Fifty-one countries and nine international organizations, including the UN, Interpol and Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, will attend the four-day International Counter-Terrorism Conference in Riyadh next Saturday. It will be inaugurated by Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdul-aziz at the newly-established King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center. The conference, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represents a serious international effort on the Kingdom's part to delve into the multi-dimensional and trans-national problem of terrorism. The participants will examine the root cause of terror, its relationship with money laundering and drug trafficking. Discussions will also center on ways of combating terrorism by identifying the link between terrorism and arms smuggling. Workshops, where experts will interact and share their experience over four days, will underpin the recommendations to be announced at the end of the conference. Experts in counter-terrorism, money laundering and security from many countries are scheduled to attend the conference. Ambassadors and security officials agree that terrorism is much more than a security problem and is a multi-dimensional phenomenon embracing political, socio-economic and cultural issues. However, none has defined terrorism and this promises to be a point of hot debate. Paying tributes to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its initiative, British Ambassador Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles said: "The conference is of huge importance. First, because it is living proof that the struggle against terrorism and its causes is an international one, transcending countries and continents. Second, because it recognizes that terrorism cannot be cured by security measures alone. Third, because it recognizes the links between terrorism and other forms of transnational crime, such as drugs and arms smuggling, and money laundering. The British government applauds the Saudi government's initiative in recognizing all these trends and in launching such an important conference to address them." --MORE 1057 Local Time 0757 GMT
