MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Warning to Latin-American terrorists.

Washington warned this week that extremists operating in the “Triple frontier” area between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, as well as terrorist organizations in Colombia, both right wing para-military and left wing guerrilla, are considered potential targets for the US sponsored global anti terrorist war.

Francis Taylor, recently named State Department Anti terrorist war Coordinator said the White House was "very concerned" with potential terrorist activities in the Triple frontier and "we want to work with those governments to identify those individuals".

Speaking before representatives from the Organization of American States, OAS, Mr. Taylor said that the strategy for the American continent is the same as in the rest of the world: "we will use all available resources, intelligence, diplomatic, disarraying finances and ?military power, as in Afghanistan, if necessary". Mr. Taylor talked to the press after meeting behind closed doors with the Interamerican Anti Terrorism Committee, which became effective following the OAS Foreign Affairs Assembly last September 21st. When asked specifically about Colombian left wing guerrilla and right wing paramilitary groups, Mr. Taylor was emphatic, "they will be treated as any other terrorist group". Mr. Taylor added the White House was "very satisfied with the political response from Latinamerican and Caribbean countries" and rated the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking "as part of the same effort". However Mr. Taylor avoided answering questions regarding antiterrorist and anti-insurgency operations in Colombia where United States has supplied ample military support, but promised not "to interfere".

This week security and intelligence organizations from Mercosur, plus representatives from Chile and Bolivia, will be meeting in Montevideo to consider alleged terrorist activities by Islamic fundamentalist groups in the Tripe frontier area, where a few days ago Brazilian Federal Police detected and neutralized at least six illegal radio posts operating in the Foz do Iguazú area. Apparently the radio posts were used for contacting Middle East and Afghanistan.

Argentine sources also revealed that one of the alleged terrorist involved in the September 11 attacks, was detected in the Triple Frontier area, where there's a strong Middle East community.