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Combating Terrorism Tops Agenda at Meeting of Southeast Asian Nations

Aired July 30, 2002 - 05:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Combating terrorism tops the agenda at a meeting of Southeast Asian nations. The Pacific Rim foreign ministers are meeting in Brunei. Secretary of State Colin Powell is there to discuss anti-terrorism measures with his Asian counterparts.

Maria Ressa is covering the conference.

She joins us by phone from the capital, Bandar -- sorry, Begawan -- Maria.

MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Anderson.

The ALBION (ph) foreign ministers have actually gotten a head start. Colin Powell will be arriving about four hours from now. The foreign ministers here in the building behind me have just finished a two day conference. They came out with a joint communique with a focus on terrorism.

On Wednesday, the ministers from the region are going to sign an anti-terror pact with the United States. Some of its highlights include intelligence sharing, dismantling terrorists' financial networks in the region, as well as upgrading immigration procedures -- Anderson.

COOPER: Maria, what is security like at this meeting? It must be very tight.

RESSA: Security is extremely tight. Part of the reason that Colin Powell is doing a six nation swing through the region is partly because in this part of the world, al Qaeda had actually began setting up a terrorist infrastructure here as early as 1988, according to intelligence officials. Much of that now is under, is being attacked by the authorities here. More than 100 terrorists have been arrested since September 11. Two al Qaeda operatives were arrested with the help of two of the nations here. Both of them are now in U.S. custody.

In addition to that, this also, region also has a quarter of the world's Muslim population. Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population. And they point out that although they support the U.S. war on terror, they want to make sure that this war is not a battle between good and evil, but that in their nations it is more a battle for the soul of Islam, a battle between moderate Muslims and radical Islam.

COOPER: All right, Maria Ressa reporting via video phone from Brunei.

Thanks very much this morning.

Following that story all day long, CNN will.

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