29 May 2006

US State Department praises NZ for efforts to enhance counter-terrorism capacity

8:40 am on 29 May 2006

A US State Department report on terrorism has given credit to New Zealand for continuing its cooperative efforts to enhance counter-terrorism capacity both in the Pacific region and beyond.

The report highlighted the leading role New Zealand played in organising and funding the first Pacific Islands Forum-wide counter-terrorism contingency planning exercise.

The project, called Exercise Ready Pasifika, took place in Suva, Fiji, last November.

The exercise brought together senior counter-terrorism officials from all Pacific Islands Forum countries to assess their capacity to plan for, and respond to, a developing terrorist incident.