U.S. signs anti-terrorism pact

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei -- The United States signed a sweeping new anti-terrorism treaty with southeast Asian countries on Thursday aimed at substantially upgrading security in the region -- a key front in the war on al-Qaida.

The treaty with the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, is one of the most extensive security arrangements concluded among the United States and its allies in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Under the agreement, Washington and the regional grouping -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- will share information, boost police cooperation and plug holes that extremists can exploit. The treaty will also raise U.S. technical and logistical aid to "prevent, disrupt and combat" international terrorism.

Better relationship

Secretary of State Colin Powell told a news conference the accord would build a "more intimate relationship" with the Asian countries.

Southeast Asia has seen a rise in Muslim extremism in recent years, with some regional militant groups linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. U.S. officials believe some of the planning for Sept. 11 may have taken place in Malaysia, where at least two of the hijackers visited a year earlier. Plots against U.S. interests in Indonesia and Singapore were exposed and thwarted in the past year.

No more U.S. troops sent

The prospect that an anti-terrorist pact might lead to the deployment of U.S. soldiers has alarmed Vietnam and Indonesia -- the world's most populous Muslim nation. The United States sought to assuage such concerns.

"We are not looking for bases or places to send U.S. troops," Powell said after signing the accord at a ceremony in the capital of this oil-rich sultanate on Borneo island.

Analysts also have warned that the possible presence of American forces in predominantly Muslim nations such as Malaysia or Indonesia could be counterproductive and could inflame religious extremism.

Powell indicated that national security forces should be responsible for handling any threat.

Some 1,500 U.S. troops have already been deployed to the southern Philippines to combat Abu Sayyaf terrorists allegedly linked to al-Qaida.

Asian leaders sought to allay domestic concerns the treaty would bolster U.S. influence.

"This is not a case of Big Brother United States imposing on ASEAN," Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said. "This is something that both ASEAN and the United States want."