Author: Anwar Iqbal
Publication: Washington Times
Date: December 17, 2002
URL: http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20021217-010327-6655r.htm
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been
added to the list of countries whose nationals are considered high terrorist
risks.
Citizens of both nations visiting
the United States must register with the Immigration and Naturalization
Services between Jan. 13 and Feb. 21. They will also be fingerprinted and
photographed.
"The requirement becomes effective
from the day it is published in the Federal Register," said Jorge Martinez,
a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice. "It has been placed for
public viewing today (Tuesday) and will be published tomorrow (Wednesday)."
The addition of Saudi Arabia and
Pakistan brings to 20 the number of countries covered under the registration
program.
"The embassy has not yet been informed
officially," said Mohammed Sadiq, the deputy chief of mission at the Pakistan
Embassy. "We are going to send a very strong demarche to the Justice and
State Departments."
Sadiq, however, urged visitors from
Pakistan to follow the instructions.
"While in the United States, they
have to follow the law of the land," he said.
Muslim rights groups also have criticized
the registration program, saying it does little to catch potential terrorists.
The INS says it netted 179 suspects
using the fingerprinting and registration techniques, but none of them
was a terrorist.
The inclusion of Pakistan and Saudi
Arabia may upset the two nations, both U.S. allies in the war on terror.
But U.S. officials have criticized
both governments for failing to check a rising tide of religious extremism.
U.S. officials say the Saudi government
is not doing enough to stop charities from helping religious extremists.
FBI officials are investigating charges that some members of the royal
family may have made payments to one of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers.
The electoral gains made by an anti-U.S.
religious alliance in Pakistan caused alarm in some quarters of the United
States, forcing Washington to put Pakistan on the list of high-risk countries,
U.S. officials said.
The latest registration notice affects
males from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan who are ages 16 or older and who entered
the United States on or before Sept. 30, 2002. If they plan to stay in
the United States into late February, they will have until Feb. 21, 2003,
to register and provide documentation to the INS about their visit.
Under the National Security Entry
Exit Registration System, the U.S. government must maintain photographs
and fingerprints of all male visitors from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria and
Sudan. An additional 13 countries were added to the list in October.
More than 3,000 men ages 16 and
up from the five countries on the first list were needed to register by
Monday evening. Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria are also on the U.S.
State Department's list of the countries that sponsor terrorism.
Another group of more than 7,000
males from 13 other nations are required to register by Jan. 10. Out of
these 13 countries, 12 -- Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Lebanon,
Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen
-- are Muslim. North Korea is the only non-Muslim country on this list.
Those who fail to register can be
deported. The program does not affect permanent residents, men with INS
"green cards" or naturalized citizens from those countries. Diplomats also
are excluded, as well as those who are seeking political asylum in the
United States or have been granted it.
"The United States will always welcome
visitors from foreign countries, but after the tragic events of September
11th, it is clear that we have to understand better who is entering and
exiting our country," said Attorney General John Ashcroft. "The registration
program assists us in protecting the safety of the American people and
the rights of those visitors coming to our country."
