U.S. counterterrorism expert opens conference in Turkey

AP ^ | 6/24/2002 | N/A

[a_Turk]

ANKARA, Turkey - A top U.S. counterterrorism official opened a regional conference on battling terror Monday and said that global cooperation was vital in fighting groups like al-Qaida.

Francis X. Taylor, the head of the State Department's office of counterterrorism, said that security forces have already disrupted planned attacks by Osama bin Laden ( news - web sites)'s al-Qaida network.

"I am convinced ... that we are making success against al-Qaida. We are disrupting their networks. We have disrupted plans for attacks and we will continue to work to do that," he said. He gave no details.

Taylor, a retired U.S. Air Force general, opened a three-day regional conference in Ankara, Turkey, on fighting terror. The conference includes representatives from Central Asia, including Afghanistan ( news - web sites) and the Caucasus and observers from countries including Britain, China and Russia.

The regional conference, which is held annually, took place last year in Istanbul.

"We are here to roll up our sleeves and talk practical issues of cooperation," he said at a press conference.

"We are focusing on ... how nations can work together on closing the seams that terrorists operate in around the world and particularly in this region," he added. He gave no details and the conference was not open to the press.

Turkey, a predominantly Muslim country that has backed the U.S.-led anti-terror campaign and is heading an international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, has been identified by U.S. officials as a potential target for international terrorist acts.

[a_Turk]

ping!

[sistergoldenhair]

He gave no details and the conference was not open to the press.

Good plan.

[WaterDragon]

Turkey is the very appropriate choice for this conference. I'm certainly hoping that Turkey will provide the critical leadership to other Muslim nations. Really, Turkey is just an incredible country, on many different levels.