Author:
Publication: WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Date: October 21, 2002
URL: http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/breaking_7.html
The United States has identified
the sources of Al Qaida funding and found they were fewer in number than
earlier estimated.
Officials said U.S. intelligence
has determined that Al Qaida is supported by 12 financiers, most of them
Saudis. They said the Bush administration is sharing the findings with
Washington's allies in NATO and the European Union.
On Sunday, Treasury Undersecretary
Jimmy Gurule begins a six-day visit to European countries to coordinate
efforts to freeze assets of those deemed as terrorist financiers. The countries
include Denmark, which holds the EU presidency, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg,
Sweden and Switzerland, Middle East Newsline reported.
"It is our first big break in understanding
Al Qaida's financial network," an official said.
"At first, the network was so big
that we didn't think could find major channels of support. Now, we believe
we have."
The officials said the new information
has fueled a renewed effort to freeze the assets of those suspected of
helping Al Qaida and satellite groups. They said the information could
result in the blocking of finances of industrialists of leading Gulf Arab
businessmen in Asia and Europe. So far, the United States and its allies
have frozen $112 million, regarded as an insignificant portion of Al Qaida's
network.
Gurule did not identify the new
targets and denied that he was carrying a "Saudi list." He said he will
discuss "high-impact, high-value Al Qaida targets" with European allies.
U.S. officials have acknowledged
that Washington has not obtained sufficient support from EU states against
terrorist financiers. They cited the EU's refusal to deem such groups as
Hizbullah or the political wing of Hamas as terrorist organizations. Officials
said the EU has also been slow in acting against targets deemed as terrorists.
"We want to engage in a very specific
level of information on these targets where we want the European Union
to take action," Gurule said. "It goes beyond general statements and requests
to specific people and entities we want authorities to act against."
But officials said most of the dozen
financiers are Saudi bankers and businessmen who provide direct support
to Al Qaida. They did not elaborate.
The administration does not plan
to confront Saudi Arabia with the new information. But officials said the
United States plans to first form a coalition that will ensure that Europe
will be off-limits to Saudi financing.
On Friday, the Washington Post said
Al Qaida has relied on human couriers to fly cash from Saudi Arabia to
agents around the world. The newspaper said U.S. intelligence followed
the couriers and helped identify the money trail.
"In the next few weeks, you will
hear cries of pain, mostly from Saudi Arabia," the senior official was
quoted by the Post as saying. "If the Saudis don't take action against
these people, we will at least make sure they cannot travel outside their
home country and cannot do business as usual around the world."
