$2 Million Is Offered in Hunt for Terrorists

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright vowed Monday to rebuild the shattered U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and pledged renewed efforts to improve security there and at diplomatic posts worldwide.

But in an emotional statement to State Department employees gathered in the department’s auditorium in Washington and broadcast to posts overseas, Albright said diplomatic activity is inherently dangerous and perfect security impossible.

Albright announced a $2-million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the terrorists responsible for Friday’s deadly attacks at the embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

The Clinton administration is preparing a request to Congress for money to “allow us to rebuild and continue our presence in Kenya and Tanzania and that will provide essential security for posts around the world that may have additional needs for such things as armored vehicles, metal detectors, barricades and communication links,” she said.

The Reagan administration adopted in 1985 an ambitious five-year, $3.5-billion plan to rebuild or replace about half of the 262 U.S. embassies and consulates, moving 75 of them to more secure locations, usually well away from the center of busy cities.

But only 27 buildings have been brought up to the new security standards. About $1 billion has been spent during the last 14 years, officials said.

Patrick Kennedy, assistant secretary of State for administration, said the embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam were both built in the early 1980s, before the 1985 security program, but relatively recently in comparison with some other buildings. He said neither building was “a candidate for immediate replacement.”

The blasts have focused renewed attention on the role of U.S. Marines at embassies and consulates. Although many Americans no doubt assume that U.S. military personnel provide the first line of defense for a diplomatic mission, they work mostly inside the embassy building, monitoring surveillance cameras and checking credentials of embassy visitors.

Officials said anyone overseas with information about the bombings should contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or consulate. People in the United States can call 1-800-heroes-1 or file their information online at www.heroes.net.