*EPF103 10/25/2004
Iraq Removed from List of State Sponsors of Terrorism
(Jemaah Islamiyah redesignated Foreign Terrorist Organization) (680)

By Merle D. Kellerhals, Jr.
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The United States has officially removed Iraq from its list of state sponsors of terrorism to reflect the fundamental change in the country's leadership and policies, as well as to show support for Iraq's interim government, says State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.

Iraq had been on the state sponsors list for 14 years. It was removed on October 20, when Secretary of State Colin L. Powell formally announced the change in the Federal Register, Boucher said during a Washington briefing October 22.

"I hereby rescind the determination of September 13, 1990, that Iraq is a country which has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism," Powell said in the Federal Register announcement. "This action is a further step to cement the partnership of the United States and Iraq in combating acts of international terrorism, and is an act of symbolic importance to the new Iraqi government."

Boucher said that President Bush has certified and Powell has determined that Iraq has met three basic criteria:

-- First, there has been a fundamental change in leadership and policies in Iraq;

-- Second, Iraq is not supporting acts of international terrorism; and

-- Third, Iraq has provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future.

Boucher said the United States had to wait until the new Iraqi government was in place and was able to provide these assurances before formal steps could be taken to end sanctions.

"Now we've done that," he said. "Existing laws provide that State Sponsor status can only be formally rescinded when the country's fundamentally changed government no longer supports international terrorism and has provided assurances that it will not support such acts in the future."

Bush sent his certification to the U.S. Congress on September 24, which was followed by Powell's official determination on October 7. It became official when it was published in the Federal Register for public notice, Boucher said.

The other nations currently designated as state sponsors of terrorism include Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria, according to the State Departments annual "Patterns of Global Terrorism" report.

The State Department also announced the redesignation of the terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said October 22.

"As part of ongoing U.S. efforts against terrorism, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell today announced his re-designation of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The organization was first designated in 2002," Ereli said.

He said that the redesignation:

-- Makes it illegal under domestic law for people in the United States or subject to U.S. jurisdiction knowingly to provide material support to Jemaah Islamiyah;

-- Blocks any funds the group may have in domestic financial institutions; and

-- Provides a basis for the United States to deny visas to representatives and members of the organization.

Powell took this action in consultation with Attorney General John Ashcroft and Treasury Secretary John Snow, Ereli said.

Jemaah Islamiyah is a Southeast Asian-based terrorist network that has its roots in the 1980s, was formed as a separate entity as early as 1993, and has links to al-Qaida, he said.

"Its stated goal is to create an Islamic state comprising Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the southern Philippines, and southern Thailand. Jemaah Islamiyah was responsible for the Bali bombing in 2002, in which over 200 people from 27 nations were killed, including seven Americans, and the J.W. Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2003," he said.

The group is also widely believed to be responsible for the 2004 bombing of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. At least 59 Indonesians have been killed and hundreds more injured in these three bombings alone, he said.

"In redesignating Jemaah Islamiyah, we continue to work with governments around the world to isolate this and other terrorist organizations, choke off their sources of financial support, and prevent their members' movement across international borders," Ereli said.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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