Officials from 40 countries gather in Cebu for counterterrorism meet

CEBU CITY (AFP) — Security officers and experts from more than 40 countries will meet here today to discuss the fight against terrorism in Southeast Asia.

With the Philippines and Indonesia each battling Islamic militant groups believed to be linked to al-Qaeda, the conference aims to boost cooperation and improve intelligence gathering across the region.

"We in the Third World should double our efforts and sharpen our awareness and skills to fight terrorism," said Benjamin Defensor, a Philippines envoy on counterterrorism.

The conference comes amid continuing threats from Islamic militants linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), thought to be the regional branch of al-Qaeda whose members are believed at work in the southern Philippines and Indonesia.

Would-be guerrillas travel between Indonesia and Mindanao, experts say, and there are growing concerns that the JI could be infiltrating local militant groups.

With an extensive coastline and more islands nearby, the region is also vulnerable to smuggling and arms trafficking, making it easier for JI to extend its reach to local militants battling the Philippine government.

"The connection between the JI and these groups could be a matter of exigency," said Julkipli Wadi, an Islamic studies professor at the University of the Philippines and an expert on Mindanao.

"Mindanao has been locked in conflict, and areas of conflict will always attract militant movements from outside forces," he said.

The three-day forum was first announced by President Arroyo during a meeting between Southeast Asian leaders and US President George W. Bush on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea last year.

Organizers said experts from the United States, Singapore, Japan, the European Union, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia and Canada among others were expected to attend.

They said they had also invited representatives from the UN Security Council’s counter-terrorism committee.

East Timor Foreign Minister and Nobel laureate Jose Ramos-Horta is expected to speak, and officials said Mrs. Arroyo was also tentatively scheduled to give an address. A statement from the conference is expected on Saturday.

Indonesia has been hit with several deadly attacks by militants linked to JI, including bombings on Bali and in Jakarta.

In the Philippines, the militant Abu Sayyaf group, which like JI is on the US State Department’s list of terrorist groups, has been blamed for a string of high-profile kidnappings and bomb attacks in recent years.