Today in New York the Italian G8 Presidency convened a meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Action Group. Its members include not only the G8 Countries but also the Countries most committed to technical assistance programs in the fight against terrorism (Australia, Spain, and Switzerland), as well as the United Nations, which was represented by the Executive Director for Counter-Terrorism, Mike Smith.
The meeting took place at the Italian Mission to the United Nations, in the context of Italy’s initiatives to promote the program of its G8 presidency. The representatives of the Italian Government illustrated counter-terrorism priorities and the ties between terrorism and organized crimes. They also noted support actions to benefit regions that are particularly significant to Italy, such as western Africa and the Mediterranean.
The next meeting of the Group, which was established at the 2003 Evian Summit, is scheduled to take place in Naples in April, in preparation for the La Maddalena Summit, which will also take up the issue of terrorism.