EU 'to cut aid to third world over terrorism'

The EU threatened yesterday to cut aid to Third World nations that fail to help root out terrorism, as it agreed measures to boost Europe’s intelligence-sharing and coordinate security efforts. Foreign ministers backed a declaration describing counter-terrorism as “a key element of political dialogue” with other countries, at a meeting in Brussels. The EU now plans to add a clause to “all relevant external assistance programs”, which would make cash and trade concessions dependent on security cooperation. Prior to Thursday’s summit of heads of government, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, predicted a “significant step in the area of counter-terrorism and intelligence cooperation”. Members have agreed to appoint a senior official to coordinate activities, with former Dutch justice minister, Klaas de Vries, tipped to take the job. Full Story