THE HAGUE, Jan. 30, Reuter: A U.S. aviation security expert called on the major industrialized countries today to form a standing committee on terrorism to pool intelligence and coordinate sanctions against offending states.

Andreas Lowenfeld, a law professor at New York University, told a conference on security in aviation the committee would be similar in style and organization to Cocom, the Paris based group that coordinates control of trade in Strategic goods with the Soviet bloc.

Lowenfeld said the proposed Organization differed from existing international groups because member states would have to discuss each terrorist act in a standing committee before apportioning blame and deciding a response.

He told reporters that the scheme would have helped Bonn in its crisis over the taking of West German hostages in Beirut in apparent reprisal for the arrest in Frankfurt last week of a man wanted in the United States on charges of air piracy.

“West Germany would not feel so exposed. Hard unilateral decisions would become hard multilateral decisions,” he said.

Lowenfeld said his proposed group, which he dubbed Terrcom, would comprise 10 to 15 nations, primarily from the major industrial democracies as in Cocom.

“U.S. involvement would be essential they are a big target for attacks. I’d also love the Soviet Union to be a part of such an effort”, and added that he intends to pass on his proposal to the U.S. state department.

Lowenfeld, a former state department legal adviser, said sanctions could include the denial of landing rights to nations deemed to have supported terrorism. Other options included cutting telephone communications or denying access to satellites for a temporary period.

At the today conference other experts from airlines, governments, and universities discussed how to share the burden of paying for measures against terrorism attacks.

Geoffrey Lipman, Executive Director of the International Foundation of Airline Passengers Associations, said passengers were experiencing a new fear of flying and it was up to the governments to finance better security.

Article extracted from this publication >>  February 6, 1987