initiative by George Bush and Vladimir Putin at the Saint Petersburg Summit in July 2006. The 'worst nightmare' imaginable would be a nuclear attack organised by terrorists, said Chertoff, noting that the EU, Russian and US politicians had discussed how to prevent terrorists getting access to materials to make 'dirty bombs'. Chertoff added: 'We need to find a global solution to the illegal trade in nuclear materials. We need to improve our networks because the terrorists are improving theirs.'
When it comes to combatting drug trafficking, the politicians agreed to take action to short-circuit the opium trade in Afghanistan, an important supplier of funding for international terrorism. Commissioner Frattini said that the production of opium was mushrooming in Afghanistan (growing 59% in 2006 alone), particularly in the south of the country where the Taliban are still strongly present. 'We therefore have to continue with the stabilisation of the country and with efforts to establish the rule of law on the ground and reform the justice system,' he explained, adding that Afghanistan was 'key' in the war on drug trafficking in Europe. Schauble said that alternative crops were one way of stemming the flow of opium poppies, and greater cooperation with neighbouring countries like Iran was also required.
The ministers also agreed on the need to step up border controls. Frattini said that a delegation from the European Border Agency Frontex would soon be going to the United States to promote cooperation. He also said that Russia was prepared to cooperate with Romania and Bulgaria at the borders of the Black Sea. The EU-Russia Justice and Home Affairs Troika will be meeting in Moscow on 23-24 April. (bc)