Philippine Embassy

November 5, 2003

News Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Philippines has been chosen as the first beneficiary of the "Development for Peace in Sulu" program of the American Foreign Policy Council's Asia-Pacific Initiative (AFPC-API).

This was announced by Mr. Al Santoli, Director of the AFPC-API, during the program's public introduction last night at the Philippine Embassy. Officers of the Philippine American Foundation for Charities (PAFC), namely, Ms. Mary Ann Fadul, Ms. Mitzi Pickard and Ms. Maurice Owens, donated US$ 1,000.00 as the Filipino-American community's initial contribution in support of AFPC-API's projects in Mindanao. Thanking the PAFC, Mr. Santoli said that the donation will be used for the construction of a schoolhouse in central Mindanao.

Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Albert del Rosario expressed his gratitude to the AFPC-API for selecting Mindanao as the pilot area for the program. He also thanked Mr. Curtin Winsor, Jr. - President of the William H. Donner Foundation - and Mr. Andy Koval of MedPharm for their respective donations to AFPC-API.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued a Presidential Citation for Mr. Santoli which was read during the event by Deputy Chief of Mission Evan Garcia. It commended Mr. Santoli "for his profound commitment to promoting peace and development in the southern Philippines" and for his "consistent endeavor to support better health, education and community-building for Filipino Muslims in Mindanao and Sulu through private voluntary initiative and public-private sector partnerships." The President also cited AFPC-API's Director for his "leadership in developing and implementing the Development for Peace in Sulu program (DPIS)" as well as for his "advocacy in fostering stronger cooperation and mutual understanding in all fields between the Philippines and the United States."

Mr. Winsor, Jr. conveyed his appreciation to Mr. Santoli for giving his organization an "opportunity to help the poorest in the Philippines." Mr. Winsor added that, "finding hope in the banner of moderate Islam in the Philippines and elsewhere, a difference can be made other than through the use of arms and the enforcement of military solutions."

During his remarks, Mr. Santoli stressed that "among the roots of the ongoing conflict Mindanao is lack of development." He likewise cited the need for giving the Muslims educational opportunities and said that the AFPC-API will work with public schools and the madrassahs in the region "to bring Muslim students into the 21st century in math, science and computer technology." To achieve this, Mr. Santoli emphasized that "it is really people-to-people action that will make the difference," and that "the message of hope and fraternal love is what will deter (Osama) bin Laden."

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (Republican-California) said that "since his return from Vietnam (as a combat officer), Mr. Santoli has "continued his courageous fight to help other people." For his part, Rep. Roger Wicker (Republican-Mississippi) observed that Mr. Santoli "does not stay in an ivory tower but shows the face of America in a positive manner."

It must be recalled that last year, the AFPC-API created the "Development for Peace in Sulu" (DPIS) program which is "a private sector humanitarian action in front-line communities." The grant of medical aid to the residents of Sulu was chosen as the project's initial activity which was launched in the province in August 2002. As of May this year, AFPC-API has already donated US$2 million worth of various medicines for the evacuees in the war-affected areas of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and in Pikit, North Cotabato. The donation was accepted by ARMM Governor Parouk S. Hussin. MedPharm, an American pharmaceutical company, was the principal donor for the project.

The AFPC-API's overall humanitarian project in Mindanao is estimated to cost US$4 million. With other American and Philippine non-government organizations (NGOs), the AFPC-API also plans to assist communities in Mindanao in the following areas: providing a safe drinking water supply, sanitation projects, reforestation, rehabilitation, medical assistance and micro-financing.

President Arroyo has designated the AFPC-API as coordinator for non-governmental agencies and liaison between Muslim communities in Mindanao and the central government.

The AFPC-API is "dedicated to developing strategies and programs to promote democracy and sustainable development as well as to deter the spread of transnational terrorism by addressing human needs in the Asia-Pacific region."

July - U.S. - India Partnership against Terrorism

On July 24, 2003, the Asia-Pacific Initiative hosted a forum on U.S.-India bilateral security relations as part of its monthly series of discussions addressing Asia-Pacific security issues. The keynote speakers were India's top counter-terrorism experts, Mr. K.P.S. Gill, former Director General of India's Central Reserve Police Force, who is currently President of the Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi, and Dr. Ajai Sahni, Executive Director of the Institute for Conflict Management. Mr. Al Santoli, Director of the Asia-Pacific Initiative, introduced the guests.

