US embassy cable - 05BRUSSELS4294

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 004294 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, KCRM, EUN, USEU BRUSSELS 
SUBJECT:  COUNTER-TERRORISM: EU AGREES STRATEGY FOR 
COMBATING RADICALIZATION AND RECRUITMENT 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1.  EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers (JHA 
Council) on December 1 agreed on a "EU Strategy for 
Combating Radicalization and Recruitment to 
Terrorism," including by disrupting the activities 
of networks and "ensuring that voices of mainstream 
opinion prevail over those of extremism."  The 
ministers also concurred on a broader new EU Counter- 
Terrorism Strategy to be endorsed by EU leaders at 
their December 15-16 meeting.  The ministers also 
approved the outlines of a Framework Decision for 
improving information exchange between law 
enforcement authorities, in particular as regards 
serious offences including terrorist acts.  Further 
December 2 discussions of specific issues, including 
draft legislation on the retention of telecom data, 
will be reported SEPTEL.  Full texts of Council 
conclusions and main CT-related documents mentioned 
in this report have been transmitted to EUR/ERA. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
EU COUNTER-TERRORISM STRATEGY 
---------------------------- 
 
2.  Ministers for Justice and Home Affairs on 
December 1 concurred on a new EU Counter-Terrorism 
Strategy to be formally endorsed by their leaders at 
their December 15-16 European Council meeting.  The 
new strategy was designed: 
 
--   To provide a "clear and coherent framework" for 
     the EU's CT work, and to lay out objectives for 
     action, and 
 
--   To make Europe's work on Counter-Terrorism more 
     understandable to the average citizen.  The 
     strategy will be presented in a series of 
     PowerPoint slides followed by a narrative with 
     a visual layout that "should help with this 
     second function in particular." 
 
3.  Speaking at a press conference, UK Home 
Secretary/Council Chair Charles Clarke presented the 
 
SIPDIS 
new strategy as "a major step forward for the EU," 
though admitting that the real test will come with 
implementation.  He said the upcoming Austrian and 
Finnish presidencies were "absolutely committed to 
carry the work forward."  Clarke said the strategy 
covers four strands of work: 
 
--   PREVENTION: "To prevent people turning to 
     terrorism by tackling the factors or root 
     causes which can lead to radicalization and 
     recruitment, in Europe and internationally" 
     (see below); 
 
--   PROTECTION: "To protect citizens and 
     infrastructure and reduce our vulnerability to 
     attack, including through improved security of 
     borders, transport and critical 
     infrastructure"; 
 
--   PURSUIT: "To pursue and investigate terrorists 
     across borders and globally; to impede 
     planning, travel, and communications; to 
     disrupt support networks; to cut off funding 
     and access to attack materials, and bring 
     terrorists to justice"; and 
 
--   RESPONSE: "To prepare ourselves to manage and 
     minimize the consequences of a terrorist 
     attack, by improving capabilities to deal with 
     the aftermath, the coordination of the 
     response, and the needs of victims." 
 
COMBATING RADICALIZATION AND RECRUITMENT 
---------------------------------------- 
 
4.  As part of the broader CT Strategy and Action 
Plan, the Council agreed for the first time on an 
"EU Strategy for Combating Radicalization and 
Recruitment to Terrorism."  This paper builds on a 
March 2004 communication by the Commission and 
further work conducted under four successive 
presidencies.  Based on the recognition that 
addressing this challenge is "beyond the power of 
the governments alone" and that "Al-Quaida and those 
inspired by them will only be defeated with the 
engagement of the public, and especially Muslims, in 
Europe and beyond," the strategy sets out to combat 
radicalization and recruitment under key headings as 
follows: 
 
--   Disrupting the activities of the networks and 
     individuals who draw people into terrorism; 
 
--   Ensuring that voices of mainstream opinion 
     prevail over those of extremism: addressing 
     "motivational" factors that can lead 
     individuals to become radicalized; 
 
--   Promoting yet more vigorously security, 
     justice, democracy and opportunity for all: 
     addressing "structural" factors that create the 
     socio-economic environment in which the radical 
     message becomes appealing both inside and 
     outside the EU; 
 
--   Increasing the understanding of the phenomenon 
     and developing the response appropriately. 
 
5.  The strategy asserts that throughout its 
implementation, governments will "ensure respect for 
fundamental rights."  Speaking to the press, 
Commission Vice-President Frattini, laid great 
stress, as in many of his public interventions over 
the past few weeks, on his "balanced approach" 
between "enhancing the security of the Union" and 
"preserving the high standards of protection of 
fundamental human rights in line with the European 
Convention on Human Rights and the EU Charter of 
Fundamental Rights." 
 
