Mumbai train blasts spur G-8 leaders to focus on terrorism

Moscow, July 14: The serial bomb blasts in Mumbai suburban trains, killing and injuring hundreds of people last Wednesday, have spurred G-8 leaders to focus on fighting international terrorism, at their summit in St Petersburg from July 15 to 17.

''The G-8 countries needed to step up cooperation in countering terrorism,'' Anatoly Safonov, the special envoy of President Vladimir Putin, on international cooperation in the fight against terrorism and cross-border organised crime told Interfax today, ahead of the G-8 summit.

Answering a question whether the Russian authorities were satisfied with the level of anti-terrorist cooperation within the G-8, Mr Safonov said, ''Both yes and no.'' ''On the one hand, a great deal is being done to combat terrorism. But, on the other hand, terrorist attacks continue around the world.

Civilians continue to die,'' he said referring to the recent terrorist serial bomb blasts in Mumbai trains.

''We are not making the most of our international potential to eradicate the reasons and roots of terrorism,'' he noted.

World leaders including US President George W Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the terrorist blasts in Mumbai in strongest terms, demanding severe punishment to the perpetrators.

Mr Safonov said the G-8 leaders were expected to adopt an anti-terrorism declaration and a statement on bolstering the UN's counter-terrorism programme at their summit in St Petersburg.

He pointed out the declaration would deal with a legal foundation for joint anti-terror efforts, measures to stop weapons of mass destruction from falling into terrorists' hands and the need to cut off financing for terrorism and to counter suicide bombers.

''The statement to be adopted by the G-8 leaders will underscore the UN's unique role in increasing the counter-terrorism potential,'' he stressed.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the St Petersburg prosecutor's office said today Ruslan Melnik, leader of the extremist group Mad Crowd, had been detained by the security service.

''Melnik, who was put on the international wanted list several years ago, was detained in St Petersburg today morning. He was immediately arrested because a court had put out a warrant for his arrest in advance,'' he said.

UNI