US embassy cable - 05CANBERRA1423

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CANBERRA 001423 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR S/CT, EAP/ANP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2015 
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, PINR, AS 
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA:  LONDON BOMBINGS PROMPT CT SUMMITS 
 
REF: CANBERRA 1381 
 
Classified By: A/DCM Grace Stettenbauer.  Reasons 1.4 (b/d). 
 
1.  (U) SUMMARY:  The July London bombings have prompted 
Australia to conduct a national, government-wide 
counterterrorism review to assess Australia's capacity to 
respond to a terrorist attack.  PM John Howard will meet with 
state and territory leaders in late September at a national 
counterterrorism summit to discuss proposals for 
strengthening security measures.  Howard will also meet with 
moderate Islamic leaders on August 23 in the lead-up to the 
summit to discuss strategies for combating extremism within 
Australia's Muslim community (ref A).  Islamic leaders and 
the media criticized the PM's decision not to invite a more 
diverse group of clerics to the meeting, claiming it will 
fail if not all views and backgrounds are represented.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
GOA COUNTERTERRORISM REVIEW 
--------------------------- 
2.  (C) Spurred by the London bombings, Australian PM John 
Howard has launched a major, nation-wide counterterrorism 
(CT) initiative.  Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet 
(PM&C) Senior Adviser for Domestic Security Policy Sarah 
Chidgey told us that the PM's initiative had begun with a 
whole-of-government assessment of Australia's current CT 
posture.  Agency heads would follow up by developing specific 
proposals to be considered at a national counterterrorism 
summit with state and territory leaders at the end of 
September, Chidgey explained.  Prime Minister Howard will 
chair the summit which will likely focus on identity 
security, mass transportation security, closed circuit 
surveillance media, and the prevention of extremism, 
according to PM&C Acting Domestic Security Branch Assistant 
Secretary Steve Dreezer.  Dreezer noted that the National 
 
SIPDIS 
Counterterrorism Committee had met three times since the 
London bombings to conduct its own preliminary 
counterterrorism reviews. 
 
NATIONAL CT SUMMIT 
------------------ 
3.  (U) While in London on the day of the second wave of 
attacks (July 21), Howard said in a press conference with 
British PM Blair that the GOA would examine the need "to 
change and strengthen" its laws against terrorist activity, 
or potential terrorist activity, and that Australia would 
look at Britain's procedures for best practices to emulate. 
"We have 19th century legal responses to potentially 21st 
century technological terrorist capacity," he said.  Upon his 
return to Australia the Prime Minister announced on August 5 
that he had written to state and territory premiers and chief 
ministers to propose a special meeting of the Council of 
Australian Governments (COAG) to consider counterterrorism 
law revisions.  The PM included in his proposed agenda: 
counterterrorism legal frameworks, surface transport 
security, identity security, and more effective prevention of 
any advocacy of terrorism, including through the engagement 
of community and religious leaders, and also through the 
enhancement of community understanding of the national 
counterterrorism arrangements. 
 
PM TO MEET WITH MUSLIM LEADERS 
------------------------------ 
4.  (C) Chidgey noted that the PM and other GOA officials 
would meet with a small number of Australia's key moderate 
Islamic leaders on August 23, in the lead up to the national 
CT summit, in order to solicit their views on how the 
government and the Muslim community could combat extremist 
ideologies.  On August 18, the PM issued a statement 
announcing his intention to meet with fourteen moderate 
Islamic leaders in Canberra on August 23.  The focus would be 
the identification of strategies to promote a commitment to 
shared values and enhance social cohesion within the 
Australian community.  In his press statement, Howard said he 
wanted to examine how the Muslim community could help 
eliminate extremism and end the promotion of violence in 
Australia.  The Attorney General, the Minister for 
Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, and the 
Junior Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs are 
among the high-ranking GOA officials who will also attend the 
meeting.  The most prominent Muslim leader at the meeting 
will be Dr. Ameer Ali (ref A), President of the Australian 
Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC), after the 
self-proclaimed Mufti of Australia, Sheikh Taj Aldin 
Alhilali, withdrew from the meeting claiming conflicting 
travel plans.  (Note:  The Mufti played a very public role in 
offering to help mediate the release of Australia's first 
hostage in Iraq, Douglas Wood.  End Note.) 
 
MUSLIM LEADERS AND THE MEDIA CRITICIZE GUEST LIST 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
5.  (C) There has been considerable public controversy 
regarding the list of Muslim leaders invited to the meeting 
with the PM (See para 9).  Several journalists and Islamic 
leaders criticized the PM for not inviting radical clerics to 
the meeting, arguing that their exclusion would only further 
radicalize their congregations.  Sheikh Alhilali's spokesman, 
Keyser Trad, called the summit a "farce," claiming it will be 
"a picture of the Prime Minister sitting there with a bunch 
of Muslims, smiling and nodding their heads."  "None of the 
people (invited) have any idea about the root causes of 
terrorism," Trad said.  The former president of the Islamic 
Youth Association, Irfan Yusuf, claimed that many people on 
the list were "out of touch" with Muslim youth and it was 
that gap that caused some youth to turn to extremism.  Gabr 
el Elgafi, Chairman of the Supreme Islamic Council of New 
South Wales, (wrongly) complained that the invitation list 
only included leaders from the states of Victoria and New 
South Wales.  Chidgey told us, however, that the PM made a 
conscious decision not to invite radical clerics to the 
meeting in order to keep the discussion constructive.  Both 
the PM and FM Downer said they did not want to validate or 
empower extremist thinking by inviting radical clerics to the 
meeting. 
 
