UK PM Blair to host new anti-terrorism committee

London, Apr 24: Prime Minister Tony Blair is due to host thefirst meeting of a new committee today aimed at better coordinatinganti-terrorism efforts.

The committee, which will meet monthly, will include HomeSecretary John Reid and Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett as well aspolice and intelligence officials.

It was set up as part of the restructuring of the Home Officewhich aims to streamline efforts to counter security threats and willcomplement weekly meetings held by Reid in the new Office for Securityand Counter-Terrorism.

The overhaul of the Home Office, due to come into effect in May, will see the department split into two.

The rump Home Office will concentrate on security, counterterrorism and immigration while responsibility for prisons, probationand judicial matters will be the responsibility of a new Ministry ofJustice.

However Lord Woolf, former Lord Chief Justice of England andWales, said he was concerned at the speed of the changes and felt therehad not been enough time for proper consultation.

''We should work it out beforehand and not wait until we havecreated the change and then somehow or other try to scramble to get itinto place,'' he told BBC radio.

Lord Falconer, the Lord Chancellor, said the changes had been''carefully thought through'' and officials were working to ensurethere were proper safeguards.

Reuters>