Blocking the flow of money to terrorists may be one of the best ways to stop terror altogether, a US Treasury department official says.
Making progress in the fight against terrorist financing is difficult without international cooperation because the "overwhelming" bulk of terrorist assets reside and flow beyond US borders, said the department's general counsel, David Aufhauser in a September 24, 2003 testimony before a House of Representatives Financial Services subcommittee.
In the "deliberately" open and increasingly integrated world economy the "ways to game restrictions on the flow of capital are nearly infinite," he added. Aufhauser said that while the Bush administration has been successful in securing international cooperation to restrict the flow of funds to Al-Qa'ida and other Islamic terrorist organizations, it has been less so in its attempts to interdict the funds flowing to a Palestinian organization Hamas, reported Washington File.
"Many of our actions ... have dramatic impact only when we can convince the rest of the world to act with us," he said. Aufhauser cited the distinction made by some countries, including European and Persian Gulf nations, between the political/social and military wings of Hamas as a major obstacle in financial actions against the organization.
He said that as much as half of Hamas’ income is obtained from the Persian Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia -- according to sources he did not identify -- despite a May 2002 decree ending official Saudi support for the group.
Aufhauser said he believes that the recent decision by the European Union (EU) to designate the entire organization as terrorist will help to change the "dynamic" of actions against Hamas because a large portion of the organization's funds has come from Europe.
However, he cautioned that the "political questions surrounding the Palestinian people coupled with the political and charitable work Hamas undertakes make it hard to convince other countries around the world -- especially in the Persian Gulf -- to cease supporting Hamas." — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
