By Tania Khadder
U.S. AMBASSADOR Michael Klosson yesterday announced the launch of a new programme giving Cypriots the chance to help combat international terrorism.
‘Rewards for Justice’ offers up to $5 million to anyone providing information on the flow of money towards terrorist activities against US interests.
“Through this programme, we hope to enlist the assistance of people around the world, to generate critical leads that will stop the flow of money to terrorist groups, and will disrupt their operations, thereby protecting the lives of innocent people around the world,” Klosson told a news conference in Nicosia.
“International terrorism is financed by money sent from all around the world, so we have to stop the flow of money. In order to be able to do this, we need to get new insights into how terrorists move their money.”
He said that the identity of informers was always confidential, and did not rule out the possibility of providing witness protection to any Cypriot who could provide information.
Originally established in 1984, ‘Rewards for Justice’ entered Cyprus yesterday in a campaign specifically focused on stopping terrorist financing.
“I think overall, the Rewards for Justice Programme has been very successful. In the past seven years, the United States has paid more than $9.5 million to 23 people who provided credible information that either prevented acts of international terrorism or put terrorist behind bars,” Klosson added.
He provided several examples of success stories, the most significant being the arrest of Ramzi Yousef, the convicted mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. In 1995, Yousef was in Pakistan planning to attack a US airliner, when he was arrested after a tip from an informant who was later rewarded.
Some of the other active Rewards for Justice campaigns include ones to find the terrorists behind the September 11 attacks, the October 2000 attack against USS Cole in Yemen, and the 1998 bombing of US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
The ambassador said that while Rewards for Justice focused on terrorism threatening American interests, widespread participation would be beneficial to everyone.
“Although the law that governs this programme is aimed at terrorism directed against Americans, the United States shares any information we receive with other nations whose citizens are at risk,” Klosson said. “In this fashion, every government and every citizen has a stake in bringing terrorism to justice.”
“Cyprus is a very valuable partner in the campaign against terrorism,” he added. “Geographical position and regional links make it an especially important member of the international coalition.
“Since September 11, we have been very pleased with the level of co-operation and support from the Cyprus government in terms of taking UN, US and EU lists and running them through the banking system to see if there are any terrorist assets. They have been very prompt and co-operative,” he said.
He added that to his knowledge no assets had been found in Cyprus.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