6.  Speaking to reporters, CT Coordinator Gijs de 
Vries said: "We are facing a dual threat: a threat 
from people who come to Europe from the outside, and 
a threat from people who live in Europe, some of 
them first-generation migrants and some of them born 
here."  To illustrate his point that EU coordination 
was essential, the CT Coordinator referred to the 
police raids conducted in Belgium November 30 
against terror suspects believed to have links to a 
network that sent volunteers to Iraq.  De Vries also 
rebutted suggestions of any linkage between poverty 
and terrorism: "There are many people inside Europe 
and elsewhere living in difficult conditions and 
they do not strike into terrorism." 
 
7.  Swedish Justice Minister Tomas Bodstrom sought 
to appease concerns that the strategy might be 
perceived as pointing fingers at Muslims.  Bodstrom 
told reporters that as long as responsible 
authorities kept repeating that the measures target 
criminals, and nobody else, it should be obvious 
that the EU does not wish to accuse any particular 
religious group.  Bodstrom also said: "We should not 
have to apologize for combating terrorism, and the 
methods we use we have to be able to defend openly." 
Asked by his domestic press whether Spanish police 
would survey mosques to make sure radical 
interpreters of Islam do not recruit attendants, 
Spanish Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso said 
"the controlling of terrorism has to be done where 
it is created, be it in a phone shop or a mosque." 
Alonso also called for more efforts on the aftermath 
of terrorist attacks, suggesting the creation of a 
special European agency for assisting the victims of 
terrorism.  "We need to hand out concrete help, not 
only nice political statements," he said. 
 
IMPLEMENTATION OF EU CT ACTION PLAN 
----------------------------------- 
 
8.  The Council noted the six-month report from 
Coordinator de Vries on the implementation of the EC 
CT Action Plan, which will also be forwarded to the 
European Council.  The third report of this kind 
includes an update on key dossiers highlighted at 
the special July 13 JHA Council following the London 
attacks (USEU BRUSSELS 2688).  "A number of 
instruments which have been adopted have still to be 
implemented by all member states, in some cases 
preventing their entry into force in the Union," the 
report said.  An annex to the report shows the state 
of implementation by member states of the agreed EU 
legislation (scoreboard). 
 
INFORMATION EXCHANGES BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT 
AUTHORITIES 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
9.  In a Mixed Committee with Schengen partners 
Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, ministers agreed on 
a "general approach" on the Framework Decision on 
simplifying the exchange of information and 
intelligence between law enforcement authorities, in 
particular as regards serious offences including 
terrorist acts.  The Framework Decision will ensure 
that certain information vital for law enforcement 
authorities is exchanged in a rapid manner within 
the EU.  Member states should respond within at most 
8 hours to urgent requests for information and 
intelligence regarding offences referred to in the 
2002 EU Framework Decision on the European arrest 
warrant, including terrorist acts. 
 
OTHER REPORTS 
------------- 
 
10.  Among other decisions taken without discussion 
December 1, the Council: 
 
--   Endorsed a report by the Presidency and CT 
     Coordinator de Vries on EU crisis coordination 
     arrangements to assist Member States during 
     cross-border emergencies; 
 
--   Approved a report on the evaluation of national 
     arrangements improving CT machinery and 
     capability; 
 
--   Noted the CT Coordinator's regular report on 
     the fight against terrorist financing; 
 
--   Noted a report on technical modalities to 
     implement the principle of availability 
     of information on six areas: DNA, fingerprints, 
     ballistics, vehicle registration, telephone 
     numbers and identification of persons; 
 
--   Noted the second annual report of the European 
     network for the protection of public figures; 
 
--   Adopted conclusions on the protection of 
     critical infrastructure; 
 
--   Adopted conclusions on a Code of Conduct to 
     prevent the misuse of the non-profit/charitable 
     sector by terrorists; 
 
--   Noted the 2005 EU report on organized crime; 
 
--   Noted a report containing recommendations 
     addressed to France, Ireland, Luxembourg, 
     Netherlands, UK and Europol on exchange of 
     information and intelligence relating to the 
     fight against organized crime. 
 
11.  Further information on these items and reports 
is available from the JHA Council conclusions 
(http://ue.eu.int/press) and EU Council register of 
documents, using references from these conclusions 
(http://register.consilium.eu.int/servlet). 
 
MCKINLEY