MARK COLVIN: The United States secretary of state has named Saudi Arabia as the world's most significant source of funds for Sunni terrorists.
In a diplomatic cable secretary also released by WikiLeaks, Hillary Clinton names Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Qatar as terrorism's major bankers.
Funds from those countries regularly find their way to terrorist organisations, including Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Hamas.
Also today in the latest batch from WikiLeaks comes a list of key facilities vital to the United States' security, including an anti-snake venom lab in Australia.
David Mark reports.
DAVID MARK: Last year the United States set up a special task force to help stop funds flowing to terrorist groups.
The Illicit Finance Task Force is seen as essential in the United State's strategy to stop terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
We know this because last December a diplomatic cable from the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, was sent to embassies in Middle East countries which are the key sources of money for militants.
Saudi Arabia tops the list:
EXCERPT FROM CABLE: Donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide.
DAVID MARK: She wrote in the cable.
EXCERPT FROM CABLE: It's been an ongoing challenge to persuade Saudi officials to treat terrorist financing emanating from Saudi Arabia as a strategic priority.
More needs to be done since Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Toiba and other terrorist groups, including Hamas, which probably raise millions of dollars annually from Saudi sources, often during Hajj and Ramadan.
DAVID MARK: Hillary Clinton says her intelligence suggests its charity groups and multilateral organisations which are funnelling the money out of Saudi Arabia to fund extremists.
It's a similar story in Kuwait.
EXCERPT FROM CABLE: Al-Qaeda and other groups continue to exploit Kuwait, both as a source of funds and as a key transit point.
DAVID MARK: The secretary of state is worried Kuwait isn't doing enough to stop those funds flowing.
EXCERPT FROM CABLE: We remain concerned that the continued absence of counter-terrorism legislation criminalising terrorist financing will continue to prevent effective counter-terrorist efforts.
DAVID MARK: The United Arab Emirates is another source, as is Pakistan.
EXCERPT FROM CABLE: Pakistan's intermittent support to terrorist groups and militant organizations threatens to undermine regional security and endanger US national security objectives in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Although Pakistani senior officials have publicly disavowed support for these groups, some officials from the Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) continue to maintain ties with a wide array of extremist organizations, in particular the Taliban, Lashkar e-Toiba and other extremist organizations.
These extremist organizations continue to find refuge in Pakistan and exploit Pakistan's extensive network of charities, NGOs, and madrassas.
DAVID MARK: The country that just won the right to host the 2022 Soccer World Cup, Qatar, is singled out as a source of funds for Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and Lashkar e-Toiba.
EXCERPT FROM CABLE: Qatar's overall level of CT cooperation with the US is considered the worst in the region. They've been hesitant to act against known terrorists out of concern for appearing to be aligned with the US and provoking reprisals.
DAVID MARK: But the secretary of state's notes suggests a softly, softly approach with the Qatar's government because it's a member of the Illicit Finance Task Force.
Another of the 77 diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks today is a list of the critical infrastructure and key resources essential to the United States.
The cable defines that infrastructure as systems and assets:
EXCERPT FROM CABLE: ...so vital to the United States the incapacitation or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of these matters.
DAVID MARK: Australia rates several mentions.
These include the two Sydney landing spots for the Southern Cross undersea cable.
The mainly undersea cable contains 30,000 kilometres of fibre optic wires linking Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii and the United States.
Also included is an unnamed facility that produces a rattlesnake antivenin and a Melbourne factory that produces manganese.
Then there's the Victorian Mayne Pharma lab that makes Midazolam, a short acting benzodiazepine used as a muscle relaxant and sedative for short medical procedures.
MARK COLVIN: David Mark.
source: http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2010/s3086132.htm
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