The session was the second in an ongoing process between senior American and Indian security officials. Among the issues addressed by Mr. Gill were cooperation between India and the United States in the international effort to combat terrorist networks, such as al Qaeda, that have their origins in Pakistan. He also discussed the potential of Indian assistance in post-war policing efforts in Iraq and other areas of conflict. Mr. Gill also discussed strategies and necessary nuances he has applied in comprehensive counter-terror campaigns conducted in a variety of cultural and religious conflict areas across the Indian subcontinent.

• The U.S.does more two-way trade across the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor and Detroit than it does with either Japan or China

• We are also heavily invested in each others economies. In dollar terms, Americans have invested $120 billion U.S. into our country while Canadian firms have invested $100 billion U.S. south of the border.

A recent Ipsos-Reid poll found eight out of ten Canadians knew the U.S. was our country's largest trading partner. Meanwhile, just 14% of Americans named Canada as their largest partner in trade. Clearly, we need to do a better job of getting the message of the reality and importance our economic interdependence out. That's a part of why we're here.

This is, however, not a trade mission. I'm the Minister of a special government department created, at my request, because we realized after September 11th that the stakes had changed and that a "business as usual" approach was a recipe for failure. The threat of terrorism for us, and you, goes beyond the threat to life and property; it extends to a deliberate attempt to destroy our way of life including the economic prosperity we enjoy precisely because of the unique relationship between us.

We've taken special steps in Ontario to ensure complete integration of our counter terrorism intelligence and operations units. Let me put it this way; joining me on this trip are senior representatives from municipal policing, provincial policing and our national police service, the RCMP. We are meeting with your counter terrorism officials at the FBI, ATF, INS, HSD and Customs to ensure that there are no hurdles, no barriers, and no obstacles to a full and frank sharing of intelligence and operations requirements between us.

This is also not simply a counter terrorism operations mission. We know from past experience that if and when the balloon goes up in Iraq, the Canada-US border may get locked down. While enhanced border security is inevitable and indeed desirable, we are convinced, and are here to open the debate, that there is a better, more effective and more productive way to achieve our mutual, legitimate domestic security objectives.

Reliance on tighter border security alone is a linear response to a threat that is really dynamic in nature. Unless you're intent on becoming the Western world's "Hermit Republic", border security alone won't work. The last attempt at linear security I can think of was called the Maginot Line and I doubt you want to model your counter terrorism strategy on that.

We believe there is a better way. In a phrase, it's known as the Perimeter Security Concept.

Perimeter security is based on the notion that real domestic security won't be achieved by turning a blind eye to the fact that our two countries are the intended destinations of people and commerce from all over the globe. Further, in today's world, arrivals from France, Spain, the UK or virtually anywhere else does not mean that the person seeking entry was born there or not intending either of us harm.

We also live in a cargo container world where commercial interests have always trumped security. Like it or not, these are the realities with which we are faced and around which we must build our counter terrorism strategies.

If we are to achieve the twin goals of continuing cross border trade and enhanced domestic security, we need to recognize that the 49th parallel is not where we begin an invigorated security focus. Instead the first point of our defense perimeter is offshore of North America at places like Orly airport in Paris or Madrid airport in Spain.

I picked these locations for a reason. Ahmed Ressam, an Algerian terrorist who had plans to destroy the LA airport, entered Canada by getting on a flight in Paris. Mohammed Attah, the leader of the September 11 criminals, on one of his last trips, boarded a flight in Spain. Increased security vigilance at point of departure by both our countries, acting together like the friends and allies we are, is the first step to better border security in places like Detroit/Windsor, the Thousand Islands, Niagara Falls and each and every border crossing between our countries.

The second point of focus must be at our respective North American points of entry and again Attah and Ressam are cases from which we can learn. Ressam arrived in Montreal where he was caught with a fake passport and some kind of potential connection to the now familiar Algerian terrorist group GIA. Despite these alarming facts, by claiming refugee status, he was permitted to enter Canada.

Attah was questioned at Miami's International Airport but despite his visa having expired and him having violated the terms of it, he was permitted to re-enter the United States. Increased focus on security at the points of entry to the continent we share will also mean a safer and more secure border through which trade and people can continue to flow.

