Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, October 22,  2003

Saprissa Favored in
Regional Tournament
MANAGUA (AFP) -- San José's Saprissa soccer club is considered the favorite to win the UNCAF (Central American) elimination tournament this week in Nicaragua, according to regional soccer analysts.
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October 22

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Country Aims to Crack Down on Terrorism
By Fabián Borges
fborges@ticotitmes.net

Security Minister Rogelio Ramos yesterday unveiled a new bill aimed at reforming several of the country's main laws to make it easier for law enforcement officials to prevent terrorist activities. It also would punish individuals and groups who provide funding, logistical support or recruit members for terrorist organizations.

"Terrorism is a reality and a threat for all countries," Ramos said. "Our current laws punish individuals who directly participate in terrorist activities, such as kidnappings, bombings, threats and extortion, but don't apply to those who make it possible for terrorist groups to exist. We must update our laws to punish those who directly and indirectly support terrorist activities."

The new bill, which Ramos said would be presented to Congress in the coming weeks, is the result of an 11-month study conducted by an inter-institutional commission led by the ministries of Security and Foreign Relations and the Superintendence of Financial Entities (SUGEF).

The bill aims to update Costa Rican legislation to meet the 2001 United Nations (UN) Security Council Declaration on Terrorism, recommendations made by the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF/GAFI), the UN Convention on the Elimination of Financing for Terrorism, which the country recently ratified, and the Organization of American States (OAS) Inter-American Terrorism Convention, now being studied by the Legislative Assembly.

"We are striving to create a safer and freer world," Ramos added. "Costa Rica has condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We have vowed to fight it while respecting the rule of law, international law and most importantly, human rights."

The reforms would modify the Penal Code and Anti-Drug Laws to include funding, providing logistical support and recruiting members for terrorist organizations in the list crimes punishable under Costa Rican law. Additional controls also would be put into place to make it possible for law enforcement to freeze the assets of terrorist groups and sympathizers.

"With the changes, it will be possibly to try people who served as co-authors, instigators and accomplices to terrorist activities," he explained. "Those who assist national and international terrorist organizations will be punished, even if the terrorist act occurs outside the country or is prevented before it happens."

Once the reforms are implemented, individuals and groups that fund terrorist activities will receive the same treatment as those who participate in international money laundering, he said.

Ramos admitted that imposing tough laws to punish terrorist funding would be the easy part, and said tracing financial transactions to fund terrorist activities promises to be a complex task.

To prevent terrorism funding, police will need to do the opposite of what they generally do to stop money laundering. While money laundering consists of transferring illicit funds to the legal economy, funding for terrorism generally comes from legitimate sources and is then transferred to illegal activities. Money transfers to terrorist groups are harder to spot than cases of money laundering, Ramos explained.

In the meantime, Costa Rican police will use official lists of people and organizations involved in terrorism issued by the UN Security Council and various governments.

Next week, Foreign Minister Roberto Tovar will travel to Mexico City to take part in the OAS Regional Security Summit. During the week-long meeting, Tovar will present Costa Rica's anti-terrorism proposal to other countries in hopes that they also will implement it.

Ramos also announced additional measures the government will take in the coming months to improve security and crack down on terrorism. The Spanish government will donate funds and provide training for police officers to establish a special police unit in charge of handling terrorist attacks involving chemical and biological weapons. New regulations will be put into place to reduce illegal arms trafficking.

A new immigration law being discussed in Congress would help officials keep track of people who are entering and leaving the country. This will significantly strengthen efforts to improve security, he said.