BELGIUM: HEAD OF U.S. OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY TOM RIDGE MEETS EUROPEAN UNION FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA
Record ID:
230523
BELGIUM: HEAD OF U.S. OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY TOM RIDGE MEETS EUROPEAN UNION FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA
- Title: BELGIUM: HEAD OF U.S. OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY TOM RIDGE MEETS EUROPEAN UNION FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA
- Date: 5th November 2002
- Summary: (W6) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (NOVEMBER 4, 2002)(REUTERS) 1. SLV EXTERIOR OF EUROPEAN UNION COUNCIL BUILDING AND EUROPEAN UNION FLAG 0.03 2. MV U.S. DELEGATION WAITING IN MEETING ROOM 0.08 3. SCU GOVERNOR TOM RIDGE (U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISOR) READING A DOCUMENT WHILST WAITING 0.14 4. MV EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF JAVIER SOLANA ENTERING MEETING ROOM AND SHAKING HANDS WITH GOVERNOR RIDGE; ZOOM OUT FROM FLAGS TO RIDGE AND SOLANA DISCUSSING MATTERS; MV/SCU RIDGE AND SOLANA SHAKING HANDS (4 SHOTS) 0.51 5. MV GOVERNOR RIDGE LEAVING THE COUNCIL BUILDING 0.59 6. MV RIDGE ENTERING THE CONFERENCE ROOM AT THE U.S. MISSION IN BRUSSELS; MV PAN FROM JOURNALISTS ATTENDING THE NEWS CONFERENCE TO GOVERNOR RIDGE ON THE STAND (2 SHOTS) 1.14 7. (SOUNDBITE)(English) GOVERNOR TOM RIDGE (U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISOR) COMMENTING ON U.S. WARNINGS TO TOURISTS NOT TO GO TO ASIA "We are sensitive to their concern because economies large and small depend in many instances on travel and tourism. But I would say that the first responsibility our country has is to protect its citizens whether they are in their own country or whether they are travelling abroad. We try under appropriate circumstances with the information we have to put out the appropriate warnings. In addition to put out the appropriate warnings for tourists to travel, it should not go undetected that we want to continue to work with the affected countries to further enhance their counter-terrorism efforts, to further magnify their ability to identify terrorists and to apprehend them and to become to be stronger and even better partners of our coalition against terror." 2.08 8. MV MEDIA PAN MV GOVERNOR RIDGE LISTENING TO JOURNALISTS QUESTION; WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE 2.22 9. (SOUNDBITE)(English) RIDGE SAYING "It has been everybody's benefit to cooperate and to improve the coordination. Obviously, I can't comment on any specific information that may be shared between or among the governments. But it has been substantially enhanced and it is because of that cooperation that sufficient terrorists have been detained, that we have really disrupted many of their financial organisations, that because of that information we were able to better assess the threat and depending on that assessment take protective measures to protect against them." 10. SLV ZOOM OUT FROM JOURNALIST TAKING NOTES TO WIDE OF AUDIENCE; MV GOVERNOR RIDGE LEAVING THE ROOM 2.54 10. SCU JOURNALIST WRITING NOTES ZOOM OUT PRESS CONFERENCE 3.02 11. SCU RIDGE SAYING THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND LEAVING 3.13 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 20th November 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Reuters ID: LVA305JR1NA5LK2JF02B2UWPN8D4
- Story Text: Tom Ridge, head of United States Office of Homeland
Security, has met European Union Foreign Policy chief Javier
Solana in Brussels, where he commented on United States
warnings to citizens not to visit Asia.
A summit of Southeast Asian nations demanded on Monday
(November 4, 2002) that the rest of the world stop issuing
warnings against travel to a region that depends on tourism
for large amounts of revenue.
The United States, among several Western countries which
have warned of threats to their nationals in the region since
last months Bali blasts, retorted that its first
responsibility was to protect its citizens wherever they might
be.
At a news conference after Ridge's meeting with Solana,
the homeland chief said: "We are sensitive to their concern
because economies large and small depend in many instances on
travel and tourism. But I would say that the first
responsibility our country has is to protect its citizens
whether they are in their own country or whether they are
travelling abroad.
"We try under appropriate circumstances with the information
we have to put out the appropriate warnings. In addition to
put out the appropriate warnings for tourists to travel, it
should not go undetected that we want to continue to work with
the affected countries to further enhance their
counter-terrorism efforts, to further magnify their ability to
identify terrorists and to apprehend them and to become to be
stronger and even better partners of our coalition against
terror."
Ridge said security had been substantially enhanced
because of inter-government cooperation.
"It is because of that cooperation that sufficient
terrorists have been detained, that we have really disrupted
many of their financial organisations, that because of that
information we were able to better assess the threat and
depending on that assessment take protective measures to
protect against them," he said.
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