Nearly 50 nations want JI listed as terrorist group<\/p>\n
Agencies, Canberra<\/p>\n
Nearly 50 countries are calling on the United Nations to declare
\na Southeast Asian religious militant network a terrorist group,
\nAustralian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The move would direct the 190 UN members to freeze the Jamaah
\nIslamiyah group's assets, prevent sales of weapons to the group
\nand stop its members from traveling through the countries.<\/p>\n
Jamaah Islamiyah, believed to be seeking an Islamic state
\nspanning across Southeast Asia, is a key suspect in the nightclub
\nbombing on the Indonesian island of Bali that killed more than
\n180 people earlier this month.<\/p>\n
Australian representatives in New York submitted a formal
\nrequest on Monday night to the 15-member Security Council calling
\nfor the terrorist declaration, Downer said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\"I am confident that the listing will proceed smoothly,\"
\nDowner said, adding that 47 UN member countries already had
\nsignaled their support and would urge the Security Council to
\nadopt the declaration.<\/p>\n
However, of the 15 council members only seven - Mauritius,
\nNorway, Singapore, Britain, the United States, Ireland and France
\n- have indicated support. That leaves Mexico, Russia, Syria,
\nBulgaria, Cameroon, China, Colombia and Guinea to state their
\nposition.<\/p>\n
Now that the request has been made, a 48-hour \"no objections\"
\nperiod follows. If no Security Council member objects, the
\nlisting would take place on late Friday.<\/p>\n
Australia and the United States campaigned for the declaration
\nthis week by circulating a report among UN members blaming Jamaah
\nIslamiyah for several deadly bombings.<\/p>\n
Downer said the request to the Security Council identifies key
\nfigures in the group and their links to al-Qaeda; shows proof of
\nthe group's ability and intent to conduct terrorist attacks;
\nincludes Jamaah Islamiyah admissions of helping to plan and
\nfinance bombings in the Philippines and Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Downer said he also welcomed the U.S. designation on Wednesday
\nof Jamaah Islamiyah as a terrorist group under U.S. law.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, The British government on Thursday announced a ban
\non Jamaah Islamiyah and ordered a freezing of the organization's
\nassets.<\/p>\n
Home Secretary David Blunkett said the Indonesian-based
\norganization is to be added to a list of banned terrorist groups
\nin Britain.<\/p>\n
\"I am laying an order to prescribe JI and we will debate that
\nnext week at the House of Commons,\" said Blunkett.<\/p>\n
The British government's move comes just a day after the U.S.
\nState Department officially designated JI a \"foreign terrorist
\norganization.\"<\/p>\n
Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia,
\nIndonesia and the Philippines, which have formed the JI's recent
\ntheater of operations, have also requested the UN to declare JI
\nas a terrorist group.<\/p>\n
Singapore has asked the United Nations to add JI to its list
\nof terror organizations, the government said.<\/p>\n
Authorities in the city-state have arrested 31 suspected
\nmembers of the group since last year for an alleged plot to blow
\nup U.S. and other western targets here.<\/p>\n
\"The Singapore government has written today to the UN Security
\nCouncil Committee...to request the addition of 'The Jamaah
\nIslamiyah' to the list of terrorists maintained by the UN,\" the
\nforeign affairs ministry said in a statement issued on late
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
\"The decision by several governments to jointly request the
\naddition of the JI to the UN list reflects the global nature of
\nthe threat posed by terrorist groups such as the JI and the
\nresolve of the international community to cooperate in counter
\nterrorism,\" the ministry said.<\/p>\n
In Manila, an official said on Thursday some Filipinos occupy
\nkey positions in JI but the government has yet to find evidence
\nlinking the Bali and Philippine bombings.<\/p>\n
\"We have reason to believe that they, the Abu Sayyaf and
\nelements of JI have joined together to come up with a
\ncomprehensive plan of terrorism,\" immigration commissioner Andrea
\nDomingo said over ABS-CBN television.<\/p>\n
\"I think it happened maybe in August.\"<\/p>\n
Filipino Muslim militants get from JI \"two things: one, they
\nget money, and two they get training,\" Domingo said.<\/p>\n
\"There are some Filipinos who would be high-ranking and who
\ncould participate in the planning and organizing\" of attacks by
\nJI, she added without giving any names.<\/p>",
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