U.S. reiterates marine terror threat

U.S. reiterates marine terror threat

Agencies, Singapore

The United States watered down a proposal to patrol the Strait of Malacca on Saturday at a meeting of Asian defense ministers but argued it was not pressuring countries to support its war on terror.

Adm. Walter Doran, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said Washington wants Asian governments to intercept ships carrying suspicious cargo, especially in the Strait of Malacca, which is straddled by Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The U.S. earlier suggested that Washington use its own elite forces to help patrol the waterway.

Malaysia and Indonesia had rejected U.S. involvement in regional security, saying it would infringe on their sovereignty.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had urged countries in the Asia-Pacific area to ratchet up maritime patrols and warned that terrorists could strike again.

Maritime officials worry that extremists could use boats for suicide attacks on ports or on ships traveling in the vital Strait of Malacca, through which half the world's oil passes.

"Let there be no doubt, there is more (terror attacks) to come," Rumsfeld told more than 200 defense ministers, military officers and security analysts from 21 countries at the third annual Shangri-La Dialogue.

"Because it (terrorism) cannot be appeased, it must be confronted on many fronts by all civil societies," he said.

He denied that Washington was pressuring its Asian allies to support the coalition in Iraq despite widespread opposition from people in the street across the region.

"We do not go around putting pressure, and I hope other countries don't, either, on countries to do something that is against their interests," Rumsfeld was reported saying by Reuters.

Several of Washington's closest allies in the region, including Japan, South Korea and Australia, said they were prepared to step up military plans to improve regional security.

"In today's world, where terrorist attacks and the act of war are more difficult to be distinguished, we should further contemplate on the possibility of utilizing military power for policing," Japan's defense minister Shigeru Ishiba said in a written statement.