EU, U.S. pledge to tighten air security

EU, U.S. pledge to tighten air security    European Union ministers and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Thursday said their governments share responsibility for preventing terrorist attacks on civil aviation.
   The statement followed a meeting in Toledo, Spain, to discuss the attempted Christmas Day bombing of an airliner that originated in the Netherlands and landed in Detroit.
   Among the objectives they pledged to pursue are developing better technologies for finding explosives sent through the cargo system or carried onboard.
   The meeting's joint declaration also talked about the need for international aviation security standards for sharing passenger and cargo information, tamper-proof travel documents, the use of biometrics and passenger screening to earlier identify travelers who pose a potential threat.

Napolitano

   The governments said they would work with industry and other government partners to make improvements to aviation security regimes, including the provision of more resources to expand capabilities and helping train authorities in less developed countries on counter-terrorism methods.
   Part of that effort will include looking for ways to increase electronic data sharing through mechanisms such as liaison officers and joint operations centers.
   U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said at an American Association of Exporters and Importers trade seminar in Los Angeles Wednesday that the attempted suicide-bombing attack on Dec. 25 has led to a heightened focus on cargo security, as well as in the passenger arena. ' Eric Kulisch