CIS ANTI-TERRORISM CENTRE PRESENTED IN UN

NEW YORK, May 28 (RIA Novosti) - While presenting a CIS anti-terrorism centre at the UN headquarters in New York last Thursday, its head Boris Mylnikov, Russia's federal security service (FSB) deputy-chief, told his Security Council's counter terrorism committee about plans for the future. The centre's technical aid to the CIS intelligence services, including in the field of research and consulting as well as training anti-terrorism experts, was under review. Mylnikov cited the figure of about 60 experts who were trained by the FSB special force centre for Belorussia, Kazakhstan and Kirghizia in 2003.

Mention was made of such a powerful impetus for increasing the CIS anti-terrorism potential as annual command and operations exercises to be held this year at railway and air transport facilities in Chisinau, Moldavia, over June 27-30.

Boris Mylnikov also informed the counter-terrorism committee members about new tasks set before the centre at a CIS security and intelligence executives session in Sochi last week.

"Firstly, it is building up our specialised data bank with a section on organisations and persons who display heightened interest in secret services' information and electronic data bases. Secondly, we'll have to compile a uniform list of terrorist organisations for the entire CIS environment," said Mylnikov in a RIA interview after the end of the session.

"The activity of fifteen organisations dubbed by the Supreme Court as terrorist last year has been banned in Russia. This kind of work has not yet been conducted in other CIS countries," said Mylnikov.

"We are certain to maintain international cooperation, above all contacts with the Counter-Terrorism Committee, to become a connecting link between this UN agency and the CIS intelligence services. We are also willing to establish bonds with the Security Council's committee on sanctions against the Taliban and Al Qaeda movements that complies lists of persons and organisations involved in terrorism," noted Mylnikov.

In his opinion, the Centre should not restrict its efforts to the CIS confines alone, the more so as the role of regional organisations in the battle against international terrorism will be constantly growing.

"All-round cooperation of secret services of different countries has been just launched. We have to join our efforts in obtaining information sources, conducting operations and helping each other with legal aid," said Mylnikov.

The head of the CIS anti-terrorism centre welcomed the UN Security Council decision to vest the Russian Federation with the functions of Counter-Terrorism Committee chairman from May 27. "This is a recognition of Russia's adequate and consistent work in this sphere, its thought-out foreign policy and ample experience in the battle against international terrorism," concluded Mylnikov.