By Hani Al-Bahrani
KUWAIT, Sept 6 (KUNA) -- The level of cooperation with Kuwait on detecting terrorism financing is "impressive", said US Congressman Michael Fitzpatrick on Sunday.
"It is important to know that sometimes one needs to look at laws and regulations of current financial systems. And the main goal of our visit is to better understand the mission that we have in the Committee, not just with the United States, but internationally," Fitzpatrick, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) in an exclusive interview.
Fitzpatrick, a Republican, along with fellow Congressman Gregory Meeks, are in a visit to the country as part of a tour that previously took them to Turkey and Qatar in their capacity as Chairman and vice chairman of a task force investigating terrorist financing; a subcommittee of the Financial Services' Committee at the US House of Representatives.
"We have been making changes in our financial system post 9/11 (2001), and recently Kuwait has made several changes as well.
"Also we are here to encourage cooperation and information-sharing, which the Kuwaiti side showed to be very cooperative at. We've met senior officials of financial intelligence from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are very impressed with the sincerity and seriousness." With the task force established primarily to track finances of ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), Fitzpatrick said "The most shocking matter about ISIL is not just their brutality, but also the alarming way that they've been growing, taking in more land, being able to recruit, and they are doing that, in part, by raising capital." Along with military and diplomacy, "follow the money. If you cut off finances, you cut off their (ISIL) ability to recruit, train, equip and ultimately break terror. Following the money is what we do in the committee," he underlined.
"We are here also to express our sympathies and solidarity to the people of Kuwait who lost family and loved ones on Imam Al-Sadiq terrorist attack on June 26 of this year.
"I admire how Kuwaitis rose above the event and embraced each other; through visiting families of the 'martyred' and wounded, either at homes, hospitals or places of worship," Fitzpatrick noted.
On his part, Congressman Meeks (D) told KUNA that the June 26th attack brought Kuwaitis together. "That is tremendously impressive." He said that "in order to defeat our common enemy - ISIL -, we need to cooperate, just as I noticed during our meetings with Kuwaiti officials, who we see eye-to-eye with in regards to fighting terrorism, and cutting off the finances that these groups get, which enables them to commit these atrocities." He added that during meetings with officials here, "we learned that many laws relating to fighting terrorism have been changed, specifically after the June 26th attack, and even before; criminalizing terrorism financing and the right to freeze assets of terrorist groups if detected." However, both Congressmen expressed optimism for the future in the Middle East.
Fitzpatrick is serving his fourth term in the US House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania's 8th district and serves as the Vice Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
The US Treasury and Department of State have been using such tactics to try to combat ISIL and other terrorist groups. The agencies took action last year that would freeze assets and block financial transactions by two-dozen groups and individuals. (end) hb