Emirates: al-Qaida Threat to Gulf Nations

09/29/2005

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - The al-Qaida terror network poses a real danger to the freewheeling countries of the Persian Gulf, which may be its next target, and must be tackled seriously, a government-run think tank warns.

The report, published by the government-run Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, said Osama bin Laden’s terror network is busy recruiting and sinking roots in the region.

The passage of time without coordination and action, “gives terrorism more opportunities to set a foothold and recruit new members in preparation for another wave of terrorism in the region,” the center said.

Terror attacks in the gulf region have been concentrated in Saudi Arabia, which launched an aggressive anti-terror campaign in 2003, killing and arresting many members of the al-Qaida network in the oil-rich kingdom.

The United Arab Emirates has so far been spared even though it has been a key player in the U.S.-led war on terrorism. Authorities have arrested at least two alleged high-profile al-Qaida members, passed laws against money laundering and kept a close watch on Islamic charities.

Terrorism specialists have said Dubai was an ideal logistical hub for al-Qaida because of its liberal, cosmopolitan lifestyle and freewheeling business rules. Other gulf states, such as Bahrain and Qatar, could also be targeted because of their close ties to the United States. Like Dubai, they are home to a huge expatriate work force.

Europeans and other foreigners are attracted by tax-free investment opportunities and have flooded into the gulf countries, where security is tight but low-key.

After the Sept. 11 attacks and the strain they left on Saudi-American relations - 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis - more Saudis have begun putting their money in Dubai, snapping up property and playing a booming stock market.

While the report did not single out a specific country among the Emirates as a target, it warned of a collective danger to the growth and stability of the region.

“Despite all the regional disputes over Iraq, it must be agreed that defeating al-Qaida is an Arab and Islamic goal… . The result of the battle against terrorism in Iraq is linked to stability in the Middle East,” the report said.

According to a recent study by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, there are an estimated 3,000 foreign fighters in Iraq. It said most of the Saudi fighters in Iraq were recruited after the U.S.-led invasion.

The Emirates think tank said the lesson of Afghanistan must not be forgotten by anyone in the region.

“Many of those who went to fight the Soviets (in Afghanistan) had left with their countries’ blessing, and that didn’t prevent them from turning against their countries. Which begs the question: What will it be like for those who ... are going to Iraq without their countries’ approval and are accusing their nations of cooperating with the enemy?” it said.

“The danger these individuals will pose will be bigger and more dangerous,” the study warned.