#18 - RW 12-10-04 - RW Home
RIA Novosti
December 8, 2004
RUSSIA, US COORDINATE ANTI-TERROR EFFORTS
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti commentator Vyacheslav Lashkul).

The head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), Nikolai Patrushev, and FBI director Robert Mueller recently signed a memorandum of cooperation between the two countries' security services on combating terrorism, preventing the proliferation of mass destruction weapons and on a number of other agreements.

The head of Russia's counter-intelligence service believes this document will help the two countries' counter-terrorism experts combat terrorism more effectively. Mr. Mueller said the memorandum was a step forward in countering formidable challenges such as terrorism and organized crime. According to him, the most important thing is that the agreement provides for information exchanges on important operational issues.

The FBI chief also met with Russia's interior minister, Colonel General of the Police Rashid Nurgaliyev, in the Russian capital. The heads of ministry and FBI subdivisions and US Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow attended the meeting. The sides discussed stepping up the two countries' efforts to combat terrorism and transitional organized crime at the bilateral and multilateral levels. They also examined the main areas of cooperation to control crime in the field of information technologies and intellectual property.

"On many issues, we will continue pursuing the line we elaborated at the May meeting in Washington (2004)," Rashid Nurgaliyev told RIA Novosti. "These are combating terrorism, extremism, computer technologies-related crimes and cyber-crime".

It should be recalled that a Russian-US working group on coordinating efforts to counteract transitional organized crime has been working intensively for two and a half years. Its second meeting is scheduled to be held in Moscow in the first quarter of the next year to discuss prospects for further cooperation in the following areas:

- improving the system for informing the two countries' law-enforcement agencies about the location and intentions of suspected extremists;

- organizing efforts to fight crime in the slave trade and an exchange of available information relating to hi-tech crimes;

- creating an immigration control system in Russia.

The American side has adopted a decision prohibiting entry to the US of active members from the following Chechen criminal gangs: the Islamic International Brigade, Intelligence-Sabotage Battalion of Chechen Martyrs, Riyadus Salihiin and the Islamic Special Regiment. Organizations and individuals giving any material support to these gangs have also been banned from entering the US. This year, Russian and American law-enforcement agencies ended the activity of an international charity fund involved in financing terrorists, including criminal gangs in Chechnya.

Russia's American partners also assisted in the extradition of a dangerous criminal, Vyacheslav Ivankov (alias Yaponchik), who was deported to Russia. Joint efforts ensured an end to some underground operations producing and selling counterfeit products bearing the brands names Wrangler, Philip Morris and Procter&Gamble. The confiscated fakes were valued at $800,000.

On November 16, 2004, the National Contact Point on Combating Information Technologies-Related Crimes opened in the Russian Interior Ministry. It will work in close cooperation with the US National Contact Point.