Mauro Marcelo de Lima e Silva is Director-General of ABIN, Brazil's Federal Intelligence Agency, a position to which he was appointed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva earlier this year, and confirmed by Congress in July of 2004. ABIN is Brazil's equivalent of the CIA in the United States. His appointment was a major departure for the agency, whose prior directors all came from the military. In eighteen years with the São Paulo state police, he created and ran the internet and hi-tech crime sectors, and was the force's head of communications and media relations. He also held a number of supervisory posts at police precincts and departments. A Criminal Justice graduate from the University of Virginia, he also graduated from the FBI National Academy, on the U.S. Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. He also holds a law degree from the St. Franciscan Faculty of Law in Bragança, São Paulo state. He completed several extension courses covering different areas of police work with the FBI, Police de France in Paris, the National Police Agency of Japan, the New York City Police Department, the Miami Police SWAT team, and ADESG – Brazil's Association of Superior War College graduates. A former visiting professor with the Miami Police Academy and the FBI, he is a frequent guest speaker at law schools and law enforcement organizations throughout Brazil. His extensive list of awards, medals and recognitions includes a diploma from B'nai Brith of Brazil and other Jewish organizations for his work against discrimination disseminated over the internet, medals from the FBI and the City of Hiroshima Metropolitan Police Force in Japan for investigative work, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, New York City Police, the Brazilian Navy, and the Jorge Tibiriçá Medal of Honour for placing first among police academy graduates. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Police Futurists International, the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists, and the São Paulo state Association of Police Superintendents.

Brazil is a nation that rejects all forms of political violence, especially those sponsored by groups that resort to terrorism in order to impose their ideas. As a signatory of multilateral accords on terrorism, and a member of continental forums that deal with the subject, Brazil supports the global effort to monitor, prevent and combat extremist acts in all forms.

In this context, Brazil has signed on to twelve United Nations conventions on terrorism, as well as Resolution 1373 of September 28, 2001, which recommends that nations adopt specific measures to fight terrorism. And, since January of 2004, Brazil has a seat on the U.N. Security Council, on a temporary two-year mandate.

It should be noted, however, that three of those U.N. conventions have not yet had their specific points approved by Brazil's Congress. They are: the Convention for the Suppression of Illicit Acts Against Seafaring Safety; the Protocol for the Suppression of Illicit Acts Against the Safety of Fixed Platforms; and the International Convention for the Suppression of Financing for Terrorism (Resolution 1373) – the last being the most important of the three.

Within the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism, or CICTE, was created in 1999 to function as a forum coordinating the regional exchange of information, and the battle against terrorism. Brazil has been an active participant. On June 3, 2002, the OAS General Assembly approved CICTE (Resolution 1840), as an updated instrument to prevent, combat and eradicate terrorist activities. Brazil was among the first nations to sign on.

Where the Common Market of the South is concerned, or Mercosur, the Permanent and Specialized Working Groups (GTP/GTE) were created in October of 2001 in response to the terrorist attacks of September of that year in the United States. These have proved to be excellent channels for technical cooperation between member countries. Currently, the GTP/GTE is examining the possibility of creating a standard system of alert levels, to be coordinated by the rotating presidency, which is held by Brazil for the second half of 2004.

As for domestic legislation, Brazil's Congress is examining a new law, proposed by the Executive Branch, punishing crimes against the state. The proposal covers crimes of terrorism, the perpetration of acts against democratic institutions and essential services.

After the attacks on the U.S., the suggestion that radical groups are installed and supported by Arab-Palestinian communities in South America has been raised from time to time. Suspicions of involvement with extremist activities, especially those connected to financing terrorism, have constantly been levelled against Southern Cone countries, particularly those that form the tri-national border at Foz do Iguazú – Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

But, since the 1990s, and because of the deadly attacks that took place in 1992 and 1994 in Argentina, Brazil has been developing intelligence and information exchange strategies with the other Tri-Border nations. Brazil has also been active on a permanent basis, together with Argentina and Paraguay, in what is known as the Tri-Party Command, which unifies policing efforts of the three countries in that border region.

As a result of these efforts, although sympathizers of organizations such as Hizballah and Hamas have been identified, no cells or training camps connected to terrorist organizations have been found in the region. Nor have any signs or connections to terrorism been found in Brazil.

Even after these conclusions, ABIN – the Brazilian Intelligence Agency, remains technically prepared and trained to face any challenges. The agency continues to develop preventive measures against terrorism, as it maintains a high degree of readiness and concern, in keeping with the motto "be prepared and think the unthinkable".

The Tri-Border region continues to present a series of interdependent factors that, together, may provide a stimulus for extremist organizations to become active in the area. Monitoring suspicious activities there is made difficult by the hermetically "sealed" nature of Islamic communities, which display a great desire to preserve values and cultural identity.

There is also the varying manner in which these activities are looked upon by the specific legislation of each country. Although these communities do integrate and adopt local habits and customs, they retain their social, political and cultural identity, as well as strong links to their origins.

During the last gathering in 2003 in Paraguay of the so-called "3+1 Mechanism", which involves Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and the United States as a guest participant, new conclusions were announced and agreed to by the four delegations. The statement read as follows:

"No operational activities linked to terrorism have been detected in the Tri-Border region by radicalized groups such as Hizballah, Hamas or Al Qaeda, be they terrorist activities or efforts to develop or train new members for terrorist organizations, or so-called sleeper cells. It is agreed that no location on the planet is exempt from this possibility, making it necessary to maintain vigilance and strengthen policing, immigration and passport control efforts in the region."

Currently, activities that provide logistical or recruitment support for terrorism can be carried out in just about any part of the world. This is owed to the logic of transnational dissemination of terrorism, as perpetrators search continuously for new ways to pursue their activities and cause impact.

In that search, possible specific advantages each country might provide for members of extremist organizations are taken into consideration. These include how easy it is to obtain documents – a detail that facilitates access to numerous countries. Other aspects are ease of cross-border movement, refuge, and access to essentials like funding and technology.

All of this makes it paramount for national states to revise pre-established concepts, such as rigid separations between internal and external threats. The vital importance of partnerships and cooperation with other countries also become evident, if terrorist activities like financing and logistical support in key areas are to be suppressed.

To effectively combat terrorism, multilateral accords are essential – not just global but regional. Multilateral forums where conflicting aspects can be dealt with must also be created and strengthened. For without a continuous effort by nations to integrate and coordinate repressive action, international terrorism will continue to be a threat to the interests of the international community, and the safety of people everywhere.

Source: InfoBrazil