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS CT PROPOSALS 
--------------------------------- 
6.  (U) GOA officials have planted proposals in the media 
suggesting how Australia might better address the threat of 
terrorism.  To curb the risk of importing extremist 
ideologies, Education Minister Brendan Nelson suggested that 
Australia should train its own imams.  He expressed a 
willingness to deliver government aid to mainstream 
Australian universities that establish programs to train 
Australian-born imams "who understand and fully respect 
Australian values," according to press reports.  Australian 
Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) President, Dr. Ameer 
Ali, told us that moderate Muslim leaders had been asking for 
years for government help for such a project and welcomed the 
initiative.  Minister Nelson's staff told us that he sent a 
letter on July 27 to AFIC and Australian university Vice 
Chancellors proposing the education program.  Meetings to 
discuss the details of the initiative would likely take place 
in late August or September. 
 
7.  (U) The GOA may also consider deporting and, where 
appropriate, annulling the citizenship of naturalized 
Australians who support or incite acts of terrorism. 
Attorney General Ruddock commented in a July 27 television 
interview that amendments to Australian laws allowed 
citizenship to be revoked if it was obtained by fraud, for 
example, if criminal and terrorist activity were not 
disclosed previously.  He emphasized, however, that revoking 
citizenship would not mean automatic deportation due to 
Australia's human rights practices and treaty obligations. 
New South Wales (NSW) police have also requested more robust 
search and seizure powers and increased CT training and 
resources as the aftermath of the London bombings 
demonstrated the expansive role of the police as first 
responders and investigators. 
 
ISLAMIC MODERATES PROPOSE ALTERNATIVE PLAN 
------------------------------------------ 
8.  (U) Meanwhile, August 22 press accounts reported that the 
Forum on Australia's Islamic Relations (FAIR) had announced 
its own six-point plan, separate from the PM's meeting, 
entitled "Muslims Must Modernize" calling for reform within 
the Muslim community.  The Forum's executive director, 
Kuranda Seyit, argued that the PM's summit with Muslim 
leaders would achieve nothing because it excluded key members 
of Australia's Islamic community.  The six-point plan 
included: 
-- A formal licensing system for imams. 
-- A support program for imams, to include English language 
teaching if necessary and lessons in Australian political and 
social systems. 
-- Mentors for post-school youths to develop leadership 
skills. 
-- A college to train home-grown imams - the Islamic Research 
Center in Brisbane is working towards this under the auspices 
of Griffith University. 
-- Focus groups to examine community needs. 
-- An effective media strategy to counter negative publicity. 
The Forum also wrote to New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma, 
and Opposition leader, John Brogden, seeking meetings. 
 
COMMENT: PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR CT REFORM WIDESPREAD 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
9.  (C) Recent polling data suggested that most Australians 
would support strengthened CT measures.  Seventy-eight 
percent of respondents agreed with deporting terrorist 
suspects and fifty-six percent approved of detaining 
terrorist suspects for up to three months without charge. 
Proposals for more security cameras in public places and 
random bag searches were supported by eighty-seven percent 
and sixty-six percent of those surveyed, respectively. 
Sixty-one percent were in favor of a national ID card. 
However, only one in four approved of a "shoot to kill" 
policy and only twenty-eight percent supported detaining 
terrorist suspects indefinitely without charge.  Two-thirds 
of Australians believed that Australia is more at risk of 
terrorist attacks because of its participation in the Iraq 
war, a position the GOA has strongly denied despite 
increasing pressure from the Opposition to do so.  Thus, the 
political climate is such that the PM should be able to sell 
a balanced package to strengthen CT measures nationwide with 
the support of all but fringe political and religious groups. 
 Even opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) MPs have told 
us they are "fed up" with Islamic schools that teach 
anti-Australian views and would be willing to work with the 
Coalition government to legislate universal curricular 
standards in all Australian schools. 
 
ADDENDUM 
-------- 
10.  (U) Muslim leaders invited to the August 23 meeting with 
the PM include: 
-- Dr. Ameer Ali, President, Australian Federation of Islamic 
Councils 
-- Sheikh Taj Aldin Alhilali, Mufti of Australia 
-- Dr. Mohammad Taha Al Salami, President, Iraqi Islamic 
Council of Australia 
-- Mr. Ali Roude OAM, Acting President, Islamic Council New 
South Wales 
-- Ms. Iktimal Hage-Ali, New South Wales Youth Advisory 
Council 
-- Ms. Aziza Abdulhalim, President, Muslim Women's National 
Network Australia 
-- Dr. Amin Hady, Imam of Zetland Mosque 
-- Mr. Hassan Bazzi, President, Al Zahra Muslim Association 
-- Sheikh Shafiq Rahman Abullah Khan, Chairman, Australian 
Islamic Cultural Center 
-- Sheikh Femi Naji El-Imam, Imam, Islamic Society of Victoria 
-- Mr. Malcolm Thomas, President, Islamic Council of Victoria 
-- Mr. Yasser Soliman, Member, Council for Multicultural 
Australia 
-- Ms. Yasmin Khan, President, Islamic Women's Association of 
Queensland 
-- Mr. Hajji Abdul Rahman (Ray) Deen, Executive Committee, 
Australian Federation of Islamic Councils 
 
STANTON