BELGIUM: UNITED STATES SECURITY CHIEF TOM RIDGE APPEALS FOR GREATER TRANSATLANTIC COOPERATION AND DEFENDS CODED ALERT SYSTEM

Record ID: 338035

  • Title: BELGIUM: UNITED STATES SECURITY CHIEF TOM RIDGE APPEALS FOR GREATER TRANSATLANTIC COOPERATION AND DEFENDS CODED ALERT SYSTEM
  • Date: 15th January 2005
  • Summary: (EU) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JANUARY 13, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. SLV EXTERIOR OF CROWN PLAZA HOTEL; MV U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY CHIEF TOM RIDGE TALKING TO OFFICIALS 0.09 2. SLV ASSEMBLY ROOM AND OFFICIALS; RIDGE AT PODIUM; ASSEMBLY ROOM; APPLAUSE AS RIDGE DESCENDS FROM PODIUM 1.08 3. MV RIDGE SEATED FOR INTERVIEW WITH JOURNALIST 1.13 4. (SOUNDB
  • Embargoed: 30th January 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
  • Country: Belgium
  • Reuters ID: LVAC8Y5ZT26D8K2LIKQFHZFUNKWI
  • Story Text: U.S. National Security chief appeals for greater
    transatlantic cooperation and defends the five-colour
    coded alert system.

    Americans can expect more information in the future
    on the workings of a colour-coded terror alert system
    widely derided as vague and confusing, outgoing Homeland
    Security chief Tom Ridge pledged on Thursday (January 13, 2005).

    Ridge, who also appealed for greater transatlantic
    cooperation to defeat terrorism, defended the five-coloured
    system but said it should be made easier for the public to
    understand.

    "With the colour-coded system, as people have observed
    very appropriately, is being used less and less. There are
    a couple of reasons for that. One, people need to know it
    was designed for that purpose. Secondly, it's used less
    because our threshold of security within the United States
    continues to grow and get better every day which means a
    threat of two years ago would not be the risk that it was
    two years ago. Because we have either hardened the targets
    or there is more security there," Ridge told Reuters of
    efforts to improve the system.

    "Any time we can get more information and make sure we
    are not compromising sources or methods, we think it is
    better to let the public have it rather than let them guess
    or wonder why," he added.

    Ridge is due to hand over the Homeland Security
    Department, created as a response to the Sept. 11 attacks,
    to federal judge Michael Chertoff next month.

    Ridge said he had recommended to the White House that
    more information be released to the public on any future
    threats and that its reaction had been "pretty good",
    without elaborating.

    The five-tiered warning system he introduced has mainly
    stayed steady at yellow, the middle ranking representing an
    elevated risk. There have been several shifts up to orange
    for a high alert. The public has not seen red, the
    highest stage of alert, or blue or green, the lowest risk
    level.

    Critics say past upgrades to the alert level were not
    adequately explained and accuse Ridge of timing them to
    boost support for U.S. President George W. Bush during last
    year's presidential campaign: a charge Ridge has strongly
    denied.

    As chief of the Homeland Security Department, created
    in January 2003 from a merger of all or parts of 22 federal
    agencies, Ridge's job is to prevent attacks and minimise
    damage from any that do occur.

    Speaking earlier at a seminar in Brussels, Ridge said
    the United States wanted to boost counter-terrorism work
    with the European Union and would appoint by April 2005 an
    attache from his department to the EU who would be based
    full-time in Brussels.

    oy/jrc



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