Common Market to Share Data on Terrorism With U.S, Others : Cites Need for ‘Extra Vigilance’ After Recent Events

Common Market ministers agreed today to exchange information with non-member nations, including the United States, on terrorism, terrorist suspects and their methods of operation.

The interior and justice ministers of the 12-member trading bloc said in a communique that in view of recent events “both inside and outside Europe, combatting terrorism calls for increased vigilance and determination within the framework of European cooperation.”

As part of that cooperation, the Common Market will contact “those third countries with which it is deemed useful and necessary to establish contact,” the communique said.

Dutch Justice Minister Frederik Korthals Altes, who chaired the meeting, said the document did not specify the United States as an exchange nation and would leave the choice of such contacts to Common Market leaders.

U.S. Pre-Eminent

However, British Home Secretary Douglas Hurd told a news conference: “Obviously pre-eminent among those (exchange countries) is the United States. I think we’ve met the American (expectations) and I welcome that.”

Britain is the sole Common Market member to have publicly backed the April 15 U.S. bombing raids on Libya in retaliation for Libya’s alleged support of terrorism.

The ministers’ communique did not say how information will be exchanged. West German Interior Minister Friedrich Zimmermann said the Common Market nations would swap with other countries names of suspicious individuals, data about suspicious and stolen passports and incidents relating to airport security.

He said the exchange is not restricted to terrorism. “We’re talking about the illegal arms trade, drug smuggling, kidnaping and even soccer hooliganism.”

Other Crimes Listed

According to the communique, other violent crimes, slavery and international fraud are also on the list.

The ministers, known as the Trevi Conference, met for about four hours today to map a joint strategy against terrorism. The meeting is part of a decade-old series and planning began months ago.

U.S. Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III and FBI Director William H. Webster, who arrived in the Netherlands on Tuesday, met with some of the ministers outside the session to present the U.S. position.

Zimmermann said he met before the session with Meese, Webster and Robert Oakley, director of the State Department’s office of counterterrorism policy, and that the participants had “hardly any big differences” of opinion.

Reported Satisfied

“They were satisfied with the decision to establish a formal information framework between the Common Market and the United States,” Zimmermann said.

French Deputy Interior Minister Robert Pandraud also met with Meese.

Pandraud said Meese “didn’t ask for anything specific. He only expressed the wish of the Americans for improved cooperation with the European countries in the fight against terrorism.”

Asked by reporters whether he and Meese talked about Libya, Pandraud said: “It would be wrong to say it was never mentioned, but it was not the main subject.”