The number of terrorist acts in 2003 grew by 50%, deputy head of the Russian President's administration Viktor Ivanov said at an extended session of the Interior Ministry's Collegium on Friday.
"The most serious problem facing the [law-enforcement] system in general is fight against terrorism. Terrorist activities are becoming open confrontation with the state," Ivanov said.
The anti-terrorist system in Russia does not achieve its main goal, he pointed out.
"So far the law-enforcement bodies have failed to eliminate terrorism's economic base, have not created serious barriers to financial flows that feed crime both in the country and abroad," he emphasized.
"The form of organization and methods of terrorists are arousing anxiety. Without increasing operative work, revealing these crimes at the stage of planning or the primary stage of their fulfillment, efficiency of anti-terrorist fight remains low," Ivanov explained.
According to him, "along with general mobilization of efforts, the Interior Ministry should carry out complex measures aimed at preventing terrorism." "So far the Ministry has not used all of its great potential to shape anti-terrorist legislation. The practice of solving and investigating criminal cases has exposed the shortcomings of the current laws," he said. "However, the accumulated experience allows the Ministry to work out decisions and to initiate adoption of efficient legal tools to fight terror." The Kremlin representative pointed out that the police had done a lot so that Russian citizens could feel protected from criminals. However, "the recent events in the Moscow metro showed that the time to relax has not come yet," Ivanov emphasized. (On February 6th, an explosion in the tunnel between Moscow subway stations almost in the center of the city killed 39 and injured over 100 people).
The session was also attended by Acting Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev, FSB Director Nikolai Patrushev, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov and other officials.
