United States gets more backing for anti-terrorism coalition

WASHINGTON -- Moving ahead in its anti-terrorism campaign, the Bush administration is receiving promises of intelligence sharing from China and commitments of strengthened cooperation from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday that U.S. and Chinese experts plan to meet next week in Washington to discuss the situation in South Asia where, according to U.S. officials, the terrorist plots against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were hatched.

Powell made the disclosure Friday after 2 1/2 hours of talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan.

China, Powell said, "has influence in the region. It has knowledge and information. It has intelligence that might be of help to us."

The terrorism talks will be part of a continuing administration focus on that issue. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Italian Foreign Minister Renato Ruggiero are expected to offer support and sympathy for the United States in meetings Tuesday with President Bush. On Friday, Jordan's King Abdullah II plans a similar White House visit.

Organization of American States foreign ministers, meeting in special session Friday, approved two resolutions promising to assist the United States in its counterterrorism struggle.

One of the resolutions, referring to the Sept. 11 attacks, calls on all 34 member states to "pursue, capture, prosecute and punish and, as appropriate, to expedite the extradition of the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of these terrorist acts."

In a speech to the gathering, Powell called for a revitalization of an OAS committee set up to fight terrorism.

"We have this tool. We need it. We must use it," he said.