Third, while in our countries, both men were engaged in conduct that could have resulted in their removal prior to them launching their attacks. Increased focus on enforcing the immigration rules we enact will also have a significant positive impact on what each of us face at our borders. This will, of course, require the political will on the part of governments to enforce the law as a first priority and not an afterthought.

If the Security Perimeter has these stages or layers to it, what steps can we take together in our domestic jurisdictions to ensure that each layer of detection has depth. First and foremost, given the nature of the current threat, we believe that focusing on who seeks to enter the perimeter is where we should start.

Let me identify just a couple of the measures that can make perimeter security effective:

• Harmonization of visa requirements: We have new proposed regulations under our federal Immigration Act that cover this and we've suggested to INS and HSD officials that this is the opportunity for them, and us, to make that case.

• Immediate adoption of a common face recognition biometric identification technology with:
a bad guy data base (shared by all of the nations committed to fighting terrorism and maintained by us) -- Such a system would go a long way to identifying those who we have reason to believe are a security threat. The New York Times reported last weekend that German authorities had such information on 3 of the hijackers, including Mohammed Attah prior to September 11th and 2 others had been detained by Filipino authorities. If we are tasked with finding the proverbial 'needle in the haystack' then the using technology like this to shrink the haystack is essential.

• Secure travel and identity documents -- Persons seeking entry to the perimeter are, in almost all cases, in possession of supposedly officially issued photo ID yet we know the use of counterfeit documents is a basic terrorist tool. Face recognition biometrics has a one on one match capacity (to identify the bad guys and confirm the good guys) and a one on many capacities. This means a much better chance of identifying phony travel documents or multiple identity documents all of which are red flags for front line perimeter security people. Moving forward on this issue would be a significant step for your government to take as, quite frankly, anything that's done must be consistent with what you implement. That being so, I hope some folks in this room will carry the message back that we need to get on with this.

• Refugee determination: We need to bring into operation the 'safe third country' exception for refugee or asylum claimants in either of our countries where the claimant is coming from either Canada or the U.S. or, as in the case of Ahmed Rassam, from countries such as France. There is a difference between being in need of protection and "choosing" to be a refugee in either Canada or the United States. Additionally, neither of our countries should admit persons who have falsified or destroyed their identification documents prior to seeking entry until such time as we have determined their identity and confirmed they pose no security threat.

Perimeter security also means improved measures for what cargo is brought to our shores such as:

• Joint Standards for Air and Seaport Security: As you may know, Canada was the first country to sign on for the Container Security Initiative where we have exchanged Customs officers in select seaports. American Customs officers currently are working in Halifax, Montreal,and Vancouver and this program is expanding around the world. We think we can go farther by developing joint standards for seaport security coupled with container screening standards.

If we are able to do that, to each others' satisfaction, then we also think that, aided by improved container seal technology and vastly more precise documentary cargo description, port clearance should equal border clearance. Let's convert these challenges into opportunities to improve our strengths including the cross border trade between us.

These are but a few of the examples of measures we believe can be implemented to make perimeter security a reality.

In moving forward we need also to be clear that these new threats require new approaches to security and intelligence analysis itself. Success, in other words, will not be achieved by returning to the standards and norms of September 10th.

How information is gathered, shared and used must all be reconsidered. How we are organized ourselves to fight terrorism, as I've indicated, must be free from the 'we've always done it this way' approach.

Finally, all of us need to look more closely at the different vulnerabilities this terrorist threat has exposed. Simply passing a law that mandates enhanced seaport security, for example, is insufficient if we aren't also examining who's doing business at our seaports and who they do business with. While we're at it, let's be clear about who exactly will be involved in securing the ports themselves. In short, as I've learned in my career in government, if you want to get the right answers, you have to ask the right questions. Now more so than ever.

The Security Perimeter Concept we propose does not require a surrender or compromise of sovereignty of either of our countries or indeed any country that seeks its protection. It will not be accomplished overnight and there will inevitably be problems along the way. Let us all remember, however, that our goal in this is to preserve and protect that which is under attack and that which we believe to be worth defending. It is my most sincere hope that this trip and this discussion will help trigger some progress on that journey.

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