Discussing a new role in fighting terrorism

While the threat of terrorist attacks in Lithuania remains small, an ambitious conference held in Vilnius this week addressed ways small countries can help fight it.

Lithuanian officials, including President Valdas Adamkus, ambassadors, academics, students, experts from abroad and even participants from Pakistan joined in the dialogue via videoconference.

A total of about 165 attendees gathered at the American Center on April 17-18 to take part in the discussion. Students at Vilnius University's Institute of International Relations and Political Science initiated the idea for the conference and got organizational support from the American Embassy.

President Valdas Adamkus spoke of terrorism in broad terms and the "importance of solidarity" when confronting the threat. He also reaffirmed Lithuania's support of the anti-terrorist coalition.

"There is no doubt that expanding cooperation, security and prosperity will leave less and less leeway for terrorists to pursue their evil goals," said Adamkus. "For that reason, we are working toward Euro-Atlantic enlargement.

"But Euro-Atlantic integration is only an element of a broader scheme, in which solidarity plays a pivotal role. The importance of solidarity is the major lesson of Sept. 11."

Birthe Hansen, a senior fellow at the Danish Institute of International Affairs, focused more on the causes of terrorism. She proposed the idea that terrorism finds followers among the "losers" in the new world order, when traditional parameters fall apart.

She advocated a "softening of the process of transformation" for those who are challenged by the process of change.

Both Antanas Valionis, Lithuanian's foreign affairs minister, and Linas Linkevicius, defense minister, spoke briefly about Lithuania's long-term commitment to combat terrorism.

Linkevicius spoke of specific steps the Lithuanian military was taking. One such step has been the Lithuanian Parliament's approval of deploying soldiers. Fifteen troops are to support a NATO mission as part of a Baltic contingent led by Denmark that will serve in Kyrgyzstan.

"Lithuania is ready to contribute to anti-terrorist operations with real capabilities," he said.

Lithuania's efforts extend into the diplomatic realm as well. Valionis said the topic is high on the agenda for the Council of Europe, a group that a Lithuanian delegation currently presides over.

One of the most interesting aspects of the conference was the use of digital conferencing. This allowed questions to be posed to experts and students at American universities in Washington, D.C., Council of Europe officials in Strasbourg, France, and a group of Pakistani students at the American Center in Karachi.

Stanislovas Cechovicius, one of the event's student organizers from Vilnius University, said that the talk with the Karachi students helped "destroy some of my stereotypes" about Pakistan.

The Pakistani students contended that religion does not really matter, that terrorism is not the fault of Islam, but extremists.

Cechovicius said the American students' ideas were "more pro-Asian than the Lithuanians'. They seemed more tolerant in evaluating fundamentalism."