June 1, 2002	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 19,1423

SINGAPORE, May 31: US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz warned Friday of a “gathering storm” of terrorism threatening the world and said the need for security in Asia was critical.

Speaking ahead of a weekend Asian security conference involving defence ministers from the Asia-Pacific region, North America and Europe, Wolfowitz also pressured India and Pakistan to step back from their war rhetoric.

A war on the subcontinent “has the potential for catastrophic consequences”, Wolfowitz said as India accused Pakistan of fuelling tensions by failing to crack down on incursions by Islamic militants in Kashmir.

Although Pakistan has emerged as a key ally of the United States in its global war against terrorism, Wolfowitz warned that Washington was also “very much opposed to cross-border terrorism. We have made that clear, we are making that clear every day now.”

In a pointed message to India he said “war is not the solution to the problem.”

Despite daily artillery duels between the one million Indian and Pakistani troops massed along their disputed Kashmir border, Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes played down the immediate threat of war,

“I don’t think one needs to worry just now as to what is likely to happen,” Fernandes said after a private meeting with Wolfowitz, “I think it is stable.”

Pakistan is not represented at the conference as organisers said it falls outside the recognised definition of the Asia-Pacific region.

Wolfowitz said he would use the security conference, which involves defence policymakers as well as politicians, to stress that the September 11 terrorist attacks had an impact on the whole world, not just the United States.

Australian Defence Minister Robert Hill said there was an “uncertain strategic environment” in the region, where in addition to the India-Pakistan crisis there is the emergence of al-Qaeda terrorist cells and continuing strained relations across the Taiwan Strait and on the Korean peninsula.

In a keynote opening speech, Singapore’s Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew identified terrorist Islamic groups as the biggest threat to the region.

Muslims who fought with al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan, have established “indigenous al-Qaeda-like groups in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and ... Singapore to overthrow these governments and set up an Islamic state,” Lee said.

“The US and others must support the tolerant non-militant Muslims so that they will prevail,” he said, describing the stability of Indonesia as “crucial to the future of the region and the strategic balance in East Asia”.

The security conference agenda includes debate on US strategy in the region, China’s military doctrine, Europe’s role in Asian security, non-proliferation challenges as well as the terrorist threat.

Most of the three-day meeting will be behind closed doors, with organisers from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies saying this would allow a “frank exchange of views”.

Wolfowitz said the need for security in Asia was “critical for the whole world”.

Quoting a phrase from Winston Churchill, Wolfowitz said his message to the conference was that “this ‘gathering storm’ that is the terrorist threat is something that threatens the whole world.

“It’s true that the attacks on September 11 were on my country and some people here may think that’s thousands of mile away, but the terrorist threat is here as well.”

Fifteen years ago, when Wolfowitz was the US ambassador to Indonesia, a “Japanese Red Army terrorist” threw a bomb at the embassy in Jakarta.

“It reminded me that terrorism is not new in this part of the world. More importantly the terrorists really threaten the values that we all care about, the values of freedom, tolerance and democracy. And this is a fight for everyone.”

About 150 defence ministers, officials and analysts from more than 20 countries are in Singapore for the conference dubbed “the Shangri-La dialogue” after the name of the hotel where it is being held.

Conference organisers said it was planned to make the gathering an annual event, possibly leading to a formal organisation of defence ministers.

The 23-member ASEAN Regional Forum, the main Asia-Pacific security umbrella group at present, consists of foreign ministers.—AFP