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NATO spy chiefs mull anti-terror war with ex-foes
SINAIA, Romania, April 11 AFP
Thursday April 11, 11:31 PM
NATO spy chiefs gathered here today with counterparts
from ex-communist countries who were once their
espionage enemies, to discuss joint strategy in the
anti-terror war.
They met at a four-day gathering in Sinaia, Romania,
called notably to discuss intelligence-gathering as
the Atlantic alliance expands into eastern Europe, but
also in the new geopolitical reality since September
11.
"It is the first time since the collapse of communism
that intelligence services from NATO and the candidate
states have come face to face to discuss an area as
sensitive as information-sharing," said Romanian aide
Ioan Talpes.
"It took the great tragedy of September 11 to make us
understand how close we are to each other," he added.
Willem Matser, advisor to NATO Secretary General
George Robertson on central Europe, said September 11
had changed everything.
"During the Cold War period we had a comfortable
agenda, we had common enemies. But after September 11,
we don't know where our enemy is," he told the
gathering.
"Buzz words like terrorism were used five years ago,
but now they are used in practically every other
sentence," he added.
The gathering brings together secret service officials
from the 19-member military alliance and the nine
countries hoping for an invitation to join NATO at a
summit later this year.
NATO has made reform of intelligence operations a key
condition of entry to the alliance. The former Soviet
bloc countries are notably being asked to ensure no
former communist-era agents remain in their secret
services.
The meeting in Sinaia, 120km north of Bucharest, will
discuss "Security in the 21st Century," and is being
jointly organised by Romania's SRI intelligence
services and its counterparts from Luxembourg.
The role of intelligence-gathering in the context of
the new threats highlighted by the September 11
terrorist attacks in the United States will be a key
theme of the talks, officials said.
Officials in Bucharest admitted that many of those
present were former foes, but stressed that
circumstances have changed beyond all recognition.
"We should recognise in each human being the faculty
to change and to learn. If in the past an individual
had a behaviour that was criticisable and if he
realises his behaviour was criticisable, I think this
person is a good partner for us in the future," said
Luxembourg's envoy to Romania, Fernand Kartheiser.
The meeting was hosted in a villa formerly inhabited
by Romania's communist-era dictator Nicolae Ceausescu,
whose Securitate secret police were among the most
notorious in the region.
"Sometimes the history of a building can be a source
of inspiration. This villa for example, should remind
us of our responsibility to fight against
dictatorships," said
Matser said that while Western countries might have
suspicions about ex-communist countries, the reverse
was also true.
"There were also Western intelligence services that
worked against the Romanian state. Is there on the
Western side a fresh generation ready to cooperate
with your services for the common good?" he asked.
But above all participants underlined the changing
role of intelligence services. "Society must not be
infiltrated by intelligence services but protected,"
said Kartheiser.
Nine countries are hoping to be invited to join NATO
at a summit in Prague in November. They are: Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania,
Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania. Croatia also wants to
join, but is not a formal candidate.
By Mihaela Rodina
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